UNITED STATES NAVY YANGTZE PATROL &  SOUTH CHINA PATROL  DESCRIPTION OF SHIPS ASSIGNED

USS Asheville (PG-21) - Gunboat built by Charleston Navy Yard, 1918 for tropical duty. 1,760 tons. 12 knots. 241' x 41' x 11'. Crew 185. Three 4"/50, two 3 pounder, three 1 pounder. Sunk by Japanese south of Java, Netherlands East Indies, March 3, 1942.

USS Elcano (PG-38) (nee El Cano) - Iron ship built in Spain, 1885. Captured at Manila, P.I. May 1, 1898. Commissioned into U.S.N. 1902. 620 tons. 11 knots. 165' x 26' x 1-'. Crew 103. Four 4", four 3 pounder. Sunk as target October 4, 1928.

USS General Alava (AG-5) - Built in Scotland, 1895. Captured in Manila, P.I., 1898. 1,390 tons. 10.5 knots. 212 x 28 x 13. Crew 76. One 6 pounder, two 3 pounder. Sunk as target off Yagtze Mouth, July 17, 1929.

USS Guam (PR-3) (renamed USS Wake April 5, 1941) - River gunboat, first of the new six built on similar plans in three sizes from material sent from the United States and assembled by Kiangnan Dock & Engineering Works, Shanghai, 1927. 370 tons. 14.5 knots. 159.5' x 27' x 6'. Crew 60. Two 3"/23 AA behind shields, eight .30 cal machine guns. Two triple expansion engines, total 1,900 HP, twin shafts in tunnels, triple rudders. Captured at Shanghai, December 8, 1941, and renamed HIJMS Tatara. Returned to U.S. control , August 1945 and turned over to Nationalist Chinese Navy post-war and renamed RCS Tai Yuan. Captured by People's Liberation Army in 1949 on collapse of Nationalist forces on mainland.

USS Helena (FG-9) - Built at Newport News, VA, 1897, steel gunboat. 1,390 tons. 13 knots. 215'(wl) x 40' x 9'. Crew 175. Eight 4", four 1 pounder, four Colt machine guns, one 3" field piece. Sold July 7, 1934.

USS Isabel (PY-10) - Yacht built by Bath Iron Works, 1917. Taken over by U.S. Navy for use as a small destroyer during World War I. 950 tons. 26 knots. 230'(wl) x 26' x 8.5'. Crew 99. Two 3"/50, two 3"/23 AA guns.

USS Luzon (PR-7) - River gunboat, built under the same circcccumstances as the USS Guam from material sent from the United States and assembled by Kiangnan Dock & Engineering Works, Shanghai, 1928. 560 tons. 16 knots. 211' x 31' x 6.5'. Crew 82 in flagship configuration. Two 3"/50 AA behind shields, eight .30 caliber machine guns. Two triple expansion engines, total 1,900 HP, twin shafts in tunnels, triple rudders. Sunk May 5, 1942. Salvaged by Japanese Navy and renamed HIJMS Karatsu.

USS Mindanao (PR-8) - Sister ship of USS Luzon. River gunboat, built under the same circumstances as the USS Guam from material sent from the United States and assembled by Kiangnan Dock & Engineering Works, Shanghai, 1928. 560 tons. 16 knots. 211' x 31' x 6.5'. Crew 82 in flagship configuration. Two 3"/50 AA behind shields, eight .30 cal machine guns. Two triple expansion engines, total 1,900 HP, twin shafts in tunnels, triple rudders. Principally assigned to South China Patrol at Canton. Allowed to sink following battle damage off Corregidor I., P.I., May 3, 1942.

USS Monocacy (PG-20 & PR-2) - River gunboat constructed, then disassembled at Mare Island, then reassembled at Shanghai, China, 1914 by Kiangnan Dockyard. 204 tons. 13 knots. 165.5' x 24.5' x 2.5'. Crew 47. Two 6 pounder, six 30 caliber machine guns. Sunk by demolition charges at sea off Shanghai, February 10, 1939.

USS Oahu (PR-6) - River gunboat, built under the same circumstances as the U.S.S. Guam from material sent from the United States and assembled by Kiangnan Dock & Engineering Works, Shanghai, 1928. 450 tons. 15 knots. 191' x 28' x 6.5'. Crew 65. Two 3"/50 AA behind shields, eight .30 caliber machine guns. Two triple expansion engines, total 1,900 HP, twin shafts in tunnels, triple rudders. Sunk May 4, 1942 by gunfire from Bataan.

