USS ''Monocacy'' was one of two shallow draft
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-ste ...
s designed for service on the upper
Yangtze River
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
over inland.
It was pre-constructed at
Mare Island Navy Yard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates t ...
in 1912 and then dismantled and shipped to Shanghai, China. She was laid down by the Shanghai Dock & Engineering Co. 28 April 1913. One year later, or 27 April 1914 she was launched, sponsored by Mrs. Andrew E. Carter, and commissioned 24 June 1914.
Service history
Assigned to the 2nd Division,
Asiatic Fleet (formalized as the
Yangtze Patrol
The Yangtze Patrol, also known as the Yangtze River Patrol Force, Yangtze River Patrol, YangPat and ComYangPat, was a prolonged naval operation from 1854–1949 to protect American interests in the Yangtze River's treaty ports. The Yangtze P ...
in 1922), ''Monocacy'' sailed upriver 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 ...
on 29 June 1914 to cruise between
Ichang
Yichang (), alternatively romanized as Ichang, is a prefecture-level city located in western Hubei province, China. It is the third largest city in the province after the capital, Wuhan and the prefecture-level city Xiangyang, by urban populati ...
and
Chungking
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Counc ...
. For the next 15 years, but for annual visits to Shanghai for overhaul, the gunboat patrolled the
upper Yangtze with Chungking her upriver base. ''Monocacy'' protected American interests in treaty ports down the entire length of the Yangtze, at times escorting vessels, evacuating American citizens during periods of disturbance, and, in general, assisting U.S.
Consulates
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth count ...
in various Chinese cities.
The annual springtime trip down the Yangtze for overhaul at Shanghai was timed to coincide with rising water through the
Three Gorges
The Three Gorges () are three adjacent gorges along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, in the hinterland of the People's Republic of China. With a subtropical monsoon climate, they are known for their scenery. The "Three Gorges Scenic A ...
. A sailor reaching the entertainments of Shanghai with six months' pay in his pockets from the time patrolling upriver claimed to use most of his money for liquor and women, and spend the rest foolishly.
[
On 16 January 1918, Chinese southern revolutionary troops attacked the little warship above Chenglin; during which ''Monocacy'' prevented the rebels from firing on a Japanese steamer standing down stream. One crewman was killed and two others were wounded in the short but fierce fight. In June 1920, she was reclassified as PG-20 and a month later she engaged in another ]battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
. Three years later, in February and March 1923, the gunboat operated against bandits holding up American missionaries and firing upon U.S. flag vessels above Kiangnang, rescuing the Syracuse Medical Unit and a number of American families. Later that year, she protected U.S. river commerce from warlord armies and then in August, she established friendly relations with the Governor of Kiangsin Province.
''Monocacy'' continued her patrol operations on the upper Yangtze, reclassified PR‑2 on 15 June 1928. She was placed in reserve 24 June 1929. Based at Shanghai, the gunboat cruised the lower river, making less frequent voyages to her original patrol area between Chungking and Ichang. She was placed in full commission once again 19 September 1931 to join other American naval vessels on the river in assisting the many Chinese forced from their homes by August floods which had inundated of land during the worst disaster in the river's history. In 1933, ''Monocacy'' began to serve as station ship in various treaty ports during the cruising season, with her crew serving as a landing force in case of trouble.
''Monocacy'' was at Kiuklang protecting American neutrality during the Japanese invasion of China, when on 29 August 1938 several mines exploded within of the ship, showering the gunboat with fragments. She was then held at the port until the Japanese completed sweeping operations some days later. She was decommissioned at Shanghai on 31 January 1939. The veteran gunboat was towed to sea and sunk 10 February 1939 in deep water off the China coast.
References
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External links
Photo gallery
at navsource.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monocacy (Pg-20)
Gunboats of the United States Navy
Ships built in China
Ships built in Vallejo, California
1914 ships
Riverine warfare
Maritime incidents in 1920
Maritime incidents in 1939
Scuttled vessels
Shipwrecks of China
Ships of the Yangtze Patrol