 A 1915 postcard drawing of HMSCricket and a Zeppelin airship | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSCricket |
| Builder | Barclay Curle |
| Launched | 17 December 1915 |
| Fate | Crippled in an air attack, 12 July 1941. Declared constructive loss, 30 June 1942. Used for spare parts and hull sunk as target by RAF. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Insect-classgunboat |
| Displacement | 625 long tons (635 t) |
| Length | 237 ft 6 in (72.39 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Draught | 4 ft (1.2 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 shaft VTE engines, 2Yarrow type mixed firing boilers 2000 IHP |
| Speed | 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h) |
| Complement | 55 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour | Improvised |
HMSCricket was aRoyal NavyInsect-class gunboat. She was built byBarclay Curle and launched on 17 December 1915.
During theFirst World War,Cricket took part in theMesopotamian Campaign as part of the gunboat squadron operating on theEuphrates andTigris rivers. During theRussian Civil War,Cricket served as part of theBritish intervention forces fighting in support ofWhite Russian forces on theDvina River during 1919–1920.
During theSecond World War,Cricket was in China until 1940 then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet's Inshore Squadron. On 12 July 1941 she was crippled in an air attack byRegia Aeronautica unit 97Gruppo (Group) and its 239Squadriglia (Squadron), led byMajor Giuseppe Cenni. One of Cenni's crew took a picture of her during the attack.[1]
She was declared a constructive total loss on 30 June 1942 and stripped for spares at Alexandria, Egypt in 1942. Her hull was towed to Cyprus and used as a target forRoyal Air Force training offDhekelia where the sunken hull is an attraction for scuba divers.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in June 1941 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents | |
