"The Hikawa-maru made her maiden voyage on Nippon Yusen’s route from Yokohama to Seattle and Vancouver in may 1930. She was so popular passengers called her the Queen of the Pacific. Then came the war. Converted into a hospital ship in November 1941, she treated wounded Japanese soldiers in the South Seas for five years. Following the war, she repatriated soldiers and civilians form the Marshall Islands and Wake Island. She resumed service on the Yokohama-Seattle route in 1953 and was retired in 1960. She had carried 25,000 passengers in 238 trans-Pacific voyages. She received a much-deserved rest when she permanently moored at the eastern end of Yamashita Park in the (belated) commemoration of Yokohama’s port’s centennial (…) Of the 26 Japanese passenger ships in the 10,000 class in prewar service, only the Hikawa-maru was not sunk."
(Burritt Sabin, 'A historical guide to Yokohama', ed. Yurindo, Yokohama, 2002, p. 56-57)
1 comment:
I love your "Now and then" posts. This particular ship reminds me of Tintin-esque voyages, when going far took a decent enough time for passengers to read, write, and ponder. It is one of my favourite sightseeing spots in Yokohama!
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