Irene incident

Irene Incident
Part of Piracy in Asia
A spear taken as a prize of war from Chinese pirates by British forces during the engagement
Date 19–20 October 1927 Location Bias Bay, South China Sea Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Pirates
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Halahan	Unknown
Strength
2 submarines (HMS L4 & HMS L5) 1 destroyer (HMS Stormcloud) 1 cruiser (HMS Delhi) 1 minesweeper (HMS Magnolia) Hong Kong Police	1 steamship (SS Irene)
Casualties and losses
None	~1 killed 17 captured SS Irene sunk
Civilian casualties: 14 passengers on SS Irene died.

The Irene incident was a 1927 British anti-piracy operation in China. In an attempt to surprise the pirates of Bias Bay about sixty miles from British Hong Kong, Royal Navy submarines attacked the steamship SS Irene, of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, which had been taken over by the pirates on the night of 19 October. The British were successful in thwarting the hijacking though they sank the ship.^[1][2]