In 1940–41, before Japan's entry to the Second World War, hundreds of Jewish refugees from Nazi persecution fled to Canada and the United States via Japan, and many of them sailed on Hikawa Maru.[1] In August 1940 a party of 82 German and Lithuanian Jews who had travelled via the USSR and Vladivostok reached Seattle on Hikawa Maru.[6] Later, RabbiZerach Warhaftig and his family travelled east from Lithuania to Japan. They left Yokohama on Hikawa Maru on 5 June 1941 and landed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 17 June.[6][7] He described the trip as "a summer vacation and with the war seeming to be so far away" although, he said "I didn't have a peaceful mind because of the strong responsibility I had to help the Jewish refugees with the troubles they faced."[6][7]
In July 1941 the US and other countries retaliating against Japan's invasion of French Indochina ordered the seizure of Japanese assets.[8] However, the United States gave assurances that the liners would not be seized so Heian Maru and Hikawa Maru continued their regular service to US ports.[8] In October 1941 Hikawa Maru became the last NYK ship to visit a US port before Japan and the US went to war.[8] She brought US refugees to Seattle, and on her return voyage she repatriated 400 Japanese nationals.[8]
Three times Hikawa Maru survived being damaged by mines. The first was on 3 October 1942 while entering port at Surabaya, Java.[1] She was repaired in port and departed on 10 October.[1] The second was on 15 July 1944 when a magnetic mine damaged her off the Caroline Islands.[1] She stopped in Davao in the Philippines on 19–26 July where her damage was inspected and on 1 August she reached Yokosuka for repairs.[1] The third was on 17 February 1945 when she was leaving the Port of Singapore.[1] Her stern struck a mine in the Singapore Strait but she returned to port and was repaired.[1] In March and April the Mitsubishi dockyard at Yokohama made further repairs on her, and from 21 June to 4 July she was drydocked at Maizuru.[1]
When Japan surrendered on 15 August Hikawa Maru was one of only two Japanese large passenger ships to have survived the war. The other was another hospital ship, Osaka Shosen Kaisha's Takasago Maru.[1]Hie Maru and Heian Maru had been converted into submarine depot ships and were attacked and sunk in 1943 and 1944.[1]
In 1947 SCAJAP returned Hikawa Maru to NYK, which despite her passenger capacity ran her mostly as a cargo ship until 1953.[1] Her work included general cargo between Japan and the East Coast of the United States, a liner service between Japan and Burma in 1949, and iron ore from Thailand.[1] In the war NYK had lost 172 ships totalling 1.028 million Gross register tons,[1] which may explain why the company used an ocean liner for any cargo.
In 1953 NYK had Hikawa Maru refitted as an ocean liner and returned her to her pre-war Yokohama – Seattle route.[1] She remained on the route until NYK decommissioned her on 21 December 1960.[1] Her peacetime service on the route 1930–1941 and 1953–1960 totalled 238 voyages and 25,000 passengers.[1]
Preservation
In 1961 Hikawa Maru was permanently berthed at Yamashita Park, Naka-ku, Yokohama, as a floating museum, hotel and restaurant.[1] In 2005 her owners announced that they had suffered substantial financial losses and were seeking to sell Hikawa Maru.[1] In December 2006 her museum was closed and doubts about her future were raised.[citation needed] However, NYK Line underwrote her restoration, which began in August 2007. She was renamed NYK Hikawamaru and was reopened to the public at Yamashita Park on 25 April 2008.[1]
Japan
