Cattle boat loading in Townsville - Yangtze Harmony- brings to mind the dramatic event in l949 when the Royal Navy frigate HMS Amethyst came under fire from shore batteries while sailing up the Yangtze River, bound for Nanking , in the Chinese Civil War, trapped for three months , resulting in the death of 22 and 31 wounded .
The warship's wounded cat , Simon , who died soon after the ship returned to the UK , posthumously received the Dickin Medal , the animals' Victoria Cross . Known as the Yangtze Incident, it was made into a film of the same name starring Richard Todd .
Yangtze Harmony has been involved in the live sheep trade out of WA , one shipment involving 12,500 to Oman .
