Beginning in 1854, and lasting until 1942, American warships conducted cruises along the Yangtze River in China. Initially the mission of these cruises was to show the American flag and support American consular officers. The mission became more complex over time with the added trappings of supporting American foreign policy in defining our relationship with China and later with Japan.

The regularity of these naval patrols waxed and waned throughout the latter half of the 19th century depending on the strength of American mercantile and missionary interests in China. In the early part of the 20th Century the patrols became organized with purpose built ships and working level cooperation with the British Royal Navy. This mission continued right up the brink of war in 1941.

American naval forces were also engaged in anti-piracy patrols and actions along the coast of China during this period. Naval and Marine landing parties were put ashore several times to protect American interests. As the stability of China began to deteriorate markedly after 1890, the American naval presence began to increase in the Yangtze Basin and along the coast.

In addition to the United States; France, Italy, the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Japan and the United Kingdom all maintained gunboats and larger fleet units in and around China. The United Kingdom in particular supported a large fleet in Chinese waters, reflecting its significant economic stakes at Hong Kong, Shanghai and Hankow.

In 1900, the so-called Boxer Rebellion devastated northern China. Several hundred foreigners, mostly missionaries living in small towns, and approximately 50,000 Chinese Christians were murdered. For a period of 55 days the foreigners, mostly diplomats, and commercial people, and Chinese Christians barricaded in Peking's Legation Quarter were besieged by a force of Boxers and Imperial Chinese troops. The Legations were relieved by a polyglot force of British (both British and Indian Army), American, French (actually mostly Vietnamese with French officers from Indo-China), Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, and Austro-Hungarian soldiers, sailors and marines.
 

USS Panay in 1928

USS Elcano

USS Monocacy

Following this incident the United States Navy organized the South China Patrol, based at Hong Kong, and the Yangtze Patrol, based at Shanghai and later Hankow. Many of the earliest ships assigned were former Spanish gunboats captured in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. These units showed the American flag, fought pirates and bandits, escorted American merchant ships through bandit infested gorges and represented American interests in the interior of China until the outbreak of World War II.

On December 12, 1937, the river gunboat USS Panay, well marked and escorting neutral merchant ships, was attacked and sunk near Nanking by renegade Japanese air and ground forces. With neither government willing to risk war at that time, apologies were extended, and restitution made.

In late November, 1941 three of the five remaining American gunboats made a dash for Manila Bay from Shanghai and Hong Kong leaving the USS Wake at Shanghai and USS Tutuila at Chungking. Wake surrendered December 8, 1941 after being surprised and boarded at its mooring in the early morning. Tutuila's crew was evacuated by air to India in January, 1942 and the ship signed over to the Chinese government. Both these ships survived the war.

Following the end of World War II, the US Navy assisted in the repatriation of Japanese forces as well as civilians, protected American interests and provided logistical support to the Nationalist Government until being withdrawn from coastal and inland China during 1949.

USS Elcano gunnery practice

USS Sacramento

USS Villalobos

These links lead to fuller information about America's Gunboat Navy, the obscure ships of the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Fleet, Chinese treaty ports and Chinese history.