World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

This article refers to the entire Hairong-class; it is not about an individual vessel.

ww2dbaseHairong-class (romanized via the Postal Map System as Hai Yung) protected cruisers were part of Qing Dynasty China's attempt to modernize its naval forces after the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. Built in Germany by Vulcan at the cost of £163,000 each, these cruisers were equipped with quick firing guns, a departure from the previous Chinese preference for slow firing but much more powerful guns.

ww2dbaseShortly after delivery, Vulcan also built three scale models of the cruisers as a gift for China. The three models originally resided at the Chinese embassy in Germany and then West Germany; after West Germany cut relations with the Republic of China, they were sent to Taiwan. They are now on display at the museum of the Republic of China Naval Academy in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

ww2dbaseAll three Hairong-class ships were obsolete by WW2, and thus were used as blockships in the Yangtze River at Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, China in 1937 to prevent the Japanese from sailing up the river toward the capital city of Nanjing.

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