Shinano Maru (1900)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

was a merchantman operated by the Nippon Yusen K.K Shipping Company (NYK). She was built by W. Henderson Co 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 ...
, for the express purpose of serving NYK's Japan to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
route. NYK originally intended that she be built at the Mitsubishi Nagasaki shipyards in Japan; however, Mitsubishi had experienced problems in the completion of '' Hitachi Maru'', which had led to considerable delays. NYK chose not to wait, and ''Shinano Maru'' was ordered to Scotland. She was completed in April 1900. During the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
''Shinano Maru'' was converted into an
armed merchantman An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in ...
. She has the distinction of discovering the Russian Fleet near
Tsushima Strait or Eastern Channel (; ''Dongsuro'') is a channel of the Korea Strait, which lies between Korea and Japan, connecting the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea. The strait is the channel to the east and southeast of Tsushima Isl ...
on the eve of the
Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known in Japan as the , was the final naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 27–28 May 1905 in the Tsushima Strait. A devastating defeat for the Imperial Russian Navy, the ...
. After the war ''Shinano Maru'' reverted to civilian use, being scrapped in 1951.


Early civilian service

''Shinano Maru'', with a length of , was designed to carry 238 passenger (26 first class, 20 second class, 193 third class), and her accommodations were regarded as modern and comfortable at the time of her completion. Initially, ''Shinano Maru'' was placed in service on Nippon Yusen routes between Australia and Japan. Later in her early service with Nippon Yusen, ''Shinano Maru'' was reassigned to North Pacific routes to North America, making regular voyages between
Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
and
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. She was involved in a collision off
Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
with the SS ''Empress of Japan'' on June 3, 1902. The novelist Kafū Nagai was a passenger in 1903.


Battle of Tsushima

With the start of the Russo-Japanese War in February 1904, ''Shinano Maru'' was one of the first ships requisitioned by the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
for use as a
troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...
and military transport to convey troops and supplies to
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
and
Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
. In March 1905, ''Shinano Maru'' was armed and converted into an
auxiliary cruiser An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...
at
Kure Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. History The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the ...
, mounting two guns (one fore and one aft), and was commissioned into the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
under the command of Captain Morikawa.Corbett, p. 222. Shortly before the
Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known in Japan as the , was the final naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 27–28 May 1905 in the Tsushima Strait. A devastating defeat for the Imperial Russian Navy, the ...
she was assigned to the Auxiliary Squadron of the
Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...
along with six other armed merchantmen and three torpedo boat tenders assigned to patrols of the
Tsushima Strait or Eastern Channel (; ''Dongsuro'') is a channel of the Korea Strait, which lies between Korea and Japan, connecting the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea. The strait is the channel to the east and southeast of Tsushima Isl ...
to search for the
Russian Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet was inherited ...
, which had been dispatched around the world to relieve the Japanese blockade of Port Arthur. On the night of May 26–27 ''Shinano Maru'', , and were deployed as a lookout screen in the strait between
Gotō Islands The are Japanese islands in the Sea of Japan. They are part of Nagasaki Prefecture. Geography There are 140 islands, including five main ones: , , , , and . The northernmost island is Ukujima. The group of islands runs approximately fr ...
and Jeju-do. At 2:45 ''Shinano Maru'' sighted a suspicious ship, but the rising moon prevented proper identification. ''Shinano Maru'' steamed ahead and properly sighted the opponent at 4:30. It was an apparently unarmed
hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...
, communicating signals to other enemy ships, invisible in the morning haze. The sighted ship turned out to be the Russian hospital transport ''Orel''. The rest of the Russian fleet had already sailed past ''Orel'', undetected by the Japanese. Morikawa settled to search and seize ''Orel'' and closed in, only to notice half a dozen other Russian ships nearby.Corbett, p. 223. He fled the scene and broadcast the report of the sighting on the wireless. However, grid coordinates reported by ''Shinano Maru'' were incorrect by , owing either to Morikawa's errors in
dead reckoning In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating the current position of a moving object by using a previously determined position, or fix, and incorporating estimates of speed, heading (or direction or course), and elapsed time. T ...
or to his misunderstanding of ''Orel''s position in the Russian order of battle. The Japanese Third Squadron hurried to the grid square reported by Morikawa, but could not find the trace of the enemy. At 6:05 ''Shinano Maru'' reestablished visual contact with the Russian fleet, and continued shadowing it at distance. Russian officers advised admiral
Zinovy Rozhestvensky Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky (, tr. ; – January 14, 1909) was a Russian admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy. He was in command of the Second Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsushima, during the Russo-Japanese War. Under Admiral Rozh ...
to interfere but Rozhestvensky refused, insisting on continuing his course in strict
radio silence In telecommunications, radio silence or emissions control (EMCON) is a status in which all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area are asked to stop transmitting for safety or security reasons. The term "radio station" may include anything ca ...
.Corbett, p. 224. At 6:40 ''Shinano Maru'' was relieved by the Japanese cruiser Izumi. Confusion caused by Morikawa's first report was resolved, and now the Combined Fleet had precise information on the Russian advance. This intelligence ultimately led to the decisive
Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known in Japan as the , was the final naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 27–28 May 1905 in the Tsushima Strait. A devastating defeat for the Imperial Russian Navy, the ...
. In the aftermath of the battle ''Shinano Maru'' and ''Dainan Maru'' located the sinking and forced the captain to surrender it. ''Shinano Maru'' took the Russian survivors to captivity in
Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...
.


