In 1896, following the First Sino-Japanese War, NYK Lines announced an ambitious expansion plan for shipping routes to Europe, which would require up to twelve new vessels. Up until this time, all such vessels had been purchased from overseas sources; however, with the promulgation of the Japanese Shipbuilding Assistance Law in 1896, Mitsubishi was able to secure a contract from NYK for two of these vessels. Previously, the largest vessel constructed by Mitsubishi had been the Suma Maru (1592 tons) for the OSK Lines, so the construction of such a large steel vessel entirely in Japan was unprecedented. Although the company enlisted the support of foreign advisors and used foreign blueprints as a guide, the work took longer than expected, and Mitsubishi eventually was forced to pay compensation to NYK for the cancellation of one of the vessels, and for the delay in delivery of the vessel later named Hitachi Maru.[1]
Wray, William D (1984). Mitsubishi and the N.Y.K., 1870-1914: Business Strategy in the Japanese Shipping Industry. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Centre. ISBN978-0-674-57665-0.
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New York Times article on sinking
April 10, 2024
hitachi, maru, 1898, hitachi, maru, 常陸丸, gross, combined, passenger, cargo, ship, built, mitsubishi, shipbuilding, nagasaki, lines, 1898, requisitioned, 1904, imperial, japanese, army, during, russo, japanese, hitachi, maru, between, 1898, 1904historyjapanname. The Hitachi Maru 常陸丸 was a 6 172 gross ton combined passenger cargo ship built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in Nagasaki for NYK Lines in 1898 She was requisitioned in 1904 by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Russo Japanese War Hitachi Maru between 1898 and 1904HistoryJapanNameHitachi MaruOwnerNYKBuilderMitsubishi Shipbuilding amp Engineering Co NagasakiYard number99Laid down21 December 1896Launched16 April 1898Commissioned16 August 1898HomeportTokyoIdentificationJapan Official Number 2331 Call sign HNSTFateScuttled 15 June 1904General characteristicsTypePassenger cargo ShipTonnage6 172 GRT 3 827 NRTLength445 ft 0 in 135 64 m Beam49 ft 4 in 15 04 m Depth30 ft 5 in 9 27 m Installed power549 NhpPropulsion2 Mitsubishi Shipbuilding amp Engineering Co 3 cylinder triple expansion Two propellersSpeed14 2 knots 16 3 mph 26 3 km h Capacity24 first class 20 second class 116 third class Contents 1 Background 2 Notes 3 References 4 External linksBackground editIn 1896 following the First Sino Japanese War NYK Lines announced an ambitious expansion plan for shipping routes to Europe which would require up to twelve new vessels Up until this time all such vessels had been purchased from overseas sources however with the promulgation of the Japanese Shipbuilding Assistance Law in 1896 Mitsubishi was able to secure a contract from NYK for two of these vessels Previously the largest vessel constructed by Mitsubishi had been the Suma Maru 1592 tons for the OSK Lines so the construction of such a large steel vessel entirely in Japan was unprecedented Although the company enlisted the support of foreign advisors and used foreign blueprints as a guide the work took longer than expected and Mitsubishi eventually was forced to pay compensation to NYK for the cancellation of one of the vessels and for the delay in delivery of the vessel later named Hitachi Maru 1 Hitachi Maru was placed into service with NYK on its European routes for almost six years In February 1904 she was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army to transport men and war materials from Japan to ports in Korea and Manchuria in support of the Russo Japanese War While transporting 1 238 people including 727 men of the 1st Reserve Regiment of the Imperial Guard of Japan and 359 men from the IJA 10th Division and 18 Krupp 11 inch 280 mm siege howitzers she was shelled and sunk by the Imperial Russian Navy armored cruiser Gromoboi in the southern Korean Strait between the Japanese mainland and Tsushima in the Hitachi Maru Incident There were only 152 survivors meaning 1 086 people lost their lives 2 Notes edit Wray 1984 pp 461 464 Russo Japanese War comReferences editKowner Rotem 2006 Historical Dictionary of the Russo Japanese War The Scarecrow Press ISBN 0 8108 4927 5 Wray William D 1984 Mitsubishi and the N Y K 1870 1914 Business Strategy in the Japanese Shipping Industry Cambridge MA Harvard University Asia Centre ISBN 978 0 674 57665 0 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hitachi Maru ship 1898 New York Times article on sinking Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title SS Hitachi Maru 1898 amp oldid 1092658684, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
