Aphis Class Gunboats |
Name | Pennant | Builder | Completed | Fate |
Aphis | T57 | Ailsa | 1915 | Scrapped 1947 |
Cicala | T71 | Barclay Curle | 1916 | Sunk by Japanese at Hong Kong 21/12/41 |
Cockchafer | T72 | Barclay Curle | 1916 | Scrapped 1947 |
Cricket | T75 | Barclay Curle | 1916 | Bombed by German aircraft off Tobruk 30/6/41, sold & scrapped 1941 |
Gnat | T60 | Lobnitz | 1915 | Torpedoed by U79 off Bardia 21/10/41 & beached, sold & scrapped 1944 |
Ladybird | T58 | Lobnitz | 1916 | Sunk Tobruk Harbour by German planes 12/5/41, to AA battery, scrapped 1951 |
Moth | T69 | Sunderland | 1915 | Scuttled at Hong Kong 12/12/41, salvaged as IJN Suma on Yangste River, mined & stricken May 19/3/45 |
Mantis | T70 | Sunderland | 1916 | Sold & scrapped 1940 |
Scarab | T59 | Wood-Skinner | 1915 | To Burma postwar, scrapped 1948 |
Tarantula | T62 | Wood-Skinner | 1916 | Hulked 1941, expended as target 1/5/46 by HMS Carron & Carysfort |
This class was laid down in WWI to engage Austro-Hungarian
monitors on the Danube. The latter were armed with 5.9" guns
and could steam at 13 knots. This dictated that the RN ships must
have 6" guns and steam at 14 knots.
They were curious in that the bulkeads were unpierced, and to get
to the next apartment required leaving via the roof hatch, out
and back in the next roof hatch!
Those that survived the Japanese attacks on 'China Station' were
moved to the Med' and were modified with captured Italian guns.
Dimensions & Displacement | |||||||
Displacement | 625 tons | Length | 237’6" | Beam | 36’ | Draught | 4’ |
Performance & Propulsion | |||
Machinery | 2 x Yarrow small-tube boilers, 2 x vertical triple expansion engines driving 2 shafts @ 2000 ihp | Speed | 14 knots |
Complement & Armament | |
Complement | 55 |
Armament | |
Originally |
|
Meditteranean Service |
|
Ladybird |
|
Cricket |
|
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