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SS Haimun was a Chinese steamer ship commanded by war correspondent Lionel James in 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War for The Times. It is the first-known instance of a "press boat" dedicated to war correspondence during naval battles, the

The recent advent of wireless telegraphy meant that reporters were no longer limited to submitting their stories from land-based offices, and The Times spent 74 days outfitting and equipping the ship[1], installing a De Forest transmitter aboard the ship.

The ship sent its first news story on 15 March 1904[2].

While they covered naval manouvres in Port Arthur and the Gulf of Pe-chi-li, De Forest employee H. J. Brown<ref name="NYT" /> was careful to only transmit their stories to the Wei-hai-wei receiving office from the waters belonging to neutral countries, or within international waters. The receiving tower was manned by 21-year old De Forest employee H. E. Ahearn.[3]

Nevertheless, the ship's presence during wartime meant that it quickly aroused suspicion, and it was boarded and searched several times by Japanese ships, as well as being shot across the bow[4] by the Russian warship Bayan.

On April 15 1904, the Russian government announced its intentions to seize "any" ships owned by neutral countries that had the radio equipment that could potentially give away their military positions to enemies, a thinly-veiled threat against the Haimun. Lord Lansdowne quickly dismissed the Russian announcement as "unjustifiable and altogether absurd".[5]

In the end, faced with the prospect of Russian charges of espionage as well as Japanese indignation at not having been foretold about the receiving station constructed without their permission[6], James dismantled and abandoned the boat, from which he had sent 10,000 words of copy[7], and continued his war correspondence the traditional way through Manchuria.<ref name="amazon" />

References

1. ^ The Times, "First messages from the Yellow Sea", March 11 2004.[1]
2. ^ Slattery, Peter. "Reporting the Russo-Japanese War,1904-5", 2004. [2]
3. ^ New York Times, "Wireless Workers Back from the Scene of War". August 31, 1904. pp SM6
4. ^ Maver Jr, William. 'The American Monthly Review of Reviews' "Wireless Telegraphy Today". August 1904 pp 191-197.[3]
5. ^ Higgins, A. Pearce. "War and the Private Citizen". 1912. pp 91-93.
6. ^ [4]
7. ^ The De Forest Wireless Telegraphy Tower: Bulletin No. 1. Summer 1904.
steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a propeller or paddlewheel.
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Russo–Japanese War (Japanese: 日露戦争 Nichi-Ro Sensō, Russian:
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The Times

Front page from a October 17, 2007 edition
Type Daily newspaper
Format Compact

Owner Times Newspapers Ltd
Editor Robert James Thomson
Founded 1785
Political allegiance Centre / Centre Right
Price £0.70 (Monday-Friday)
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The term Wireless Telegraphy is a historic term rarely used today except as applied to early radio telegraph communications. Wireless telegraphy originated as a term to describe electrical signaling without the electric wires to connect the end points.
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March 15 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

In the Roman calendar March 15 was known as the Ides of March.
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Lüshun city or Lüshunkou or (literally) Lüshun Port (Simplified Chinese: 旅顺口; Traditional Chinese: 旅順口
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Bohai Sea (Chinese: ; Pinyin: Bó Hăi), also known as Bohai Bay or Bohai Gulf, is the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea on the coast of northeastern China.
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The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers,
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Boarding, in its simplest sense, refers to the insertion onto a ship's deck of people. However, when it is classified as an attack, in most contexts, it refers to the insertion of personnel that are not members of the crew by another party.
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Warning Shot is a 1967 movie about a police sergeant who kills a man in self-defense while on a stakeout. Then, he must clear his name when the gun that was pulled on him disappears. It is based on the novel 711 - Officer Needs Help by Whit Masterson.
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    The cruiser Bayan was the lead ship in the Bayan class of armored cruisers in the Imperial Russian Navy. It was built in Toulon, France by the Compagnie des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée à la Seine.
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    April 15 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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    The title Lord Lansdowne may refer to either of several people:

    Before 1784

    • George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (died 1735)

    After 1784

    Since 1784 Lord Lansdowne has referred to holders of the title of Marquess of Lansdowne.
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    Espionage (a word from Latin espionnage) or spying is a practice of obtaining information about an organization or a society that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information.
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    Copy refers to written material, in contrast to photographs or other elements of layout, in a large number of contexts, including magazines, advertising, and book publishing.
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    Manchuria ( Romanized Manchu: Manju, Simplified Chinese: 满洲; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; Pinyin: Mǎnzhōu
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    The Times

    Front page from a October 17, 2007 edition
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    Owner Times Newspapers Ltd
    Editor Robert James Thomson
    Founded 1785
    Political allegiance Centre / Centre Right
    Price £0.70 (Monday-Friday)
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    March 11 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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    The 1974 Toronto municipal election was held on December 2, 1974 in Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mayors, controllers, city councillors and school board trustees were elected in the municipalities of Toronto, York, East York, North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough.
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    The May 8, 2007 front page of
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    Owner The New York Times Company
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