The Ship

The Oryoku Maru was a Japanese passenger-cargo vessel used as a prison transport during the final months of World War II. On December 13, 1944, it embarked from Manila carrying over 1,620 Allied POWs—primarily Americans—bound for Japan. The ship was not marked as carrying prisoners, a deadly oversight during wartime sea lanes.

The Attack

While traversing Subic Bay, the Oryoku Maru was bombed by U.S. aircraft from the USS Hornet. Over two days of attacks, the ship was severely damaged and eventually sank just offshore at Olongapo, Luzon. Nearly 300 POWs died aboard or during the bombing. Survivors were forced to swim to shore under brutal conditions.

“We were trapped in the holds. Smoke, heat, fear. When it cracked open, we thought it was hell itself.” — Oryoku Maru Survivor

Aftermath

The survivors were herded into makeshift detention at San Fernando and later forced onto other hellships including the Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru. Many of the wounded died from lack of care. Those who continued the voyage faced frostbite, starvation, and ultimately, death at sea or in Japanese labor camps.

Legacy

The Oryoku Maru wreck lies just meters offshore at Subic Bay—a haunting monument to one of the worst atrocities of POW transport. The Hellships Memorial, situated nearby, honors the lives lost and those who survived. Their courage in the face of overwhelming suffering continues to inspire remembrance and justice.

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