Sale of Nessus to the Canton Government
Nessus was an armed river steamer of 150 tons that had been purchased in Hong Kong in 1926. In 1929 it was proposed to sell Nessus to the Canton Government. Nessus was a small vessel built for commercial work, but had been used for duties of a quasi-combatant character. She had also been fitted with light armour and a 3-pdr gun, but the Admiralty considered that it would be pedantic to regard this as bringing her within the category of a vessel of war.