SS ''Hsin Wah'', now

also known as A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's ow ...

the was a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

owned by

China Merchants Steam Navigation Company China Merchants Group Limited ( zh, first=s, s=招商局集团, p=Zhaoshangju Jituan) is a state-owned enterprise (SOE) of the People's Republic of China. The company operates under the auspices of the Chinese Ministry of Transport. Founded in ...

, navigating between Canton City,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. She was built in 1921 by Napier & Miller in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. The ship was seized by pirates of

Bias Bay Daya Bay (), formerly known as Bias Bay, is a bay of the South China Sea on the south coast of Guangdong Province in China. It is bordered by Shenzhen's Dapeng Peninsula to the west and Huizhou to the north and east. History The bay was a hideou ...

in 1928 and saved by the SS ''Zhongshan'' (then written ''Chung Shan''). She sank in 1929 when grounded on northern rocks of Waglan Island south-east of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

, with a loss of between 300 and 400 lives.300 die on Chinese ship
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (17 January 1929)

Construction and commissioning

''Hsin Wah'' was built in 1921 by Napier & Miller of

under commission by the

. She had a triple expansion engine capable of a top speed of around 10 knots.

Sinking

''Hsin Wah'' was on approach to Hong Kong after journeying from Shanghai under the command of Captain N. R. Jensen, a Netherlands, Dane, when she struck rocks in the early morning of 16 January 1929 off Waglan Island. Jensen thereafter managed to free the vessel by moving the ship astern, however ''Hsin Wah'' began to take on water and list developed. In the chaos, only one lifeboat was able to successfully launch from the ship but the lifeboat capsized in due to the weather almost immediately. The ship sank as a result around an hour after the initial crash. Of the ship's complement, only around 20 people were able to be saved by Chinese fishermen in the area with the survivors recounting the horrific scramble to escape the foundering vessel. ''Hsin Wah'' lies at a depth of 23 meters below the waters off northern Waglan Island at 22.19 Latitude, 114.3 Longitude where the wreckage remains visible as of the Hong Kong Marine Department survey of 15 October 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hsin Wah China Merchants Steamships of Hong Kong 1921 ships Maritime incidents in 1929 Shipwrecks of Hong Kong