Tōya Maru accident

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The end of Tōya Maru

Coordinates: 41°11′36″N 140°09′07″E / 41.1932°N 140.152°E / 41.1932; 140.152 The Tōya Maru accident (Japanese: 洞爺丸事故[1]) is a marine accident that occurred in Japan on September 1954.[2]

Overview[]

See also: Typhoon Marie (1954)
Typhoon Marie (September 26, 1954)
Track of Typhoon Marie

Typhoon Marie, which had previously blown through Honshū, was in the Sea of Japan at 12:00 on September 26, 1954, heading northeast with wind speeds of more than 100 km/h.[3] It was predicted to reach the Tsugaru Strait at around 17:00.

At 11:00, Tōya Maru arrived at Hakodate after its first journey that day from Aomori. She was originally scheduled to return at 14:40, to arrive at Aomori just before Typhoon Marie. However, due to the expected storm, another ferry— Dai 11 Seikan Maru, a somewhat poorer quality vessel—could not depart on her scheduled journey to Hakodate. Therefore, passengers and vehicles were transferred to Tōya Maru, delaying her departure.

The captain of Tōya Maru decided to cancel its journey at 15:10.

At 17:00, following heavy rainfall in Hakodate, the weather cleared up and the outlook improved. The captain, presuming that the typhoon had now passed as predicted, decided to proceed with the journey to Aomori. However, by this time the typhoon had only slowed down and was predicted to remain over the strait for an entire day.

Atypically, the typhoon gained strength in the Sea of Japan. It was considered to have already become an extratropical cyclone when it reached Japan.

At 18:39, Tōya Maru departed from Hakodate with approximately 1,300 passengers aboard. Shortly thereafter, the wind picked up coming from a SSE direction.

At 19:01, Tōya Maru lowered its anchor near Hakodate Port to wait for the weather to clear up again. However, due to high winds, the anchor did not hold and Tōya Maru was cast adrift. Water entered the engine room due to the poor design of the vehicle decks, causing its steam engine to stop and Tōya Maru to become uncontrollable. The captain decided to beach the sea liner onto Nanae Beach, on the outskirts of Hakodate.

At 22:26, Tōya Maru beached and an SOS call was made. However, the waves were so strong that the sea liner could no longer remain upright and at around 22:43, Tōya Maru capsized and sank at sea several hundred meters off the shore of Hakodate. Of the 1,309 on board, only 150 people survived, while 1,159 (1,041 passengers, 73 crew and 41 others) died.

Among those killed were 35 American soldiers from the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division Artillery who were traveling from Hokkaidō as an advance party to set up a new camp (Camp Younghans) at Higashine, Yamagata, near Sendai. One soldier survived when he was swept through a port hole. Another, 2nd lieutenant George A. Vaillancourt, Battery C, 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, was posthumously awarded the Soldier's Medal, the highest non-combat medal at the time, for his courage during the tragedy. The football field at Camp Younghans was dedicated to Vaillancourt on September 24, 1955.[4]

Four other ferries sank in the same typhoon, making a total loss of life of 1,430.[5]

In addition, Typhoon Marie was named Tōya Maru Typhoon after this accident.[6][7]

Aftermath[]

Memorial for the disaster

The sinking of Tōya Maru was one of the major factors behind the construction of the Seikan Tunnel between Hokkaidō and Honshū. However, ferry traffic still continues to operate in the strait.

References[]

  1. ^ 小項目事典, ブリタニカ国際大百科事典. "洞爺丸事故とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  2. ^ NHK. "洞爺丸沈没 最悪の海難事故". テレビ60年 特選コレクション | NHKアーカイブス (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  3. ^ "洞爺丸台風　昭和29年（1954年）　９月24日～９月27日". www.data.jma.go.jp. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  4. ^ also e O'Brien, Peter (May–June 2010). "Toya Maru Survivor's Story". Saber. 1st Cavalry Division Association. p. 12. Archived from the original on June 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  5. ^ Matsuo, S. (1986). "An overview of the Seikan Tunnel Project Under the Ocean". Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. 1 (3/4): 323–331. doi:10.1016/0886-7798(86)90015-5.
  6. ^ "気象庁 | 気象庁が名称を定めた気象・地震・火山現象一覧". www.jma.go.jp. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  7. ^ 第２版, 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ),デジタル大辞泉プラス,百科事典マイペディア,世界大百科事典. "洞爺丸台風とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-07-05.

See also[]

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