HMS Gnat joined destroyers and the monitor Terror in supporting the 6th Australian Division's assault into Tobruk. U-79 torpedoed her in October 1941, but the small gunboat remained afloat and was towed to Alexandria. Although declared a constructive total loss, she served for four years as a fixed anti-aircraft platform before scrapping in 1945. The class's shallow draft let its six-inch guns move close to landing areas and fire accurately against shore targets. Gnat's survival preserved useful defensive firepower from a hull that could no longer operate at sea.
Notable Point · 44:04-45:58
HMS Gnat survives a U-79 torpedo off Tobruk
Gnat's survival after a U-79 torpedo hit illustrates both the durability and the adaptable afterlife of an old inshore gunboat.