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| The purpose of this site is to present information about the Royal Navy
river gunboats that patrolled China from the end of the 19th century through
World War II. The site is split into two areas: 1.) Information about the
gunboats that served in China (seen further below), and; 2.) Photograph
galleries submitted by those who actually served on the ships. I originally
created this site to display the photographs of my Grandfather, John Leslie
Addiscott, who served on HMS Falcon from 1933 to 1935. The site has now
grown to document the history of all of the gunboats serving in China. |
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There are currently eight photograph galleries available, consisting of
more than 400 photographs and documents from the periods mentioned:
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BRITISH RIVER GUNBOATS - With one exception, all of the Royal Navy river gunboats serving in
China bore the names of insects or fowl. The gunboats named after fowl
were shipped in pieces to China and re-assembled there as none of them
could have survived the trip by sea. On the other hand, all of the gunboats
bearing the names of insects either steamed, or were towed, to China. The
true "Insect Class" consisted of twelve sister ships built between
1915 and 1916 and were followed almost 20 years later by five ships which
also bear insect names: HMS Scorpion, HMS Dragonfly, HMS Grasshopper, HMS
Locust and HMS Mosquito. HMS Scorpion was one of a kind and the other four
ships were sisters, designated the "Locust Class". The Locust
Class was the first class of river gunboats specifically designed to function
in the open sea. (As a footnote, I would be remiss in not mentioning the
Fly Class of gunboats. All of these 16 sister ships contain "fly"
somewhere in their name and none of them ever reached the Far East, serving
mainly in the Middle East.)
Reviewing the photographs below one might note the similarity between these ships and a Mississippi river boat. This similarity is primarily due to the shallow draft required of ships navigating the Yangtze and other inland waterways. Very little existed below the waterline and ships had flat bottoms to decrease their draft and permit repairs when beached. The Yangtze is a perilous river with multiple rapids and a water level that is entirely dependant on the seasons and weather. It is therefore extremely difficult to navigate and ships regularly collided with submerged rocks and/or grounded themselves. A number of the photographs on the site graphically illustrate the dangers a ship could face (See: Photos from Donald Brotchie, HMS Peterel and these shots of a Japanese gunboat).
China has three great rivers: the Yellow River in the north, the West River
(Si Kiang) in the south (vicinity of Hong Kong) and the Yangtze River (Yangtze
Kiang) running straight through the center of the country. The lower part
of the Yangtze is generally defined as from Shanghai to Ichang. Even at
Ichang, some 941 miles up the Yangtze, the water flow reaches 240 times
that of the Thames river in London. The gorges and rapids start just above
Ichang and this is the present construction site of the Three Gorges Dam
Project. The water in the Yangtze is deep enough for destroyers and sloops
to sail from Shanghai to Hankow all year round. Between June and September,
even a 10,000 ton cruiser could make the trip. Only ships with a very shallow
draft (such as river gunboats, specially designed cargo ships and sampans)
could proceed past Ichang into the Upper River.
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The Yangtze was opened to British navigation and trade following the treaties
of Nanking (1842) and Tientsin (1858). The Lower River was charted and
navigated almost immediately. Various expeditions charted the Upper River,
but no steamship successfully navigated between Ichang and Chungking until
February of 1898. Archibald Little made that first trip in his 7 ton, 50
foot launch, Lee-chuen (sometimes "Leechuen", "Leechuan
or "Lichuan"). Taking 20 days from Ichang to Chungking, this
venture was really just a demonstration that a steamship could navigate
the rapids and, in fairness, SS Lee-chuen had to be towed on occasion around
some of the worst points. The distance between Ichang and Chungking is
about 400 miles and, prior to the introduction of steam travel, the journey
would easily take a month. The junks traveling this route were towed most
of the way by men onshore with ropes. With the introduction of larger steamships
in 1900, the 400 mile trip was reduced to 36 hours.
The next steam ships to manage the Ichang to Chungking trip were HMS Woodlark
and HMS Woodcock in May of 1900 (they then proceeded on as far as Iping).
By June of 1900, Archibald Little had built the paddle steamer, Pioneer,
which he successfully navigated to Chungking. (Little wrote a short article
entitled, "The Crux of the Upper Yangtse", which discusses this
period. A copy of the article can be found here.) The Pioneer was then purchased by the Royal Navy and became the Yangtze flagship, HMS Kinsha.
There were 31 Royal Navy river gunboats in east Asia between 1897 and 1945.
These ships were based in one of three locations: Hankow (a river port
at the upper end of the lower Yangtse), Hong Kong and Singapore. Ships
based at Hankow generally patrolled the Yangtze and its numerous tributaries.
Those ships based in Hong Kong usually patrolled the West River, which
is approximately 1,200 miles long and reaches the sea in the Hong Kong-Macau
area.
