 Cockchafer underway accompanied byCricket,Glowworm andCicala | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSCockchafer |
| Namesake | Cockchafer |
| Ordered | 1915 |
| Builder | Barclay Curle |
| Laid down | 1915 |
| Launched | 17 December 1915 |
| Honours and awards | Sicily 1943, Mediterranean 1940–1945 |
| Fate | Broken up 1949 atSingapore |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Insect-classgunboat |
| Displacement | 625 tons |
| Length | 72.40 m (237 ft 6 in) (overall) |
| Beam | 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in) |
| Draft | 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14.0knots (16.1 mph; 25.9 km/h) |
| Complement | 55 |
| Armament |
|
HMSCockchafer was aRoyal NavyInsect-classgunboat. She was built byBarclay Curle and launched on 17 December 1915 as the fifth Royal Navy ship to carry this name.[1][2] The Insect class was originally designed for service on theRiver Danube but most of them spent much of their service on Chinese rivers.[3]
During theFirst World War,Cockchafer was assigned to the defence of the south east coast of England, based atBrightlingsea.[1] During theRussian Civil War, she served with some of her sister ships as part of theBritish intervention forces fighting in support ofWhite Russian forces on theDvina River from 1918 to 1919.[4] On 17 January 1920, the Insect-class shipsCricket,Cockchafer,Moth,Mantis andCicala set out fromChatham, England forChina.Cockchafer was stationed on theYangtze River where her duties were patrolling and protection of British nationals and interests in China.
One significant event whichCockchafer was involved in was theWanhsien Incident in August and September 1926. Wanhsien, now known asWanzhou District, is a port on the Yangtze River about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) upstream fromShanghai. The localwarlord, MarshalWu Pei Fu controlled the area and his local commander was GeneralYang Sen.
Following friction earlier in the year, General Yang's troops seized the Britishmerchant ship, SSWanhsien in August 1926,[5] which belonged toThe China Navigation Company[6] of theSwire Group. The crew ofCockchafer heard the British crew calling for help and sent an officer and boarding party toWanhsien to investigate. They found the ship occupied by 100 Chinese soldiers. The Navy party obtained the release of the ship after a heated argument.
On 29 August 1926,[7] China Navigation Co. ship, SSWanliu[6] suddenly made a U-turn while a wooden boat full of Chinese soldiers, guns, bullets and allowances passed by. The wave caused by the movement ofWanliu capsized the wooden boat. 58 soldiers were drowned.Thousands of bullets, hundreds of guns and some allowances were lost.Wanliu steamed upstream while the Chinese soldiers aboard attempted to capture the ship. They were unable to do so by the timeWanliu reached Wanhsien whereCockchafer sent a boarding party to remove the soldiers.
The reports about the escape ofWanliu reached General Yang whose troops captured SSWanhsien again. The British officers were held aboard.[5] Another British merchant ship SSWantung was also captured. Chinese troops with artillery gathered on the shore. General Yang seized several ofCockchafer's Chinese crewmembers who were ashore and one was killed in full view of the rest of the crew. Yang refused to negotiate with the commander ofCockchafer and the senior officer on the Upper Yangtze, commander ofWidgeon headed for Wanhsien whileCockchafer remained withWanhsien in a standoff with the overwhelming numbers of Chinese troops.
On 1 September 1926Widgeon arrived atWanhsien but negotiations did not go well and therear admiral on the Yangtze decided that the matter would have to be settled by force. A British merchant ship, SSKiawo, wascamouflaged and armoured and manned by a naval crew gathered fromCockchafer, the light cruiserDespatch,Scarab andMantis boardedKiawo and she sailed on 4 September 1926.[5]
In the evening of 5 September 1926Kiawo arrived in sight ofWanhsien. The plan was to board and re-take SSWanhsien and SSWantung whileWidgeon andCockchafer provided covering fire.Kiawo came under fire from the Chinese troops ashore. She came alongsideWanhsien and boarded under fire. The boarding party rescued the British seaman held on board after fierce fighting.
In the meantime, Chinese troops onshore and aboardWantung opened fire onCockchafer andWidgeon which returned fire. The boarding party aboard SSWanhsien suffered a number of casualties including the senior British officer fromDespatch andCockchafer'ssub-lieutenant who were killed. Having rescued the British merchant seamen on board SSWanhsien, the attacking force retired to SSKiawo. After an hour of fighting, the action was discontinued and the two merchant ships were abandoned. The British ships then retired having rescued the crews, but having lost the ships.
The British ships caused casualties of nearly a thousand Chinese civilians and soldiers in the Wanhsien Incident. Thousands of shops and homes were destroyed by shells. In the end, General Yang was pressured to release SSWanhsien and SSWantung. It is unclear whether the British paid any compensation.
In 1939Cockchafer started the war still on Yangtze River patrol. After consideration for conversion to aminelayer, she was then transferred to the East Indies Squadron. In 1941 she assisted in the landings of British andIndian Army troops atBasra,Iraq during theAnglo-Iraqi War. She played host to theregent of Iraq,Amir Abdul Illah who had been deposed and fled anassassination plot inBaghdad.[8][9]
She also played a part in theAnglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, which was the invasion ofIran byBritish and Commonwealth forces and theSoviet Union, codenamed Operation Countenance, from 25 August 1941 to 17 September 1941. The purpose of the invasion was to secure Iranianoil fields and ensuresupply lines (seePersian Corridor) for the Soviets fighting againstNazi Germany on theEastern Front.[9]
In 1943,Cockchafer was transferred to theMediterranean Fleet atMalta. She took part in support operations forOperation Husky, the invasion ofSicily. Following the invasion ofItaly and theinvasion of Elba,Cockchafer was employed on harbour duties inTaranto in late 1944. In 1945, she was despatched to the Eastern Fleet in theIndian Ocean again to support operations inBurma.[10] After the end of the war againstJapan in August 1945, she was sent toSingapore where she was placedin reserve. In 1949 as the last surviving Insect-class gunboat, she was sold for scrap andbroken up.[2][11]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1926 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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