Protected Cruiser Haiqi

Haiqi

Country	China
Ship Class	Haitien-class Protected Cruiser
Builder	Armstrong-Whitworth, England, United Kingdom
Commissioned	24 Jan 1898
Sunk	12 Aug 1937
Displacement	4300 tons standard
Speed	24 knots
Armament	2x8in guns

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseChinese cruiser Haiqi (romanized via the Postal Map System as Hai Chi) was launched in Britain circa 1897. As the largest Chinese warship at the time of her completion, she was the first Chinese warship to embark on a world cruise, participating in the 1911 Spithead Naval Review in Britain and became the first Chinese warship to enter American waters. During the cruise, she flew the Qing Dynasty flag, but when she arrived, the Qing was overthrown by the republic, thus she entered port with the Nationalist Party flag on her mast. At the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Navy leadership decided to block the mouth of the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, China to prevent the Japanese Navy from sailing up river toward the capital Nanjing. To do so, a number of ships were scuttled near the town of Jiangyin, Haiqi among them.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Haiqi Operational Timeline

24 Jan 1898	Hai Chi was commissioned into service.
11 Apr 1911	Haiqi departed Shanghai, China for Britain.
20 Jun 1911	Haiqi arrived at Plymouth, England, United Kingdom.
22 Jun 1911	Haiqi and her crew attended the coronation ceremony of King George V of the United Kingdom.
30 Jun 1911	Haiqi participated in the Spithead Naval Review off Gilkicker Point in southern England, United Kingdom.
11 Sep 1911	Haiqi arrived in New York, New York, United States and became the first Chinese warship to enter American waters. Her officers and men visited the mausoleum of former US President Ulysses S. Grant and presented a wreath.
12 Sep 1911	Haiqi departed New York, New York, United States with US Navy officer George Cooper on board, arriving in Washington DC, United States later on this date.
13 Sep 1911	Haiqi departed Washington DC, United States for Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
14 Sep 1911	Haiqi hosted US President William Howard Taft.
5 Aug 1913	Haiqi arrived at Huangpu, Guangdong Province, China.
13 Aug 1913	Haiqi participated in the battle in Nanjing, China during the Second Chinese Revolution, flying the flag of the Beiyang Government.
15 Jun 1935	Haiqi departed Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
12 Aug 1937	Haiqi was scuttled in the Yangtze River at Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, China to block Japanese movement up the river.
27 May 1960	The wreck of Haiqi at the bottom of Yangtze River at Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, China was broken in two for scrapping.