Ships assigned to the Yangtze consisted of HMS Aphis, HMS Bee, HMS Cockchafer,
HMS Cricket, HMS Gannet, HMS Gnat, HMS Falcon, HMS Kinsha, HMS Ladybird,
HMS Mantis, HMS Nightingale, HMS Peterel, HMS Sandpiper (1933 version),
HMS Scarab, HMS Snipe, HMS Teal, HMS Tern, HMS Widgeon, HMS Woodcock and
HMS Woodlark. Note that HMS Mantis first served on the West River and later
on the Yangtze. Unable to proceed very far up the Yangtze due to a boom
that had been erected by the Chinese, HMS Scorpion briefly served on the
lower Yangtze as a flagship.
Ships assigned to the West River consisted of HMS Cicala, HMS Mantis, HMS
Moorhen, HMS Moth, HMS Robin (1897 version), HMS Robin (1934 version),
HMS Sandpiper (1897 version), HMS Seamew and HMS Tarantula. HMS Dragonfly
and HMS Grasshopper made it to Hong Kong, but returned to Singapore sometime
thereafter. (HMS Snipe is reported to have been on the West River by some
works but there is irrefutable evidence that she served on the Yangtze
for some, if not all, of her service.) Click here for a listing of British vessels (with commanding officers) deployed in
China as of October 1932. Note that the Moorhen was still serving as of
this date, but none of the other 1897 to 1904 gunboats are listed. (For
a 1937-1939 listing of China Station please click here. For a 1939 -1941 listing of China Station please click here.)
By December 7, 1941 (the Pearl Harbor attack) the only commissioned Royal
Navy gunboat on the Yangtze was HMS Peterel. The Falcon and Gannet were
at Chungking, and the Sandpiper at Changsha (all in the upper Yangtze),
but these ships had been decommissioned and stripped. HMS Cicala, HMS Tern,
HMS Robin and HMS Moth were at Hong Kong at the time of the Pearl Harbor
attack and all of these ships were eventually either sunk or scuttled.
HMS Dragonfly, HMS Grasshopper and HMS Scorpion, then at Singapore, were
all sunk.
I am attempting to develop a Listing of Foreign and Domestic Gunboats Serving in China (and the Far
East) between 1897 and 1945. There are now over 100 river gunboats listed from many nations covering
the period from 1897 to 1945. If anyone has information to add to this
list please contact me. With an enormous amount of help from Donald Kindell, I am also attempting to compile a Listing of Fatalities on Royal Navy River Gunboats.
There are only two other sites of which I am aware specifically dedicated
to China gunboat service. The first is Les Canonnieres Fluviales en Chine, an excellent French site that discusses both French gunboats and those of other nations (NOTE: The site is in French and a translated version can be viewed using the Google translation service here. In the translated version the photographs CANNOT be viewed). The second
equally excellent site is U.S. Navy Yangtze Patrol and South China Patrol, covering US Navy gunboat service in China
As for links about Royal Navy gunboats, Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk has a steadily expanding photograph gallery with numerous shots of Royal
Navy gunboats. The Imperial War Museum eclipses the National Maritime Museum (which should be leading this field but for the fact they only present an index, and no images, online) as they actually show thumbnails of their holdings (their photograph search and ordering page is here). The British National Maritime Museum therefore has a picture catalog you can search but you cannot view any
of the photographs online so you just have to guess about the usefulness
of what they have. To their credit, if you pester them they will provide
you with the plans of the ships (note: photos and plans are quite expensive
and have to be requested for a non-commercial purpose - to search the photograph
catalog go here). The Australian War Memorial has a number of shots of HMS Ladybird before and after she was sunk (and
HMS Aphis and Cockchafer as well). To view their picture search page click
here. Shanghai Images is an interesting site based in France which runs a database of pre-WWII
photographs of Shanghai, the Yangtze and China. The Australian National University has a number of fascinating shots from Lancelot Giles, who was in the
Beijing delegation during the Boxer Uprising. For those interested in the
development of Shanghai and of foreign interests there, I have posted a
number of photographs of The Shanghai Bund showing how it has changed from 1860 to present. For some brief slide shows of China past to present An American in China 1936-39 is quite interesting and the book related to it is a most fascinating
read. A site www.sinomania.com is in transition to a new format and when available will have a huge number of China shots online (accessibility is still down on last check but it's worth checking). On the stranger side is On China Station (1/1250 models). Some photographs submitted to the site of gunboat models can be seen here.
On the US side, beyond U.S. Navy Yangtze Patrol and South China Patrol I would also highly recommend NavSource.org and The Yangtze Memorial Home Page. For those interested in the Panay Incident, The USS Panay Memorial Website has just come online and is definitely worth a look.
