H. M.
S. B I R M I N G H A M
The second Royal
Navy ship to bear the name BIRMINGHAM and ordered from, HM Dockyard, Devonport on 1st
March 1935. This
name was introduced in 1913 for a cruiser sold in 1931. The ship
was laid down on 18th July that year and
launched on 1st September 1936. Build was completed on 18th
Nov. 1937 and
after trials in Home Waters she was deployed on the China Station. The City
whose name she bears has maintained a strong
relationship with this ship until scrapped and with the third that entered
service in 1976.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
HELIGOLAND 1914 - DOGGER BANK 1915 - JUTLAND 1916 - NORWAY 1940 -
KOREA 1952-53
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field White an arm proper holding a
hammer proper
issuant from a mural crown Gold.
M o t t o
'Forward'
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
September
Attached to 5th Cruiser Squadron on the China Station.
3rd Based at Singapore and deployed
in Indian Ocean and Malacca Straits on
trade
protection. Search for enemy merchant
ships attempting to return to Europe.
October Carried out patrol and interception
duties in East Indies.
November
4th Relieved by HM Cruiser DAUNTLESS
and took passage to Hong Kong
10th Based in Hong Kong for contraband
control search duties in Chinese waters.
28th Escorted French liner ANDRE
LEBON.
December
9th During search for German
freighter BURGENLAND reported on passage from Kobe
intercepted Dutch ship
and then joined the Armed Merchant Cruiser MORETON BAY
for patrol off Japan
in an endeavour to find enemy vessel.
17th Damaged in collision with Tanker
FRANCOL when fuelling.
27th Propeller replaced and bow
repaired in dock at Hong Kong.
1 9 4 0
January
3rd Transferred to Mediterranean Fleet
and took passage for Alexandria.
22nd Under refit in Malta.
February Transferred to Home Fleet.
March Passage to Scapa Flow to join
18th Cruiser Squadron in Home Fleet
27th Nominated for cover of simulated
minelay off Norway at Bud in Force "WB" with
HM Destroyers HYPERION and HERO) - (Operation WILFRED).
31st Sailed with the destroyers HMS
FEARLESS and HMS HOSTILE to ensure security of
simulated minelay and
to capture any German fishing vessels in the area.
April
8th
During
deployment with HMS RENOWN to cover minelay
ordered by CinC Home Fleet
to join units on
passage to patrol entrance to Vest Fjord.
Due to fuel shortage
ordered to return to Scapa Flow.
10th Under air attack off Norwegian coast.
13th Joined escort for military convoy NP1
carrying troops for landings in Norway,
with HM Cruisers
MANCHESTER and CAIRO screened by HM Destroyers NUBIAN
SIKH and SOMALI (Operation
RUPERT/R4).
14th Detached from NP1 with HMS MANCHESTER
and HMS CAIRO screened by HM Destroyers
HIGHLANDER,
VANOC and WHIRLWIND as
escort for Polish liner CHOBRY and
rms
EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA during passage to Namsos.
(Operation MAURICE - See
Naval Staff History.)
15th
Destination changed to
Lillesjona where troops were to be transferred to destroyers for the
remainder of passage to
Namsos.
17th Passage to Scapa Flow with HMS VANOC
and HMS WHIRLWIND escorting rms
EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA.
20th Deployed to reinforce HMS CAIRO and
two French destroyers as escort for French troopship
VILLE d'ALGER
during final part of passage to Namsos.
22nd
Return passage to Scapa Flow.
24th
Took passage from Rosyth for delivery of stores and reinforcements to
SICKLEFORCE at
Andalsnes
and Molde in company with HM Cruisers MANCHESTER and
YORK screened
by HM Destroyers ACHERON,
HMS ARROW and HMS GRIFFIN.
(Note: Troops and stores
were ferried ashore at Aandalsnes from HMS BIRMINGHAM
and HMS YORK.
For details see Naval Staff
History.)
25th Retained in Norwegian waters with HMS
MANCHESTER for interception patrols
26 th Sank the German Trawler SCHELSWIG
(Schiff 37) which had been wearing a Dutch
Flag. During this
engagement rammed HMS ARROW.
May
1st. Took part in evacuation of allied
troops from Andalsnes and Molde with HM Cruisers
MANCHESTER and CALCUTTA,
HM Sloop HMS AUCKLAND and HM
Destroyers DELIGHT, DIANA,
INGLEFIELD, MASHONA and SOMALI.
