H. M. S. D I O M E D E
D"
Class cruiser ordered from Victors at Barrow under an Emergency War Programme
in March 1918 and laid
down as Yard No 563
on 3rd June that year. Launched on 29th April 1919 as the 3rd RN ship to carry the name
introduced in 1781
for a 4th Rate broken up in 1815. The ship was transferred after launch to HM
Dockyard at
Portsmouth for completion as an economy measure but was not ready for
acceptance until 24th February 1922. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK
in March 1942 this cruiser was ‘adopted’ by the London Borough of Lambeth
B a t t l e H o n o u r
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 1806
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Green a
White horse rampant with hooves Gold.
M o t t o
Fortibua feroces Fragenture: 'The fierce are broken by the brave’
S u m m a r y o f
S e r v i c e
b e f o r e 1 9 3 9
1 9 2 2
February Contractors trials and
commissioned for trials
28th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
March On completion of trials
commissioned for service with 5th Light Cruiser
Squadron on
the China
Station
Took passage to
Squadron.
April Joined Squadron at Hong
Kong.
May Deployed with Squadron
on China Station.
(Note: Ships of
Squadron carried out trade protection and spent periods at Wei-Hei Wei in
North China
which was leased from China as a base with limited facilities.)
1 9 2 3
Squadron duties
on China Station In continuation.
1 9 2 4
Squadron duties
on China Station In continuation.
Offered to New
Zealand Government for service in the New Zealand Division and to
join sister ship
HMS DUNEDIN which was to replace HM Cruiser CHATHAM in New
Zealand in May
1924 as Flagship of the Division (February).
1 9 2 5
January
Passage to UK and Paid-Off at Portsmouth.
to Refitted prior to
service in New Zealand Division.
August
September Carried out Post Refit Trials.
October
21st Re-commissioned at Portsmouth for
service in New Zealand Division.
November Deployed in UK and prepared for
foreign service.
December Took passage to New Zealand.
1 9 2 6
January
26th Joined New Zealand Division at
Auckland.
February Deployed with Division in
Pacific for visits to Pacific islands and in New
Zealand
to for exercises and
local visits.
December
1 9 2 7 t o 1 9 2 8
New Zealand
Division deployment in continuation.
1 9 2 9
Passage to UK
to Pay-Off and refit for further service in New Zealand Division.
Taken in hand
for refit by HM Dockyard, Chatham.
1 9 3 0
January Under refit
to
August
September Carried out Post Refit Trials
October
16th Re-commissioned for service with
New Zealand Division.
November Worked-up and prepared for foreign service.
December Passage to Auckland
1 9 3 0 t o 1 9 3 4
Deployed in
Pacific and locally in New Zealand.
1 9 3 5
January New Zealand Division
deployment in continuation.
to Nominated for
detached service with East Indies Squadron.
August (Note: This deployment was
made after the Italian invasion of Abyssinia.)
September Passage to Indian Ocean.
October Deployed at Aden for
blockade duties and protection of trade in Red Sea and the
to Indian Ocean.
December
1 9 3 6
January Aden deployment in
continuation.
February Nominated for return to UK to
Pay-Off and reduce to Reserve status.
March Passage to Chatham.
31st Paid-Off.
(Note:
Ship's Company transferred to HM Cruiser ACHILLES.)
April Reduced to Reserve
status at Chatham
to On completion
Joined Chatham Reserve Fleet.
December
1 9
3 7
January Deployed in Reserve Fleet
at Chatham.
to Nominated for training of
Reservists.
June
July
29th Re-commissioned with reduced
complement for training duties
August Deployed at Chatham
to
December
1 9 3 8
January Training deployment at
Chatham in continuation.
to Nominated for
transfer to Devonport for training duties
June
Passage to Plymouth.
July Deployed at
Devonport for training duties in Reserve Fleet
to Nominated for deployment at Portsmouth as tender to Signal
School after refit.
December (Note: To be fitted with new
design aircraft warning radar equipment Type 79Z for
development
trials.)
1 9 3 9
January Passage to Portsmouth and
taken in hand for refit.
to
February
March Under refit
to Deployment as
Signal School Tender cancelled.
June (Note: Development
model, Radar Type 79Z was fitted in HM Cruiser CURLEW for
trials and became the third RN ship to
be fitted with "RDF" equipment for
operational
use.)
July Brought up to
complement with Reservists for the Review of Reserve Fleet by HM King
George VI in
Weymouth Bay.
August Passage to Portland and attended Review.
. 9th Attended Royal Review in
Weymouth Bay.
Took passage
to Scapa Flow to Join 7th Cruiser Squadron for war service after
embarking ammunition and war stores.
