Onboard Tour of The Training Sail Ship Nippon Maru

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to go on board a Japanese training sail ship called Nippon Maru.  Officially, she should be called Nippon Maru II as she's the second generation sail ship to bear that name.  The first Nippon Maru was originally commissioned all the way back in 1930.  And this sail ship should not be confused with the MOL luxury cruise ship either.  

Nippon Maru From 2nd Level of Singapore Cruise Centre - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

The first Nippon Maru was retired in September 1984 and re-purposed into a museum ship, permanently docked in Yokohama Harbour.  So last Tuesday, I boarded Nippon Maru II.

We went to the cruise centre at Harbourfront where she was docked.  For that trip, I brought along my Fujifilm X-T2 coupled with the XF10-24mm F4R OIS since a UWA is the most appropriate lens for capturing wide views in tight spaces. 

Nippon Maru is an impressive ship; 4 sail masts tower majestically on her deck.  How I wished I could have seen her with all sails spread out, which would have been a great view.   

Nippon Maru's Top Deck - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

The view from the bridge was rather ordinary, but it was a cool feeling to be inside a real ship's bridge.  I'm very sure the view would have been more majestic if the ship were sailing as I've seen some impressive sunrise and sunset photos taken by crew members in my company's photo collection.  

View From The Bridge - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

More of The Bridge Interior - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

On that trip I had the privilege to roam to almost all areas of the ship.  The bridge looked somewhat dated, but hey, she’s just 3 years younger than me. 

Launched on 1984 - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

The 110 m Long Deck of Nippon Maru - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

View of The Bowsprit - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

The Ship's Wheel When Operating by Sail - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

After touring the deck we went below deck to further explore the ship.  The ship felt rather small, at some parts of the staircases, my head was just 1-2 centimetres away from the ceiling and the stairs themselves were very steep.   I was really quite surprised to see so many quarters under deck.  There were officers’ quarters, cadets’ quarters, library & dining hall, sails store room and engine room.  There were about 150 officers and cadets on that voyage. 

Passageway Under Deck - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

The Officers' Meeting Room - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

Library and Common Dining Area - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

The Chefs in Action - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

Sails Storage Room - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R  OIS

Engine Control Room - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

From the ship’s fore, I could get a magnificent view of Keppel Bay which I captured in this photo below. 

View of Keppel Bay From The Aft - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

And after an hour or so, we were done with the tour.  Before leaving, I took more photos of the vessel while alongside.  

Side View of Nippon Maru - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

As I left Nippon Maru, I wished her and her crew a smooth uneventful sailing for the remainder of her voyage. 

Here’s a closing photo for this entry:

Nippon Maru's Aft - X-T2 + XF10-24mm F4R OIS

~ Photos taken with Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF10-24mm F4R OIS~