USS Palos (PG-16 & PR-1) - Sister ship of USSSS Monocacy, built under same circumstances. Sold to Ming Sun Industrial Co. at Chungking, China, 1937.

USS Pampanga (PG-39) - Iron gunboat built by Manila Ship Co. at Cavite, P.I., 1888. 243 tons. 11 knots. Twin screws. 121' x 18' x 6.5'. Crew 31. Four 3 pounder, two 1 pounder. Commissioned into U.S. Navy 1900. Decommissioned and sunk by gunfire of the Chinese coast 21 November 1928..
 

Outline Map of Shanghai showing the International Settlement, the French Concession and the surrounding Chinese city. The International Settlement contained approximately 5,500 acres (8.6 square miles) while the French Concession was approximately one half that area. TOP

USS Panay (PR-5) - Sister ship of USS Oahu. River gunboat, built under the same circumstances as the U.S.S. Guam from material sent from the United States and assembled by Kiangnan Dock & Engineering Works, Shanghai, 1928. 450 tons. 15 knots. 191' x 28' x 6.5'. Crew 65. Two 3"/50 AA behind shields, eight .30 caliber machine guns. Two triple expansion engines, total 1,900 HP, twin shafts in tunnels, triple rudders. Sunk December 12, 1937 by Japanese aircraft upriver from Nanking.

USS Quiros (PG-40) - Built by Hongkong & Whampoa Dock Co. for Spanish Navy in April 1895. Purchased by the U.S. Army in the Philippines and transferred to the U.S. Navy February 21, 1900. Composite single screw gunboat. 350 tons. 11 knots. 138' x 22' x 9'. Crew 44. Two 6 pounder, two 3 pounder, two 1 pounder, 2 Colt machine guns. Sunk as a target, October 23, 1923

USS Sacramento (PG-19) - Steel gunboat built for tropical service by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, 1914. Very tall natural draft stack, coal or wood; later converted for oil. 1,140 tons, 12 knorts. 210'(wl) x 40.5' x 12'. Crew 153. Three 4"/50, two 3 pounder, two 1 pounder. Saw service throughout World War II.

USS Tutuila (PR-4) - Sister ship of USS Guam. River gunboat, built under the same circumstances as the USS Guam from material sent from the United States and assembled by Kiangnan Dock & Engineering Works, Shanghai, 1928. 370 tons. 14.5 knots. 159.5' x 27' x 6'. Crew 60. Two 3"/23 AA behind shields, eight .30 cal machine guns. Two triple expansion engines, total 1,900 HP, twin shafts in tunnels, triple rudders. Residual crew evacuated by air to India from ship which was on station at Chungking, China, on January 18, 1942. Ship transferred to Nationalist Chinese on February 16, 1942.

USS Villalobos (PG-2) - Similar to USS Quiiiros. Built by Hongkong & Whampoa Dock Co. for Spanish Navy in April 1896. Captured at Cavite, P.I. by the U.S. Army and transferred to the U.S. Navy in March, 1900. Composite single screw gunboat. 350 tons. 11 knots. 138' x 22' x 9'. Crew 44. Two 6 pounder, two 3 pounder, two 1 pounder, 2 Colt machine guns. Sunk as a target, October 9, 1928. Semi-fictional role model of the USS San Pablo in the motion picture Sand Pebbles.

USS Wake (PR-3) - See USS Guam

Dimensions are overall length (wl = waterline), beam, and draft.

Tolley, Kemp. Yangtze Patrol: The U.S. Navy in China. Annapolis, MD: U.S. Naval Institute. 1971.

Reynolds, Quentin, Officially Dead. New York: Random House. 1945.

Young, Donald J., First 24 Hours of War in the Pacific. Shippensburg, PA. Burd Street Press. 1998.

Patrick Clancey, Ships of the U.S. Navy: 1940-1945.

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Unused images

Elcano gunnery practice

USS Elcano

USS Panay

USS Sacramento

USS Villalobos

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"Wanhsien showed that the present type of gunboat used in China is becoming obsolete. A little tin gunboat on a narrow river is no match in a fight with a Chinese army equipped with modern heavy artillery. Unless the foreigners build heavier and better protected gunboats, a difficult thing to do in view of the shallowness of the rivers - the Chinese are shortly [if they are not ready now] going to drive the gunboats off the river."  China Weekly Review, November 13, 1926. Quoted in Kemp Tolley, Yangtze Patrol The U.S. Navy in China (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1971) page 144. Back to 1926 Chronology