Chinese cruiser Hai Tien
| Company type | Protected cruiser |
|---|---|
| Industry | Naval shipbuilding / Military |
| Founded | 16 February 1897 |
| Headquarters | Newcastle upon Tyne , United Kingdom |
| Products | Warship (protected cruiser) |
Background
During the closing years of the nineteenth century, China—ruled by the Qing dynasty for over two centuries—faced a series of humiliating unequal treaty agreements imposed by foreign powers following a crushing defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War against the rising Empire of Japan. With its military forces severely weakened, China appeared vulnerable to the ambitions of global powers seeking to expand their economic and political influence within its borders. To restore military strength and reclaim sovereignty, the Qing government dispatched Marquis of Suyi, Li Hongzhang, as a special envoy to Europe in May 1896. A seasoned diplomat, Li was assigned to procure new warships from international shipyards and undertook visits to the Russian Empire, German Empire, Belgium, and the United Kingdom during the summer of that year. As part of this initiative, two protected cruisers were commissioned from Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Hai Tien was ordered alongside her sister ship Chinese cruiser Hai Chi (2) in October 1896, shortly after Li's British visit. These cruisers were derived from an enhanced version of the design used for the Argentine vessel Buenos Aires, customized to meet Chinese specifications. Although Hai Tien was laid down on 16 February 1897—three months subsequent to Hai Chi—and launched on 25 November 1897—two months after her sister—the completion date for Hai Tien preceded that of Hai Chi by one month. Both ships were delivered to China by contracted crews and formally integrated into the Beiyang Fleet in August 1899. Until after World War II, Hai Chi and Hai Tien remained the largest vessels within China's naval forces.
Service history
The operational history of Hai Tien within the Qing Navy was brief and largely uneventful. Soon after the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion, which destabilized China, elements of the Beiyang Fleet were dispatched on 31 May 1900 to reinforce the defenses at the Taku Forts (also known as Dagu forts). During this period, an uneasy standoff persisted between Chinese naval forces and an increasing number of foreign warships; despite heightened tensions, no direct engagements occurred initially. On 16 June 1900, twenty-three warships from the Eight-Nation Alliance anchored offshore at Dagu issued an ultimatum demanding surrender of the forts to facilitate relief efforts for those besieged in Beijing during the Siege of the International Legations. The forts' commander, General Luo Rongguang, rejected this demand and initiated hostilities by opening fire on allied vessels, triggering what became known as the Battle of Dagu Forts. In response, Shandong's anti-Boxer governor, Yuan Shikai, ordered the Beiyang fleet to withdraw southward to avoid capture or destruction by superior allied naval forces—a fate that had befallen four recently commissioned German-built Hai Long-class destroyers and the torpedo gunboat Chinese torpedo gunboat Fei Ting (2), which were seized during allied occupation of fort dockyards. The surviving Beiyang fleet units—comprising protected cruisers Hai Tien, Chinese cruiser Hai Chou (2), Chinese cruiser Hai Chen (2), along with torpedo gunboat Chinese torpedo gunboat Hai Ying (2)—retreated first to Shanghai and subsequently to Jiangyin where they remained alongside the Nanyang Fleet until hostilities concluded on 7 September 1901.[2]
On the morning of 25 April 1904 at approximately 5:30 AM, while commanded by future admiral Liu Guanxiong, Hai Tien was en route from Zhifu (modern-day Yantai) towards Shanghai when she encountered dense fog near Weihai. The cruiser inadvertently passed beyond the Yangtze River entrance and collided with a submerged pinnacle rock near the Shengsi Islands in Hangzhou Bay. The crew evacuated by nightfall and were subsequently rescued by nearby Chinese customs vessels. Salvage operations proved unsuccessful except for recovering her main armament consisting of EOC eight-inch guns. Consequently, Hai Chi remained as the only surviving ship of her class throughout her subsequent service.[3]
Notes
External links
Template:Hai Chi class cruisers Template:1904 shipwrecks