SS Haimun was a Chinese Steamboat steamer ship commanded by war correspondent Lionel James journalist 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. ref Reporting the Russo Japanese War, 1904 5 Lionel James s first wireless transmissions to the times, ISBN 1901903575 ref 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 ref The Times , First messages from the Yellow Sea , March 11 2004. http www.timesonline.co.uk tol life and style court and social the hitch article1042746.ece ref , installing a Lee De Forest Audion De Forest transmitter aboard the ship. The ship sent its first news story on 15 March 1904 ref name amazon Peter Slattery Slattery, Peter . Reporting the Russo Japanese War,1904 5 , 2004. http www.amazon.co.uk dp 1901903575 ref . While they covered naval manouvres in L shunkou 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. ref name NYT New York Times , Wireless Workers Back from the Scene of War . August 31, 1904. pp SM6 ref Nevertheless, the ship s presence during wartime meant that it quickly aroused suspicion, and it was boarding party boarded and searched several times by Japanese ships, as well as being warning shot shot across the bow ref Maver Jr, William. The American Monthly Review of Reviews Wireless Telegraphy Today . August 1904 pp 191 197. http www.radiorepairguy.com web 1904mav.htm ref by the Russian warship ... away their military positions to enemies, a thinly veiled threat against the Haimun. Lord Lansdowne ... more details
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