As for other gunboats in China, an excellent article regarding the Portuguese
gunboat Macau was recently submitted and can be viewed here. |
| ROYAL NAVY GUNBOATS SERVING IN CHINA AND THE FAR EAST |
H.M.S. ROBIN - H.M.S. SNIPE
H.M.S. NIGHTINGALE - H.M.S. SANDPIPER
(Built by Yarrow Ltd. - 1897) |
These were all sister ships built in 1897 and the smallest Royal Navy gunboats
in China. HMS Robin and HMS Sandpiper served on the West River (note that
there were two gunboats with the same names built later and appearing elsewhere
on this page). HMS Snipe and HMS Nightingale served on the Yangtze (it
is conceivable that Snipe may have later served on the West River).
Snipe and Nightingale were sold in Hong Kong on November 20, 1919 (but
Snipe is still listed in Jane's as late as 1921). Sandpiper was sold in
Hong Kong on October 18, 1920.
HMS Robin became famous with the local population for chasing pirates and a legend arose that she had sailed overland from the Yangtze in pursuit of the same (Robin never saw service on the Yangtze). She became so well known on the West River that the Chinese referred to the later, and much larger, Insect Class ships as "Big L'obins". The Robin ceased service in 1927 when she was replaced on the West River by HMS Seamew. In September of 1929 she was sold in Hong Kong. A gallery of images from Arthur Whelan regarding HMS Robin can be found here. |
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| ROBIN (1897). 85 tons 107 3/4 x 20 x 2 feet. Guns: 1-6 pdr. H.P. 240=9
kts. Coal: 11 tons. Complement 25. Built by Yarrow, Ltd. Tunnel-screw type.
Jane's Fighting Ships - 1924 Edition. |
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| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS ROBIN, SNIPE, NIGHTINGALE AND
SANDPIPER |
HMS Woodcock and HMS Woodlark were both built in 1897 and Woodlark was
relaunched in China after reconstruction on August 8, 1898. Both ships
saw service on the Yangtse and were among the first steam ships to reach
Chungking in May of 1900. These ships were originally intended for Kitchener's
Nile campaign but were, instead, shipped to Shanghai in pieces and re-assembled.
Both of these vessels were instrumental in surveying the upper Yangtze
and its navigable tributaries.
Woodcock was sold in 1928 after being replaced by an Insect Class vessel
(I have seen conflicting information that she was sold in 1927). Woodlark
was sold in 1931 for scrap (I have also seen conflicting information that
she was sold in July of 1928 in Hong Kong). |
H.M.S. WOODCOCK - H.M.S. WOODLARK
(Built by Thornycroft - 1897) |
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| WOODCOCK (1897) & WOODLARK (1897). 150 tons. Dimensions: 145 1/2 x
24 x 2 feet. Armament: 2-6 pdr., 4 M.G. Bullet-proof hull, etc. H.P. 550=13
kts. Coal: 28 tons. Complement 25. Built by Thornycroft. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1924 Edition |
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| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS WOODCOCK AND WOODLARK |
H.M.S. KINSHA
(Purchased - 1900) |
HMS Kinsha was built by Archibald Little and began life as a Yangtze cargo-passenger
ship named the Pioneer. She was a paddle steamer and the British government
purchased her in November of 1900, renaming her HMS Kinsha.
I suspect the Kinsha was purchased due to her success in navigating the
Yangtze, being commandeered by the British government in order to evacuate
British civilians at Chungking following the Boxer Rising. She remained
the British flagship on the Yangtze for 20 years. HMS Bee eventually replaced
her as flagship and the Kinsha was sold in Shanghai on April 4, 1921, spending
her remaining years transporting chickens from Ningpo to Shanghai.
I have seen one minor mention of the Kinsha in the book, "Hunting
Opium and other Scents", in which the author, Maurice Springfield,
encountered her on the Yangtze. He reported that she had been built by
an ex-missionary who found trade more rewarding than converting the locals. |
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| HMS Kinsha - (purchased November, 1900) 192.25 x 30 x 6.5 ft, 616 tons,
bore 2-12 pd. guns and 7 Maxims, was 1200 H.P. = 14kts. and had a complement
of 58. (Built in China as cargo-passenger ship. Original name was "Pioneer"
until purchased by the Royal Navy and renamed "HMS Kinsha".) |
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| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS KINSHA |
H.M.S. WIDGEON - H.M.S. TEAL
H.M.S. MOORHEN
(Built by Yarrow and Co. Ltd. - 1901 to 1904) |
These gunboats were stretched versions of the Woodcock and Woodlark, shipped
in sections from Britain and re-erected in China.
HMS Teal was completed on May 18, 1901 and HMS Widgeon on April 4, 1904.
Both ships clearly spent significant time on the Yangtze. In 1920, an American
commodore shifted his flag to HMS Widgeon while inspecting the Yangtze
valley (the only time a Royal Navy vessel has been used as an American
flagship in peace time). Both ships were sold in Shanghai in October of
1931.
HMS Widgeon was part of the flotilla that attempted to retake the merchant vessels Wanhsien and Wanliu from the Chinese army on September 5, 1926 (this occurred at Wanhsien - the same name as one of the vessels). She was involved in heavy fighting during the incident and the action was partly successful. A description of the Wanhsien incident can be found here
HMS Moorhen was completed on August 13, 1901 and served on the West River.
