HMS ''Cricket'' was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Insect-class gunboat The Insect-class gunboats (or large China gunboats) were a class of small, but well-armed Royal Navy ships designed for use in shallow rivers or inshore. They were intended for use on the Danube against Austria-Hungary (the China name was to di ...

. She was built by

Barclay Curle Seawind Barclay Curle is a British shipbuilding company. History The company was founded by Robert Barclay at Stobcross in Glasgow, Scotland during 1818.

and launched on 17 December 1915. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, ''Cricket'' took part in the Mesopotamian Campaign as part of the gunboat squadron operating on the

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

and

Tigris The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...

rivers. During the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, ''Cricket'' served as part of the British intervention forces fighting in support of White Russian forces on the Dvina River during 1919-1920. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, ''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 by

Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...

unit 97 ''Gruppo'' (Group) and its 239 ''Squadriglia'' (Squadron), led by

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Giuseppe Cenni. One of Cenni's crew took a picture of her during the attack.Smith 2011, pp. 217–218. She was declared a constructive total loss on 30 June 1942 and stripped for spares at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, Egypt in 1942. Her hull was towed to Cyprus and used as a target for

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

training off

Dhekelia Dhekelia Cantonment ( el, Φρουρά Δεκέλεια, tr, Dikelya Cantonment) is a military base in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus, administered as the Sovereign Base Areas. It is located in the ...

where the hull is an attraction for scuba divers.

References

Bibliography

* Lenton, H. T. and Colledge, J.J. (1973) ''Warships of World War II'', 2nd ed., Shepperton : Ian Allan, 653 p., * Smith, Peter C. ''The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka: A Complete History''. London: Crécy Publishing, 2011. . *

External links

HMS Cricket, Lost and Found

HMS Cricket, More Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cricket Insect-class gunboats World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea 1915 ships Maritime incidents in June 1941 Maritime incidents in June 1942 Ships sunk as targets