Kaimei Maru  Kaimei Maru was a Japanese troop transport ship operated by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II which was sunk off Honshu on 4 September 1942 by the American submarine . The ship was a British WWI Type B military cargo ship built by the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company. "Kaimei Maru", then known as British ship "War Bomber" was ordered by London's Shipping Controller and was built at the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock. It was launched in Hong Kong on 1 August 1919 from Yard No. 563. "War Bomber" was configured as a British WWI Type B Standard cargo ship although its specifications were larger in scale than standard for ships of this class. Indeed, "War Bomber" was the largest ship built to date at any Hong Kong dockyard with a length of , a width of and a depth of . "War Bomber" displaced 5,226 tons with a record deadweight tonnage of 8,000 tons. The launch was attended by Sir Catchick Paul Chater, then Director of the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company and by Sir Claud Severn, the acting Governor of Hong Kong. Later in October 1919, the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company would also launch "War Bomber"s sister ship, "War Trooper". During the vessel's tenure as a Belgian ship, she was called "Pioneer". "Pioneer" was purchased by of Antwerp where she continued service for a decade until she was transferred to Compagnie Maritime Belge, also of Antwerp, which had acquired Belgian shipowner Lloyd Royal Belge in 1930. "Pioneer" continued her Belgian service for another decade before being sold to Panamanian shipowner Agencia Maritima Carmar in 1939 where she was renamed as "Carmar". In 1939, "Kaimei Maru", then known as "Carmar", was purchased by the Agencia Maritima Carmar Ltda. of Panama. In 1941, "Carmar" was sold to Kaiyo Kisen K. K. of Kobe, Japan. On 13 November 1941, "Kaimei Maru" was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army for service as a troop transport. "Kaimei Maru" was assigned to Army group 262, which supported the 14th Army troops, comprising elements of the 16th Division and 48th Division taking part in the Invasion of the Philippines. During the invasion, "Kaimei Maru" was one of around 20 Japanese army transports ferrying roughly 7,000 troops under the command of Count Hisaichi Terauchi, Lt. General Masaharu Homma and Maj. General Susumu Morioka for the campaign's operations around Lamon Bay, Luzon in December 1941.