She, together with Cicala and Moth, flattened the pirate villages of Taiphinghu
and Skekki in reprisal for the taking of a passenger/cargo ship. This action
was authorized by the Chinese government and advanced warning was given
to the residents of the villages. The Moorhen was sold for scrap in Hong
Kong in August of 1933. |
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| WIDGEON (1904), TEAL (1901) and MOORHEN (1901). 180 tons: 165 x 24 1/2
x 2 1/4 feet. Armament: 2-6 pdr. and 4 M.G. Bullet-proof hull etc. H.P.
670 = 13 kts. Complement 35. Coal: 20-30 tons. Built by Yarrow Ltd., in
sections and re-erected in China. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1924 Edition. (Note: It is unknown as to which
ship appears in this shot, but I suspect it isn't the Teal). |
| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS TEAL, MOORHEN AND WIDGEON |
INSECT CLASS GUNBOATS
(Built by Ailsa Co., Barclay Curle, Lobnitz, Sunderland S.B. Co. and Wood,
Skinner and Co. - 1915 to 1916) |
HMS LADYBIRD
HMS BEE |
APHIS (1915), BEE (1916), both by Aisa Co.
CICALA (1915), COCKCHAFER (1915), CRICKET (1915), GLOWWORM (1916), all
by Barclay Curle.
GNAT (1915), LADYBIRD (1915), both by Lobnitz.
MANTIS (1915), MOTH (1915) both by Sunderland S.B. Co.
SCARAB (1915), TARANTULA (1915), both by Wood, Skinner and Co.
645 tons. Compl. 54-65. Dimensions: 237 1/2 x 36 x 4 feet. Guns: 2-6in.
(Bee 1 only), 1-3in. AA., 1-2 pdr. pom-pom (except Aphis and Bee which
have 1-12 pdr. and Ladybird 2-12 pdr). 4 or 6 M.G. Machinery: Triple expansion.
Twin screws in tunnels fitted with Messrs. Yarrow's patent balanced flap.
Boilers: Yarrow. Designed H.P. 2000 = 14 kts. Fuel: 35 tons coal, 54 tons
oil. (Glowworm, 74 tons oil only; Moth, 76 tons oil only). On Trials 18
knots was easily obtained. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1924 Edition. |
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Ships of the "Insect Class" were built between 1915 and 1916
for WWI duty and they may have been some of the most well traveled ships
Britain ever produced. This class consisted of: HMS Aphis, HMS Bee, HMS
Cicala, HMS Cockchafer, HMS Cricket, HMS Glowworm, HMS Gnat, HMS Ladybird,
HMS Mantis, HMS Moth, HMS Scarab and HMS Tarantula.
All of these ships were originally built to be used on the Danube during
WWI. They were to be de-assembled, taken over land, and re-assembled on
the Danube to fight the Austro-Hungarian Danube flotilla (some of them
eventually got there, but not by this method). Originally these ships were
ordered as "China gunboats" to conceal their true objective,
which is ironic as all but one ended up in China.
Insect class vessels packed a powerful punch for their size as they were
commonly equipped with two 6 inch guns, two 12 pounders, 3 inch antiaircraft
guns and six Lewis guns. Gun configurations changed over time depending
on what the ships were doing. All of these ships could take to the open
sea but anything over a five foot swell made them very unstable. In 1916
Gnat, Mantis, Moth and Tarantula were towed out to the Persian Gulf to
join the Tigris Flotilla. Over the next two years they, together with the
rest of the expeditionary force, fought their way all the way to Baghdad.
Meanwhile Bee and Scarab guarded the Suez canal and Aphis and Ladybird
went to fight in Egypt, later taking part in the battle of Gaza. Cricket,
Cicala, Cockchafer and Glowworm spent WWI in Britain as home defense ships.
At the end of WWI, Aphis and Ladybird patrolled the Danube under the orders
of the International Danube Commission (they were later joined by Glowworm).
In 1918 Cicala, Cockchafer, Cricket and Glowworm sailed through the North Atlantic (into the arctic) to Archangel for service as part of the Dvina River Force, an expedition (eventually aborted) in support of the White Russian armies. The Mantis and Moth later joined them in this endeavor (See North Russian Expeditionary Force 1918-1919).Coming to the aid of a blazing ammunition ship which proceeded to explode, HMS Glowworm was severely damaged on the Dvina. Her wounds from this incident were never healed and although she survived all the way to Malta in 1928, it was decided that, due to her damage which could never be properly repaired, she should be scrapped. (There is a book about HMS Cicala involving the Northern Russian Expedition entitled, "From Archangel to New Zealand" -see the extended bibliography for more information.)
