HMS ''Amethyst'' was a modified
''Black Swan''-class sloop of the
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 ...
. She was laid down by
Alexander Stephen and Sons
Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Glasgow, on the River Clyde and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland.
History
The co ...
of
Linthouse
Linthouse is a neighbourhood in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated directly south of the River Clyde and lies immediately west of Govan, with other adjacent areas including Shieldhall and the Southern General Hospital to the west, a ...
,
Govan
Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
on 25 March 1942, launched on 7 May 1943 and commissioned on 2 November 1943, with the
pennant number U16. After 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 opposi ...
she was modified and redesignated as a
frigate, and renumbered F116.
Second World War
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 opposi ...
, ''Amethyst'' was deployed mostly on anti-submarine patrols and escort duties. She attacked and sank the
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
with
depth charges on 20 February 1945. ''U-1276'' had just sunk , a . The action took place in the North Atlantic, south of
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
, and resulted in the loss of all 49 of the U-boat's crew.
During the war the ''Amethyst'' was credited, along with the sloops , , , and frigate , with sinking the in the
North Channel North Channel may refer to:
*North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
The North Channel (known in Irish and Scottish Gaelic as , in Scots as the ) is the strait between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland. It begins no ...
on 16 January 1945. The
British Admiralty withdrew this credit in a post-war reassessment.
The Yangtze Incident
On 20 April 1949, ''Amethyst'' was on her way from
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
to Nanking (now
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
) when she was fired upon by the
People's Liberation Army, known as the
Amethyst Incident
The ''Amethyst'' Incident, also known as the Yangtze Incident, was a historic event which involved the Royal Navy ships , , , and on the Yangtze River for three months during the Chinese Civil War in the summer of 1949.
Description
On ...
. ''Amethyst'' was trapped in China until 30 July 1949, when she escaped under cover of darkness.
For the 1957 film ''
Yangtse Incident: The Story of HMS Amethyst'', ''Amethyst'' was brought out of reserve to play herself. As the engines were no longer operational, her sister ship was used for shots of the ship moving. ''Amethyst'' was scrapped shortly after the filming was finished.
See also
*
Simon (cat)
Simon (c. 1947 – 28 November 1949) was a ship's cat who served on the Royal Navy sloop-of-war HMS ''Amethyst''. In 1949, during the Yangtze Incident, he received the PDSA's Dickin Medal after surviving injuries from a cannon shell, rais ...
*
Lieutenant-Commander Kerans
References
References
*
*
Further reading
*
* Leslie Frank - ''Yangtse River Incident 1949: The Diary of Coxswain Leslie Frank: HMS Amethyst - Yangtse River 19/4/49 to 31/7/49'' (2004)
*
Edwyn Gray
Edwyn Gray (born 1927) is a British writer who specialises in naval writing although at times has written short stories.
He was born in London and educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe. He read economics at the University of London ...
- ''Frigate Under Fire: HMS Amethyst's 100 Days of Hell'' (1987)
* Malcolm H. Murfett - ''Hostage on the Yangtze: Britain, China, and the Amethyst Crisis of 1949'' (1991)
External links
Britain's Small Wars' account of the Amethyst IncidentFriends of the Four Ships 191 members Up-dated 2008 awarded the
Dickin Medal.
MaritimeQuest HMS Amethyst pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amethyst
Black Swan-class sloops
World War II sloops of the United Kingdom
Sloops of the United Kingdom
Ships built on the River Clyde
1943 ships
Korean War sloops of the United Kingdom
Maritime incidents in 1949