The 'Forgotten' British Gunboats That Terrorised Japanese Rivers

On 12 December 1937, Japanese artillery opened fire on HMS Ladybird on the Yangtze River. The same day, Japanese aircraft sank the American gunboat USS Panay. One ship became a diplomatic crisis. The other was dismissed as irrelevant. The Japanese were wrong. This video tells the story of the Insect-class gunboats — twelve vessels designed for rivers but destined for war across three continents. Built as "Large China Gunboats" in 1915, their true purpose was a secret Danube operation against Austria-Hungary that never materialised. Instead, they fought in Mesopotamia, patrolled Chinese rivers during the Warlord Era, bombarded Rommel's forces at Bardia and Tobruk, and served under American command in the invasion of Southern France. HMS Ladybird alone was struck by shells from all three Axis powers. HMS Moth was scuttled at Hong Kong, raised by Japan, recommissioned as IJN Suma, and sunk by American mines three years later. HMS Cockchafer survived both World Wars and wasn't scrapped until 1949. At just 625 tons with a draught of four feet, critics dismissed them as too small to matter. Their combat record proved otherwise. Sources & Further Reading: — Antony Preston, "Flower Class Corvettes" (1973) — Angus Konstam, "British River Gunboats in China, 1900–49" (Osprey) — "The Insect Gunboats" — The Crusader Project: https://rommelsriposte.com/2008/12/03... — Imperial War Museum collections: iwm.org.uk — Australian War Memorial collections: awm.gov.au — HMS Falcon Association: hmsfalcon.com — Naval History and Heritage Command (USS Panay records): history.navy.mil Chapters: 0:00 — Cold Open: HMS Ladybird under fire, 12 December 1937 [Timestamps to be added after edit] British Warships is the only YouTube channel dedicated exclusively to Royal Navy vessels, weapons, and naval technology. Every video reveals how a British warship dismissed by critics proved them wrong under fire.