With the exception of Aphis, Ladybird and Glowworm (assigned to the Danube),
at the end of WWI all of the other nine Insect class ships were sent to
China (the Mantis, Tarantula and Cicala to the West River near Hong Kong,
the remainder to the Yangtze). In 1927 Aphis and Ladybird, the remaining
Insect class ships not already in China (with the exception of Glowworm
which was about to be scrapped), were sent on a two month voyage from Malta
(being towed by Destroyers for part of the journey) to the Yangtze. I believe
all of the Insect class ships either steamed or were towed to China and
none of them were transported in pieces and assembled there.
On September 5, 1926, HMS Cockchafer and crew from HMS Mantis and HMS Scarab
were involved in the Wanhsien Incident. During this action the Royal Navy was partly successful in recovering
two British merchant vessels seized by Chinese ground troops at Wanhsien.
The Insect Class were much larger ships than those previously discussed,
but still fall into the category of gunboat. They have a similar profile
and were 645 tons, almost twice the weight of most of those ships previously
mentioned (Note: The two smoke stacks on Insect Class gunboats were placed
side-by-side which makes them appear as if they have one stack in a profile
shot). When the Chinese blockaded the Yangtze in the late 30's, three of
the ships were converted back to coal due to the scarcity of oil. Around
1920, HMS Bee replaced HMS Kinsha as the flagship on the Yangtze. In assuming
this role she was modified by the removal of her aft 6 inch gun, replacing
it with additional quarters.
On December 12, 1937, Ladybird and Bee came under fire from a Japanese artillery unit near Wuhu on the Yangtze. HMS Ladybird took six shells (photo of damage) and Bee dodged a shell as she came upon the scene. The Japanese battery
commander had simply ignored the White Ensigns on the ships and blasted
everything in sight. As the engagement ensued, the British Consul from
Nanking left the Ladybird and, under fire, rowed ashore. He walked into
the battery commanders headquarters, dragged the commander to his guns
and made him order them to stop. Later that morning what has come to be
known as the "Panay Incident" occurred. USS Panay had been escorting
ships some 20 miles down river from the aforementioned event when she came
under attack by Japanese aircraft. Heavily damaged, the Panay sank about
an hour later (photos of the Japanese attack on USS Panay and of her sinking). Ladybird and Bee were first on the scene to rescue survivors.
As for the fates of these ships: HMS Bee was paid off in 1938 when HMS
Scorpion, the new flagship, arrived. She was sold in Shanghai for scrap
on March 22, 1939 for 5,225 pounds. Mantis and Cricket had been scheduled
for the scrapyard but, at the last moment, the Admiralty decided they were
too valuable to lose. A reprieve for both ships was order but reached China
too late for the Mantis, as she was already being broken up.(January 20,
1940 in Shanghai?).
As the world situation deteriorated all of the Insect Class gunboats in
China steamed for Hong Kong. In late 1939 Aphis and Ladybird left for Singapore.
In February of 1940, Gnat and Cockchafer were withdrawn from the Yangtze
and set off for Singapore, followed by Scarab in July, Cricket in October
and Tarantula in December.
The two remaining Insect Class ships, Moth and Cicala, continued in the Hong Kong area as the Japanese entered the war. HMS Moth was damaged on December 12, 1941 and was probably submerged with HMS Margaret when the dry-dock they were in was intentionally flooded. She was salvaged by the Japanese on July 1, 1942 under the name "HIJMS Suma" and put into service as a Japanese gunboat on the Yangtze. On March 19, 1945 she was sunk by a US laid mine on the Yangtze near Nanking. HMS Cicala was crippled on December 21, 1941 by four drive bomb attacks that scored three direct hits. She soon thereafter sank (probably being scuttled) in the West Lamma Channel (vicinity of Hong Kong). During the invasion of Hong Kong she had been subject to no less than 60 dive bomb attacks.
The six remaining Insect Class vessels (HMS Aphis, HMS Cockchafer, HMS
Cricket, HMS Gnat, HMS Ladybird and HMS Scarab) were stripped down and
towed or steamed to the Mediterranean where they fought during WWII.
HMS Cricket sailed to the Mediterranean in November of 1940 and was rearmed in Port Said. In June of 1941 she escorted two ships from Mersa Matruh to Tobruk, during which she was dive bombed and damaged by a near hit. Her aft section was corrugated by the explosion and dropped almost a foot. Towed back to Port Said, it was determined that two months in dry-dock were required to fix her and that dry-dock time of that length could not afforded such a small ship. "Armed with Stings", by A. Cecil Hampshire, states that Cricket sat until 1944 when she was sold for scrap to local merchants. This account of her fate is incorrect as I was recently contacted by Geoff Brown who spent two years documenting the wreck of HMS Cricket off of Cyprus. He reports that she was stripped of her engines and guns in Alexandria and towed to Cyprus. There she was used for RAF target practice and, low in the water, she sunk in summer of 1944 in Ormidhia Bay. Geoff Brown submitted an excellent 148 page report to the Imperial War Museum on the wreck entitled, "HMS Cricket Lost and Found". He was kind enough to share a copy of the report with the site and it can be found here (it's fascinating reading and has a significant number of photographs).
