SS ''Tai Hing'' () was a river steamer built in 1927. In 1940, she was given to the

Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve The Hong Kong Naval Volunteer Force (HKNVR) was a volunteer navy established in 1933. In 1939, it was granted the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve status and was renamed Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (HKRNVR). In 1959, it was renamed the H ...

(HKRNVR) and replaced as the headquarters of the unit. She was renamed HMS ''Cornflower'' () after its predecessor. To avoid confusion, the ship was sometimes referred to as HMS ''Cornflower II''.

History

She was built by Kwong Tak Cheong Shipbuilding Engineering and Dock Co. Ltd. () of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

in 1927. She was operated by Kwong Wo S.S. Co. () departed on her maiden voyage for

Wuzhou Wuzhou (, postal: Wuchow; za, Ngouzcouh / Ŋouƨcouƅ), formerly Ngchow, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. Geography and climate Wuzhou is located in eastern Guangxi border ...

on 13 March 1927, and transferred to San Wo Co. Ltd. () in around 1930. ''Tai Hing'' continued to ferry passengers between Hong Kong and China. By 1940, the ship was acquired by Sir Robert Ho Tung, and the ferry route was disrupted by the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...

Second World War

In March 1940, ''Tai Hing'' was turned over to the HKRNVR by Sir Ho Tung, where she would be loaned to for the duration of the war and three months thereafter. She began to receive refitting as a training ship in the same month. In June, she was used as a training ship by the unit. The ship was to replace the older training ship HMS ''Cornflower'', used by HKRNVR as their headquarters. In September, refitting was completed, and the ship was renamed HMS ''Cornflower'' after its predecessor. On 26 September, ''Cornflower'' was formally transferred to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in a ceremony attended by Sir Ho Tung and acting governor Edward F. Norton. During the

Battle of Hong Kong The Battle of Hong Kong (8–25 December 1941), also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II. On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor, forces of the ...

in December 1941, the ship remained moored southwest of

Kellett Island Kellett Island is a former island of Victoria Harbour, off East Point in Hong Kong. It is now connected to Hong Kong Island at Causeway Bay following land reclamation in 1969. It is located in Wan Chai District. Facilities The main buil ...

under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Richard J.D. Vernall. She was scuttled in

Deep Water Bay Deep Water Bay is a bay and residential area on the southern shore of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The bay is surrounded by Shouson Hill, Brick Hill, Violet Hill and Middle Island. As per Forbes (July 2015), with 19 of the city's ri ...

on 19 December 1941. A launch from the ship was used to help survivors of the battle, led by Admiral Chan Chak, escape to China. The ship was later refloated by Japan as a cargo ship and renamed SS ''Chuko Maru'' (). On 20 August 1944, she was bombed and sunk in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

off Hong Kong by

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models ...

aircraft of the United States

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizati ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tai Hing 1927 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United Kingdom World War II auxiliary ships of Hong Kong Ships built in Hong Kong Steamships of Hong Kong Battle of Hong Kong Steamships of Japan World War II merchant ships of Japan Ships sunk by US aircraft World War II shipwrecks in the South China Sea Maritime incidents in December 1941 Maritime incidents in August 1944