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The Insect-class gunboats (or large China gunboats〔The s were "small China gunboats"〕) were a class of small, but well-armed Royal Navy ships designed for use in shallow rivers or inshore. They were intended for use on the Danube (the name was to disguise their function). The first four ships—''Gnat'', ''Mantis'', ''Moth'' and ''Tarantula''—were actually first employed during the World War I Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The ships were designed to operate in shallow fast-flowing rivers, with a shallow draught and a good turn of speed to counter river flow. They were fitted with two reciprocating (VTE) engines operating two propeller shafts to offer some redundancy. The propellers were housed in tunnels to minimise the operating draught. ==Deployment== In 1919, during the Russian Civil War, ''Glowworm'', ''Cicala'', ''Cockchafer'', ''Cricket'', ''Moth'', and ''Mantis'' served on the Dvina River (northern Russia, in Arkhangelsk Oblast), fighting in support of White Russian forces. ''Glowworm''s captain and some other crew members were killed when a nearby ammunition barge exploded. The crew of ''Cicala'' mutinied, as part of a wider wave of unrest in the Royal Navy, and five "ringleaders" were sentenced to death, later commuted to five years imprisonment. Between the two world wars, the class were mainly used in the Far East and they were present during the Japanese invasion of China. In 1937, on the Yangtze river, the Japanese attacked , firing on her from a shore battery. A US gunboat, was also attacked, by Japanese aircraft, and sunk. ''Ladybird'' sailed the 20 miles to the scene of the sinking, took on board some of the ''Panay'' survivors and took them to Shanghai. ''Scarab'' and ''Cricket'' were off Nanking in 1937 as the Japanese started to bomb the city. In 1939, the original two 6 inch Mk VII 45-calibre guns on and ''Ladybird'' were replaced by more modern and 30 inch longer 6-inch Mk XIII 50-calibre guns from the decommissioned battleship . At the start of World War II, three vessels, ''Cricket'', ''Gnat'', and ''Ladybird'', were transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet's Inshore Squadron. They joined the monitor and provided bombardment support for the 8th Army. Their shallow draught allowed them to act also as supply and landing vessels, able to get close-in to beaches. In June 1943, ''Aphis'' took part in the bombardment of Pantelleria (Operation Corkscrew). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Insect-class gunboat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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