The ship is currently upside-down in about 100 feet of water, but her deck
is accessible due to a void that exists under the ship (Geoff, with his
diving team, originally had to tunnel under the wreck to reach the deck
and hatches). Some more recent color photographs of the wreck of HMS Cricket
can be found at Octopus Diving Centre and here.
HMS Ladybird sustained damage during the trip to the Mediterranean and
was never again able to sustain a speed over 7 knots due to a misaligned
hull. She was initially used to guard Port Said. Later, acting in support
of the Tobruk garrison, she shelled the Gazala airfield and ferried in
supplies. During this duty, on May 12, 1941, she was severely damaged by
dive bombers and set on fire, settling on an even keel in ten feet of water.
Still above water, her three inch gun was used in an antiaircraft role
by the Royal Army. HMS Gnat then replaced HMS Ladybird in supporting Tobruk
and on October 21 Gnat was torpedoed off Bardia by U-79, blowing off twenty
feet of her bow. Still seaworthy, she was towed on October 24, 1941 to
Alexandria by HMS Griffin and finally beached at Suez. It was contemplated
that her aft section would be married with the forward section of HMS Cricket,
but nothing ever came of the plan. The Gnat was reportedly broken up in
1945.
According to Jane's 1944-45 yearbook, HMS Tarantula had been "discarded"
as of that date. It appears that in 1940-41 she made her way from Singapore
to Trincomalee in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Due to her poor condition she was
used for storage and eventually, office space. Although never actively
participating in WWII, for twelve days in late 1944 she became the flagship
for the British Pacific Fleet, as Admiral Sir Bruce Faser hoisted his flag
upon her. In 1945 she was used as a workshop during the salvage of a floating
dock at Trincomalee. Finally, on May 1, 1946, HMS Tarantula was taken out
and used for target practice by the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla, being sunk
by HMS Carron and HMS Carysfort (she was sunk at Latitude 08.45 degrees
North Longitude 81.33 degrees East - I have not heard that her wreck has
been discovered).
HMS Aphis, HMS Cockchafer and HMS Scarab all saw significant service during
WWII and survived. In October of 1944, HMS Cockchafer was employed in harbor
duties at Taranto (Italy) and reduced to care and maintenance. In January
of 1946 all three ships sailed the whole way back to Singapore. In May
of 1947, HMS Aphis was sold in Singapore for scrap and Cockchafer was hulked.
HMS Scarab sailed on to Rangoon via Penang in May of 1946 (on loan to Burma
from May of 1946 to June of 1947 to quell rioting on the Rangoon River).
In May of 1948 HMS Scarab was sold for scrap in Singapore. In 1949 HMS
Cockchafer, the last remaining Insect Class gunboat, was sold for scrap
in Singapore. |
H.M.S. PETEREL a.k.a. H.M.S. PETREL -
H.M.S. GANNET
(Built by Yarrow and Co. Ltd. - 1927) |
HMS Peterel commenced service on July 18, 1927 with a misspelt name. The
correct spelling should have been HMS Petrel (like the bird), but the mistake
was noticed only after she had been launched and no attempt was made to
change it.
The Peterel was the first Royal Navy ship sunk by the Japanese during WWII,
but this event had been anticipated and she was rigged with demolition
charges. Her sinking occurred on December 8, 1941 in conjunction with the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Peterel was the last commissioned
Royal Navy gunboat on the Yangtze prior to WWII. At the time of her sinking,
she was acting as a communication station manned by a skeleton crew in
Shanghai. Click here for more information about her sinking.
HMS Gannet was functioning in the area of Hong Kong as of February 1940,
but was damaged by Japanese aircraft and moved to Chungking for repairs
(she remained there). In February of 1942 she was presented to the Chinese
and renamed the Ying Shan ("British Mountain"). The Gannet clearly
saw extensive service on the Yangtze and she continued in the Chinese navy
until 1975.
Photograph to the left is HMS Gannet. |
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| GANNET (1927) & PETEREL (1927), both designed and built by Messrs. Yarrow & Co., Ltd. Displacement: 310 tons. Dimensions: 177 (w.l.), 184 2/3 x 29 x 3 ft. 2 1/2 inch draught. Guns: 2-3 inch AA., 8 M.G. Machinery: Geared turbines. Boilers: Yarrow. Designed H.P. 2250 = 16 kts. Fuel: 60 tons oil. Complement 55. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1939 Edition. |
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| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS PETEREL AND GANNET |
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| SEAMEW (1927), designed and built by Messrs. Yarrow & Co., Ltd. Displacement
262 tons. Dimensions: 160 (w.l.), 167 1/2 x 27 x 5 1/4 feet max. draught.
