Ping Hai (Chinese: 平海; lit. 'Peaceful Seas') was a light cruiser in the Chinese fleet before World War II and the second ship of the Ning Hai class. The ship was laid down in China to the specifications supplied by the Japanese, and Japanese advisors were hired to oversee the construction. Compared to its sister shipNing Hai, it had a lower-output powerplant and lacked seaplane facilities. Its anti-aircraft armament was also different from that of its sister.
Ping Hai in 1936
History
Republic of China
Name
Ping Hai
Builder
Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai, China
Laid down
28 June 1931
Launched
28 September 1935
Completed
18 June 1936
Fate
Sunk 23 September 1937 by Japanese aircraft; subsequently salvaged by the Japanese to become Yasoshima
The progress of its construction was affected by the Mukden Incident (18 September 1931) and the January 28 Incident (28 January – 3 March 1932). Disruption of parts supply and non-cooperation of Japanese advisors delayed its launch date from the originally planned 10 October 1933 to 28 September 1935. Blocked delivery of originally-specified anti-aircraft weapons meant that equivalent replacements of those weapons had to be bought via Germany. When it was completed in 1936, official outbreak of war was barely a year away.
As one of the most powerful surface combatants within the ROCN, Ping Hai was subjected to aerial attacks by the Imperial Japanese Navy since the Battle of Shanghai, but she was not until 23 September, during the Japanese assault on the Kiangyin Fortress (which guarded the segment of Yangtze River near Nanking), for Ping Hai to finally succumb with her sister ship to airstrikes launched from both the aircraft carrierKaga and airfields around occupied Shanghai.
She was then re-floated by the Japanese in 1938 as sunken ships would not be as badly corroded by river water as they would be by sea water. Originally the ship was to be transferred to the Collaborationist navy under Wang Jing-Wei, but the Japanese elected to seize her instead and had Ping Hai towed to Sasebo, outfitted first as a barracks hulk Mishima (見島) and ultimately as the escort shipYasoshima on 10 June 1944. She was re-rated first as a coastal defense ship and then as an escort vessel. The ship lost all cruiser armaments but received radar sets as well as standard Japanese dual-purpose and anti-aircraft weapons.
Yasoshima was deployed for combat operations on 25 September 1944, participating in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and escorting troop convoys. Aircraft from the carriers USS Ticonderoga and Langley caught her escorting two merchantmen west of Luzon and sank all three on 25 November 1944.
Referencesedit
Bibliographyedit
Lacroix, Eric & Wells II, Linton (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-311-3.
Tamura, Toshio (1984). "The Chinese Light Cruisers Ning Hai and Ping Hai (1930–1936)". Warship International. XXII (2): 118–131. ISSN 0043-0374.
Whitley, M.J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-141-6.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ping Hai (ship, 1936).
chinese, cruiser, ping, ping, chinese, 平海, peaceful, seas, light, cruiser, chinese, fleet, before, world, second, ship, ning, class, ship, laid, down, china, specifications, supplied, japanese, japanese, advisors, were, hired, oversee, construction, compared, . Ping Hai Chinese 平海 lit Peaceful Seas was a light cruiser in the Chinese fleet before World War II and the second ship of the Ning Hai class The ship was laid down in China to the specifications supplied by the Japanese and Japanese advisors were hired to oversee the construction Compared to its sister ship Ning Hai it had a lower output powerplant and lacked seaplane facilities Its anti aircraft armament was also different from that of its sister Ping Hai in 1936HistoryRepublic of ChinaNamePing HaiBuilderKiangnan Dock and Engineering Works Shanghai ChinaLaid down28 June 1931Launched28 September 1935Completed18 June 1936FateSunk 23 September 1937 by Japanese aircraft subsequently salvaged by the Japanese to become YasoshimaEmpire of JapanNameYasoshimaAcquired1938Recommissioned25 September 1944Reclassifiedkaibokan 1 June 1944FateSunk 25 November 1944 by US Navy aircraftGeneral characteristicsClass and typeNing Hai class cruiserDisplacement2 448 t 2 409 long tons Length360 ft 110 m Beam39 ft 12 m Draught13 ft 4 0 m PropulsionTwo shaft Reciprocating Engines 1 oil fired and 4 coal fired boilers 7 488 hp 5 584 kW Speed21 knots 24 mph 39 km h Range5 000 nmi 9 300 km at 12 kn 14 mph 22 km h Complement361Armament6 140 mm 5 5 in 50 guns 3 76 mm 3 in AA guns 4 57 mm 2 in AA guns 4 machine guns 4 533 mm 21 in torpedo tubes 9 depth chargesArmourBelt 25 to 76 mm 0 98 to 2 99 in Armour deck 19 to 25 mm 0 75 to 0 98 in Turrets 25 mm 0 98 in Conning tower 25 mm 0 98 in The progress of its construction was affected by the Mukden Incident 18 September 1931 and the January 28 Incident 28 January 3 March 1932 Disruption of parts supply and non cooperation of Japanese advisors delayed its launch date from the originally planned 10 October 1933 to 28 September 1935 Blocked delivery of originally specified anti aircraft weapons meant that equivalent replacements of those weapons had to be bought via Germany When it was completed in 1936 official outbreak of war was barely a year away Contents 1 Service record 2 References 3 Bibliography 4 External linksService record editPing Hai served as the flagship of the Republic of China Navy ROCN since April 1937 As one of the most powerful surface combatants within the ROCN Ping Hai was subjected to aerial attacks by the Imperial Japanese Navy since the Battle of Shanghai but she was not until 23 September during the Japanese assault on the Kiangyin Fortress which guarded the segment of Yangtze River near Nanking for Ping Hai to finally succumb with her sister ship to airstrikes launched from both the aircraft carrier Kaga and airfields around occupied Shanghai She was then re floated by the Japanese in 1938 as sunken ships would not be as badly corroded by river water as they would be by sea water Originally the ship was to be transferred to the Collaborationist navy under Wang Jing Wei but the Japanese elected to seize her instead and had Ping Hai towed to Sasebo outfitted first as a barracks hulk Mishima 見島 and ultimately as the escort ship Yasoshima on 10 June 1944 She was re rated first as a coastal defense ship and then as an escort vessel The ship lost all cruiser armaments but received radar sets as well as standard Japanese dual purpose and anti aircraft weapons Yasoshima was deployed for combat operations on 25 September 1944 participating in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and escorting troop convoys Aircraft from the carriers USS Ticonderoga and Langley caught her escorting two merchantmen west of Luzon and sank all three on 25 November 1944 References editBibliography editLacroix Eric amp Wells II Linton 1997 Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 311 3 Tamura Toshio 1984 The Chinese Light Cruisers Ning Hai and Ping Hai 1930 1936 Warship International XXII 2 118 131 ISSN 0043 0374 Whitley M J 1995 Cruisers of World War Two An International Encyclopedia Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 141 6 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ping Hai ship 1936 http www globalsecurity org military world japan exchina cl htm https web archive org web 20100510015014 http big5 chinabroadcast cn gate big5 gb cri cn 3821 2004 08 26 151 280506 htm http www history navy mil photos sh fornv japan japsh xz yasoshma htm Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chinese cruiser Ping Hai amp oldid 1114830826, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
