Contents

Part 1 of 2
1. BRITISH YARDS
Battleships - Aircraft carriers - Light cruisers - Cruiser minelayers - Escort aircraft carriers -
Destroyers & Escort destroyers - Submarines - Sloops - Gunboats

on to Part 2 of 2

BRITISH YARDS (continued)
Corvettes - Minesweepers

2. AUSTRALIAN YARDS - Mineweepers/Corvettes and CANADIAN YARDS - Corvettes - Minesweepers

3. CONSTRUCTION for INDIAN NAVY

(in order builder, any notes, dates in order - begun/laid down (B), launched (L), completed (C))

Background Events

September 1939-March 1940
Battle of Atlantic starts, 'Phoney War' on land, Battle of River Plate

1. BRITISH YARDS 

 

1940 PROGRAMME

 

BATTLESHIPS

 

HMS Anson (NavyPhotos)

 

King George V-class

BEATTY, Fairfield, renamed HOWE in Feb 40, 1 Jun 37, 9 Apr 40, 29 Aug 42

DUKE OF YORK, Clydebank, begun as ANSON, renamed in Dec 38, 5 May 37, 28 Feb 40, 4 Nov 41

JELLICOE, Swan Hunter, renamed ANSON in Feb 40, 20 Jul 37, 24 Feb 40, 22 Jun 42

KING GEORGE V, VA Tyne, 2 Jan 37, 21 Feb 39, 11 Dec 40

PRINCE OF WALES, Cammell Laird, 2 Jan 37, 3 May 39, 31 Mar 41

 

Lion-class

LION, VA Tyne, (B) 4 Jul 39, work stopped 3 Oct 39, final stop 27 Mar 41, cancelled 31 Jan 44

TEMERAIRE, Cammell Laird, (B) 1 Jun 39, work stopped 3 Oct 39, final stop 27 Mar 41, cancelled 31 Jan 44

 

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

 

HMS Illustrious (NavyPhotos)

 

First Group

FORMIDABLE, Harland and Wolff, 17 Jun 37, 17 Aug 39, 24 Nov 40

ILLUSTRIOUS, VA Barrow, 27 Apr 37, 5 Apr 39, 24 May 40

VICTORIOUS, VA Tyne, 4 May 37, 14 Sep 39, 15 May 41

 

Second Group

INDOMITABLE, VA Barrow, 10 Nov 37, 26 Mar 40, 10 Oct 41

 

Third Group

IMPLACABLE, Fairfield, 21 Feb 39, 10 Dec 42, 28 Aug 44

INDEFATIGABLE, Clydebank, 3 Nov 39, 8 Dec 42, 3 May 44

 

LIGHT CRUISERS

 

HMS Belfast (NavyPhotos)

 

Town or Edinburgh-class

BELFAST, Harland and Wolff, 10 Dec 36 17 Mar 38, 3 Aug 39

 

 

HMS Bonaventure (NavyPhotos)

 

Dido-class

BONAVENTURE, Scotts, 30 Aug 37, 19 Apr 39, 24 May 40

CHARYBDIS, Cammell Laird, 9 Nov 38, 17 Sep 40, 3 Dec 41, after launching, work was suspended for six months to allow work on escort vessels

CLEOPATRA, Hawthorn Leslie, 5 Jan 39, 27 Mar 40, 20 Nov 41

DIDO, Cammell Laird, 26 Oct 37, 18 Jul 39, 30 Sep 40

EURYALUS, Chatham, 21 Oct 37, 6 Jun 39, 30 Jun 41

HERMIONE, Stephen, 6 Oct 37, 18 May 39, 25 Mar 41

NAIAD, Hawthorn Leslie, 26 Aug 37, 3 Feb 39, 24 Jul 40

PHOEBE, Fairfield, 2 Sep 37, 25 Mar 39, 27 Sep 40

SCYLLA, Scotts, 19 Apr 39, 24 Jul 40, 12 Jun 42

SIRIUS, Portsmouth, 6 Apr 38, 18 Sep 40, 6 May 42, construction delayed due to bomb damage

 

 

HMS Ceylon postwar (NavyPhotos/Mark Teadham)

 

Colony or Fiji-class

CEYLON, VA Barrow, 27 Apr 39, 30 Jul 42, 13 Jul 43, in Jun 40, construction was suspended for a time to give yard priority to the construction of escort vessels

FIJI, Clydebank, 30 Mar 38, 31 May 39, 17 May 40

GAMBIA V.A.Tyne, 24 Jul 39, 30 Nov 40, 21 Feb 42

JAMAICA, Swan Hunter, 28 Apr 39, 16 Nov 40, 29 Jun 42

KENYA, Stephen, 18 Jun 38, 18 Aug 39, 27 Sep 40

MAURITIUS, Swan Hunter, 31 Mar 38, 19 Jul 39, 4 Jan 41

NIGERIA, VA Tyne, 8 Feb 38, 18 Jul 39, 23 Sep 40

TRINIDAD, Devonport, 21 Apr 38, 21 Mar 40, 14 Oct 41

UGANDA, Stephen, 20 Jul 39, 7 Aug 41, 3 Jan 43, in Jun 40 as for Ceylon

 

1939 Programme

 

Colony or Fiji-class

BERMUDA, Clydebank, 30 Nov 39, 11 Sep 41, 21 Aug 42

NEWFOUNDLAND, Swan Hunter, 9 Nov 39, 19 Dec 41, 20 Jan 43

 

