“Improved DIDO" Class cruiser ordered from Harland
& Wolff of Belfast on 4th September 1939 under War Estimates and laid on 2nd November 1939. She was launched
on 27th August 1942 as the 5th RN warship to carry this name dating from 1650 and previously used for a
cruiser sunk at Jutland in 1916. Build was completed on 20th November 1943. The ship was not 'adopted' by a
civil community after a 'WARSHIP WEEK' National Savings campaign in 1941-42 as
she was not in service.
1 9 4 3
November Contractor's
trials and commissioned for service with 10th Cruiser Squadron.
20th Build completion
date and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow
to join Squadron
December Worked-up
with ships of Home Fleet.
Transferred
to SW Approaches based at Plymouth for interception of enemy
convoys in English
Channel
and Bay
of Biscay (Operation TUNNEL Series)
For
details of TUNNEL operations see HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith
1 9 4 4
January Channel
deployment in continuation.
February Redeployed
at Scapa
Flow
with Home Fleet.
22nd Joined Russian Convoy JW57 as Flagship of
escort with HM Escort Aircraft Carrier CHASER.
HM
Destroyers METEOR, MILNE, MAHRATTA, MATCHLESS, OBEDIENT, OFFA,
ONSLAUGHT,
ORIBI, SAVAGE, SERAPIS, SWIFT, VERULAM and VIGILANT for passage
to Kola Inlet (Operation FX).
. For
details of all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A Ruegg,
THE
RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield, CONVOY
! by P Kemp and ARCTIC CONVOYS
by R. Woodman.
25th HMS MAHRATTA was sunk with only too
survivors.
28th Detached on
arrival at Kola Inlet. March
March
2nd Flagship of escort with same destroyer
screen during return passage of Convoy RA57-
7th Detached from RA57 with Hone Fleet
destroyers before arrival of convoy in Loch Ewe
10th Resumed interception duties at Plymouth.
23rd Carried out unsuccessful shipping sweep
with HM Destroyer ASHANTI, HM Canadian
destroyers ATHABASKAN, HAIDA and HURON of 10th Destroyer
Flotilla.
(Operation TUNNEL series - For details see HOLD THE NARROW SEA.).
25th Bombarded shore batteries near lie de
Bas.
26th In action with same destroyers of 10th
Flotilla against German Torpedo Boats which were laying
mines NW of Sept lies.
HMCS
ATHABASKAN was sunk during this engagement by the German T24 with heavy loss of
life. Only 86 men were rescued. One E-Boat was sunk and two
damaged.
April Channel deployment in continuation.
May Nominated
for support of allied landings in Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE)
Allocated
to Bombarding Force A of Western Task Force supporting
Assault Force "U".
For
details of naval activities prior to and during allied landings see OPERATION
NEPTUNE by
K
Edwards and LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO))
15th Carried out bombardment exercises with
ships of Bombardment Forces off NW Scotland
and took part in other training with Home Fleet ships.
31st Assembled in Clyde with US battleship USS NEVADA, US Cruisers USS QUINCY and USS
TUSCALOOSA, HM
Cruisers HAWKINS and ENTERPRISE.
June Passage to Channel as part of Convoy U1A
screened by four destroyers.
4th Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th Passage through
swept channel with Bombarding Force A.
HM Monitor EREBUS joined Force from Weymouth.
6th On arrival took up bombardment
position.
Provided
naval gunfire support for assault landings on UTAH Beachhead with ships of
Force A
and HM Netherlands Monitor SOEMBA.
Bombarded
shore batteries near St. Vaast-la-Hogue.
On
release from Western Task Force took passage to Tyne for repairs.
July Nominated
for service in Mediterranean for support of allied landings in south of France.
(Operation
DRAGOON).
Passage to Gibraltar to join
15th Cruiser Squadron.
August Allocated
to Gunfire Support Group ALPHA.
2nd Passage from Gibraltar to join
Task Force 84 under US Navy command.
15th Provided naval gunfire support with HM
Battleship RAMILLIES, HM Cruisers ORION, AJAX,
AURORA, US cruiser
USS QUINCY and Free French cruiser GLOIRE.
Bombarded coastal defence batteries prior to landings of US 3rd
Division.
During
assault provided gunfire support on demand. 80 rounds were fired in all.
20th Bombarded Giens
batteries with French cruiser EMILE BERTIN, US cruisers USS AUGUSTA
and PHILADELPHIA.