390 troops were embarked
for return passage.
For full details of the
Norwegian operations see NARVIK by Donald MacIntyre
THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by
Jack Adams and Naval Staff History.
2nd Arrived at Scapa Flow with passengers.
8th Transferred to Nore
Command with HMS MANCHESTER and HMS SHEFFIELD for
interception duties in
southern North Sea.
9th Sailed from Rosyth with HM Destroyers
JANUS,HAVOCK,
HEREWARD and HYPERION
for duty in Nore Command.
Diverted on passage to
join search with destroyers for ships reported in Little Fisher Bank area.
Under air attacks. For
details see Naval Staff History.
(Note: During this search HM Destroyer
KELLY was badly damaged in action with E –Boats
and had to
be towed to Tyne for repair
covered by this ship
10th Deployed with HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD to
cover the tow by HM Destroyer BULLDOG
of the damaged destroyer
KELLY to Tyne Estuary.
12th Arrived at Harwich on completion and
deployed in support of Dutch military
operations at
Terschelling.
June
Based in Humber estuary with
ships of 1st Cruiser Squadron for patrol duty
in North Sea.
July Remained in North Sea for
anti-invasion patrol.
August
31st Transferred to Sheerness for
anti-invasion patrols.
Deployed with HM
Cruisers MANCHESTER and SOUTHAMPTON screened by three
Fleet destroyers in
search for invasion craft.
September
Under refit at Liverpool. Type 286M surface warning radar fitted.
to (Note: This was the first
ship borne radar capable of detection of surface
November craft and was a modified RAF
type equipment fitted in aircraft for ship
detection. For
details of the development and use of Radar by the RN
see RADAR AT
SEA by D Howse.)
December
Post refit trials.
27th On completion returned to Scapa Flow to
resume Home Fleet duties.
Deployed with 18th
Cruiser Squadron in Home Fleet for escort and patrol duty
in NW Approaches. One
of the objectives of this was the interception of enemy
commerce raiders and
blockade runners.
(Details of Contraband
Control in Northern waters are given in ARMED MERCHANT
CRUISERS by K.
POOLMAN).
1 9 4 1
January
24th
Relieved HM Cruisers AURORA and NAIAD with HM Cruiser EDINBURGH and
three
Fleet destroyers as
escort for the merchant ships ELIZABETH BURKE, TAURUS and TAI
SHAN which had escaped
from Gotenberg carrying essential commodities obtained
in Sweden (Operation
RUBBLE).
February
Nominated for Ocean Escort of Middle East military convoy and took
passage
to Clyde to join.
9th Joined Convoy WS6A with HM Cruiser
FHOEBE and HM Armed Merchant Cruiser
CATHAY as Ocean Escort
during passage to Freetown.
15th HM Battleship RODNEY screened by HM
Destroyers ECLIPSE AND ELECTRA joined
escort.
17th HMS RODNEY and screen detached and
replaced by HM Battlecruiser RENOWN and
HM Aircraft Carrier ARK
ROYAL.
21st HM Battleship MALAYA joined.
March
1st Arrived at Freetown with WS6A
6th Sailed from Freetown as Convoy WS6
Ocean Escort during passage to Cape Town with
HMS PHOEBE and HMS
CATHAY.
21st Detached from WS6 on arrival at Cape
Town.
Joined 18th Cruiser Squadron for trade
defence duties in South Atlantic.
April Nominated for return to Home Fleet
duties and took passage to Scapa Flow.
May Deployed with Home Fleet.
6th Ocean Escort for minelay in
Northern Barrage by 1st Minelaying Squadron
(Operation SN9A).
7th Diverted with HMS EDINBURGH, HMS
MANCHESTER, HMS SOMALI and three
otherFleet
destroyers to intercept German Weather Ship MUNCHEN known to be on
station in North
Atlantic. This operation was intended to obtain the ENIGMA Coding
machine with its
associated documentation. MUNCHEN
scuttled but these vital
items were recovered by
the boarding party before enemy vessel sank.
19th Deployed with HMS MANCHESTER for
interception patrol between Faeroes Islands
and Iceland.
23rd Joined by HM Cruiser ARETHUSA.
