When Typhoon Marie Sank the Toya Maru in 1954

On 26 September 1954, the Japanese train ferry Toya Maru set out from Hakodate to Aomori across the Tsugaru Strait. A violent typhoon, known in Japan as Typhoon No. 15 and called Marie in the West, was already battering northern Honshu and southern Hokkaido with hurricane-force winds and towering seas. The ship had initially cancelled her voyage, but when conditions seemed to ease, her captain made the decision to sail in the evening with a full load of passengers and railway cars.

Tragically, the storm regained strength soon after departure. The Toya Maru dropped anchor in Hakodate Bay, but her anchor dragged, and the ferry was forced out into the open strait. With engines disabled by flooding and train cars breaking loose and crushing passengers, she was left helpless against the typhoon. The ferry soon capsized and sank close to Hakodate’s shore.

The Japanese National Railways later confirmed 1,153 deaths, though the true number is likely higher due to last-minute boardings and cancellations. The disaster also claimed the lives of hundreds more seafarers as other ferries and vessels were lost that day, bringing the total maritime death toll to over 1,400.

The scale of the tragedy drew comparisons in Japan to the Titanic, and it reshaped transport planning in the region.

Out of this disaster came the decision to build the Seikan Tunnel, the world’s longest undersea tunnel, which opened in 1988 and now carries rail traffic safely beneath the Tsugaru Strait.

Source Maritime Buff