Kamikawa Maru

Text: Jan Bobek

Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

Cat. No. 84208

The floatplane variant of the Zero, designated A6M2-N and known to the Allies under the codename Rufe, ranks among the most elegant aircraft designs to emerge during the World War II. Its mission was to protect newly established island air bases during their construction and to carry out reconnaissance, patrol, and fighter sorties. A detailed account of the development and operational history of this floatplane can be found in the two-part article Rufe published in the April and June 2023 issues of INFO Eduard.

Rufes were not used aboard Japanese warships, which typically operated two-seat observation aircraft. The Rufe was not designed for catapult launches, and as a result the only vessel from which this type operated was the seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru.

This ship was completed in 1936 as an ocean-going passenger liner for Kawasaki Kisen K. K. Line. The name Kamikawa Maru later designated an entire class of seaplane tenders, of which three additional vessels were commissioned. Following the outbreak of the war against China, Kamikawa Maru was requisitioned by the Navy in September 1937, and from October of that year she operated several E8N2 floatplanes (known to the Allies as Dave). Her aircraft first saw action in December 1937.

Kamikawa Maru took part in securing the Yangtze River landing on July 4, 1938. During October she operated off Shanghai, and before the year’s end the IJN formally took her over. She then supported operations in Canton area.

Her conversion into a dedicated seaplane tender was completed in November 1939. The ship displaced 6,853 tons, made 17 knots, and carried six 120 mm guns. Embarked were four E7K Alf and eight E8N2 Dave floatplanes.

In mid-November her former skipper, Captain Ichihei Yokogawa, assumed command of the carrier Hiryū, and he was succeeded by Captain (later Rear Admiral) Shigeki Andō, formerly executive officer of the carrier Hōshō. Later that same month the ship again supported operations around Canton, remaining in this task until the summer of 1940. She returned briefly to Chinese waters in April 1941 during operations in the Shanghai area.

From December 7, 1941, Kamikawa Maru took part in the Malayan campaign. Her air unit at the time was equipped with E13A Jake and F1M Pete floatplanes. On the first day of the Pacific War, an E13A crew achieved the unit’s inaugural combat success when they damaged a Catalina of No. 205 Squadron RAF. With its radio knocked out, the flying boat later fell victim to Japanese Army fighters.

The unit achieved a more notable success on 17 December, when an F1M forced down a Dutch Dornier Do 24 “X-34” of GVT-7. Two Allied airmen were killed in the engagement. F1M crews claimed additional victories on 19 and 20 December, downing one Dutch Glenn Martin B-10 VIG-I bomber on each occasions. During the fighting for the Netherlands East Indies, Kamikawa Maru’s aviators also successfully engaged other enemy aircraft, including Hawker Hurricanes.

In early May 1942, Kamikawa Maru covered the Japanese landings on Santa Isabel, Tulagi, and Guadalcanal. During the Battle of Midway, the ship carried fourteen F1M2 and four E8N2 floatplanes, slated to remain ashore once the island was secured. In June and July she operated in the Aleutians, both ferrying aircraft for other units and conducting patrols with her own planes.

In September 1942, Kamikawa Maru joined the seaplane units committed to the struggle for Guadalcanal, deploying Rufe and Pete floatplanes. Operating from Shortland Base near Bougainville, the Rufes began flying on September 4, 1942, scoring their first victory on 13 September. That day, CPO Jirō Kawai and WO Makio Kawamura took off from Rekata to determine whether Henderson Field on Guadalcanal was back in Japanese hands. They found no Japanese troops, but they did encounter a lone SBD Dauntless from VMSB-231, which they shot down before attacking ground targets. Both American crewmen were killed, including gunner Cpl. Horace B. Thomas, who had survived the Battle of Midway with VMSB-241. The final moments of this unexpected engagement are depicted on Piotr Forkasiewicz’s box art.

By November 7, 1942, Kamikawa Maru’s fighter unit had carried out 360 combat sorties in 211 missions. Fourteen aerial victories were claimed, but nine pilots were lost. After this date, the remaining Rufes were transferred to Kōkūtai 802.

Kamikawa Maru continued operations with her Pete biplanes, and in early March 1943 her air unit was merged with that of her sister ship Kunikawa Maru to form Kōkūtai 938. On May 28 1943, shortly after noon near Kavieng, Kamikawa Maru was heavily damaged by three torpedoes from the submarine USS Scamp. Although the crew managed to keep her afloat, the submarine struck again shortly after midnight, and Kamikawa Maru was finally lost.