War Emergency Programme

 

Dido-class

ARGONAUT, Cammell Laird, 21 Nov 39, 6 Sep 41, 8 Aug 42

 

 

HMS Bellona (NavyPhotos)

 

Bellona-class

BELLONA, Fairfield, 30 Nov 39, 29 Sep 42, 29 Oct 43

BLACK PRINCE, Harland and Wolff, 1 Dec 39, 27 Aug 42, 20 Nov 43

DIADEM, Hawthorn Leslie, 15 Dec 39, 26 Aug 42, 6 Jan 44

ROYALIST, Scotts, 21 Mar 40, 30 May 42, 25 Aug 43

SPARTAN, VA Barrow, 21 Dec 39, 27 Aug 42, 10 Aug 43

Building of NEWFOUNDLAND and ARGONAUT was suspended in Jun 40, and BELLONA, BLACK PRINCE, DIADEM ROYALIST and SPARTAN from Jun to Oct 40 to give yard priority to the construction of escort vessels.

 

CRUISER MINELAYERS

 

HMS Abdiel (NavyPhotos/Bob Hanley)

 

ABDIEL, White, 29 Mar 39, 23 Apr 40, 15 Apr 41

LATONA, Thornycroft, 4 Apr 39, 20 Aug 40, 4 May 41

MANXMAN, Stephen, 24 Mar 39, 5 Sep 40, 20 Jun 41

 

1939 Programme

WELSHMAN, Hawthorn Leslie, 8 Jun 39, 4 Sep 40, 25 Aug 41

 

ESCORT AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

begun as merchant ships

 

HMS Archer (NavyPhotos)

 

ARCHER, Sun Shipbuilding, 7 Jun 39, 14 Dec 39, 6 Mar 41

AVENGER, Sun Shipbuilding, 28 Nov 39, 27 Nov 40, 31 Jul 41

BITER, Sun Shipbuilding, 28 Dec 39, 18 Dec 40, 15 Sep 41

DASHER, Sun Shipbuilding, 14 Mar 40, 12 Apr 41, 22 Nov 41

 

DESTROYERS and ESCORT DESTROYERS

 

JAGUAR, Denny, 25 Nov 37, 22 Nov 38, 12 Sep 39

JANUS, Swan Hunter, 29 Sep 37, 10 Nov 38, 5 Aug 39

JUNO, Fairfield, 5 Oct 37, 8 Dec 38, 25 Aug 39

KANDAHAR, Denny, 18 Jan 38, 21 Mar 39, 10 Oct 39

KASHMIR, Thornycroft, 18 Nov 37, 4 Apr 39, 26 Oct 39

KELLY, Hawthorn Leslie, 26 Aug 37, 25 Oct 38, 23 Aug 39

KELVIN, Fairfield, 5 Oct 37, 19 Jan 39, 27 Nov 39

KINGSTON, White, 6 Oct 37, 9 Jan 39, 14 Sep 39

KHARTOUM, Swan Hunter, 27 Oct 37, 6 Feb 39, 6 Nov 39

KIMBERLEY, Thornycroft, 17 Jan 38, 1 Jun 39, 21 Dec 39

KIPLING, Yarrow, 26 Oct 37, 19 Jan 39, 22 Dec 39, was to have comp Sep 39, but turbine gears had to be recut

LAFOREY, Yarrow, 1 Mar 39, 15 Feb 41, 26 Aug 41

LANCE, Yarrow, 1 Mar 39, 28 Nov 40, 13 May 41

LARNE, Cammell Laird, renamed GURKHA before launching, 18 Oct 38, 8 Jul 40, 18 Feb 41

LEGION, Hawthorn Leslie, 1 Nov 38, 26 Dec 39, 19 Dec 40

LIGHTNING, Hawthorn Leslie, 15 Nov 38, 22 Apr 40, 28 May 41

LIVELY, Cammell Laird, 20 Dec 38, 28 Jan 41, 20 Jul 41

LOOKOUT, Scotts, 23 Nov 38, 4 Nov 40, 30 Jan 42

LOYAL, Scotts, 23 Nov 38, 8 Oct 41, 31 Oct 42

 

1939 Programme (*METEOR, MILNE, MUSKETEER, MYRMIDON had their 60 KW generators taken for carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, delaying their completion)

MARKSMAN, Scotts, 24 Jan 40, 28 Jul 42, 8 Apr 43, bombed before launching on 5/6 May 41, restarted with keel laid in another berth as MAHRATTA on 18 Aug 41

MARNE, VA Tyne, 23 Oct 39, 30 Oct 40, 2 Dec 41

MARTIN, VA Tyne, 23 Oct 39, 12 Dec 40, 4 Apr 194

MATCHLESS, Stephen, 14 Sep 39, 4 Sep 41, 26 Feb 42

METEOR *, Stephen, 14 Sep 39, 3 Nov 41, 12 Aug 42

MILNE *, Scotts, 24 Jan 40, 30 Dec 41, 6 Aug 42

MUSKETEER *, Fairfield, 7 Dec 39, 2 Dec 41, 18 Sep 42

MYRMIDON *, Fairfield, 7 Dec 39, 2 Mar 42, 5 Dec 42

NAPIER, Fairfield, 26 Jul 39, 22 May 40, 11 Dec 40

NERISSA, Clydebank, to Poland as PIOR