World War Two – 1944 BAAG reports – Four HK Shipyards
HF: Elizabeth Ride has sent information about four Shipyards from BAAG reports made during the Japanese occupation. This information is of interest with regard to what was (or wasn’t ) happening in them in 1944.
The first Taikoo Docks is well known. The other three much less so. Kwong Hip Lung Shipyard, Wing On Shing Shipyard and Tai Kok Tsui Shipyard which I believe was connected to Cosmopolitan Dock.
I will open a separate post for each of these to which we can add information as it comes in about their general history.
The image accompanying this article show Taikoo Docks during a US bombing raid WW2.
Further information:
- For general information about the Elizabeth Ride collection, her father Sir Lindsay Ride, and the British Army Aid group during WW2 a very useful introduction is through http://gwulo.com/node/13968
This article was first posted on 24th May 2014.
Related Indhhk articles – WW2
- World War Two – 1945 BAAG report – dairy supplies in occupied HK
- World War Two – 1945 BAAG report – intro and contents
- World War Two -1945 BAAG report on Dockyards in occupied Hong Kong
- HK Industry during World War Two
- Hong Kong Industry during World War Two – Transport
- World War Two – Hong Kong Industrial Images from the Imperial War Museum
- World War Two – BAAG, Mateys and Allied attempts to disrupt Hong Kong Dockyards
- CLP’s Hok Un Power Station – immediately post World War Two
Wondered what happened to the ships, so I did a little digging:
Heikai Maru started and ended her life in Hong Kong, according to WreckSite and others, having been sunk in the harbor on April 3, 1945:
http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?134657
http://www.combinedfleet.com/Manju_t.htm
Tenichi Maru may well have originally been named the Tin Yat, scuttled in Hong Kong on December 8, 1941 and (presumably) refloated for repair:
http://warsailors.com/forum/read.php?1,47926
http://warsailors.com/forum/read.php?1,46707,46724
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_December_1941
http://www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/ships_list.html
I’m also wondering if it’s the same Tin Yat involved in a collision that sunk another tug nine years earlier:
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19320823-1.2.81.aspx
Fukuei Maru would need more research, as there were many ships by that name and around that period. Ditto Banshu Maru, another very common name.
Kosho Maru also seems to have been a fairly common name, but the Kosho Maru No. 6 seems likely, as she was sunk in the vicinity of Hebao Island (just 60 miles WSW of Hong Kong) on May 8 1945:
http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?135238
It looks more than a “little digging”. Detailed research, thanks Mike.
I hadn’t come across some of your sources.In particular http://www.wrecksite.eu As a result I have posted a new article Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Co. Ltd – ships built, wrecked during WW2 using information obtained there.
And included wrecksite under Resources.