Japanese cargo ship Tenryo Maru

In September 1936, the Soviet Union ordered three ice-resistant freighters as payment for the purchase of the Southern Manchuria Railway.[2] She was laid down on 31 October 1936 at the Nagasaki shipyard of Kawanami Kōgyō K.K. (jp: 川南工業).[1][3] She was launched on 10 August 1937 as the Bolshevik (Большевики) and completed on 15 April 1938.[1] Due to a deterioration in the relations with the Soviet Union, the ship was never delivered and was renamed Tenryo Maru.[2] She was one of three ships in her class which included Minryo Maru (民領丸) (ex-Komsomolets) and Chiryo Maru (地領丸) (ex-Volochaevets).[4][5] On 18 April 1939, she was sold to Tatsunan Merchant Ship Co., Ltd. of Osaka.[1] On 1 February 1944, ownership was transferred to Tatsuma Kisen Co., Ltd. of Nishinomiya which had merged with her prior owner.[1]

On 16 October 1941, she was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army.[3] She spent most of 1942 providing supplies to Japanese activities in Korea and China.[3] In 1943, her activities shifted to supplying troops in the Kurile Islands.[3]

On 13 April 1944, she departed Ominato for Matsuwa Jima in Convoy-Ru consisting of Taihei Maru, Rizan Maru, and Madras Maru escorted by the Shimushu-class escort ship, Kunashiri with the destroyers Akebono and Ushio; they arrived safely on 18 April 1944.[6] On 6 January 1945, she left Otaru, Hokkaido for Kataoka, Shumshu as part of Convoy KI-603 with transports Hokushin Maru, Banshu Maru No. 65, and supply ship Shirasaki being escorted by Kunashiri; the convoy arrived at Shumshu on 12 January 1945.[7] On 17 January 1945 she departed Shumshu as part of convoy O-702 with Hokushin Maru and Shirasaki again escorted by Kunashiri arriving at Ominato on 24 January 1945.[7]

On 26 May 1945, she departed Paramushiro for Otaru in convoy-Chi consisting of cargo/transport ships Kuretake Maru, Kasugasan Maru, and supply ship Shirasaki, escorted by Shimushu, Hachijo, Type C escort ships CD-47 and CD-205, and Type D escort ship CD-112.[8] Hachijo was lost in the fog around 50°00′N 146°00′E and CD-205 left the convoy to search for her.[8] On 29 May 1945 at 2055, USS Sterlet fired two spreads of three torpedoes hitting two of the freighters. Tenryo Maru quickly sank at 46°46′N 144°16′E killing 773 out of 947 men of the 23rd Air Defense Battalion, 26 gunners, and 83 sailors.[7] Sterlet also severely damaged Kuretake Maru which sank the following day with a death toll of 272 soldiers and six sailors.[7][9][10][11]