1 9 3 2
October Ordered
under 1931 Estimates
1 9 3 3
February
7th Laid down at Barrow by
Vickers-Armstrong
1 9 3 4
March
1st Launched
1 9 3 5
March Contractors
Trials
April
Acceptance
Trials
15th Commissioned for
service in South American Division on America
and West Indies Squadron.
May
Worked-up
for service.
June
Diverted
for detached service in Mediterranean Fleet after Abyssinian crisis.
July
Deployed
in Mediterranean.
to October
November Released
from detached service and took passage to Bermuda to
join Squadron.
December Deployed
in West Indies.
1 9 3 6 t o
1 9 3 7
Deployed
with West Indies Squadron for exercise and visits including ports in
South America, USA and
Canada.
Return
passage to UK
to refit and re-commission.
1 9 3 8
January
11th Recommissioned for
service in America and West Indies Squadron.
(Note:
During refit single 4in guns in secondary armament replaced by twin 4in
mountings.)
February Rejoined
Squadron at Bermuda,
March Deployed
with Squadron in West Indies
to
December
1 9 3 9
January Deployed
off west coast of South America.
27th Joined HM Cruiser EXETER
at Talcuahano, Chile
to assist local authority
in rescue of victims following an earthquake.
February Returned
to Bermuda.
March Deployed
with South American Division in South Atlantic.
to August.
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
September Took-up war station
3rd Deployed for trade defence duty.
Intercepted
German ships OLINDA and CARL FRITZEN between Rio Grande
do Sul and Plate estuary and both
scuttled.
11th Guardship at Port Stanley
and carried out patrol in Falklands area.
21st Redeployed on trade defence between
Plate Estuary and Rio de Janeiro.
October
3rd Joined HM Cruiser EXETER after sinking of ss CLEMENT by
German battleship
GRAF SPEE which HAD LEFT
Germany before the outbreak of war.
5th Deployed with HM Cruisers EXETER and CUMBERLAND as ‘Force G’ Hunting
Group in South Atlantic to search for GRAF SPEE.
November Search for commerce raider in
continuation.
27th Arrived at Port
Stanley.
December Resumed search duty with Force G
5th Intercepted German freighter USSKUMA
with HM Cruiser CUMBERLAND.
German ship
scuttled.
13th Took part in Battle of the River Plate with HM Cruisers
EXETER and ACHILLES.
Harried GRAF
SPEE after HMS EXETER retired from action.
X and Y-turrets were disabled and some structural damage was sustained.
There were 12
casualties including 7 killed.
(For details see
BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE by W Pope and Naval Staff
History).
16th Remained off Plate estuary with HMS
CUMBERLAND and HMS ACHILLES.
17th GRAF SPEE scuttled off Montevideo.
18th Detached to refuel at Port Stanley.
29th Resumed trade defence duty.
1 9 4 0
January
1st Visited Montevideo.
5th Passage to Freetown, via Rio de Janeiro.
Joined by HM
Aircraft Carrier ARK ROYAL, HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Destroyers
HASTY, HERO,
DAINTY and DIAMOND during passage
22nd Passage to UK for refit.
31st Arrived at Plymouth.
February Paid off and taken in hand for
refit by HM Dockyard Chatham.
March Under refit.
to
Zarebas
fitted to 4in Guns. Tripod masts fitted and aircraft warning radar Type 279
June
installed.
July
Post refit
trials and recommissioning.
Nominated for service in Mediterranean.
August Worked-up for service and
transferred to 7th Cruiser Squadron.
Nominated for
escort of mercantiles carrying motor transport during
passage to
Egypt.
(Note: This
convoy was intended to pass through the Mediterranean
as part of Operation
HATS but it was
later decided to divert it via Cape
of Good Hope.
The ships
carrying personnel and tanks remained with the warships joining
the Mediterranean Fleet which went direct to Alexandria. For details see
Naval Staff History (2002).)
21st Sailed from UK as part of escort with HM Cruiser YORK
during passage via Cape of Good
Hope to Middle
East.
