NYK Liner Asama Maru

SS Asama Maru was an ocean liner built by Mitsubishi for the NYK Line.  On September 15, 1929, it sailed out of Yokohama toward San Francisco, California on its maiden voyage, and soon became one of the fastest ships in the Pacific with an average speed of 21 knots.  For its speed, comfort, and reliability, it was nicknamed the "Queen of the Seas."  During World War II, it became an Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) troopship, and was also used as a "hell ship" transporting Allied and Asian prisoners, who would usually be forced to work for the Japanese.  Asama Maru was sunk on November 1, 1944, by the U.S. Navy submarine USS Atule (SS-403), which intercepted and torpedoed it in the South China Sea.  A model of this lost liner is on display at the Mitsubishi Minatomirai Industrial Museum in Yokohama.