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HMS ''Amethyst'' was a modified ''Black Swan''-class
sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular s ...
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 com ...
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, ...
,
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 ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
on 25 March 1942, launched on 7 May 1943 and commissioned on 2 November 1943, with the
pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that ide ...
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 opposing ...
she was modified and redesignated as a
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
, 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 opposing ...
, ''Amethyst'' was deployed mostly on anti-submarine patrols and escort duties. She attacked and sank the U-boat with
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...
s 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" , mapsize = 220px , 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) *North Channel (Ontario), body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, Canada * North Channel, Hong Kong *Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the ...
on 16 January 1945. The
British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
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 The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
, 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, raisi ...
* 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 a ...
- ''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 Incident

Friends of the Four Ships 191 members Up-dated 2008


awarded the
Dickin Medal The PDSA Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in World War II. It is a bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried on ...
.
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