24th Patrol line adjusted after loss of
HM Battleship HOOD on order to cover any
possible escape by
BISMARCK to NE of Iceland.
June
4th Transferred to South Atlantic as
Flagship for ships engaged in trade defence.
Nominated as Ocean
Escort for Middle East WS military convoy during passage to
Durban from Clyde.
7th Joined Convoy WS9A with HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser DUNOTTAR CASTLE.
14th At Freetown with Convoy WS9A.
20th Sailed from Freetown for Cape of
Good Hope with WS9A.
July
2nd At Cape Town.
5th Took passage to Durban as WS9A
Ocean Escort.
9th Detached from WS9A on relief by
HM Cruiser HAWKINS.
12th Deployed for commerce raider
interception and trade defence.
August Interception patrols and convoy
defence deployment in southern oceans.
to
December.
1 9 4 2
January Deployed off Falklands with HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser HMS ASTURIAS after
Japan entered war to
deter any possible attack.
February Under refit by HM Dockyard Simonstown,
South Africa.
20mm Close Range AA
armament fitted and Radar Type 284 for 6" main armament
fire control
installed. Surface warning Type 286M Radar replaced by improved
RN British equipment
(Type 291) using rotating aerial instead of 'fixed' type
used with Type 286.
March During refit period transferred to
4th Cruiser Squadron in Eastern Fleet.
to
April
May On completion of Post Refit
trials detached for duty at Alexandria with the
Mediterranean Fleet
with HMS NEWCASTLE.
25th Took passage via Suez to
Mediterranean.
June
6th Arrived at Alexandria for service
with 15th Cruiser Squadron.
11th Part of escort for passage of
Malta relief convoy from Alexandria with ships
of 15th Cruiser
Squadron and destroyers of Mediterranean Fleet.
(Operation VIGOROUS)
15th Under heavy air attacks and
damaged by near miss. The consequential
severe
whipping of structure
disabled gun turrets.
16th Returned to Alexandria when
operation was abandoned due to threat of surface
intervention by
Italian fleet and continuation of heavy air attacks.
Full details of this
disastrous operation which was a classic case of much
interference by shore
authorities is given in ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli
Bamett, THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by
D MacIntyre,
MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman and The Naval Staff History)
July
2nd Passage to Kilindini to rejoin
Eastern Fleet.
18th Deployed at Kilindini with HM
Battleship WARSPITE, HM Aircraft Carriers
FORMIDABLE and
ILLUSTRIOUS.
(Note: This was part
of the revised policy made possible by the arrival of
reinforcements in the Indian Ocean and intended to intensify the RN
contribution o naval operations in South East Asia against Japan.
21st Took passage to Colombo with HM
Cruiser MAURITIUS, HM Destroyers NORMAN,
NIZAM, INCONSTANT and
Dutch VAN GALEN as Force "A"
25th At Colombo and prepared to provide
cover for passage of three Dummy convoys on
passage in Bay of
Bengal to simulate an attack en the Andaman Islands.
(Operation STAB -
Diversion during US landings on Guadalcanal.
August
2nd STAB cancelled after CinC
determined that the objective had been achieved.
(See WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO), Volume HE)
11th Returned to Kilindini with HM
Minelaying Cruiser MANXMAN.
September
5th Deployed with Eastern Fleet ships
including HM Cruiser GAMBIA, HM Seaplane
Carrier ALBATROSS
escorted by HM Destroyers EXPRESS, FORTUNE, HOSTSPUR
and INCONSTANT to Majunga with Netherlands destroyer VAN HEEMSKERK for the
final
occupation of
Madagascar by 29th Infantry Brigade (Operation STREAM).
10th Covered landings at Majunga,
Madagascar.
12th Supported landings at Antanarive
until 15th September.
18th Supported landings at Tamatave.
October Returned to trade protection duty in
Indian Ocean.
November
24th Rescued survivors from ss TILAWA
sunk by Japanese submarine 129 off Bombay.
December
Deployed with Eastern Fleet for trade protection duty and offensive
sweeps.
(Eastern Fleet
activities between 1942 and 1945 are provided in OPERATION
PACIFIC by E. Gray).
1 9 4 3
January Eastern Fleet deployment in
continuation.
to
February Nominated for return to UK for refit
after escort of military convoy during
passage in Indian
Ocean.
