 Ping Hai in 1936 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Republic of China | |
| Name | Ping Hai |
| Builder | Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai, China |
| Laid down | 28 June 1931 |
| Launched | 28 September 1935 |
| Completed | 18 June 1936 |
| Fate | Sunk 23 September 1937 by Japanese aircraft; subsequently salvaged by the Japanese to becomeYasoshima |
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Yasoshima |
| Acquired | 1938 |
| Recommissioned | 25 September 1944 |
| Reclassified | kaibokan, 1 June 1944 |
| Fate | Sunk 25 November 1944 by US Navy aircraft |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Ning Hai-classcruiser |
| Displacement | 2,448 t (2,409 long tons) |
| Length | 360 ft (110 m) |
| Beam | 39 ft (12 m) |
| Draught | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Propulsion | Two-shaft Reciprocating Engines; 1 oil-fired and 4 coal-fired boilers; 7,488 hp (5,584 kW) |
| Speed | 21knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h) |
| Complement | 361 |
| Armament |
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| Armour |
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Ping Hai (Chinese:平海;lit. 'Peaceful Seas') was alight cruiser in the Chinese fleet beforeWorld War II and the second ship of theNing Hai class. The ship was laid down in China to the specifications supplied by the Japanese, and Japanese advisors were hired to oversee the construction. Compared to itssister shipNing Hai, it had a lower-output powerplant and lackedseaplane facilities. Its anti-aircraft armament was also different from that of its sister.
The progress of its construction was affected by theMukden Incident (18 September 1931) and theJanuary 28 Incident (28 January – 3 March 1932). Disruption of parts supply and non-cooperation of Japanese advisors delayed its launch date from the originally planned 10 October 1933 to 28 September 1935. Blocked delivery of originally-specified anti-aircraft weapons meant that equivalent replacements of those weapons had to be bought via Germany. When it was completed in 1936, official outbreak of war was barely a year away.
Ping Hai served as the flagship of theRepublic of China Navy (ROCN) since April 1937.
As one of the most powerful surface combatants within the ROCN,Ping Hai was subjected to aerial attacks by theImperial Japanese Navy since theBattle of Shanghai, but she was not until 23 September, during the Japanese assault on the Kiangyin Fortress (which guarded the segment ofYangtze River nearNanking), forPing Hai to finally succumb with her sister ship to airstrikes launched from both theaircraft carrierKaga and airfields around occupied Shanghai.
She was then re-floated by the Japanese in 1938 as sunken ships would not be as badly corroded by river water as they would be by sea water. Originally the ship was to be transferred to theCollaborationist navy under Wang Jing-Wei, but the Japanese elected to seize her instead and hadPing Hai towed toSasebo, outfitted first as a barracks hulkMishima (見島) and ultimately as theescort shipYasoshima on 10 June 1944. She was re-rated first as a coastal defense ship and then as an escort vessel. The ship lost all cruiser armaments but received radar sets as well as standard Japanese dual-purpose and anti-aircraft weapons.
Yasoshima was deployed for combat operations on 25 September 1944, participating in theBattle of Leyte Gulf and escorting troop convoys. Aircraft from the carriersUSS Ticonderoga andLangley caught her escorting two merchantmen west ofLuzon and sank all three on 25 November 1944.
 Republic of China Navy | |
|---|---|
 Imperial Japanese NavyIoshima class | |
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