Allied Warships

HMS Cricket (T 75)

River gunboat of the Insect class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeRiver gunboat
ClassInsect 
PennantT 75 
Built byBarclay, Curle & Co. Ltd. (Glasgow, Scotland)  
Ordered9 Feb 1915 
Laid downMar 1915 
Launched17 Dec 1915 
CommissionedFeb 1916 
End service 
History

Heavily damaged on 30 June 1941 off Mersa Matruh by an air attack. Towed to Port Said but declared a total loss.
Sunk as target off Cyprus in August 1944.

 

Commands listed for HMS Cricket (T 75)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Cdr. Harold Thomas Armstrong, RN28 Oct 1938mid 1939

2Cdr. (emergency) Herbert Victor Creer, RANAug 19405 Oct 1940
3Lt. John Lane Goatley, RN5 Oct 194011 Jan 1941
4Lt.Cdr. Edwin Beadnell Carnduff, RN11 Jan 1941mid 1941

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Notable events involving Cricket include:


7 Oct 1940
HMS Durban (Capt. J.A.S. Eccles, RN) made rendezvous with the river gunboats Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) and Tern (Lt.Cdr. M.H.R. Crichton, RN) off the Yangtse estuary. They then set course for Hong Kong. (1)

10 Oct 1940
HMS Durban (Capt. J.A.S. Eccles, RN), Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) and Tern (Lt.Cdr. M.H.R. Crichton, RN) arrived at Hong Kong. (1)

6 Nov 1940
HMS Capetown (Capt. P.H.G. James, RN) conducted gunnery exercises off Singapore. On completing course was set for Penang escorting the river gunboat Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN). (2)

8 Nov 1940
HMS Capetown (Capt. P.H.G. James, RN) and Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) arrived at Penang. After topping off with fuel they departed again later the same day for Nancowry. (2)

10 Nov 1940
HMS Capetown (Capt. P.H.G. James, RN) and Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) arrived at Nancowry. HMS Capetown briefly grounded but no damage was sustained. (2)

16 Nov 1940
HMS Capetown (Capt. P.H.G. James, RN) arrived at Nancowry to escort the river gunboat Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) to Colombo. (2)

20 Nov 1940
HMS Capetown (Capt. P.H.G. James, RN) and Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) departed Nancowry for Penang. Weather conditions in the Bay of Bengal were unsuitable for the shallow draft river gunboat for the passage to Colombo. (3)

22 Nov 1940
HMS Capetown (Capt. P.H.G. James, RN) and Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) arrived at Penang.

HMS Capetown departed again later the same day to return to Nancowry. (3)

7 Dec 1940
The light cruiser HMS Dauntless (Capt. G.D. Moore, RAN), river gunboat Tarantula (Cdr.(Emgy.) R.C.F. Creer, RAN) and the the merchant vessel Gurna (British, 5248 GRT, built 1919) arrived at Penang.

They departed later the same day to continue their passage to Colombo. The river gunboat Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) had joined them at Penang for the passage to Colombo.

On the 9th, shortly after noon, they briefly stopped off Nancowry Island. Both river gunboats then secured alongside HMS Dauntless and then were supllied with oil, stores and water before the passage was continued. (4)

Sources

  1. ADM 53/112110
  2. ADM 53/111700
  3. ADM 53/111700 + ADM 199/383
  4. ADM 53/111943 + ADM 199/374

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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