Hikawa Maru-class Transport Ship

Hikawa Maru was a Japanese passenger-cargo liner completed in 1930 for transpacific service. During the Second World War it was converted into a hospital ship, and after the war it supported repatriation before returning to commercial use. It survives at Yokohama as a preserved record of Japanese merchant shipping and wartime medical service.

Built at Yokohama, the ship’s machinery and passenger accommodations supported the Japan–Seattle route before military requisition. Hospital service required medical facilities and identification under the conventions governing such vessels. Despite the dangers of wartime sea travel, Hikawa Maru survived while many Japanese merchant ships were lost. Repatriation work after surrender helped return people displaced by the conflict. Restored commercial operations and eventual preservation gave it an unusually long public history, linking transpacific travel, wartime medical transport, and Japan’s postwar recovery.

Finish and color

Supplied unpainted and printed in the selected color. Choose from the available product color options.

Tabletop use

Suitable for period-appropriate custom scenarios in Global War 1936, Global Empires, and compatible Axis & Allies games. Use suitable scenario or house rules for unit statistics and any technology upgrades. This piece does not supply additional game rules.

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