Ubu bwato bwarohamye ku wa 21 Nzeri 1944 mu majyepfo y'inyanja y'ubushinwa Icyi gihe ubwo bwari mu bwato bwinshi bw’Abayapani bwari butwaye abasirikare b’Abongereza n’Abaholandi bari barafashwe nk’imfungwa.
Hōfuku Maru harimo abantu bagera ku 1,200 bari bafungiye mu byumba byo hasi by’ubwato. nyuma Indege z’intambara za Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika zarabwibeshyeho zikeka ko ari ubwato bw’intwaro, zihita ziburasaho ibisasu bine. Imwe yahise ikubita ubwato bucikamo kabiri buhita burohama mu minota mike.
Benshi mu bari bafungiye munsi y’ubwato ntibabashije gusohoka. kuko haje kurokoka bagera kuri 200 muri iyo nyanja. Nyuma y’imyaka myinshi aho ubwato bwari buri hataramenyekana itsinda ry’abashakashatsi ryakoresheje inyandiko za gisirikare zo mu Buyapani no muri Amerika, ubushakashatsi bwa sonar ndetse no kwibira mu nyanja kugira ngo ribone aho Hōfuku Maru iri.
Ibisigazwa by’ubu bwato byabonetse hafi y’intara ya Zambales, ku nkombe y’iburengerazuba bwa Luzon muri Philippines, ahantu hafite ubujyakuzimu bwa metero hafi 50. Abashakashatsi bakoze kandi amashusho y’uburyo bwa 3D bakoreshejwe ikoranabuhanga rya photogrammetry, ribafasha gusuzuma neza imiterere y’ubwato.
Mu Ntambara ya Kabiri y’Isi niho igisirikare cy’u Buyapani cyakoresheje ubwato 56 butamenyekanaga nk’ubwato bw’intambara mu gutwara imfungwa z’intambara zirenga 62,000. nibwo ubwato bwahawe izina rya “Hell Ships” kubera uburyo bukabije imfungwa zabagamo. Abasirikare bafungirwaga ahantu hato, hashyushye cyane, hatagira isuku ihagije, kandi bagahabwa amazi n’ibiryo bike.
Mu 2025 nibwo abashakashatsi babonye inyandiko y’Abayapani yari yanditswe n’abayobozi b’ubwato bwari ku isonga muri iyi ntambara. Iyo nyandiko yari ifite ikarita n’igihe igitero cyabereye, igaragaza ko Hōfuku Maru yari iya kabiri mu murongo w’ubwato ubwo yaterwaga.
Nyuma baje kugereranya ayo makuru n’inyandiko y’indege zaturutse ku bwato bw’intambara bwa Amerika bwiswe USS Bunker Hill, maze babona ko amakuru ahura.
Abashakashatsi bavuga ko mu gihe cyo kwibira no mu gushaka ubwo bwato babonye ibisigazwa by’abantu bimaze igihe, ariko ntibinjiye mu byumba byo hasi kuko bifatwa nk’ahantu ho gushyingura abazize intambara.
Zimwe mu mpapuro zifashishijwe mu gushaka ubu bwato