Post-war civilian service

''Shinano Maru'' returned to civilian service in 1906, on Nippon Yusen's routes to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. After more modern vessels were available, ''Shinano Maru'' was transferred to regional services, especially the
Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
Keelung Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...
route. In 1913,
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
leader
Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...
sought refuge in Japan, and travelled to Kobe on ''Shinano Maru''. In 1923, the ship was transferred to Kinkai Yusen, a subsidiary company of Nippon Yusen. In 1929, the ship was sold to Hokushin Kisen, and sold again in 1930 to the fisheries company Nichiro, which converted it into a floating factory ship supporting the fishing fleets in the North Pacific processing
salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
off the coast of
Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...
. Pressed back into service as a transport in the
Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
, ''Shinano Maru'' was torpedoed January 18, 1944 with moderate damage, then slightly damaged by a
naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...
on June 1, 1945, and again by an airstrike on July 14, 1945, which killed two crewmen. She was docked at
Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...
during the final days of the war. ''Shinano Maru'' was so obsolete and rusted that noted
manga artist A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a Cartoonist, comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the indus ...
Shigeru Mizuki , also known as , was a Japanese manga artist and historian. He was known for his ''yōkai'' manga such as ''GeGeGe no Kitarō'' and '' Akuma-kun'', as well as for his war stories based on his own war manga such as '' Shōwa-shi''. He was born i ...
wrote in his diary that the iron of the hull was so rusted and thin that he considered it miraculous that the ship remained afloat, and that even the wake of a torpedo would be enough to sink it. After the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
, it was used as a repatriation vessel bringing back Japanese former prisoners-of-war from
Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
. One of those returning to Japan on ''Shinano Maru'' was the future novelist Shōhei Ōoka. At the beginning of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, the ship was used as a mother ship for landing operations of the U.S. Navy.Field, p. 291 ''Shinano Maru'' was sold for scrap in 1951.


Notes


References

* Corbett, J. S. (1994 reprint).
Maritime operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905
'. Naval Institute Press. . * *


External links


Clyde-built ships


{{DEFAULTSORT:Shinano Maru Auxiliary cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1900 ships Russo-Japanese War naval ships of Japan Ships built on the River Clyde Ships of the NYK Line Steamships of Japan Ocean liners