Ning Hai

Ballistics

Armor Model

Overview

In the late 1920s, the new government of the Republic of China was looking for ways to develop—and effectively recreate—a fleet that had not been replenished with new ships since the end of the 19th century. Japanese shipbuilding firms offered their services to Beijing. Initially, it was planned to build cruisers similar in characteristics to the Japanese Aoba type, but for economy, extremely compact ships based on the cruiser Yūbari were designed. Two mini-cruisers, Ning Hai and Ping Hai, were laid down in 1931. The lead ship, Ning Hai, was built in Japan and joined the Chinese fleet in September 1932. Both Chinese cruisers were sunk by Japanese aircraft at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. In 1938–43, Ning Hai was in Sasebo, serving as a barracks ship. In 1944, the ship was repaired and converted into an escort vessel, receiving a new name. On September 19, 1944, the former Chinese cruiser was torpedoed by the submarine USS Shad and sank.