A 6,886-ton freighter, Arisan Maru was one of Imperial Japan's World War II hell ships. On October 24, 1944, Arisan Maru was transporting 1,781 US and Allied military and civilian POWs when she was hit by a torpedo strike from an American submarine (either USS Shark or USS Snook), at about 5 p.m.; she finally sank about 7 p.m. Only nine of the prisoners aboard survived the event. Five escaped and made their way to China in one of the ship's two life boats. They were reunited with U.S. Forces and returned to the United States. The four others were recaptured by Imperial Japanese naval vessels, where one died shortly after reaching land.