Complement
completed.
Sailed for
first Northern Patrol duty from Scapa Flow.
D e t
a i 1 s
o f W a r S e r v
i c e
September Deployed on Northern Patrol
based at Scapa Flow.
(Note: This
was introduced to interception of German shipping attempting to return
to Germany and commerce raiders on passage to Atlantic Ocean.
For details of Northern Patrol duties see THE BLOCKADERS by K Poolman)
October Transferred to Sullom
Voe in continuation of Patrol duties.
November
Northern Patrol duty in continuation.
8th Sailed from Sullom
Voe.
12th Sustained weather damage.
15th Returned for repair.
17th Resumed Northern Patrol duties.
23rd Established patrol line off North
Rona during search for the German battlecruisers
SCHARNHORST and
GNEISENAU after sinking of HM Armed Merchant Cruiser
RAWALPINDI.
December Northern Patrol duty in
continuation.
16th Returned to Scapa Flow from Patrol
20th Taken in hand for repair and refit
at Devonport.
1 9 4 0
January Under refit
10th On completion took passage to
rejoin Northern Patrol.
16th Sailed for Patrol from Scapa Flow.
25th Transferred to 8th Cruiser
Squadron in West Indies.
(Note: This
Class of cruiser had been found unsuitable for deployment in northern waters).
Took passage
from Scapa Flow to Devonport.
Prepared for
foreign service at Devonport.
February Took passage to West
Indies on completion.
Deployed with
HM Cruisers DESPATCH and PERTH for trade protection and interception
off east coast
of Brazil and Caribbean area.
Based at
Bermuda.
March West Indies patrol and
interception deployment in continuation.
to
September
October Under refit at Bermuda.
November On completion resumed
interception and trade protection duties in West Indies area baaed at
to Bermuda.
December
1 9 4 1
January West Indies area trade and
protection and interception patrol in continuation.
to
June
July Under refit at
Bermuda
to
August
September On completion of trials transferred
to Pacific Ocean for defence of trade and patrol
to Deployed off west
coasts of North and South American continents.
November Assumed duty as Flagship of 8th
Cruiser Squadron.
December Returned to West Indies for
trade defence and Interception in Caribbean area.
9th Intercepted Blockade Runner
IDARWALD after report from USS BROOME
. Enemy ship scuttled
after being boarded.
1 9 4 2
January Convoy defence and
interception duty in continuation.
February Nominated for detached duty
under US command when 8th Cruiser Squadron disbanded
Took passage to South Atlantic.
20th Joined US South Atlantic Command
for deployment in defence of Falkland Islands.
(Note: This
was an additional measure taken after Japanese entry into WW2).
Rescued
survivors of ss SCOTTISH STAR torpedoed 7OO miles NW
of Trinidad.
March Deployed on convoy
defence and interception in South Atlantic under US Command.
Ship 'adopted1 by the civil
community of the London Borough of Lambeth following a
successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign.
April South Atlantic
deployment under US Command in continuation.
to
July
August Developed propulsion
machinery defect in port turbine
Withdrawn
from operational service
September Passage to IK.
October Taken in hand for repair
at Rosyth
November Under repair by m Dockyard,
Rosyth.
to Surface warning
radar Type 273 and air warning radar Type 291 fitted.
December Close range defence improved
by fit of 20mm Oerlikon guns on th
upper deck.
(For details
of development and use of radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse).
1 9 4 3
January Under refit
to
April
May Post refit trials.
June Deployed with Home
Fleet pending decision about future use.
to (Note: Not
deployed for Fleet interception duties in view of limitations due to age
July Surface armament was outdated, with poor
armour protection).
August Nominated for training
duties at Rosyth after refit.
to Under conversion
at Chatham to suit new deployment.
September Deployed as Training Ship
for Direct Entry "Y" Scheme officer
candidates.
(Note:
These were ratings selected for promotion before sea service and who had the
necessary educational qualification for commissioned rank in the RNVR)
1 9 4 4
January Training duties at Roayth in continuation.
to
July
August Under refit at Rosyth.
to Torpedo tubes
moved.
September
October Resumed training duties.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Training duties in
continuation.
to
August
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
HMS DIOMEDE reduced to Reserve status at Devonport in October 1945 and laid up at
Falmouth in unmaintained
Reserve until sold to BISCO on 5th April 1946 for breaking up by Arnott Young at Dalmuir.
Whilst on passage to the breaker's yard she
grounded during tow off Penzance but was refloated.
The ship arrived
on 13th May 1946 and broken-up later that year. In 1969 this name was again
used for a "LEANDER" Class
General Purpose Frigate, launched by Yarrow Shipbuilders on 15th April 1969.