Guns: 2-3 inch AA., 8 M.G. Armored bridge and shields to guns. Machinery:
Geared turbines. Boilers: Yarrow. Designed H.P. 1370 = 14 kts. Fuel: 50
tons oil. Complement 55. War loss: Tern. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1945 Edition. (Tern seen in photograph, but I have
doubts, looks more like Seamew). |
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H.M.S. TERN - H.M.S. SEAMEW
(Built by Yarrow and Co. Ltd. - 1927) |
HMS Seamew and HMS Tern had no other sister ships. The Seamew was assigned
to the West River (the Hsi Chiang (sometimes "Si Kiang" or "Xi
Jiang") - the longest river in southern China whose mouth is in the
Hong Kong-Macau area). In early 1940 the Seamew was stationed in Canton,
but in late 1940 she steamed from China to the Persian Gulf. It appears
that on August 18, 1947 she was scrapped at Basra.
HMS Tern served on the Yangtze, but steamed to Hong Kong just prior to
the outbreak of war with the Japanese. She shot down a Japanese aircraft
on December 13, 1941 and was scuttled in Deep Water Bay (Sham Shoo) on
December 19, 1941. I have seen conflicting reports that she was scuttled
as a result of mistaken signal.
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| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS TERN AND SEAMEW |
H.M.S. FALCON
(Built by Yarrow and Co. Ltd. - 1931) |
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| FALCON (1931) built by Messrs. Yarrow & Co., Ltd. Displacement: 372
tons. Complement: 55. Dimensions: 150 x 28 2/3 x 5 feet (mean). Guns 1-3.7
inch Howitzer, 2-6 pdr., 10 M.G. Machinery: Parsons geared turbines. Boilers:
2 Admiralty 3-drum type. H.P. 2,250 = 15 kts. Fuel: 84 tons oil. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1939 Edition. |
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HMS Falcon was a Royal Navy gunboat built in 1931 by Yarrow and Co. Ltd. She was 372 tons, 150 feet long and had an average hull depth of 5 ft. The ship's complement was 55. The Falcon was unusual in that she had no sister ships. As of 1945 there have been at least 29 Royal Navy ships named Falcon, the first occurring in 1212 A.D.
In March of 1941, HMS Falcon was at Chungking and paid off. Her crew travelled
overland to Rangoon via the Burma Road and her guns were sent by elephant.
The Falcon was handed over to the Chinese in February of 1942 and renamed
the Luan Huan. In 1948 she was renamed Ying Teh (sometimes Ying The) or
"British Virtue". In 1950 she received her final name of Nan
Chiang. The Falcon continued service in the Chinese navy the whole way
up to 1974, making her one of the longest lived ships mentioned on this
site.
I would ask that anyone with information about HMS Falcon please contact me. |
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| SANDPIPER (June 9, 1933). Built by Thornycroft. Displacement: 185 tons. Complement: 40. Dimensions: 160 x 30 2/3 x 2 feet (mean). Guns 1-3.7 inch Howitzer, 9 smaller. Machinery: 2 sets Reciprocating, 2 shafts, 1 Admiralty 3-drum type boiler. H.P. 600 = 11 1/4 kts. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1939 Edition. |
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H.M.S. SANDPIPER
(Built by Thornycroft - 1933) |
HMS Sandpiper was shipped from Britain and re-assembled at the Kiangwan Dock in Shanghai in 1933. She spent virtually all of her Royal Navy service at Changsha (near Tung Ting lake) and was specifically designed for that purpose. She was finally laid up in Changsha in 1939. Click here for a brief excerpt regarding the end of her service.
Sandpiper had no sister ships and was unusual in that her draft was less
than that of her own motor launch. She was also presented to the Chinese
in February of 1942 and renamed Ying Hao ("British Hero"). She
continued service in the Chinese navy until 1974.
Please note that this is a different ship than that of the same name mentioned
elsewhere on this page. |
| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS SANDPIPER |
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| ROBIN (March 7, 1934). Built by Yarrow. Displacement: 236 tons. Complement:
42. Dimensions: 150 x 26 2/3 x 3 feet (mean). Guns 1-3.7 inch Howitzer,
9 smaller. Machinery: 2 sets reciprocating. 1 Admiralty 3-drum type boiler.
H.P. 800 = 12.75 kts. Oil fuel: 41 tons. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1939 Edition. |
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H.M.S. ROBIN
(Built by Yarrow and Co. Ltd - 1934)
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Two different gunboats named HMS Robin served in China. The first, built in 1897 and appearing elsewhere on this page, ended service in 1927 (being sold in September of 1929).
