The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru

October 1942 with the Loss of 828 British Prisoners of War

The sinking of the Lisbon Maru was a largely forgotten and unrecorded incident until recently.

The Lisbon Maru was a Japanese freighter, which was used to transport prisoners of war in the Far East and one of many vessels, which came to be known as the "hell ships".

Following the Fall of Hong Kong in December 1941, many service personnel were taken prisoner. The Lisbon Maru sailed from Hong Kong en route to Shanghai and Japan, transporting the POWs to provide labour for the Japanese war effort.

There was nothing to identify the Lisbon Maru as carrying POWs and sadly she was torpedoed. The events which followed being one of many tragic episodes of the war in the Far East.

In October 2021 a memorial was unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Alrewas near Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, in May 2025 another memorial was unveiled in Zhoushan China and in March 2025 the UK première of Fang Li's documentary film "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" was shown in London.

The men on board who lost their lives, those who survived and the Chinese fishermen, who rescued many of the men finally receiving the recognition they deserved.

We are gradually making progress.

The Lisbon Maru Memorial Association (LiMMA)

LiMMA was set-up to faciliate bringing the history of events leading up to and following the sinking of the Lisbon Maru to present and future generations and to arrange an annual gathering of remembrance at the Lisbon Maru Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.

We need as much help as possible, so if you haven't become a member of LiMMA yet, please take a few moments to do so. You don't have to be a relative to join, just have an interest in the history.

Thank you to everyone who has shared photos and stories of your loved ones who were aboard the Lisbon Maru. Your contributions help keep their memories alive. Please also take a moment to fill out the Personal Information Sheet for your loved ones, so their stories can be recorded and shared.

Both the Membership Form and Personal Information Sheet can be found on our Join LiMMA page.

Thank you all for your continued support.