VHS : Yangtse Incident (1957)

Rating: - Another heroic encounter
This film is a true account of a largely forgotten encounter in the late 1940s in which a British warship, HMS Amethyst, was illegally fired on by Communist Forces upon while making lawful passage up the Yangtse River. The ship sustained heavy damage and suffered 22 dead including the Captain, who succumbed to his wounds the following day. During this encounter the vessel stuck fast on mud flats where she remained for some time.

The film deals mostly with the aftermath of the incident and with the subsequent efforts made to secure the Ship's freedom before the famous dash to freedom was finally made some months later.

This a first class British war film in a similar vein to The Dambusters and countless other war films made in the 40s and 50s. If you are after a Hollywood blockbuster filled with special effects and improbable storylines then this is not for you. If, however, you are looking for a true and factually correct account of a story of British Naval derring-do, you won't get much better than this. Highly recommended.

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Rating: - Well-Constructed True Story of Gritty Realism
This film shows the true story of bringing a ship down the Yangtse River under artillery barrage from Mao's troops and the fantastic efforts of her crew to bring the warship back to the open seas to rejoin the fleet.

The CO was killed and the ship took 50 hits losing gyrocompass, radio, electrically-controlled firing circuits. The ship ran aground and had to try to refloat. This episode lasted from April until July 1949.

The film is gripping, tense, realistic and makes you marvel at the sheer determination and grittiness of this Royal Navy