Calling all Japanese pre-war/wartime Merchant Marine fans

[Dan K]

Thx, Bill.

Funny, I have the site that Terry posted bookmarked, and forgot about it. I appreciate the links as I can never really navigate it well.

[PetrOs]

Dear Boys and Girls, do you ever use the "nifty" pages as a useful reference source for Japanese Merchantmen? They are a pretty comprehensive guide; here are links to some of the "nifty" pages (I hope they work)......

Nippon Yusen Kaisha pre-war liners and cargo ships......
http://homepage3.nifty.com/jpnships/com ... shoki1.htm

Osaka Shosen Kaisha pre-war liners and cargo ships......
http://homepage3.nifty.com/jpnships/com ... shoki1.htm

Kokusai Kisen Kaisha......
http://homepage3.nifty.com/jpnships//co ... nugasamaru

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha pre-war cargo ships......
http://homepage3.nifty.com/jpnships/com ... shoki1.htm

The "nifty" Pages are in Japanese Kanji (I think) script and don't always work properly in Google Translate......

Terry (Caravellarella)

Hey

Looks like your links finally helped me to locate a japanese liner I want to build! I am building a large 1/700 diorama of Port Said around 36-37, and want to represent many different countries there. Italy will be covered by Regia Marina's liner Victoria, USA by the Harriman type passenger-cargo liner SS Exarch, Britain by Grimsby class sloop, Therese Moller (ex Drumgeith) Denmark.. And on your page I found 2 NYK liners which served the Japan-London line, Terukuni and Yasukuni Marus. There are also virtually same dimensions like the Hikawa Maru, of which I have a kit, the difference is only the superstructure, and I can scratch that!

[Gilbert]

On J-Aircraft.com forum, Motoyuki San wrote

Because of you the publisher had to decide ordering the second print already

.

Therefore, it is most likely a second volume about Japanese merchant ships will be released in a near future

Gilbert

[Dan K]

To be clear, due to the volume of sales, especially foreign sales, Motoyuki-san's publisher is talking about a second printing at this time. It does bode well for a second volume, though.

[Gilbert]

Last week, Bob post a message about the book "Japanese Merchant Ships at War by Hisashi Noma". I have just received my copy today and it's IMHO really a great book.
In addition with what Bob said, here are some comments about the book.
As the author says "This book deals with 281 ships, of both O.S.K. and Mitsui Line, in chronological order of demise from Dec. 1941 through Aug. 1945, caused by belligerent torpedoes and aircraft. Five ships of note that survived or were lost after the war were also added."
For each ship you get the following :
-Photo
-ships characteristics and type
-story and detailed circumstances of her loss.

Thanks again Bob for pointing to me this "must" book for every Japanese Merchant Marine fan

Gilbert

[Dan K]

Hmm, I'd like to purchase a copy but I cannot find anything available, certainly not on abebooks or amazon. Ideas?

[Gilbert]

Hmm, I'd like to purchase a copy but I cannot find anything available, certainly not on abebooks or amazon. Ideas?

It's not available on Amazon but it is on either abebooks or alibris

[Graham Boak]

I have just received my copy of the Iwashige book - oh what temptations it provides! I do however have a couple of elementary questions that hopefully can be answered here.

I was previously considering conversions from the Skywave Kimikawa Maru, but was set back by the difference in quoted tonnage for (what look like) similar ships? Certainly very similarly sized. Is this because the floatplane carriers used the rear hold for other uses than a standard cargo ship, and hence were registered differently?

Has anyone done the Niko Minoo? This is quoted as a sister ship to Eiju Maru and based on wartime standard 2D. Tis could be a very useful starting kit.

[Quincy]

Hi Gilbert:

You are very welcome. Sorry about the late response. My wife and I were away visiting relatives and did not have computer access.


Dan, Have you tried the phone # for the store in Maine? Maybe they can help you out.




Bob Pink.

[Dan K]

Not yet. Still looking on line but no luck so far.

[janschu]

Hello Graham,

i have build the Minoo from Niko Models already, and i must say it is a really nice model. The Minoo was one of two Wartime Standard Type 2D freighters
being converted to a minelayer. The other vessel (#1822) was completed after the war as Kanshin Maru. The kit was almost completely build out of the
box, i have only replaced the 25mm guns with photoetched ones from Lionroar.

Using Motoyuki san�s drawings from his fantastic book i am underway to do some hull conversions on my own. These master hulls will be used then to do
castings for the sister ships then.

These are the hulls so far:
1. Mayasan Maru class (Mayasan Maru, Tamatsu Maru)
2. Kinka Maru class(Kinka Maru, Kinryu Maru)
3. Akitsu maru class(Akitsu Maru, Nigitsu Maru) and half sisters Kibitsu Maru class (Kibitsu maru, Hyuga Maru)
4. Kagu Maru class (Kagu Maru, Kashii Maru, Katsuragi Maru)

I have used the pitroad Kamikawa/Kimikawa Maru hulls as a base, correcting the hull dimensions by lenghtening and widening these hulls. Mayasan, Akitsu,
Kibitsu Maru class received a new scratchbuild stern, of course! Doing these models is real fun and i am quite sure, that i will do more of them! Well, using the Skywave hulls is a bit of a compromise because the shape of bow and stern of the corresponding ship may not absolutely correct.
But, since i don�t want to build these hulls entirely from scratch (call me lazy), this method seems appropiate to me.

Greetings from the North Sea Coast, Jan

[Quincy]

Hi Janschu:

Did you happen to take any photos of your work regarding the hulls? If so, I would love to see what you have done.



