Hikawa Maru-class ocean liner

Hikawa Maru as museum ship
Class overview
Name: Hikawa Maru class ocean liner
Builders:
Operators:
Cost:
  • Hikawa Maru and Hie Maru
  • 6,550,000 JPY
  • Heian Maru
  • 6,650,000 JPY
Built: 1928 – 1930
In commission: 1930 – 1960
Planned: 3
Completed: 3
Lost: 2
Retired: 1
General characteristics
Type: Ocean liner
Tonnage:
  • Hikawa Maru 11,622 grt
  • Hie Maru 11,621 grt
  • Heian Maru11,615 grt
Length: 163.3 m (535 ft 9 in) overall
Beam: 20.1 m (65 ft 11 in)
Draught: 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × B&W-Ikegai diesels
  • 2 shafts
  • Hikawa Maru
  • 11,000 bhp
  • Hie Maru
  • 13,122 bhp
  • Heian Maru
  • 13,404 bhp
Speed:
  • Hikawa Maru
  • 18.2 knots (20.9 mph; 33.7 km/h)
  • Hie Maru
  • 18.5 knots (21.3 mph; 34.3 km/h)
  • Heian Maru
  • 18.4 knots (21.2 mph; 34.1 km/h)
Capacity:
  • Hikawa Maru and Hie Maru
  • 331 passengers (76 first class, 69 tourist class, 186 third class)
  • Heian Maru
  • 330 passengers (76 first class, 69 tourist class, 185 third class)
Crew: 130
Armament:
  • Hie Maru and Heian Maru, 1942 [1]
  • 4 × 150 mm (5.9 in) L/40 naval guns
  • 4 × 13 mm AA guns

The Hikawa Maru-class ocean liner (氷川丸型貨客船, Hikawa Maru-gata Kakyakusen) was a class of ocean liners of Japan, serving during the 1930s, and after World War II.

Background

In 1927-28, the NYK Line placed an order for eight ocean liners to reinforce the Japan–Seattle route (3 × Hikawa Maru class), Japan–San Francisco route (3 × Asama Maru class), and Japan–London route (2 × Terukuni Maru class). The Hikawa Maru class were named the Hikawa Maru, Hiye Maru (later Hie Maru) and Heian Maru.

Service

Hikawa Maru was completed on 25 April 1930. Her maiden voyage was 13 May 1930 for Yokohama–Seattle. Arrived at Seattle on 27 May. She sailed 73 times until August 1941. Her service was popular, and the cuisine was well-regarded, as NYK Line employed a chef trained in Europe.

Hie Maru was completed on 31 July 1930. Her maiden voyage was 23 August 1930 from Kobe.

Heian Maru was completed on 24 November 1930. Her maiden voyage was 18 December 1930 from Hong Kong.

All of them were enlisted by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in October–November 1941.

Ships in class

Name Builder Laid down Launched Completed Note
Hikawa Maru (氷川丸) Yokohama Dock Company 9 November 1928 30 September 1929 25 April 1930 She was taken up by the Navy on 21 November 1941.
Hiye Maru / Hie Maru (日枝丸)[2] Yokohama Dock Company 25 May 1929 12 February 1930 31 July 1930 Her name spelling was changed Hie Maru in 1938. She was enlisted by the Navy in 1940.
Heian Maru (平安丸) Ōsaka Iron Works, Sakurajima Factory 19 July 1929 16 April 1930 24 November 1930 She was taken by the Navy on 15 October 1941.

Service in World War II

Ships in class as naval vessel

Name Career Fate
Hikawa Maru Classified to auxiliary hospital ship on 1 December 1941.
Reverted to NYK Line on 10 August 1946.		 Retired on 21 December 1960.
She is anchored at Port of Yokohama now.
Hie Maru Classified to auxiliary transport in 1940.
Reverted to NYK Line in October 1940.
Enlisted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 22 September 1941.
Enlisted by the Navy on 26 November 1941, classified the auxiliary transport.
Classified to auxiliary submarine tender on 15 February 1942.
Classified to auxiliary transport on 1 October 1943.		 Sunk by USS Drum at southwest of Truk 01°45′N 148°45′E / 1.750°N 148.750°E / 1.750; 148.750 on 17 November 1943.
Heian Maru Classified to auxiliary submarine tender on 15 October 1941. Sunk during the Operation Hailstone on 18 February 1944.

Photos

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ These contents by the official documents of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Their armaments does not become clear. The Hie Maru photograph was not left.
  2. ↑ Her romanization of Japanese name spelling is Hie Maru by the Hepburn style. However, her bow name spelling was Hiye Maru until 1938. The Kanji and pronunciations were not changed.

Bibliography

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