Seisho Maru

Seisho Maru had design and measurements similar to West Carnifax, a sister ship from the same shipyard seen here.
History
Name	1919–1923: West Caruth 1923–1934: Exmoor 1924–1928: Antonio Tripcovich 1928–1944: Seisho Maru
Owner	1919–1923: U.S. Shipping Board 1923–1924: North Devon Steamship Co. 1924–1928: Tripcovich Shipping Company 1928–c. 1930s: Oguma Shoten Gomei Kaisha c. 1930s–1944: Mitsui Bussan Kaisho
Port of registry	1919–1923: United States 1923–1924: United Kingdom 1924–1928: Italy 1928–1944: Japan
Builder	Southwestern Shipbuilding San Pedro, California
Yard number	2[2]
Launched	31 December 1918[1]
Sponsored by	Miss Betty Howard[3]
Completed	February 1919[1]
Identification	Japanese Official number: 33570[1]
Fate	Sunk November 1944
General characteristics
Type	Cargo ship
Tonnage	5,632 GRT[1] 8,600 LT DWT[2]
Length	410 ft 5 in (125.10 m) (LPP)[1]
Beam	54 ft 6 in (16.61 m)[1]
Propulsion	1 × triple-expansion steam engine[1]
Speed	10.5 knots (19.4 km/h)[1]

Seisho Maru (Japanese: 盛祥丸,^[4] Seishō Maru ) was a cargo ship for Mitsui Bussan Kaisho in military service that was sunk by an American submarine during World War II. The ship had been built as SS West Caruth, a cargo ship for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) shortly after the end of World War I. Shortly after completion, the ship was inspected by the United States Navy for possible use as USS West Caruth (ID-2850) but was neither taken into the Navy nor ever commissioned under that name. Before being sold to Japanese owners in 1928, she was also known as SS Exmoor and SS Antonio Tripcovich.

West Caruth was built in 1918 for the USSB, as a part of the West boats, a series of steel-hulled cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States for the World War I war effort, and was the second ship built at Southwestern Shipbuilding in San Pedro, California. After operating for four years under American registry, she was sold several times and operated under British, Italian, and Japanese registry throughout the remainder of her career. In November 1944, while serving as Japanese transport Seisho Maru during World War II, she was sunk by U.S. Navy submarine Sunfish.