Ship profile for the sailing ship: "Kaiwo Maru I"

Technical data of the sailing ship:

Name:Kaiwo Maru I
Registered port:Tokio
Nation:JAPAN
Type of rigging:4-MAST-BARK
Year built:1930
Yard:Kawasaki Shipyard, Kobe-Hondo
Overall length:97.00 m
Length (hull):93.50 m
Breadth:12.95 m
Draught:6.90 m
Sail area:2397 m2
Ship's hull:Stahl / Steel
Power:1200 PS
Engine:6 Zyl. Diesel

Portrait of the sailing ship:

Last update: 30 Sep 2001

  • built for the Japanese Ministry of Transport as merchant navy schoolship to a British design as a four-masted bark at the Kawasaki Dockyard Co., at Kobe, lauched on January 27th, 1930, her sister ship is the "Nippon Maru I".
  • sailed regular training voyages in the Pacific until the WW II
  • during the WW II she continued to train officers, although the yards of her rigging were removed and she operated under power only, used for repatriation of Japanese troops and civilians, left under Japanese authority and ownership.
  • re-rigged and recommissioned in 1955, continued to sail regular training voyages, usually in the Pacific and occasionally taking part in international tall ship events, i.e. at Seattle, Washington State in 1976 and Sail Osaka 1983
  • decommissioned in 1989, replaced by the "Kaiwo Maru II", kept in Tokyo harbour as a stationary training ship
  • the word "Kaiwo" means "Sea King", the word "Maru" is appended to most Japanese merchant vessels and it is a term of endearment that also conveys the idea of endeavour.

Literature for further reading:

We recommend the following references for your further research of the ship. The references marked with have been included in the generation of the ship profile on this page.

Otmar Schäuffelen
"Die letzten grossen Segelschiffe"
Delius Klasing Verlag 1997 ISBN: 3-7688-0483-6
(9. aktualisierte Auflage)
Page: 186 Source with picture Source with history Source with technical data

Giancarlo Schiavoni
"Unter Segeln, die grossen Windjammer auf den Weltmeeren"
Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH 1994 ISBN: 3-7822-0605-3
(ital. Originalausgabe: "La nave a vela")
Page: 127 Source with picture

"Faszination Segelschiffe"
Ein interaktives Informationssystem auf CD-ROM 1998
(2. überarbeitete Auflage)
Source with technical data Quelle with contact

Otmar Schäuffelen
"Die letzten grossen Segelschiffe"
Delius Klasing Verlag 2002 ISBN: 3-7688-0483-6
(10. aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage)
Page: 200 Source with history Source with technical data