March
1st Joined Convoy WS26 at Durban
with HM Cruiser CERES as Ocean Escort during
passage to Aden.
9th Detached from WS26 on relief by
HMS HAWKINS.
(Note: HMS CERES
detached on 8th.)
Passage to
Devonport.
April Taken in hand for repair and
refit by HM Dockyard on arrival.
Nominated for
further deployment with Eastern Fleet.
Additional radar
fitted for AA fire-control (Type 285),Air warning (Type 281)
and IFF sets
installed. Radar Type 291 for surface and air warning replaced
by new 10cm Type
273- (For details see RADAR AT SEA by D. Howse).
May
Under refit
to
August
September On completion carried out post refit
trials at Plymouth.
October Prepared for foreign service and
work-up with Home Fleet.
November
18th On completion of work-up at
Scapa Flow took passage to rejoin
Eastern Fleet
via Mediterranean.
27th Deployed in eastern
Mediterranean.
28th Sustained major damaged after
being hit by torpedo fired from U407 off the
coast of
Cyrenaica. Forward magazine flooded and ship listed 8 degrees. Speed
had to be reduced
to 20 knots.
December Under temporary repair at Alexandria.
1 9 4 4
January Under repair.
to Arrangements made for
permanent repair to be carried out in US Navy shipyard.
April .
May Passage to USA
June
9th Taken in hand for repair and
refit by US Navy Yard at Norfolk, Va.
July Under refit
to Harbour trials
October (Note: Preparatory work for
installation of RN radar and other equipment
was
carried out
November On completion of trials took passage
to UK to complete refit work in UK.
December Under refit at HM Dockyard,
Portsmouth. Type 282 AA fire control radar fitted
for Close Range
weapons. "X" Turret and aircraft facility removed.
1 9 4 5
January
14th Joined 10th Cruiser Squadron
in Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
February Deployed with Home Fleet and took
part in offensive sweeps against shipping
to off Norwegian coast.
March (For details of Home Fleet
operations off Norway between 1944 and 1945
see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli Bamett and Naval
Staff History.)
April
3rd Deployed with HM Cruiser
BELLONA to cover air strikes by HM Escort Carriers
HMS QUEEN, HMS
SEARCHER and HMS TRUMPETER on Norwegian coastal
shipping. This
operation had to be
cancelled because of weather.
Carried out
patrol inside Arctic Circle till 12th April..
May
5th Passage to Copenhagen with
HM Cruiser DIDO screened by HM Destroyers ZEALOUS
ZEPHYR and ZEST
(Operation CLEAVER).
6th Accepted surrender of German
warships FKQNZ EUGEN and NURBERG.
13th Relieved by HM Cruiser
DEVONSHIRE and returned to Scapa Flow.
26th Embarked troops at Rosyth for
passage to Trondheim to assist with capture of
German troops
still not in custody.
28th Arrived in Trondheim.
June Deployed as Flagship to 10th
Cruiser Squadron, Hone Fleet.
to Remained in Hone Fleet
until the end of hostilities with Japan.
August.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
After the end of
hostilities HMS BIRMINGHAM continued to service and to 1952 to 1953 took part in United
Nations naval operations off the west coast of Korea. She was put on the
Disposal List and broken up to
1960 at Inverkeithing. This name continued to naval use when given to a Type 42 Destroyer which
entered service in 1976 and maintained the close association with the City.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS BIRMINGHAM
by Don Kindell
Date
convoy Joined convoy
Convoy
No. Left convoy Date convoy
sailed as escort arrived
11/04/40 13/04/40 NP 001 15/04/40 15/04/40
29/03/41 05/04/41 SL 070 20/04/41 23/04/41
11/06/42 14/06/42 MW 011 16/06/42 16/06/42
10/01/43 18/01/43 MC 003 23/01/43 23/01/43
01/02/43 01/02/43 CM 038 10/02/43 20/02/43
11/02/43 19/02/43 MC 004 27/02/43 27/02/43
31/03/43 unknown SL 127 unknown 15/04/43
15/11/43 16/11/43 KMF 026 23/11/43 30/11/43
04/11/43 29/11/43 UGS 023 01/12/43 01/12/43
21/06/44 21/06/44 MKF 032 27/06/44 04/07/44
(Note on Convoys)
