HMS St Sampson was a Saint-class tug launched in 1919.
 The tug to the left of USS Chaumont is either St Sampson or her sister ship St Dominic, Shanghai, 1937
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS St Sampson |
| Ordered | 18 April 1918[1] |
| Builder | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock |
| Launched | 1919 |
| Acquired | January 1920 |
| Fate | Foundered 7 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Saint-class tug |
| Tonnage | 451 gross register tons (GRT)[3] |
| Displacement | 820 long tons (830 t)[2] |
| Length | 135 ft (41 m)[1] |
| Beam | 29 ft (8.8 m)[1] |
| Draught | 12 ft (3.7 m)[1] |
| Installed power | 1,250 ihp (930 kW)[1] |
| Propulsion | 1 × Triple expansion steam engine[1] |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)[2] |
| Complement | 37[2] |
| Armament | |
The ship was ordered during World War I and was built by Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock. St Sampson was a tug boat specializing in rescue operations in hazardous waters. She was delivered to the Hong Kong Naval Yard in January 1920, after the war had ended. As a result, she was not put in commission and was offered on sale in 1921.[3] She was at first sold to Wheelock and Company, but they defaulted on payment, and she was later sold to another company.[1] By 1941, she was made part of the Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve,[4] and was present during the Battle of Hong Kong.[5]
She survived the battle, and in March 1942 participated in the rescue operations of MV Georgic in the Red Sea.[6] She was damaged in the process and on 7 March, she foundered, and her crew was picked up by the hospital ship Dorsetshire.[7][8]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g "32. MISCELLANEOUS PATROL VESSELS". NAVAL-HISTORY.NET. 2015. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d Banham, Tony (2003). Not the Slightest Chance: The Defence of Hong Kong, 1941. UBC Press. p. 325. ISBN 978-0-7748-1045-6.
- ^ a b "Tug St. Sampson". Hongkong Telegraph. Hong Kong. 23 September 1921. p. 7.
- ^ "The Navy List Containing List of Ships, Establishments, and Officers of the Fleet". H.M. Government. 1941. p. 1009. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Benjamin Lai (20 June 2014). Hong Kong 1941–45: First strike in the Pacific War. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 23–. ISBN 978-1-78200-269-7.
- ^ "Georgic". Harland and Wolff. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "THE CUNARD WHITE STAR LINERS 'BRITANNIC ' AND 'GEORGIC'". liverpoolships.org. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Royal Navy Loss List complete database" (PDF). Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust. 29 October 2017. p. 47. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.