HMS Falcon (1931)

HMS Falcon is a river gunboat of Royal Navy built by Yarrow Shipbuilders in 1931 for Yangtze Patrol. The main armament of the gunboat is a 3.7 inch Howitzer, and the secondary armament is a QF 6 pounder Nordenfelt. For air defense, the gunboat is armed with ten machine guns that can also be used against surface targets.

During World War II, HMS Falcon had to withdraw to the Chinese war time capital Chongqing, along with the retreating Chinese force to avoid being captured by the advancing Japanese invaders. In March 1941, the gunboat was paid off and her crew travelled overland to Yangon via the Burma Road and her guns were sent by elephants. British decided to give the boat to Chinese as a gift, and Chinese in turn, began to train its own crew in preparation of the handover. HMS Falcon was officially handed over to Chinese in February 1942, and in the following month, HMS Falcon officially joined ROCN and renamed as Ying De (英德). The gunboat served with ROCN until November 30, 1949, when the ROCN Riverine Flotilla commander defected to advancing communist force that blocked the Yangtze River, taking seven boats to the communist side, including Falcon/Ying De. After joining the PLAN, the gunboat was once again renamed, this time changed to Nen River, and served until 1974 to its final retirement.