IJN Kashi Maru

Built in 1940 at the Osaka Iron Works Kasi Maru or Kashi Maru (橿丸, Kashi Maru, "live oak") was a Japanese auxiliary minelayer/merchant ship.

On July 2, 1943 while Kashi Maru was unloading fuel and vehicles at Bauroko Harbor at Bauroko (Bairoko) on New Georgia and was spotted by the Allies and reported as a "Jap Ak." [Japanese transport] and was reported as "heavily camouflaged".

At 2:30pm, three F4U Corsairs from VMF-213 piloted by 1st Lt. Boag, 1st Lt. DeFabio and 1st Lt. Thomas took off to escort four B-25 Mitchells on a mission to locate and attack the ship. The B-25s were unable to locate the ship. The Corsairs spotted the ship noting it was was "perfectly camouflaged, apparently having trees filled over its decks and blended in perfectly with the landscape" and dove down to 50' and made a strafing run that caused fires and marked the vessel and circled for a second strafing run that left the ship on fire and smoking.

Meanwhile, the four B-25s could now see the ship and made a run from the same direction as the Corsairs bombing and strafing, with one 500 pound bomb hitting the ship causing her to burn, explode and sink. The B-25s and Corsairs made another run with the bombers attacking in pairs and and strafing. Finally, the Corsairs made a fourth strafing run and the fires went out and the ship could no longer be seen as it had sunk.