HMS St Sampson (W26)
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 The tug to the left of USS Chaumont is either St Sampson or her sister ship St Dominic, Shanghai, 1937 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS St Sampson |
| Ordered | 18 April 1918[1] |
| Builder | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock |
| Launched | 1919 |
| Acquired | January 1920 |
| Fate | Foundered 7 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Saint-class tug |
| Tonnage | 451 gross register tons (GRT)[2] |
| Displacement | 820 long tons (830 t)[3] |
| Length | 135 ft (41 m)[1] |
| Beam | 29 ft (8.8 m)[1] |
| Draught | 12 ft (3.7 m)[1] |
| Installed power | 1,250 ihp (930 kW)[1] |
| Propulsion | 1 × Triple expansion steam engine[1] |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)[3] |
| Complement | 37[3] |
| Armament | |
HMS St Sampson was a Saint-class tug launched in 1919.
The ship was ordered during World War I and was built by Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock. St Sampson was a tug boat specializing in rescue operations in hazardous waters. She was delivered to the Hong Kong Naval Yard in January 1920, after the war had ended. As a result, she was not put in commission and was offered on sale in 1921.[2] She was at first sold to Wheelock and Company, but they defaulted on payment, and she was later sold to another company.[1] By 1941, she was made part of the Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve,[4] and was present during the Battle of Hong Kong.[5]
She survived the battle, and in March 1942 participated in the rescue operations of MV Georgic in the Red Sea.[6] She was damaged in the process and on 7 March, she foundered, and her crew was picked up by the hospital ship Dorsetshire.[7][8]