HMS Bee was an of the Royal Navy, launched on 8 December 1915. This class are also known as "Large China Gunboats". Initially built for service on the River Danube, after World War I the Insects were transported to China and served on the Yangtze River. In 1920, Bee became the flagship of the Yangtze patrol. On 12 December 1937, Bee, along with , became involved in the Panay incident and came under fire from a Japanese artillery unit near Wuhu on the Yangtze. Ladybird took six shells and Bee dodged a shell as she came upon the scene. Bee was paid off in 1938 when the gunboat , the new flagship, arrived. She was sold in Shanghai for scrap on 22 March 1939 for £5,225. External links History of Yangtze River Patrol Insect-class gunboats 1915 ships