Chinese cruiser Ning Hai

The Ning Hai was a light cruiser in the Chinese fleet before World War II and the lead ship of her class. It was laid down and launched before the dust of Mukden Incident settled, meaning that the progress of its construction ran far more smoothly than its sistership Ping Hai. Ning Hai has a small hangar for two seaplanes; two Aichi AB-3 biplanes, one bought from Japan and one built locally using a spare engine and domestic lumbers, were assigned to it. There was no catapult, and the seaplanes were hoisted onto and deployed from the cruiser via a crane.

Service record
Ning Hai served as the flagship of the Republic of China Navy since its commissioning until Ping Hai took over in April 1937. As one of the more powerful surface combatants within the ROCN, Ning Hai was subjected to aerial attacks by the Imperial Japanese Navy since the Battle of Shanghai, but it was not until September 23, during the Japanese assault on Kiangyin Fortress (which guarded segment of Yangtze River near Nanking), for Ning Hai to come under severe attack by Japanese bombers,sustaining 4 bomb hits while Ping Hai was hit by 8 bombs and sunk.It was not until 25 September when B3Y1 torpedo bombers scored 2 direct hits on Ning Hai sinking her in shallow water. The fate of the escorting cruiser Ying Jui and the gunboat remains unknown for lack of evidence.These airstrikes were launched from both carrier Kaga and airfields around occupied Shanghai. The IJN captured the wreck on 5 December 1937.

An attempt to re-floated by the Japanese in April, 1938 was unsucsessfull with 2 salvage divers killed. An attempt on 4 May 1938 was sucsessfull. She was towed to Shanghai for basic repairs. Originally it was to be transferred to the Collaborationist navy under Wang Jing-Wei, but the Japanese elected to seize it instead and had it towed to Sasebo to be outfitted it as a barracks hulk. Renamed "Mikura" on 11 July 1938. Used as barracks hulk from July 1938- December 1943. In December 1943 reconstruction into a Coast Defence Frigate began. Renamed escort ship Ioshima (五百島) on June 1, 1944. The ship lost all cruiser armaments but gained radar sets; the final weapons fit included two 127mm DP guns and five triple 25mm AA cannons.

Ioshima was sunk by American submarine USS Shad on September 19, 1944.