Irene incident

Irene Incident
Part of Piracy in Asia
A Chinese spear taken as a prize of war from the pirates by the Royal Navy.
Date 19–20 October 1927 Location Bias Bay, China, South China Sea Result British victory, pirates captured
Belligerents
United Kingdom Royal Navy	Republic of China Pirates
Commanders and leaders
Frederick J. C. 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 × steamer: SS Irene
Casualties and losses
None	~1 pirate killed 17 pirates captured SS Irene sunk
Civilian casualties: 14 passengers on SS Irene killed.

The Irene incident of 1927 was a significant event of the British anti-piracy operations in China during the first half of the 20th century. In an attempt to surprise the pirates of Bias Bay, about sixty miles from Hong Kong, Royal Navy submarines attacked the merchant ship 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]