The Ship Model Forum

On today's gallery, there is a very nice 1/700 dio showing HIKAWA MARU in her prewar colours.
Another masterpiece from Jim Smith aka "Freighter". Congratulations to you Jim
You can see it here: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

Gilbert

M.V. YASUKAWA MARU; ex SILVERCYPRESS built for Silver Line Ltd. London

Builder – Harland & Wolff Ltd.,Belfast

Laid down – 06/1930
Launched – ?/1930
Length pp 138.68 metres, breadth 18.90 metres. 6,770Grt.
Service - Silver Line Ltd. London, from 1930 to 1937.
Then, "While lying at anchor outside the harbour of Manila, in January, 1937 a fire broke out in her engine room and spread to the cargo stowed in the hold immediately forward of the engine room. Moreover, the fire swept into the aft holds engine room, and continued for seven days, destroying the entire cargo. After the fire was put out, it was found that all of the decks, deck houses, shell plates and equipments on aft half of the ship were completely burned beyond repair. In the engine room, the main motors were hopelessly damaged from bed to cylinder head ; every part of babbit metal at rubbing surface was found to have melted ; and further more all the auxiliary machineries, the dynamos and armoured cables. Because of the extensiveness and the serious nature of the damage as explained above, the underwriters had no alternative but to condemn the ship and she was sold to a scrap dealer who towed the bulk to Japan Later, it was purchased by the Kawasaki Kisen Kaisba who made a most thorough investigation of the matter and decided to have the hulk repaired. As new steel and iron were not so readily available in Japan then as in ordinary time, every effort possible was made to recover the damaged material for use in the reconstruction work. Also the damaged main motors and auxiliary machineries were repaired without exception. It took 20 months to complete the repairs but now the ship is in excellent condition, both her hull and machinery, and is employed in the service between Japan and America." Source: http://ci.nii.ac.jp/Detail/detail.do?LO ... 92&lang=en

Renamed YASUKAWA MARU, from 1941, she was used as a xAK and was sunk on 11/2/1942 (mm/dd/yyyy) by USAAF / B-17 between Buna and Rabaul.

Here is a picture of her prewar in Kawasaki colours:
It is most likely to get a kit of this ship in a near future (not from L'Arsenal)
Gilbert

Hello everyone,

Thank you Terry san for nice photographs. Hayo maru is one of sister to Reiyo maru at the bottom of Truk (unfortunately I also don’t know about ‘AB’ ).
Taihei Kisen office was at the same place to Yamashita Kisen in Kobe and their ships were named after place name near Kobe.
And Gilbert san,
The Silvercypress was firstly purchased by Miyachi Shoten, an affiliated to Miyachi Kisen, as scrap and resold to Kawasaki Kisen. Again I don’t know how Shozan maru put K-line mark but, at least these two companies seem to have started commercial relationship since pre-war.

Motoyuki Iwashige

Thanks for additional info Motoyuki san. I would like to add that you have made a very nice kit of her . http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/yasukawamaru.htm .

I hope the forthcoming kit will be as good as yours

Gilbert

Jim Smith's (Freighter) KUROHIME MARU detailed build can be seen here:

http://www.modelshipwrights.com/modules ... artid=2533 .

Congratulations, Jim and keep up the good work

Gilbert

Go check out whats new from Niko Models on this websites Main Forum. It is a IJN surprise!




Bob Pink.

Bob, see my post above dated 11 December, I knew it but could'nt tell

Gilbert

Hello everyone,
OK, it is good news, I presume to regret if these kits had been represented hull shape better judging from photos. Still why Niko model chose Yasukawa maru?


image: possibly Yasukawa maru

Anyway our environment is steadily advancing.
Motoyuki Iwashige

Hello Everybody
I have been reading this message board for a couple of months and would now like to introduce myself and extend a offer of help. My name is Ron Wolford and I have been fascinated with the pre war and WWII Japanese Merchant Marine for a long time. Over the years I have collected hundreds of photo, post cards, drawings, shipping line brochures and other information on the Japanese Merchant Marine. Some of the photo come from the Naval Historical Center and the National Archives, what makes these photos important (to a modeler) is that they contain overhead views. I also lived in Guam for four years and have numerous dives on the wrecks there(Toaki Maru, Kizugawa Maru and Nichiyu Maru) I have also been to Truk Lagoon a couple of times and have dove on some of the wrecks there. There is nothing like diving on the real thing to get a accurate picture of what the ship looks like.
I have tried to interest some of the model company (Loose Cannon, JAG) into doing a model of a Japanese Merchant Ship but I've had no success. I will give you guys the same offer, I will send you everything I have on a particular ship or class of ships. The only requirements I have is that you do not commercially reproduce my photo (make copies and sell on e-bay)and that you post pictures of what your building. I do not know how to post pictures on this message board, do you need a web page first? If somebody can show how to post picture I would like to post some just for general viewing. Well if anyone wants some more information or photos of a particular ship just post a reply to this message and I will get back to you, it might take a little while because I just started back to school. Thanks
Ron Wolford

For picture posting instructions, please see this: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1261
Note that since you are an unregistered user, you will only be able to use Method 2.

