HMS Grasshopper ( T85 ) HMS " Grasshopper " was a built for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s . After completion was sent to the China station where she was deployed on the Yangtse River to relieve the Insect - class gunboat , . She remained there until the declaration of war by the Empire of Japan in December 1941 . She was subsequently transferred to Singapore Naval Base and participated in the Malayan Campaign in early 1942 . Near the end of the Battle of Singapore , she evacuated the base on 11 February together with her sister ship . Three days later she was attacked and sunk by Japanese aircraft off the island of Sebayer . Most of the ship ' s survivors were later captured on Sumatra by Japanese troops . Design and description . The design of the " Dragonfly " - class ships was based on that of the earlier with that ship ' s flagship accommodations replaced by a low - angle director - control tower . " Grasshopper " displaced at standard load and at deep load . The ship had an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . She was powered by Parsons geared steam turbines , driving two shafts , which developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of . Steam for the turbines was provided by two Admiralty 3 - drum boiler s . " Grasshopper " carried a maximum of of fuel oil . The ship mounted two quick - firing ( QF ) guns 4 - inch Mk V guns in single mounts , one each fore and aft of the superstructure . These guns had a maximum elevation of + 30 degrees . She also carried a single QF 3 . 7 - inch howitzer . For anti - aircraft defence , " Grasshopper " had eight single mounts for anti - aircraft machine gun s . She had a crew of 74 officers and enlisted men . Service . The ship was ordered on 9 August 1937 as one of the intended replacements for the existing river gunboats stationed on the Chinese rivers . " Grasshopper " was laid down on 29 December 1937 by John I . Thornycroft & Company at Woolston , Southampton , and launched on 19 January 1939 . In April 1939 she sailed to the China Station under her own power and was expected to arrive on 24 May . " Grasshopper " was commissioned on 1 June 1939 in Hong Kong and completed on 13 June . She was deployed to the Yangtse River where she replaced the HMS " Gnat " later that month . Part of " Gnat " crew transferred to " Grasshopper " , including the ship ' s mascot , a dog called Judy . Following Japan ' s entry into the Second World War in December 1941 , she was transferred from China to Singapore . During January 1942 , " Grasshopper " supported retreating Allied troops during the Malayan Campaign . Starting on 27 January , " Grasshopper " and " Dragonfly " rescued almost 3 , 000 soldiers from the British 53rd Infantry and 15th Indian Infantry Brigade s from the swamps south of Batu Pahat after they had been cut - off by the advancing Japanese forces . After the Japanese captured the Malayan Peninsula , both ships moved to Singapore harbour . On 8 February , the Japanese launched an amphibious assault across the Strait of Johore and following heavy fighting , many ships began evacuating from the harbour . By 11 February " Gnat " and " Grasshopper " were the largest vessels left . The two ships left Singapore for Batavia at 21 : 00 on 13 February , having taken on other personnel in order to evacuate them . Amongst these was Commander Ian Forbes , formerly of the battleship " Prince of Wales " , which had been sunk by the Japanese just over two months earlier . By the following morning they could hear the attacks by Japanese aircraft on other vessels in the distance . As they were sailing south , they were attacked by Japanese bombers . During the initial pass , " Grasshopper " was hit by a single bomb . When the planes returned , " Dragonfly " was hit three times and sank quickly . " Grasshopper " was hit twice and was set on fire . The order to abandon ship was given as the fire spread to compartments adjacent to an ammunition store . The crew were ferried across to the nearby island of Sebayer by the ship ' s boats while the Japanese aircraft strafed them , where they joined some survivors from the " Dragonfly " . However the ship did not sink initially and after the planes departed , several crewmen were sent back on board to scavenge supplies . Among the survivors were six captured Japanese airmen and two pregnant women who had their babies delivered by the ship ' s coxswain . Both boys were named after him by their mothers . Whilst on board , Petty Officer George White found Judy , who would later find a source of fresh water for the crew on the island . On 19 February , the remaining crew managed to commandeer a Chinese tongkang and using that and the ship ' s boat , they reached Singkep in the Dutch East Indies . After two days , the crew departed for Sumatra on a Chinese junk , leaving their injured in the care of the Dutch Empire . They eventually reached Sumatra and sailed through the Strait of Malacca and up the Indragiri River . The river narrowed too much for the junk to go any further , leaving the crew from Padang . They trekked through the jungle but entered a Japanese - held area and were captured outside of their destination . Two of the crew elected not to travel with the others to Sumatra . They were Petty Officer George White and Able Seaman " Tancy " Lee , who were joined by one of the evacuees from the Royal Naval Reserve and two British Army soldiers who were already on Sinkep . In order to prevent trouble with the incoming Japanese forces , they were transferred to the smaller Selayar Island . They were subsequently offered a boat by the island ' s administrator , and a map of the Indian ocean torn from a child ' s atlas . They decided that they would aim to sail to Madras , India , as there were concerns that the Japanese were working their way through the islands . Their departure timetable was brought forward after the island was visited by a boat containing a Japanese officer and five soldiers . They were told by the Japanese to remain on the island and await collection . That evening they prepared the boat and put supplies on board . They departed on 11 April , only travelling by night until they were clear of the islands . During the day , they landed on nearby islands and hid . After four days , the engine broke and could not be turned off . As they travelled through the islands , they passed two Japanese transport ships and were buzzed by a Japanese bomber . Once out of sight of the islands , they navigated using the position of the stars during the night and the sun during the day . After seventeen days of travelling , they landed in India , a distance of , only away from their intended destination .