Hikawa Maru, Museum ship at Yamashita Park, Japan.
Hikawa Maru is a 1930 ocean liner moored at Yamashita Park in Yokohama. Its black hull has a white band of rectangular windows, a white superstructure, a single funnel with red and white stripes, and a tall mast flying the US flag. The forward deck is painted bright green, and a lighthouse-shaped structure stands at the stern.
Laid down in 1928 at Yokohama Dock Company and completed on 25 April 1930, Hikawa Maru made her maiden voyage from Kobe to Seattle on 13 May 1930. She served as a hospital ship from December 1941, surviving three mine strikes, and after repatriation duties returned to the Yokohama–Seattle route until decommissioning on 21 December 1960.
The ship is named after the Hikawa Shrine in Saitama, and a shrine altar on the bridge still honours its deity. Its Art Deco interiors were designed by the French firm Marc Simon after an international competition. The ship's nickname was "The Queen of the Pacific", and Charlie Chaplin sailed on her in 1932.
The museum ship opens daily except on certain Mondays, allowing visitors to explore several decks and learn about transpacific maritime travel. Stairs connect the levels, so visitors should be comfortable moving between floors to reach all areas.
The vessel survived three mine strikes during wartime service and carried over thirty thousand wounded soldiers as a hospital ship. This resilience helped it return to service after the war and later be preserved as a historical witness.
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