The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru

When the Japanese cargo ship Lisbon Maru was torpedoed by an American submarine in 1942, the Japanese guards locked the holds containing 1,816 British POWs below deck and covered them with hatch covers. When the Chinese fishing boats of Dongji Island heard the screams, they sailed into the crossfire and rescued 384 men. The fishermen were later hunted and tortured by the Japanese occupation forces for saving the prisoners. This story was virtually unknown until 2020, when a documentary revealed it. The Chinese rescuers were finally honored by the British government 78 years later.