Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | War film |
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (1957) is a British war film portraying the 1949 Yangtze Incident, during which the Royal Navy sloop became entangled in the Chinese Civil War. Directed by Michael Anderson, the cast features Richard Todd, William Hartnell, and Akim Tamiroff.
Adapted from Lawrence Earl’s book, the movie was released in the United States under various titles such as Battle Hell, Escape of the Amethyst, and Their Greatest Glory. In international markets, it was known as Yangtse-Zwischenfall in Germany and Commando sur le Yang-Tse in France. Belgian audiences saw it as Feu sur le Yangtse (French) and Vuur op de Yangtse (Dutch). The film was also an entrant at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot
On 19 April 1949, HMS Amethyst proceeds upriver along the Yangtze River to deliver provisions to the British Embassy located in Nanjing. Suddenly, shore batteries operated by the People's Liberation Army open fire, inflicting severe damage and causing the vessel to run aground. Attempts to rescue the ship by and subsequently by and are thwarted amid intense enemy fire.
With 54 crew members either killed or injured, including the captain who succumbs to his wounds, Lieutenant-Commander John Kerans (Richard Todd), serving as assistant naval attaché in Nanjing, is instructed to take command. Kerans chooses a perilous nocturnal escape downstream without navigational charts or a pilot. Concurrently, PLA commissar Colonel Peng (Akim Tamiroff) demands a formal British apology accompanied by statements blaming Britain for the incident; these demands are declined.
While supervising repairs and engine restoration, Kerans negotiates for the release of two detained sailors. Employing camouflage tactics to alter the ship’s silhouette, Amethyst departs under cover of darkness, trailing a local merchant vessel to safely navigate sandbanks and divert PLA artillery attention. As shore batteries target the merchant ship, Amethyst accelerates at full throttle.
Without accurate charts and facing submerged wrecks, Kerans depends on instinct to avoid hazards and reach Woosung’s defensive guns and searchlights. Once detected, Amethyst engages in a fierce exchange of fire with PLA shore batteries while making its escape toward the river’s mouth. At first light, it reaches open waters and communicates with , sending a victorious message to naval command.
The narrative concludes with King George VI praising the crew for their "courage, skill and determination," highlighting this event’s importance within Royal Navy history.
Officers of Amethyst
- Richard Todd as Lieutenant-Commander John Simon Kerans, RN, British Assistant Naval Attaché in Nanjing and successor Commanding Officer
- Donald Houston as Lieutenant Geoffrey Lee Weston, DSC, RN, First Lieutenant
- Robert Urquhart as Flight Lieutenant Michael Edward Fearnley, RAF, acting Medical Officer
- James Kenney as Lieutenant Keith Stewart Hett, RN
- Richard Leech as Lieutenant Jock Strain, RN
- Michael Brill as Lieutenant Peter Egerton Capel Berger, RN
- Richard Coleman as Lieutenant-Commander Bernard Morland Skinner, RN, original Commanding Officer
- Gordon Whiting as Surgeon Lieutenant John Michael Alderton, RN, Medical Officer
- Rhett Ward as Lieutenant Mirehouse, RN
- Philip Vickers as Surgeon Lieutenant Packard, RN
Crew of Amethyst
- William Hartnell portrayed Leading Seaman (Quartermaster) Leslie Frank, RN, Acting Coxswain
- Barry Foster appeared as Stores Petty Officer John Justin McCarthy, RN
- Thomas Heathcote took on the role of Commissioned Gunner Monaghan, RN
- Sam Kydd played Able Seaman Walker, RN
- Ewen Solon acted as Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class Leonard Walter Williams, RN
- Brian Smith featured as Boy 1st Class Keith Cantrill Martin, RN
- Kenneth Cope appeared as Stores Rating
- Alfred Burke portrayed a Petty Officer
- Ian Bannen assumed the role of Stoker Mechanic Sammy Bannister, RN
- Ray Jackson played Telegraphist Jack Leonard French, RN
- Bernard Cribbins featured as Able Seaman James Bryson, RN
- Keith Faulkner took the part of Ordinary Signalman
- Un-named cat appeared as Simon (cat)
Staff and embassy
- John Paul acted as Staff Officer Operations
- Basil Dignam portrayed Sir Lionel Henry Lamb, British Ambassador to the Republic of China
- Ralph Truman took the role of Vice-Admiral
- John Horsley appeared as Chief Staff Officer
- Jeremy Burnham played Flag Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral
- Cyril Luckham acted as Commander-in-Chief, Far Eastern Station
- Allan Cuthbertson portrayed Captain Donaldson, RN, British Naval Attaché in Nanjing
- Ballard Berkeley featured as Lieutenant-Colonel Raymond Dewar-Durie, British Assistant Military Attaché in Nanjing
PLA
- Akim Tamiroff appeared as Colonel Peng, PLA Political Officer
- Keye Luke portrayed Captain Kuo Tai, PLA
- Anthony Chinn took on the role of PLA Officer
Other
- Sophie Stewart played Miss Charlotte Dunlap, hospital matron
- Gene Anderson acted as Ruth Worth, nurse
- Tom Bowman was cast as Commander Ian Greig Robertson, DSC, RN, Commanding Officer of HMS Consort
- Tsai Chin appeared as Sampan Woman
Production
Produced by Herbert Wilcox, the film’s financing was partially secured through investments from RKO and American backers. Initial working titles included The Sitting Duck and The Greatest Glory. Richard Todd attributes the original concept to Wilcox’s associate producer Franklin Gollings.
Although HMS Amethyst was scheduled for dismantling, she was retained for filming; however, her engines were non-functional. As a result, her sister ship stood in for sequences requiring movement and firing.
By then promoted to commander, John Kerans served as the technical advisor. In September 1956, filming necessitated a two-hour suspension of all shipping traffic between Ipswich and Harwich Estuary. During production, live explosives nearly caused the loss of the Amethyst, but Kerans intervened to save her.
The rivers Orwell and Stour in Suffolk substituted for the Yangtze River. Old Royal Navy field guns positioned along the banks of HMS Ganges Boys' Training Establishment at Shotley Gate represented PLA gun batteries.
The destroyer portrayed both HMS Consort and HMS Concord, displaying corresponding pennant numbers and flags. Scenes included maneuvering under intense fire within the confined Stour estuary.
Facing financial strain during production, Wilcox encountered demands from banks for guarantees from RKO’s New York parent company that never arrived. Having already expended £70,000 of the £150,000 allocated from RKO London alone and personally incurring £150,000 in debt, Wilcox was rescued by funding from the National Film Finance Corporation. Despite this support, financial challenges continued to affect his career.
Reception
The film's debut was attended by notable figures including the Lords of the Admiralty and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and it also featured in the Cannes Film Festival lineup. In 1957, it secured the position of the 15th highest-grossing film at the UK box office and was described as financially successful by Kinematograph Weekly that same year.
Producer Wilcox explained that the film's modest commercial results were partly due to its postponed wide release and its release shortly after The Battle of the River Plate in 1956. By 1967, Wilcox acknowledged that the production expenses had yet to be fully recovered.