1
9 1 7
May
Contractors trials.
June
Commissioned.
16th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
On completion of trials and storing took
passage to join Grand Fleet at Scapa
Flow for work-up prior to operational
use.
July
Deployed at Scapa Flow with Grand Fleet.
August
During Grand Fleet deployment grounded
at Fair Isle.
September
Resumed Grand Fleet service.
to
December
1
9 1 8
January
Deployed with Grand Fleet.
to
October
November
Nominated for service in Baltic in
support of defence of countries under
threat from
Bolshevik forces.
11th
Germany agreed to an Armistice.
21st
German High Seas fleet surrendered.
Passage to Baltic
December
Deployed with HM Cruiser CALYPSO in Gulf
of Finland and provided
gunfire
support for Estonian troops under attack
by Bolshevik forces.
26th
Took part in capture of Russian
destroyers AVTROIL and SPARTAK off
Revel with HMS CALYPSO, HM Destroyers
VENDETTA, VORTIGERN
and WAKEFUL.
(Note: The Russian ships surrendered
without returning fire.)
1
9 1 9
January
Passage to UK on relief by 1st Light
Cruiser Squadron.
February
Nominated for service with 3rd Light
Cruiser Squadron and took passage to
join
Mediterranean Fleet.
(Note: HM Cruisers CARDIFF and CALYPSO
were in LCS3.)
March
Deployed with Squadron in Mediterranean
to
(Note: During this period ships of the
Mediterranean Fleet carried out
December
duties as Guardship
to safeguard British interests during
unrest
in Turkey and
Greece.)
1
9 2 0 t
o 1 9 2 2
Mediterranean Fleet deployment with
Squadron in continuation
Recommissioned for
further service in 3rd Light Cruiser
Squadron.
1
9 2 4 t
o 1 9 2 5
Deployed with Squadron in Mediterranean
1
9 2 6
January
Mediterranean Fleet service in
continuation.
to
Nominated for transfer to China Station.
November
(Note: The number of British warships on
the Station was increased after
outbreak of
civil war in China in order to protect
British commercial
interests in
the area.)
December
Passage Singapore and Hong Kong.
1
9 2 7
January
Deployed on China Station
to
Nominated for return to UK to recommission after refit.
June
July
Passage to Mediterranean via Red Sea.
August
Passage from Gibraltar to Sheerness.
De-ammunitioned
prior to refit..
September
Arrived at Chatham.
19th
Paid off and taken in hand for refit by
HM Dockyard, Chatham
October
Under refit.
to
December
1
9 2 8
January
Under refit
to
July
August
Refit in continuation.
Nominated for service with 8th Cruiser
Squadron on the America and
West Indies Station as relief for HM Cruiser DAUNTLESS.
(Note: HMS DAUNTLESS had been badly
damaged after running aground
off Halifax,
NS on 2nd July.)
Recommissioned for
service.
September
Refit completion and storing for foreign
service.
Passage to Portsmouth
October
Prepared for foreign
service.
Took passage from Portsmouth
for Bermuda to join Squadron.
November
Deployed with Squadron for exercises and
visits programme.
to
December
1
9 2 9
Deployment on West
Indies Station in continuation.
(Note: Ships in Squadron visited ports
in West Indies, South America
and on West
ands East coasts of North America.
1
9 3 0
January
Squadron deployment in West Indies in
continuation.
Nominated for return
to UK
on relief by HMS DAUNTLESS.
February
Passage to Portsmouth to pay off.
15th
Arrived at Portsmouth and prepared for
reduction to Reserve status.
March
Passage to Devonport
April
Laid-up in Reserve Fleet at Devonport.
to
Nominated for service with 5th Cruiser
Squadron in China Station.
June
July
Prepared for operational service.
15th
Recommissioned.
August
Shakedown and exercises before passage
to Singapore,
September
Passage to join Squadron.
to
October
November
Joined Squadron and deployed for
protection of British interests and
exercises
with ships on Station.
December
China Station deployment with Squadron
in continuation.
1
9 3 1 t
o 1 9 3 3
Deployed with
Squadron on China
Station.
1
9 3 4
January
Squadron deployment on China Station in
continuation
to
July
August
Nominated for return to UK to pay-off and refit.
September
Passage to Sheerness.
October
Paid off on arrival after de-ammunitioning.
17th
Reduced to Reserve status and destored.
November
Laid-up in Reserve.
to
December
1
9 3 5 t
o 1 9 3 6
Laid-up in Reserve.
1
9 3 7
Under refit
1
9 3 8
January
Under refit.
to
Nominated for service in Reserve Fleet
at Devonport for use as a
June
Boys Training Ship
July
On completion of refit carried out post
refit trials.
August
12th
Deployed in Reserve Fleet, Devonport as
Boys Training Ship
September
Training duties at Devonport in
continuation.
to
December
1
9 3 9
January
Training duties at Devonport in
continuation.
to
Nominated for attendance at Review of
Reserve Fleet by HM King
July
George VI in Weymouth Bay.
August
Commissioned with Reservists for Royal
Review and deployed as
Flagship in 11th
Cruiser Squadron.
Carried out trials
before passage to Weymouth
Bay for Review.
9th
Attended Royal Review and remained in
commission for war service.
Took up War Station
with Channel Force based at Portland.
D
e t a i l
s o
f W a
r S e r v i
c e
(for
more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search
September
Deployed at Portland.
11th
Provided cover for passage of military
convoys to France
carrying BEF.
