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
NameHMS St Sampson
Ordered18 April 1918[1]
BuilderHong Kong and Whampoa Dock
Launched1919
AcquiredJanuary 1920
FateFoundered 7 March 1942
General characteristics
Class and typeSaint-class tug
Tonnage451 gross register tons (GRT)[3]
Displacement820 long tons (830 t)[2]
Length135 ft (41 m)[1]
Beam29 ft (8.8 m)[1]
Draught12 ft (3.7 m)[1]
Installed power1,250 ihp (930 kW)[1]
Propulsion1 × Triple expansion steam engine[1]
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)[2]
Complement37[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
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b "Tug St. Sampson". Hongkong Telegraph. Hong Kong. 23 September 1921. p. 7.
  4. ^ "The Navy List Containing List of Ships, Establishments, and Officers of the Fleet". H.M. Government. 1941. p. 1009. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Georgic". Harland and Wolff. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  7. ^ "THE CUNARD WHITE STAR LINERS 'BRITANNIC ' AND 'GEORGIC'". liverpoolships.org. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  8. ^ "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.