and Pessaro before the Operation Baytown landings by the British XIII Corps. After another period at Malta, she participated in the support of the landings in the south of France, this time operating under United States command under Lt Commander Douglas Fairbanks Jr. She joined the Western Task Force, in June 1944, attached to the Special Operations Group at Ajaccio. The group was to mis-direct German resources by simulating large Allied landings and in mid-August they carried out bombardments between Antibes and the Var river. The operation was a complete success. A second diversionary operation took place off La Ciotat; Aphis and Scarab and the US destroyer bombarded the area. During the action, the allied ships were engaged by two German warships, the corvette UJ6082 and armed yacht UJ6083. Both German ships were sunk. In mid-August 1944, Aphis resumed duty with the Mediterranean Fleet and in September she was deployed in the Adriatic to support of Army operations, based at Ancona. She returned to Malta in January 1945. In July 1945, she left the Mediterranean to join the British Pacific Fleet at their forward base at Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands. By the time she arrived, Japan had surrendered and she did not join the fleet until after VJ Day. Subsequently, she was paid-off on arrival at Singapore and placed on the disposal list in 1946. She was sold for scrapping in May. References Sources Lenton H.T, & Colledge, J.J., Warships of World War II, Ian Allan Publishing External links Transcribed logbooks February to April 1916 and November 1918 to May 1921 Insect-class gunboats 1915 ships