The history of the training ship Kaiwo Maru and her achievements in promoting maritime affairs after retirement

Following the loss of the sail training ship Kirishima Maru at sea with all hands in 1927,two sail training ships,the Kaiwo Maru and her sister ship Nippon Maru,were constructed and launched in 1930.In the decades that followed,these sailing vessels provided apprentice seamen and officer cadets with safe and efficient deck training environments during numerous overseas voyages.During her 59 years of service prior to her retirement,Kaiwo Maru sailed more than 1,460,000 km and provided educational services to 7,708 trainees.After her retirement,she was moored at the Toyama Shinko Port in Imizu City,Toyama Prefecture,where she now hosts events such as full-sail exhibitions and other maritime educational programs.Through these efforts,the Kaiwo Maru increases visitors'knowledge and interest in ships and the sea while contributing to the maritime education of younger generations.This study was conducted as part of efforts to create a digital archive of the Kaiwo Maru's historic maritime heritage and to provide examples of the efficient usage of the accumulated data. Through our efforts,numerous ship documents related to the Kaiwo Maru's service as an active training ship,such as deck logbooks and illustrations showing construction and repair work,have been digitally preserved.Since these documents,which span the fields of navigation,shipbuilding,and maritime education,among others,are part of our nation's priceless maritime heritage,we began creating a digital archive by photographing various documents on display in the Captain's Office in place,starting with Logbook No.1,after which all 298 logbooks covering the period from 1930 to 1989,along with various documents since her retirement,were digitalized. Then,to explore the possibilities of various maritime education effects using the digitalized data,we conducted actual-finding investigations of the Kaiwo Maru's first journeys that we entitled"Maiden Oceangoing Voyage to Truk Island"and the"Challenging Voyage to the Bering Sea".