The Yangtse Incident (1957)

Also Known As: Battle Hell

Directed by: Michael Anderson

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: A recounting of the incident in which the H.M.S. Amethyst was shelled and trapped on the Yangtse river, caught in the midst of the Chinese Civil War.

Kitty Cameo: The ship’s cat, a tuxedo kitty, is seen several times in the film. First he is sitting nearby in the galley as the cooks prepare food.

The Yangtse Incident - black and white tuxedo ship cat Simon watching onions being chopped

The Yangtse Incident - black and white tuxedo ship cat Simon watching onions being chopped animated gif

The Yangtse Incident - black and white tuxedo ship cat Simon in ship's galley

After the ship has been attacked, the men are listening to a radio report about their own plight. One of the sailors is lying on his hammock petting the cat on his stomach.

The Yangtse Incident - black and white tuxedo ship cat Simon lying in hammock with crew member

The cat’s last appearance is when the crew of the ship is anxiously awaiting nightfall in an attempt to escape under cover of darkness. Everyone on the ship is tense, except for the cat who is lounging in a hammock making air biscuits.

The Yangtse Incident - black and white tuxedo ship cat Simon lying in hammock

The Yangtse Incident - black and white tuxedo ship cat Simon resting in hammock animated gif

Behind the Scenes

While the cat is not named in the film itself, the cat actor represented Able Seacat Simon, a feline hero among the annals of famous naval cats. Simon was awarded the PDSA’s Dickin Medal for injuries received during the incident, boosting the morale of the crew and warding off a rat infestation. This same medal has fetched hefty prices at auction since.

The Yangtse Incident - article about crew members of HMS Amethyst trying to buy Simon's medal — Original crewmen from the HMS Amethyst try to buy Simon’s medal as explained in this article from the Plymouth Extra April 15, 1993. The medal ended up being purchased for $34,650 by the Eaton Film Company.

Much has already been written about Simon’s life and death (Purr ‘n’ Fur in particular has done some excellent research on Simon’s story) but it’s worth noting just how much press Simon received specifically. The journey of The Amethyst to England after the incident warranted a large amount of newsreel coverage which usually included shots of Simon, as evidenced below.