14th
Deployed at Plymouth
in continuation.
23rd
Returned to Plymouth
after machinery defects.
25th
Taken in hand for repair by HM
Dockyard Devonport.
October
Nominated for trade defence and
interception of blockade runners with
America
and West Indies Squadron.
7th
Took passage from Plymouth for detached service in
West Indies.
12th
Joined HM Battleship REVENGE as escort
for HM Cruisers EMERALD
and
ENTERPRISE during passage to Halifax.
(Note: The cruisers were taking gold
bullion to Canada for safe custody.)
17th
Arrived at Halifax.
18th
Took passage from Halifax to join 8th
Cruiser Squadron in Bermuda..
20th
Arrived at Bermuda and sailed after briefing for interception patrol.
23rd
Intercepted German tanker EMY FRIEDRICH
after sighting report by HM
Cruiser ORION and HM
Destroyer SAGUENAY
(RCN).
(Note: German ship was on passage from Tampico.)
Enemy ship scuttled on approach.
27th
Returned to Bermuda
from patrol with defects.
November
Repair arranged at RCN dockyard, Esquimalt.
Passage to Panama
Canal with call at Kingston, Jamaica.
20th
Arrived at Esquimalt
after Panama Canal transit.
December
Under repair.
1
9 4 0
January
Under repair
to
March
April
15th
Carried out post repair trials and on
completion took passage to resume
Squadron duties.
May
Deployed in Pacific and West Indies for
interception of blockade runners
to
and commerce raiders.
October
November
Deployed in Caribbean area.
11th
Intercepted German blockade runner
RHEIM in Straits
of Florida.
Enemy ship set on fire in order to
prevent boarding after being challenged.
Drifting hulk sunk by gunfire after crew
abandoned
ship.
December
Squadron duties in West Indies in
continuation.
1
9 4 1
January
Squadron duties for patrol and
interception in continuation.
to
Nominated for refit by US Navy Yard,
Brooklyn, New York.
September
October
Passage to New York from Bermuda.
28th
Taken in hand for refit.
November
Under Refit
to
(Note: Close range AA defence was
supplemented by fit of five 20mm
December
Oerlikon guns and preparation for fit of
radar was carried out.)
1
9 4 2
January
Under refit.
February
26th
On completion carried out post refit
trials and shakedown for Atlantic
passage.
March
Passage to Portsmouth for completion of
radar installation.
(Note: Type 286 an RAF Air-Surface radar
for aircraft use which gave
limited
surface and air cover was fitted. For
details of development
and use of
radar by RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse.)
Nominated for
service in 5th Cruiser Squadron,
Eastern Fleet.
April
Passage to Scapa Flow to work-up with
ships of Home Fleet.
May
On completion of work-up took passage
top join Squadron.
June
Retained for convoy defence at
Gibraltar.
(Note: Support of relief convoy to Malta
had reduced number of ships
available for
Atlantic service at Gibraltar.
Not deployed for Operation HARPOON.)
July
Deployed at Gibraltar.
On release took passage via Cape of Good
Hope to join Squadron in
Indian
Ocean.
August
Deployed for trade defence and convoy
escort in Indian Ocean.
Nominated for
support of military occupation of Madagascar.
(Operation STREAM)
September
Deployed with HM Battleship WARSPITE, HM
Cruisers GAMBIA,
BIRMINGHAM, DAUNTLESS, MANXMAN and the
Dutch cruiser
HEEMSKERCK with destroyers of Eastern
Fleet as Force A to provide
naval support
for landings in STREAM..
Nominated for support of landing at Nosi
Be, an island off NW coast
of Madagascar
(Operation ESME (B))
9th
Joined HMS MANXMAN for passage to Nosi
Be.
10th
Provided Royal Marines landing party
which landed at Hellville.
(For details see WAR WITH JAPAN, Volume
III (HMSO).)
Rejoined Force A
October
On release from STREAM took passage to Persian Gulf.
15th
Relieved HM Cruiser CAPETOWN as Persian
Gulf Guardship.
November
Guardship
deployment in Persian Gulf and Arabian
Sea in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 3
January
Deployed in Indian Ocean for convoy
defence.
to
(Note: During this period Radar Type 271
was fitted aft on the
July
superstructure to provide efficient
surface warning
Type 286 was also replaced by RN design
Type 290
which
provided an improved cover against
aircraft.
See above reference.)
August
Transferred to Simonstown
for convoy defence and interception
patrol
in South
Atlantic and southern Indian Ocean.
September
Convoy defence and patrol in
continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 4
January
Indian Ocean trade defence duties in
continuation.
to
February
March
Nominated for withdrawal from
operational service and took passage
to Colombo.
April
Withdrawn from service and deployed as
an Accommodation Ship at
Colombo
May
Accommodation Ship deployment in
continuation.
to
(Note: On 22nd November when British
Pacific Fleet was formed the
December
Flag of CinC Eastern Fleet was
transferred from HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN and transferred to this ship.)
1
9 4 5
January
Accommodation Ship deployment in
continuation.
to
Remained Flagship for East Indies Fleet
August
September
Nominated for return to UK
October
Prepared for return passage.
15th
Sailed from Colombo
for paying-off.
November
Called at Aden.
17th
Took passage for Devonport from Gibraltar
after call in Malta.
25th
At Devonport and Paid-off.
Commenced
de-storing.
December
Reducing to Reserve status at Devonport