The Cat Who Saved a Warship, and Won a Medal 🎖️
Simon… The only cat to earn the Dickin Medal.
A scrawny stray who wandered onto HMS Amethyst in Hong Kong.
The crew kept him for luck.
Turns out… they needed him more than they knew.
In 1949, the ship sailed up the Yangtze River…
and was ambushed.
Shells tore through the hull,
the captain was killed.
Simon was badly hurt. Burned. Shrapnel wounds. Everyone thought he wouldn’t make it.
The Amethyst was stranded mid-river for almost 10 weeks.
Under siege and overrun with rats.
One giant rat - nicknamed Mao Tse-tung, kept attacking the ship’s food stores. Morale was collapsing.
But after days in sick bay, bandaged and limping…
Simon got up.
Hunted Mao.
And won.
The crew promoted him to Able Seaman. He lifted spirits when nothing else could… and kept the Amethyst alive.
Simon became the only cat in Royal Navy history to receive the Dickin Medal.
Shortly after, he passed away from his injuries. But his story became legend.
The Maritime Origins Series
Maritime Origins is a storytelling series created by Jason Nangle, Founder of Angle Recruitment, a global maritime recruitment and executive search firm.
The series explores the fascinating history behind everyday phrases that originated at sea, as well as the remarkable stories, traditions and characters that have shaped maritime culture.
Many sayings still used today were first spoken by sailors navigating the challenges of life on board ships. Alongside these phrase origins, the series also highlights lesser-known maritime stories, legends and historical moments from the world of shipping.
Through short stories and visual posts, Maritime Origins connects the language, heritage and traditions of seafarers with the modern maritime industry.
New posts in the series launch every Tuesday on LinkedIn and are then shared across other platforms including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X. Follow
Jason Nangle on LinkedIn and Angle Recruitment across your preferred social platforms.
'Blowing smoke up your arse' was once life-saving medicine. 18th century doctors used tobacco smoke enemas to revive drowning victims. Now it just means flattery.
The maritime origins of "in the doldrums," a sailor's phrase from the age of sail used for the windless belt near the equator where ships could sit becalmed for weeks.
In a hammock in a wooden sailing ship. A woman’s leg sticks up from a nearby hammock, “From ‘Show a leg’… ‘Shake a leg’ stuck!”
