The Hikawa Maru was known for the high quality of the galley and its art deco style. The most famous passengers who traveled with her were Charlie Chaplin and Kanō Jigorō , the founder of the martial art of Judo . The latter died on May 4, 1938 on board on the journey home to Japan. Before Japan entered World War II , Jewish refugees traveled with the Hikawa Maru fleeing Nazi persecution via Japan to Canada and the USA.
After Japan entered the war, the Hikawa Maru was used as a hospital ship, which resulted in her surviving the Allied attacks on the Japanese merchant fleet. After the end of the war, it was used by the USA for troop transports until 1947. Thereafter, the Hikawa Maru was returned to Japan and transported cargo between Japan and the USA. In 1954 she was decommissioned, but after a renovation was used again as a passenger ship on the route across the Pacific. Declining passenger numbers due to increasing air traffic finally led to the discontinuation of the scheduled service in 1960. In 1961, the Hikawa Maru was permanently moored in Yokohama as a floating youth hostel and museum. When the museum closed in December 2006, the future of the Hikawa Maru was uncertain. However, in August 2007 a renovation began by Nippon Yūsen and on April 25, 2008 the ship was opened to the public again. At the same time, the Hikawa Maru was renamed NYK Hikawamaru , but the name on the ship remained unchanged.
Individual evidence
↑ NYK Hikawa Maru ( English ) Nippon Yusen. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
↑ Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, Peter Cundall: IJN Hospital Ship Hikawa Maru ( English ) In: Imperial Japanese Navy Page . Retrieved March 31, 2012.
literature
E. Mowbray Tate: Transpacific Steam. The Story of Steam Navigation from the Pacific Coast of North America to the Far East and the Antipodes, 1867-1941 . Cornwall Books, New York, NY 1986, ISBN 0-8453-4792-6 .
