HMS Falcon (1931)
HMS Falcon was a river gunboat of the Royal Navy built by Yarrow Shipbuilders in 1931 for the Yangtze Patrol.[1][2][3][4] The main armament of the gunboat is a 3.7-inch howitzer, and the secondary armament is a QF 6 pounder Nordenfelt. For air defense, the gunboat is armed with ten machine guns that can also be used against surface targets.[1][2][3][4]
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name: | HMS Falcon |
| Builder: | Yarrow Shipbuilders |
| Launched: | 8 May 1931 |
| Commissioned: | 1931 |
| Decommissioned: | March 1942 |
| In service: | 1931 |
| Out of service: | March 1942 |
| Fate: | Given to the Nationalist Chinese Navy in March 1942 |
 Nationalist China | |
| Name: | Yīng dé (英德) |
| 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 |
 Communist China | |
| Name: | Nan Chiang |
| Acquired: | 30 November 1949 |
| Commissioned: | 30 November 1949 |
| Decommissioned: | 1974 |
| In service: | 1949 |
| Out of service: | 1974 |
| Fate: | Retired in 1974 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 372 tons |
| Length: | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Beam: | 28.7 ft (8.7 m) |
| Draught: | 5 ft (1.5 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 55 |
| Armament: |
3.7-inch howitzer x 1 QF 6 pounder Nordenfelt x 1 Machine guns x 10 |
During World War II, HMS Falcon had to withdraw to the Chinese war time capital Chongqing, along with the retreating Chinese force to avoid being captured by the advancing Japanese invaders. In March 1941, the gunboat was paid off and her crew travelled overland to Yangon via the Burma Road and her guns were sent by elephants. British decided to give the boat to Chinese as a gift, and Chinese in turn, began to train its own crew in preparation of the handover. HMS Falcon was officially handed over to Chinese in February 1942, and in the following month, Falcon officially joined the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) and renamed as Yīng dé (Chinese: 英德).[4] The gunboat served with 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 Yīng dé.[4] After joining the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the gunboat was once again renamed, this time changed to Nan Chiang, and served until 1974 to its final retirement.[4]
References
- "HMS Falcon (1931)". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
- "Gunboat Falcon". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- "HMS Falcon". Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- "Gunboat Falcon (1931)". Archived from the original on 27 June 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
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.