_________________
De quoi s'agit-il?

Hi Ron,

Welcome to the site. I have only been a member for a couple of months myself and have found it of tremendous value.

As you know, I am a regular visitor to j-aircraft.com where there can be no better site for in-depth data about all things Japanese, however most of that data is text and therefore not the perfect area for the modeller. This site is great as the members, including myself, contribute images which is just what the modeller needs.

You have probably already picked up that there are two main Japanese threads: "calling all Japanese pre-war/wartime Merchant Marine Fans" and "Calling all Japanese post-war Merchant Marine Fans". Both have good selections of images and, knowing of your collection of data and images, I am sure that you will be very welcome here. It would be interesting to see images of a pre-war ship on this thread and, if the vessel survived the war, have another image added to the post-war thread. Almost a before and after.

I am currently looking through my stuff with the hope of finding surviving vessels so that I can add them here and on post-war.

Best Wishes

Mike Costello (Bootneck)

Hi Ron:

Thank you, and welcome to the site.



It looks like the only model companies for producing IJN Merchantmen are Niko Models, and maybe you could try BattleFleetModels. Maybe Pitroad will still be interested in doing plastic versions as well?



Bob Pink.

Welcome aboard Ron.

Details of Japanese merchant ships are sometimes hard to come by, so anything you can add will be most welcome.

There is a growing interest in the 'also rans' that contributed so much to the Pacific war. Although models are few (but increasing) there are plenty of opportunities to kitbash some of the other merchant ship models (e.g. Battlefleet models 'Wentworth', Loose Cannon 'Dayrose' and Harriman Freighter, HP Models 'Legie' etc) provided photo info is available.

I am currently completing Shiranesan Maru (4739 tons, built 1943, sunk Phillipines Oct 18, 1944), so would be grateful if you could see if you have anything on her.

Stay tuned to this forum.

Jim S

Hi Ron,
I wanted to let you know that Loose Cannon is very interested in pre war Japanese ships but it takes lots of time to produce kits as nearly everything needs to be scratchbuilt and some of them taking years from start to finish. Our USS Curtiss took over four years from start to finish. Another problem is masters in the process of becoming a kit need to be finished before others can be started as other customers have ask for them and wondering why aren't they done. Announcing kits in advance seems to have people set timetables for them that aren't always kept such as Trumpeter's Arizona in 1/200 scale. We probably have ten masters in the process at this point that range from an inch long to 18 inches and span a time period of over a 150 years. We are working with another kit producer for a series of kits that everyone has been requesting for the last ten years, all we need is time. Keeping our current ships in production is a full time job pouring resin and the creative part of building masters has to take a back seat to filling orders sorry to say. I just wanted to let you know that help is on the way but no timetables are set.
Hugh

Thank you to everybody for making me feel right at home. Unfortunately Jim S I have all most nothing on any of the ships built during the war. Here is a that I got the other day of the Kokuyo Maru from May of 1941, the thing I find interesting about this photo is the little derrick at the bow. I am not sure what this would have been used for? As you can see she is all ready in her war paint. Thanks again for the warm welcome.
Ron Wolford

Ron,


Thanks for this great picture. Keep them coming
The stern derrick was used for supporting fuel hoses during replenishments underway as IJN did those either side by side or with the warship being refuelled following the oiler. I don't know about the bow derrick use.

Gilbert

Great picture Ron. Thank you for sharing it with us.





Bob Pink.

Great, great photo, Ron! Beautiful. Really helps with the Kawasaki class references. Not sure if that derrick is unique to her or not. Don;t see it on any sisters, IIRC.

Ron san,
Welcome, you must be vital contributor for this forum.

Very thanks for beautiful photo. The framework behind forecastle is not derrick but a part of tension adjuster for towing cable. Although detail is differed almost of fleet oilers had been installed the device.

Motoyuki Iwashige

Thank You Motoyuki Iwashige
I knew you would know if anyone did. When the bow gun bandstand were installed was this framework removed or just rearranged? Here is another photo of the Kokuyo Maru, taken two days before the first one, I think this photo was taken in the port of Los Angeles but I' am not sure. Thank you again.
Ron Wolford

http://i48.tinypic.com/15wxjep.jpg