Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst, April 20, 1949 to July 31, 1949

Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst, first published in 1951, and the subject of a 1957 movie, is the fast-paced, exciting account of a Royal Navy frigate in the turbulent China of 1949. The Amethyst, traveling from Shanghai to Woosung on the Yangtse River, and on a peaceful mission, was unexpectedly attacked by the Chinese People's Liberation Army, causing loss of life and the ship to run aground. With the Chinese communist army blocking rescue attempts, protracted negotiations were begun to free the ship and her crew. However, after several months of fruitless talks, the ship's commander, John S. Kerans, freed the ship and piloted her down 140 miles of hostile territory past a gauntlet of artillery batteries. Included are two maps.