Arisan Maru was a 6,886 GRT Type 2A freighter constructed in 1944 during World War II and was one of Imperial Japan's hell ships. The vessel, named for a mountain on Formosa, was initially used as a troop transport. The vessel was then turned over for use for the transportation of prisoners of war (POWs) from the Philippines to Manchuria, China or Japan. On October 24, 1944 the ship was torpedoed by an American submarine and sank. Of the 1,781 POWs aboard, all of them escaped the sinking ship but were not rescued by the Japanese. In the end, only nine of the prisoners survived the sinking.
Harry Edward Adams
Rank/Rate Seaman, First Class
Service Number 279 67 82
Birth Date October 30, 1921
From Dayton, Ohio
Decorations Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal
Ship USS Canopus (AS-9)
Date of Death October 24, 1944
Location Aboard the Hellship Arisan Maru
Circumstances Died when Arisan Maru, transporting Allied Prisoners of War from the Philippines to Japan, was sunk by USS Shark (SS-314)
Remarks Harry was born in Lima, Ohio.
Information courtesy of Paul W. Wittmer.
The submarine tender USS Canopus (AS-9) received severe damage when hit by heavy bombers on December 29, 1941. She lost six of her crew in the attack, with another six wounded. She was later scuttled off Manila Bay rather than face capture by the enemy. Her crew was used in the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. A large number of her crew died in the Philippine Islands, during transport to POW camps in Japan, or in the camps themselves.
Harry Edward Adams
Rank/Rate Seaman, First Class
Service Number 279 67 82
Birth Date October 30, 1921
From Dayton, Ohio
Decorations Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal
Ship USS Canopus (AS-9)
Date of Death October 24, 1944
Location Aboard the Hellship Arisan Maru
Circumstances Died when Arisan Maru, transporting Allied Prisoners of War from the Philippines to Japan, was sunk by USS Shark (SS-314)
Remarks Harry was born in Lima, Ohio.
Information courtesy of Paul W. Wittmer.
The submarine tender USS Canopus (AS-9) received severe damage when hit by heavy bombers on December 29, 1941. She lost six of her crew in the attack, with another six wounded. She was later scuttled off Manila Bay rather than face capture by the enemy. Her crew was used in the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. A large number of her crew died in the Philippine Islands, during transport to POW camps in Japan, or in the camps themselves.
Arisan Maru was a 6,886 GRT Type 2A freighter constructed in 1944 during World War II and was one of Imperial Japan's hell ships. The vessel, named for a mountain on Formosa, was initially used as a troop transport. The vessel was then turned over for use for the transportation of prisoners of war (POWs) from the Philippines to Manchuria, China or Japan. On October 24, 1944 the ship was torpedoed by an American submarine and sank. Of the 1,781 POWs aboard, all of them escaped the sinking ship but were not rescued by the Japanese. In the end, only nine of the prisoners survived the sinking.
Harry Edward Adams
Rank/Rate Seaman, First Class
Service Number 279 67 82
Birth Date October 30, 1921
From Dayton, Ohio
Decorations Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal
Ship USS Canopus (AS-9)
Date of Death October 24, 1944
Location Aboard the Hellship Arisan Maru
Circumstances Died when Arisan Maru, transporting Allied Prisoners of War from the Philippines to Japan, was sunk by USS Shark (SS-314)
Remarks Harry was born in Lima, Ohio.
Information courtesy of Paul W. Wittmer.
The submarine tender USS Canopus (AS-9) received severe damage when hit by heavy bombers on December 29, 1941. She lost six of her crew in the attack, with another six wounded. She was later scuttled off Manila Bay rather than face capture by the enemy. Her crew was used in the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. A large number of her crew died in the Philippine Islands, during transport to POW camps in Japan, or in the camps themselves.
Harry Edward Adams
Rank/Rate Seaman, First Class
Service Number 279 67 82
Birth Date October 30, 1921
From Dayton, Ohio
Decorations Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal
Ship USS Canopus (AS-9)
Date of Death October 24, 1944
Location Aboard the Hellship Arisan Maru
Circumstances Died when Arisan Maru, transporting Allied Prisoners of War from the Philippines to Japan, was sunk by USS Shark (SS-314)
Remarks Harry was born in Lima, Ohio.
Information courtesy of Paul W. Wittmer.
The submarine tender USS Canopus (AS-9) received severe damage when hit by heavy bombers on December 29, 1941. She lost six of her crew in the attack, with another six wounded. She was later scuttled off Manila Bay rather than face capture by the enemy. Her crew was used in the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. A large number of her crew died in the Philippine Islands, during transport to POW camps in Japan, or in the camps themselves.
Bio by: Judy Richards
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Ohio.
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