Tonan Maru No.3

Tonan Maru No. 3 (Japanese: 第三図南丸, Dai-san Tonanmaru), from 1951 simply the Tonan Maru, was a Japanese whale oil factory ship. Built at Osaka in 1938 she was the largest merchant ship built in Japan to that point. She carried out whaling in the South Atlantic and in 1941 was blacklisted by the British government, believed to be because she was suspected of refuelling German vessels in the Pacific during the Second World War. Following the Japanese entry into the war Tonan Maru No. 3 was operated as an oil tanker in support of military operations. She survived 11 torpedo hits from USS Tinosa in 1943 as most failed to detonate. Tonan Maru No. 3 was sunk in Chuuk Lagoon by carrier-based aircraft in the 17 February 1944 Operation Hailstone. She was salvaged by Japan after the war, rebuilt and returned to service as the Tonan Maru in 1951. She returned to whaling and was scrapped in 1971.