HMS Amethyst was a British Warship made famous by its brief but heroic intervention in the political struggles in China post world war 2. During the operations of Chinese communist forces, HMS Amethyst was ordered to rescue British Nationals trapped in Chinese cities along the Yangtze River. While navigating the river she was ambushed by Communist artillery, resulting in significant damage. After being trapped in hostile territory for 100 days with no diplomatic solution in sight, HMS Amethyst chose to fight its way back out to sea to re-join the British Fleet. In doing so, she had to run the gauntlet of communist forces lying in wait along the banks of the river. Although badly damaged, with a reduced crew and low on vital supplies she managed to break out and re-join with British naval forces lying off the coast. A subsequent Movie (HMS Amethyst) was made following the exploits of the ship during this time.