Bob Pink.

[Caravellarella]

Dear Gilbert, here is a photograph I've just found of another wartime standard style steamship, but this time a post-war completed example. Toyo Kaiun Kaisha's S.S. Tonegawa Maru......

S.S. Tonegawa Maru......

Builder � Mitsubishi Dockyard, Kobe. Yard No. 694.

Laid down � unknown.
Launched � 25th May 1946.
Service to March 1964.

Length 137.3 metres, breadth 18.2 metres. 7,222grt.

Terry (Caravellarella)

[Graham Boak]

Hi Jan,

I've just left a holiday on the North Sea coast and am back on the Irish. (Or the Lancashire Ocean, as I suspect the locals would prefer.)

You are much further ahead than my initial ideas: I was just considering an unchanged Kimikawa hull for Kinka Maru, a shortened Kimikawa for Mayasan Maru, and a further shortened one for Katsuragi Maru. I hadn't considered your third group, but had considered Hikawa Maru for Arizona Maru, and the Erimo hull for Furutaka Maru. Early days. I had thought about what had to be done to turn the Nitta Maru into Hokoku Maru, but feel that rather ambitious!

Will you be selling any of your hulls? That might be a consideration - it would certainly save the likes of me much work.

I've only just realised that the Hasegawa Soya will make a WW2 subject.

[Gilbert]

Dear Gilbert, here is a photograph I've just found of another wartime standard style steamship, but this time a post-war completed example. Toyo Kaiun Kaisha's S.S. Tonegawa Maru......


Terry (Caravellarella)

Thanks, Terry

Gilbert

[Motoyuki Iwashige]

Hello everyone,
Sorry for long absence as usual.
Hisashi Noma�s book Japanese merchant ships at war is substantially Mitsui O. S. K. Ships wartime history, and unique to put whole English and Japanese text side by side. I hope that he write such work for all other ships.

Terry san,
Daido Kaiun had been cooperated with Hiromi (not Hiroumi exactly) Kisen from establishment in 1930. Their Koei maru Takachiho Shosen (established with Taiyo Kaiun, 1934) and Hiromi�s Koryu maru (1931) is sister ship.

Graham san,
Very thanks for purchasing my book. Your question seems to come from inner structure. Many superior cargo ships had been built as shelter decker to reduce Panama Canal toll and converted to flash decker after 1938 when toll regulation was altered. It is difficult to estimate the ship�s dimension from gross tonnage.

Aside from it the most similar ship to Pitroad Kamikawa maru is Goshu maru as mentioned in page51.

To convert from Shiretoko type oiler I suggest Atago maru, one of the first Japanese oceangoing diesel freighters. The procedure had been uploaded in my website but I lost it unfortunately!


regards,
Motoyuki Iwashige

[Graham Boak]

Thank you. Your suggestion of Atago Maru does seem better than mine, though I must admit to an error. I meant to suggest Fujikawa Maru.

I had discounted Goshu Maru on two grounds. Firstly, given the wide choice for Kimikawa Maru conversions, I was initially considering the camouflaged ships. Secondly, it is shorter than most of the other variants, therefore a less easy hull conversion.

It is always a pleasure to find a book written by a true enthusiast, a colourful labour of love that widens my knowledge of a subject and provides many modelling suggestions. I do not know how I will find the time to carry out even a fraction of these, amongst my other modelling interests, but that's my problem. If I may make one small suggestion for improvement, it is to add a table of basic data for every ship shown, not merely the ones in the plans.

[Quincy]

Hi Motoyuki san:


Would you ever consider doing a book on how you scratchbuild your merchant fleet? It could be a step by step process hull, superstructure, fittings etc.



Bob Pink.

[janschu]

Hello there,

@Graham, to be honest, i haven�t thought about selling castings of the master hulls i have made. In fact i have doubts because
of possible copyright issues. It is because i have used parts of the Pitroad Kimikawa/Kamikawa Maru hulls
as a base for my conversions.
My plan was to do masters of the hulls and maybe the superstructure levels in order to avoid scratchbuilding every single
ship. Especially when it comes to ship classes like Kamikawa Maru class (5 ships) or Sado Maru class (7 ships).
When i have the components ready i will post some pictures so one can judge if my doubts concerning copyright are justified.

@Quincy, for sure i can post some pictures, but i want to finish the components (hulls, superstructure levels, gun platforms, etc.) first.
Any comments and of course constructive criticism is welcome. But, please don�t be too harsh!

@Motoyuki san, i also like Bob�s idea of doing a book that shows how you build your models, what techniques you use, what materials
and aftermarket parts are needed, etc. What do you think?

Greetings from the North Sea Coast, Jan

[Motoyuki Iwashige]

Hello everyone,

Graham san,
Your suggestion gave me good inspiration. In the latest volume of Model Graphix issued a few days ago it was announced that the next book is decided to be issue, although it will be realized in the next year . I will incorporate more data for every ship regarding foreign customers.
OK, the next group of nominee will be; Kongo/Kashii maru type, (Kongo, Kiyosumi, Kashii, Kagu and Kinugasa maru) and Kinai maru type (Kinai, Sanyo, Hokuroku, Tokai, Nankai, Hokkai maru). The former has similar hull to Pitroad kit. To build the latter bow shape must be altered but it is easier to build superstructure.

Bob san and Jan san,
I had not have been thinking to use photos of my shipyard on the book, since I sometimes upload them to my website. Basically the method was introduced in Navy Yard #9 (SS boat). It will also be one of assignment to the next book. Or is it a time to consider using YouTube?

Motoyuki Iwashige