Tchoung King

Tchoung King was a Arethusa-Class Light Cruiser which were built for the Royal Navy during the years of 1933 to 1937.  Designed to counter the auxiliary cruiser over which, even with their reduced armament, they would enjoy a comfortable superiority. They were also to be capable of acting as a fleet cruiser, which they almost always did. There were 6 of this class planned, only 4 were built.

Tchoung King served between the years of 1937 to 1949.

Preceded by:  Leander class

Succeeded by: Town class

Tchoung King began her career as HMS Aurora in the British Royal Navy and was soon tasked with escorting convoys with the 'Home Fleet'. She was involved in the hunt for the German battleships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau as well as Bismarck.  Fall 1941 she, with 'Force K' moved to the Mediterranean. Leading Force K, she was involved in the destruction of the Beta Convoy.  A few weeks later they intercepted and sink an Axis convoy about 100 nautical miles west of Crete bound for Benghazi, despite the presence of the Italian torpedo boats. A week later, 'Force K' would find, and sink, Italian destroyer Alvise Da Mosto and the sole cargo ship Mantovani. 

December, 1941 her luck ran out when she struck a mine field during the First Battle of Sirte and was forced to retire to Malta. 

Upon her return, she joined Force H, and in November 1942 was part of the Centre Task Force for the Landings in North Africa, Operation Torch. There she engaged the Vichy French destroyers Tramontane and Tornade sinking Tornade and damaging Tramontane so badly that she had to be beached. The next day she badly damaged the destroyer Épervier and drove her ashore. 

December she was operating as part of Force Q at Bône against the Axis evacuation and supply convoys between Trapani and Tunis.  She participated in the invasion of Sicily and the Salerno landings (Operation Avalanche).  She then moved into the Aegean in October 1943. While escorting British destroyers reinforcing troops on the island of Leros in October, she was attacked by German Junkers 87 and 88 aircraft off Castellorizo, sustaining a 500 kg bomb. She was forced to withdraw to Taranto for repairs which lasted until April 1944. In August 1944 she was at the landings in the south of France, then returned to the Aegean, where she assisted in the liberation of Athens.

After the war Aurora was sold on 19 May 1948 to the Chinese Navy (ROCN) as compensation for six Chinese custom patrol ships and one cargo ship that the British seized in Hong Kong and lost during the war.  On 25 February 1949 her crew defected to the Communists (PLAN) with the ship. In March 1949 she was sunk in Taku harbour by Nationalist aircraft.