The German turbo-electrically driven combined passenger/cargo vessel Scharnhorst arriving at Hongkong on her maiden voyage in June 1935.
The Scharnhorst (18184 grt/10712 nrt) was launched on Dec. 14th, 1934 by Deschimag A.G. Weser, Bremen, hull-number 891. Delivered to Norddeutscher Lloyd on April 30th, 1935 and began its maiden voyage to Yokohama on May 3rd. All ship arrangements were especially designed for the service in tropic areas.
Due to the outbreak of WW2 the vessel was laid up in Kobe in Sept. 1939 and on July 2nd, 1942 sold to the Japanese government. Two months later taken to Kure were the Scharnhorst was converted into an aircraft carrier with a capacity of 33 planes. They were equipped with special magnetic detectors to locate US-submarines.
In Dec. 1943 commissioned as Shinyo. Between July and November 1944 Shinyo escorted several convoys, successfully driving off resp. damaging 4 US-submarines.
On Nov, 17th, 1944, when escorting convoy Hi-81, the Shinyo was hit by 4 torpedoes of USS Spadefish (SS-411) about 140 miles north-east of Shanghai and sunk quickly by the stern. Of her crew of 1200 men only 61 survived.
