Amethyst race to freedom
again” signalled Rodney; to which God save the King”. exploit to rejoin the Fleet. swing it was imperative to get the transferred the passage to Hong accorded the rusty, shell-scarred
Kerans made by light “Never, Back in London Buckingham “The courage, skill and battered frigate refuelled without Kong began and Amethyst was Amethyst as she entered Hong
never has a ship been more Palace was quick to signal the determination shown by all delay – she had only some seven joined the next day, August Kong in torrential rain was, said
welcome”. Commander-in-Chief: “Please on board have my highest tons of usable fuel remaining. 1, by FO2, Admiral Madden, the lads on board, rather more
Then it was time for Amethyst convey to the Commanding commendation Concord inched gently now wearing his flag in the frightening than the action of
to signal Admiral Brind: “Have Officer and ship’s company of “Splice the mainbrace. George alongside in the glassy swell and a cruiser HMS Jamaica (Capt F April and the subsequent dash
rejoined the Fleet south of HMS Amethyst my hearty R” pump-over started. Ballance). down the Yangtze...
Woosung. No damage or casualties. congratulations on their daring With the typhoon season in full Once enough fuel had been The tumultuous welcome www.maritimeprints.com
Yangchow
Luho
I-Cheng
Shi-ar-yü
Railway to Shanghai
HMS London and HMS
Black Swan shelled and
turned back 26/4.
NANKING
Tsingkiang
Nan-T’ung
KIANGYIN
HMS AMYTHEST
Y
ANGTZE RIVER
YANGTZE RIVER
Hsin-chow
20/4 to 23/4 1949
Ch’ang-shu
San-chiang-yin
Rose Is.
T’ai-Ts’ang
1
K-un-Shan
CH
Railway to Shanghai
Nan-Hsiang
2
Hsin-pa-chen SOOCHOW
T
AN-TU REA
SHANGHAI3
Painting with
HSIA
TA-SHA
O-HO
● The map above shows the 200-mile stretch of Yangtze River between Nanking and
Shanghai. Inset (left) is the area around Rose Island, highlighted on the main map, where
CHINKIANG
5
Pu-shun-wei
Amethyst was attacked by Chinese Communist and trapped for three months
Aground: 09.35 20/4 to 00.15 21/4.
Maps: Andy Brady
1
Railway to Shanghai
Tan-ta-chen 6 Anchored: 01.30 21/4 to 16.36 21/4.2
4 Anchored: 17.00 21/4 to 01.00 22/4.5
Anchored: 02.30 22/4 to 14.00 22/4.4
Ma-chia-shaw
Chiu-hua-shan
Anchored: 14.30 22/4 to 12.00 23/4.4
Anchored: 13.00 23/4 for negotiations3
Chien-pi-chen
with Communist Forces.
Communist artillery batteries.
Fine judgments shaped events
THOUGH the dramatic escape of having a guardship in Nanking The situation became not having received) the Dickin
of HMS Amethyst from the upper at all. much more complicated when Medal, also known as the animals’
reaches of the Yangtze River is The situation in the region Communist forces claimed VC.
rightly seen as an act of supreme was volatile, to say the least, and Amethyst had directly participated Despite the best efforts of
bravery, superlative seamanship the intelligence on when the in the Chinese civil war by firing Simon, it was the dwindling
and more than a little good Communists were going to push at Communist positions – killing supplies of fuel and food which
fortune, the ‘Incident’ raised some across the river into Nationalist more than 250 troops, reports finally prompted the dash for
awkward questions. territory was always going to at the time stated – and that the freedom.
Queries were raised as early be subject to caveats as local British ship had fired first. Lt Cdr Kerans knew daily just
as April 1949 in both Houses of Communist commanders sought The British always claimed how much was left in the tanks
Parliament about the sense of to advance. self-defence as the reason for and the larders, and with 50 tons
sending British warships Rumours of crossings on a Amethyst opening of fuel being the critical mark,
along the river at that variety of dates abounded, and fire. when the reading came back to
time, and even although the Communists had not While the frigate him of 47.3 tons, it was clearly
having gone against the neutrality of such was trapped above time to act.
Allied ships. Rose Island, the Emergency repairs were made
legend of Simon the to a boiler but the bulk of the
Cat was born. remaining ship’s company, now
Able Seacat fewer than 90 strong, were not
Simon, a native warned of the plans for that
of Stonecutters night, so as to avoid any changes
Island, joined in routine which might alert
the converted Communist observers ashore.
sloop in 1948 at After 100 days inactivity the
Hong Kong, and frigate used a passing passenger
was injured in the ship to cover her (the ruse was
attack on Amethyst, spotted and the Communist
suffering shrapnel batteries opened fire, sinking the
wounds and, Chinese ship) but the feeling
reportedly, singed aboard was that she would not
whiskers. get far before she was caught and
That did not sunk, according to Telegraphist
prevent a rat-killing Jack French.
spree which protected Jack did not see much of the
the ship’s company’s action, being confined to his
scarce food supplies. wireless office for much of the
Simon built up a time; contrary to popular belief,
considerable fan-base, there was no two-hour radio
but was unable to enjoy silence, as Jack beamed an ‘okay’
his fame for long. and position every 15 minutes to
On his return to the Admiralty.
the UK he was placed When she passed Woosung
in quarantine, a routine Amethyst had less than two tons
procedure – but he died of fuel left and two tanks were
before his time inside was starting to lose suction.
up; he was buried with full She and her ship’s company
honours in Ilford at the end of (and cat) deserved their heroes’
1949, having been awarded (but welcome.
AAmethyst timeline.indd 2methyst timeline.indd 2 222/7/09 16:30:432/7/09 16:30:43
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