Demolished Golf Hotel near Hyres.
For
further details see LANDINGS IN SOUTH FRANCE (HMSO) and ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett.
September After
release from DRAGOON returned to British control by CinC Mediterranean.
Nominated for duty in Eastern Mediterranean with
British Aegean Force.
24th Deployed with HM Cruisers ORION, AJAX, ROYALIST, ARGONAUT, AURORA and
CEYLON in British
Aegean Force to support allied forces re-occupying Aegean Islands.
Took passage from Naples with HM
Escort Aircraft Carrier STALKER.
25th Carried out
preliminary investigation of area with HMS STALKER and two destroyers.
26th Deployed for
interception of enemy convoys evacuating troops to Greek ports.
Supported
allied landing operations.
29th Bombarded Skyros
with Fleet destroyers covered by naval aircraft from carriers.
Bombarded Maleme airfield, Crete.
Passage to Alexandria with HI
Escort Aircraft Carrier STALKER.
For
details see Official History WAR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN).
October
7th In action against
evacuation craft near Velos with HM Destroyer
TERPSICHORE.
15th Covered reoccupation of Piraeus with HM Cruisers AURORA, AJAX, and ORION, HM Escort
Aircraft
Carriers STALKER, ATTACKER and EMPEROR
(Operation
MANNA).
(Note:
Troops, vehicles and stores had been embarked in Alexandria for passage).
25th. Transferred to Eastern Fleet and took
passage to Trincomalee.
November For details of operations in Indian
Ocean see OPERATION PACIFIC by Edwyn
Gray).
20th Covered air attacks by HM Aircraft
Carriers INDOMITABLE and ILLUSTRIOUS on Belawan
Deli with HM Cruisers NEWCASTLE and ARGONAUT screened by five Fleet
Destroyers.
(Note:
Diverted from original target Pangkalan Brandan because of weather).
(Operation
OUTFLANK).
22nd Transferred to
British Pacific Fleet on formation.
(Note:
To be deployed with 4th Cruiser Squadron -see below)
December Eastern Fleet deployment in
continuation.
17th Covered air attacks on oil refineries,
railway and harbour installations at Belewan Deli, Sumatra
by HMS INDOMITABLE and HMS ILLUSTRIOUS with HM Cruisers NEWCASTLE
and ARGONAUT screened by Fleet destroyers (Operation
ROBSON).
1 9 4 5
January
4th Covered air operations by HM Fleet
Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE, INDEFATIGABLE
and VICTORIOUS against oil refineries at Pangkalan
Brendan, Sumatra with HM Cruisers
SUFFOLK, CEYLON, ARGONAUT
screened by Fleet destroyers as Task Force 67.
(Operation
LENTIL).
16th Took passage from
Trincomalee to Pacific theatre with BPF as part of Task Force 63.
24th Covered air strikes by HMS INDOMITABLE,
HMS INDEFATIGABLE, HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS
and HMS VICTORIOUS on Pladjoe oil
refinery, Sumatra, with ships of
TF63 (Operation MERIDIAN ONE).
29th Repeated operation against oil
refineries at Soengi-Gerong and came under KAMIKAZE
suicide attacks. The aircraft were destroyed by naval
aircraft before reaching the
Task
Force
February Passage to Sydney.
On
arrival prepared for joint RN/US operations with 5th US Fleet under US Navy
Command.
March
20th Arrived at Ulithi for deployment with Task Force 57.
23rd Sailed from Ulithi with Task Force 57 for operational area.
(Note:
Task Force 57 comprised: -
HM
Battleships KING GEORGE V (Flagship) and HOWE.
HM
Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE, INDEFATIGABLE, VICTORIOUS
and IMPLACABLE.
HM
Cruisers SWIFTSURE, GAMBIA (RNZN), BLACK PRINCE and
ARGONAUT
(4th Cruiser Sqdn.).
HM Cruiser EURYALUS and destroyers of 24th, 25th and 27th
Flotillas.
26th Covered air operations by British
aircraft carriers against airfields in Sakishima Gunto Group
to with HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, ARGONAUT and EUTYALUS.
28th Operation
ICEBERG).
For
details of ICEBERG operations see TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith, OPERATION
PACIFIC by E
Gray, THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton and WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO)
31st Resumed cover during air operations after refuelling.
April BPF deployment in continuation.
