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
(for
more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search
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 700 miles NW of
Trinidad.
March
Deployed on convoy defence
and interception in South Atlantic under
US Command.
Ship adopted
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 UK.
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 the 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 Rosyth 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