HISTORY

In 1981, the investigation about construction of The Nippon Maru  II was started and basic concept of the construction was summarized.

Nippon Maru (日本丸) is a Japanese training sailing ship operated by the National Institute for Sea Training out of Tokyo. She was built by Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Uraga, Kanagawa, and was launched on 15 February 1984, with her commissioning occurring on 16 September. She was built as a replacement for the 1930-built barque Nippon Maru.

Nippon Maru is 110.1 metres (361 ft) long, with a beam of 13.8 metres (45 ft) and a draft of 6.5 metres (21 ft). Her gross tonnage is 2,891. She is rigged as a four-masted barque, with a sail area of 2,760 square metres (29,700 sq ft), and has two 1,500-horsepower diesel engines for auxiliary functions. She is manned by 70 crewmembers, with a training complement of 120 trainees.