1st Under KAMIKAZE attacks during these
operations during which HMS INDEFATIGABLE and
HM
Destroyer ULSTER were
hit).
6th Resumed covering
duties during flying operations after refuelling.
Under KAMIKAZE attacks.
9th During refuelling diverted with Task
Force 57 ships for attacks on Formosa.
(Operation ICEBERG OOLONG).
11th Operations delayed by weather.
12th Covered air attacks on Formosan
airfields and under air attack.
16th Rejoined US air operations with TF57
against Sakishima Gunto.
20th Returned to Leyte with TF57 for maintenance
and repair of damaged ships.
May
1st Sailed from Leyte to covered air operations by
British carriers.
(Operation ICEBERG II).
(Note:
HM Aircraft Carrier FORMIDABLE had replaced HMS ILLUSTRIOUS).
4th Detached with HM Battleships KING
GEORGE V and HOWE, HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE,
UGANDA,
GAMBIA, EURYALUS and ships of 25th
Destroyer Flotilla as screen
during bombardment at Miyako Shima.
Bombarded
AA defences at Nobara with HMS EURYALUS.
Covered
carrier flying operations and under KAMIKAZE attack.
(Note:
HMS FORMIDABLE was hit with heavy casualties including eight killed).
Assisted
AA defence of TF57 during repeated KAMIKAZE attacks during which HMS
INDOMITABLE
was hit).
9th Under further KAMIKAZE
attacks during which HMS FORMIDABLE was again hit.
12th Resumed covering duties after refuelling
and positioned to give cover against the
expected
KAMIKAZE
attacks.
20th Took over tow of HM Destroyer QUILLIAM
from HM Destroyer NORMAN until arrival of
tug WEASEL
Remained as escort.
25th Withdrew from
operations with ships of TF 57 for Rest and Recuperation period in Sydney.
June During
this period ships of the British Pacific Fleet were transferred to the 3rd US
Fleet when US Navy
command structure changes were made. They were re-designated
as Task Force 37 which comprised:
HM
Battleship KING GEORGE V (Flagship).
HM Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS and IMPLACABLE.
HM
Cruisers BLACK PRINCE, EURYALUS, ACHILLES (RNZN), UGANDA (RCN) and
GAMBIA.
4th Destroyer Flotilla - m
Destroyers UNDINE, URANIA, URCHIN, UNDAUNTED,
QUIBERON (RAN),
QUICKMATCH (RAN), QUALITY (RAN) and
QUADRANT (RAN).
24th Destroyer Flotilla — HM
Destroyers TENACIOUS, TERMAGANT, TERPSICHORE
and TEAZER.
(See
THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton, and OPERATION PACIFIC by Edwyn
Grey
and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO)
28th Sailed for Manus
with Task Force 37 ships.
July Exercised
on passage.
4th Arrived at Manus.
6th Sailed from Manus
to join US 3rd Fleet for joint operations off Japan.
(Preparatory phase of Operation OLYMPIC).
Repair
work after explosion of defective shell in forward mounting delayed her departure.
16th Covered flying operation by British
carriers against targets in the Yokohama -Tokyo area.
17th Covered bombardment operations by
British ships on Tokyo area.
18th Rejoined TF37
carrier group to cover flying operations in rotation with US Navy aircraft carriers.
August Fuel
shortages in British Fleet Train for replenishment of TF37 became apparent.
2nd Deployed with other cruisers of
Squadron as radio communications link between ships of TF37
and US TF38.
9th Rejoined US Task Force ships for
operations off Japan.
Covered operations by Carrier groups on targets in N Honshu and Hokkaido.
12th Returned with TF37 to Manus because of
oil fuel shortage in British Fleet train
tankers.
(Note:
HMS KING GEORGE V, HMS INDEFATIGABLE, HMS GAMBIA, HMS
NEWFOUNDLAND,
HMS TROUBRIDGE, HMS TENACIOUS, HMS TERMAGANT,
HMS
TERPSICHORE, HMS TEAZER, HMS BARFLEUR, HMS NAPIER (RAN),
HMS
NIZAM (RAN),
HMS
WAKEFUL and H M S WRANGLER were retained in operational area as part
of Task Force 38 and re-designated Task Group 38.5.
See
above references).
27th Redeployed under RN control in Task
Group 111.2 and took passage from Subic Bay for Hong Kong.
(Note:
TG111.2 comprised HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE and VENERABLE HM Cruiser
SWIFTSURE and Fleet destroyers).