September
2nd At Freetown.
13th At Durban
(Note: Italian
offensive in western desert began.)
26th Escorted troopships EMPRESS OF JAPAN, ORION and ORONSAY from Aden to Suez.
23rd At Suez.
30th Joined HMS SYDNEY (RAN) in 7th Cruiser Squadron at Alexandria for deployment in
Eastern Mediterranean.
October
3rd Sailed from Alexandria
with HM Battleships MALAYA, RAMILLIES, HM Aircraft
Carrier
EAGLE, HM Cruiser COVENTRY with
screen of eight destroyers to
2nd Took part in searched for Italian convoys taking supplies to
Libya with Fleet units
8th Deployed with HM Battleships WARSPITE, VALIANT, MALAYA and
RAMILLIES, HM
Aircraft
Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS and EAGLE, HM Cruisers YORK, GLOUCESTER,
LIVERPOOL, SYDNEY and ORION with screen of 16 Fleet destroyers to cover
passage
of Malta convoy MF3 (Operation MB6)
11th Detached at Malta with HMS ORION for patrol SE of island.
12th Provided cover for Convoy MF4 to Alexandria with Fleet units and deployed with ships of
Squadron east of
Fleet
In close range
night action with HM Cruisers ORION, SYDNEY and YORK
screened
by HM Destroyers NUBIAN and MOHAWK against Italian convoy in
Gulf of Otranto.
Two destroyers,
AIRONE and ARIEL were sunk and destroyer ARTIGLIERI damaged.
Hit by 7 shells
resulting in 35 casualties including 13 killed.
(Note: Bridge
structure and radar items damaged.
For details see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett
and Naval Staff History (HMSO 2002).
ARTTGLIERI
was sunk later by HMS YORK
when under tow after the action)
14th Under air attacks during which HMS
LIVERPOOL was hit by a torpedo and had to be
taken in tow by HMS ORION.
16th Arrived at Alexandria with Fleet units.
29th Embarked advance party of York and
Lancaster Regiment for passage to Suda Bay.
(Note:
This was in response to Italian invasion of Greece and first phase of British
support for defence of Crete.)
November
1st Arrived at Suda Bay, Crete from Alexandria with HM Cruisers COVENTRY and CALCUTTA,
HM Netlayer PROTECTOR, HM Minesweeper FAREHAM and
for destroyers to set up
forward base.
Under air attack
and near missed.
2nd During return to Alexandria with HMS COVENTRY again under air attack and again
near missed.
4th Sailed from Alexandria for Suda Bay with HMS SYDNEY (RAN) having embarked HQ
14th Armoured Brigade, AA Guns and troops for service in Crete (Operation BARBARITY).
5th After disembarking troops and equipment sailed from Suda Bay with HMS ORION
for visits to Pireaus and Candida.
(Note: The
passage of reinforcements to Crete and of Aegean convoys were covered by Fleet
units including HM Battleships BARHAM, VALIANT and HMS EAGLE
with
screen of eight destroyers (Operation MB8).
6th Passage to join Fleet units covering
the passage of Convoy MW3 to Malta.
10th Joined HMS WARSPITE, HMS VALIANT, HMS MALAYA, HMS RAMILLES,
HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS, HMS
GLOUCESTER, HMS YORK, HMS ORION and destroyer screen
deployed as Force A.
(Part of
Operation COAT with ships of Force H to cover transit of convoys to and
from Malta, concurrent with re-inforcement
of Mediterranean Fleet by ships from UK).
11th Detached from Force A with HMS ORION, HMS SYDNEY, HM
Destroyers MOHAWK and
NUBIAN to carry out offensive sweep in Straits of Otranto during JUDGEMENT.
(Note: Ships of
Force A were deployed for cover of air attacks on Taranto by
HMS ILLUSTRIOUS
which had detached with screen of cruisers and destroyers
(Operation
JUDGEMENT).)