I know very little about the second HMS Robin other than her demise. She
was apparently serving in Hong Kong where she was scuttled on December
25, 1941. I have seen Japanese reports that HMS Robin was sunk somewhere
between December 4th and 8th by IJN Inazuma and Isuzu. These reports are
clearly false as Escape from Hong Kong has an excellent report detailing her actions between December 8 and December
25, 1941. |
| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS ROBIN |
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| SCORPION (J.S. White & Co., Ltd., Dec. 20, 1937). Built under 1936 estimates. Displacement: 700 tons. Complement 93. Dimensions: 200 (pp.), 208 3/4 x 34 2/3 x 5 1/2 feet. Guns: 2-4 inch, 1-3.7 inch Howitzer, 2-3 pdr., 10 smaller. Machinery: Parsons geared turbines. H.P. 4,500 = 17 kts. Fitted for service as Flagship on Yangtse. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1939 Edition. |
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H.M.S. SCORPION
(Built by J.S. White & Co, Ltd. - 1937) |
HMS Scorpion reached Shanghai in 1937 and replaced HMS Bee as flagship
in 1938. She was never able to proceed to Hankow because of a Chinese blockade
on the Yangtze consisting of sunken vessels and mines. She sailed for Singapore
in December of 1940 and was sunk by Japanese bombs a little over a year
later. I have seen a written report that the Scorpion was sunk somewhere
in the vicinity of Muntok (Banka Island) near Singapore on February 12,
1942 (I have also seen conflicting reports of the sinking on February 13th).
The report was from the Mata Hari which picked up five of the Scorpion's
crew who had been swimming in the water for over five hours. The Mata Hari
surrendered to the Japanese later that night at the mouth of the Moesi
river which flows into Palembang. Reportedly, 42 of the 47 ships that left
Singapore that night were sunk. The actual specifics of the Scorpion's
demise appear to be that she was damaged by aircraft on February 9, 1942
and later sunk by a Japanese destroyer at the Banka Straits three to four
days later.
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| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT HMS SCORPION |
H.M.S. DRAGONFLY - H.M.S. GRASSHOPPER
H.M.S. LOCUST - H.M.S. MOSQUITO
(Built by Yarrow and Co. Ltd. and Thornycroft - 1938 to 1940)
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These ships, built by Thornycroft (or under their supervision), were the
last gunboats sent to China through the end of WWII and there is conflicting
information about them. I believe they were designated the Locust Class.
HMS Dragonfly was completed in 1938 and HMS Grasshopper in 1939.
The Grasshopper and Dragonfly traveled from Singapore and made it as far
as Hong Kong. Within a few months they returned to Singapore to join the
Scorpion and were sunk on February 14, 1942 somewhere south of Singapore
(I have seen reports that the Grasshopper managed to beach herself before
sinking). HMS Locust and HMS Mosquito never travelled to China as, by the
time they were completed, they were needed in the defense of Britain.
I was recently contacted by Paul Jenkins who submitted some fascinating research regarding the history and fates of HMS Locust and HMS Mosquito. To view what he has discovered regarding these ships please click here. Anyone with additional information regarding HMS Locust or HMS Mosquito should contact Paul Jenkins directly, as he is still investigating this area. |
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| DRAGONFLY (Dec. 8, 1938), GRASSHOPPER (Jan. 19, 1939), LOCUST, MOSQUITO (both building). Displacement: 585 tons. Complement: 74. Guns: 4 inch. Building under 1937 and 1938 Estimates, first pair by John I. Thornycroft & Co., Ltd., second pair by Yarrow & Co., Ltd. Jane's Fighting Ships - 1939 Edition. (Note: There is a February 14, 1990 first day cover regarding HMS Dragonfly
using the photo above so I assume it is her.) |
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| CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS-INFO ABOUT LOCUST, MOSQUITO, DRAGONFLY AND GRASSHOPPER |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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A complete list of all the books used in developing this site can be found
in the Extended Bibliography section of this site (which contains a large number of books should you
be interested in this area). If I could read only three books about Royal
Navy river gunboats that undertook China service I would choose the three
excellent works below (all are out of print and can be found at www.abebooks.com.)
"Gunboats on the Great River", by Gregory Haines. This work was published in 1976 and is an excellent
discussion of Royal Navy gunboats on the Yangtze River. It is also the
only work specifically dedicated to this subject that I have encountered.
"Armed with Stings", by A. Cecil Hampshire. First published in 1958, this excellent
work details the life and times of the Insect Class gunboats built between
1915 and 1916. About 50 pages are devoted to the Insect Class in China.
This is a paperback with no pictures and, if you are researching the Insect
Class, it's a must.
"The Royal Navy and the Sino-Japanese Incident", by Martin H. Brice. Originally published in 1973, this truly excellent
work discusses the Royal Navy as the Japanese attempted the conquest of
China. The time period discussed is from 1937 to 1941 and the book has
numerous photo plates. There are an unbelievable number of references to
the actions of Royal Navy river gunboats during this period, in addition
to other Royal Navy vessels. This is a first class book if you are looking
for information regarding Royal Navy river gunboats in China, but be warned
that only the gunboats serving between 1937 and 1941 are discussed.
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