HMS Gannet (1927)
HMS Gannet was a river gunboat of the Royal Navy built by Yarrow Shipbuilders in 1927 for Yangtze Patrol.[1][2] HMS Gannet is the sister ship of HMS Peterel.[2]
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name: | HMS Gannet |
| Builder: | Yarrow Shipbuilders |
| Launched: | 10 November 1927 |
| Commissioned: | January 1928 |
| Decommissioned: | March 1942 |
| In service: | 1928 |
| Out of service: | March 1942 |
| Fate: | Given to the Nationalist Chinese Navy in March 1942 |
| Status: | Decommissioned |
| History | |
 Nationalist China | |
| Name: | Ying Shan (英山) |
| Acquired: | March 1942 |
| Commissioned: | March 1942 |
| Decommissioned: | 30 November 1949 |
| In service: | March 1942 |
| Out of service: | 30 November 1949 |
| Captured: | 30 November 1949 |
| Fate: | Defected to Communist China |
| Status: | Decommissioned |
| History | |
 Communist China | |
| Name: | Nu River |
| Acquired: | 30 November 1949 |
| Commissioned: | 30 November 1949 |
| Decommissioned: | 1975 |
| In service: | 1949 |
| Out of service: | 1975 |
| Fate: | Retired in 1970s |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 310 tons |
| Length: | 184 ft (56 m) |
| Beam: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Draught: | 3.2 ft (0.98 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Complement: | 55 |
| Armament: |
|
Originally functioning in the area of Hong Kong, HMS Gannet was damaged by Japanese aircraft and went to the Chinese wartime capital Chongqing for repair. The British decided to present both the gunboat and its sister ship HMS Peterel to China as gifts, with official transfers occurring in February 1942.[1] The following month, both gunboats officially joined ROCN and HMS Gannet was renamed as Ying Shan (英山, literal translation = British Mountain).
The gunboat served with the ROCN until 30 November 1949, when the ROCN Riverine Flotilla commander defected to advancing communist force that blocked the Yangtze River, taking seven boats to the communist side, including Gannet/Ying San.[2] After joining the PLAN, the gunboat was once again renamed Nu River.[3]
She served until being retired in 1975.
References
- "HMS Gannet (1927)". Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- "HMS Gannet". Archived from the original on 27 June 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- Raymond V B Blackman (ed.). Jane's Fighting Ships 1963-4,. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 54.
Publications
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.