12th Intercepted Italian 4 ship convoy escorted by auxiliary
cruiser RAMBIII and
torpedo boat FABRIZI. All mercantiles
were sunk but escorts escaped.
Rejoined Force A.
(Note: A second
attack on Taranto was planned but cancelled in view of weather
forecast in target area.)
13th Detached from Force A with HMS MALAYA,
HMS BARHAM, and five destroyers.
Took passage to Suda Bay to refuel before return to Alexandria to resume Squadron
duties.
For details of
these operations see Naval Staff History.
15th Embarked troops at Alexandria with HM Cruisers GLOUCESTER, YORK,
SYDNEY and
ORION for passage to Piraeus.
20th Disembarked troops and took return passage to Alexandria.
23rd Deployed with HM Battleships MALAYA,
RAMILLIES, HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE,
HM Cruisers
BERWICK, ORION, SYDNEY, screened by destroyers as
Force B to cover
passage of convoy to Crete and
carry out air attacks on Tripoli from HMS EAGLE.
26th Arrived at Malta with Force C when HMS MALAYA, HMS RAMILLIES and HMS
BERWICK detached
to join Force D for passage to Gibraltar.
28th Deployed to cover passage of HM Cruisers
MANCHESTER and SOUTHAMPTON, four corvettes
and four mercantiles during
passage through Sicilian Narrows.
(Note:
These ships had been involved in the action against an Italian Force on 27th
and detached afterwards from ships of Force H.
Battle
of Cape Spartivento, see Naval Staff History.)
On
arrival off Malta
detached from cover and took passage to Suda
Bay with the four corvettes.
30th Arrived at Suda
Bay.
December Deployed with HMS ORION and HMAS
SYDNEY for defence of convoys in Aegean.
based at Suda Bay.
16th Returned to Suda Bay with Squadron to refuel and resumed cover for Aegean
convoys.
17th Joined by HM Cruisers YORK
and GLOUCESTER of CS3 and took passage as Force B to
to rejoin Mediterranean Fleet units providing Distant Cover
for transit of Convoys MW5A
and B from Egypt to Malta, as well as of Convoy.ME5 from Malta to Egypt.)
(Note:
Part of Operations MC2 and MC3. These also included air attacks on Dodecanese.
on Port Skala, Valona,
bombardment of Valona and cover of transit of HMS
MALAYA
four destroyers and two mercantiles
to Gibraltar. All by Force A ships which comprised
HMS WARSPITE,
HMS VALIANT and HMS ILLUSTRIOUS screened by 11 destroyers.
18th Detached with HM Cruisers ORION and SYDNEY and HM Destroyers JANUS,
JERVIS and JUNO as screen during offensive sweep in Otranto Strait.
19th Rejoined Force A to provide cover for transit of ships to Gibraltar
after unsuccessful search.
(Operation
HIDE.)
23rd Remained with Force A to provide escort
for passage of Convoy ME5A to Alexandria.
24th Returned to Alexandria with Fleet units.
1 9 4 1
January
6th Sailed from Alexandria with HMS ORION, HMS YORK,
HM Corvettes GLOXINIA,
PEONY, HYACINTH, SALVIA and RFA Tanker BRAMBLELEAF to Suda Bay.
7th Arrived at Suda Bay with two destroyers and four corvettes for defence of
military convoys
to and from Greece.
(Note: Part of
Mediterranean Fleet major operation designed to cover the passage of military
convoys to Greece and Malta concurrent with other Malta supply convoys
(Operation
EXCESS - See Naval Staff History and ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE
CLOSELY).
11th Detached with HM Battleship BARHAM, HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE
and destroyers
to carry out commando raid on Dodecanese
but operation cancelled due to weather.
(Note: Source
other than the Naval Staff History records this Operation, MC6 was
to carry out air attacks on Dodecanese
from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS but that
cancellation was due to withdrawal of the aircraft carrier
because of damage
after air attacks on 10th.)
12th Joined HMS WARSPITE, HMS VALIANT which had been deployed to
cover pa
