D/S Hai Ping
Updated Oct. 1-2011

To Hai Ping on the "Ships starting with H" page.

Seized by the Japanese - 1941:

Hai Ping arrived Bangkok from Singapore on Dec. 9-1941 and anchored at British India Wharf. Japanese authorities came on board that afternoon and sealed the radio station, and the following day the ship was moved to Borneo Wharf and her cargo discharged. On Dec. 15 armed soldiers ordered the Norwegian flag to be lowered (under strong protests from the captain), and on Dec. 22 the crew was offered to stay on board in Japanese service, but when this offer was not accepted they all had to leave the ship immediately. They were able to get rooms at Europe Hotel. The next day they saw their ship heading out under the Japanese flag.

"Nortraships flåte" states that the Norwegian officers were freed on Aug. 4-1942 and travelled to Cape Town via Saigon on diplomatic passports the same day (see also the list of names under Hai Ping on my page Merchant Marine Prisoners of War which shows there is some disagreement on dates in the various sources). I believe the rest of the crew must have been Chinese, but I don't know what happened to them when Hai Ping was seized (they may have stayed on board?)

Meanwhile, Hai Ping had been renamed Lida Maru, and according to "Lloyds War Losses, Vol. 1" she was later sunk by aircraft on Jan. 16-1945 in 10 20N 107 6E. A visitor to my website has told me that he too has information (though he can't remember the original source) that a Lida Maru of 1105 gt was sunk on that date by carrier-based aircraft (off Indochina), adding that the Task Force 38 was making a devastating raid there at that juncture.

Charles Hocking says a Iida Maru (ex Hai Ping) was bombed and sunk by U. S. land-based aircraft on Febr. 16-1945, about 100 miles west of Palawan Island, Philippines. There's no Lida Maru (spelt with the L) listed in this book. Robert J. Cressman, "The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II" mentions a Japanese army cargo ship Iida Maru, sunk in Cape St. Jacques harbor, French Indochina by PB4Y-1 (VPB-117) in position 10 20N 107 06E on Febr. 16-1945. I'm told this information originates from The Joint ARMY-NAVY Assessment Committee, Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Losses during WW II by all causes, printed in February 1947.

Related external link:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - 2nd engineer Martinius Johansen and Captain Olsen are commemorated. According to this they both died in Japanese imprisonment (again, there is some disagreement; follow link to my Prisoners of War page above).

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