1
9 3 9
July
Commissioned
from Reserve for service in Home Fleet
and manned by Reservists.
August
Attended
Royal Review by HM King George 6th in Weymouth
Bay.
Remained
in commission and
nominated for
service on Northern Patrol in 7th
Cruiser Squadron.
On
completion of storing and with
additional complement for war service
took
passage to join
Squadron in Scapa
Flow.
Deployed
for patrol in NW Approaches to intercept
of German
mercantiles
returning to Germany
and commerce
raiders attempting to enter Atlantic.
September
3rd
Blockade duties authorised and patrol
continued.
(For
details of blockade activities see THE
BLOCKADERS by C Hampshire.)
October
Northern Patrol with Squadron
in continuation.
November
Future
deployment under consideration as war
experience had shown this Class of
cruiser was
unsuited for service in northern waters
because
of weather conditions.
December
18th
Withdrawn from
Northern Patrol.
21st
Taken in hand for weather damage repair
and refit at Chatham.
1
9 4 0
January
Under refit.
Nominated
for duty in South Atlantic..
February
Under refit.
Deployment
changed to Mediterranean.
26th
Carried out post refit trials on
completion of dockyard work..
March
Prepared
for foreign service
in 3rd Cruiser Squadron.
6th
Passage to Mediterranean
from Portland
to Join
Squadron.
April
Deployed
in Mediterranean
for Contraband Control.
May
Transferred
to 4th Cruiser Squadron for convoy
defence in Indian
Ocean.
28th
Nominated for refit in Durban
and took passage from Aden.
(Note:
After the later outbreak of war with Italy
it was evident that this
Class
of cruiser was
unsuitable
for operations in the Mediterranean
because of lack of an
adequate AA
defence - See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett).
June
Under repair at Durban.
Transferred to South
Atlantic Station for convoy defence.
July
Deployed
on convoy defence In Atlantic.
Taken in hand for
repair in Lagos,
Nigeria.
August
4th
On completion
escorted convoy to Durban.
September
Passage
to Simonstown
to resume duty in West African waters.
16th
Captured French ship TOUREG off West
Africa.
21st
Joined Force M with CUMBERLAND
for support of French
landings at Dakar.
(Operation
MENACE - For full details see
MENACE By A Marder
and the Naval
Staff
History).
23rd
Deployed with HM Battleship BARHAM, HM Aircraft
Carrier
ARK
ROYAL, HM
Cruisers
DEVONSHIRE,
CUMBERLAND,
DELHI,
AUSTRALIA
(RAN) and ten
destroyers
during disastrous operations at Dakar
operation.
Sank
Vichy French submarine PERSEE with HM
Destroyers INGLEFIELD and
FORESIGHT.
Hit
by shore battery fire during bombardment
operations..
24th
Bombarded shore batteries until Force
M withdrew when operation abandoned.
October
9th
Deployed In
support of Free French landings at Duala.
(See
above references).
November
3rd
Returned to Freetown
and resumed convoy defence
duties in South Atlantic.
December
18th
Diverted from patrol to join search off
St
Helena
for German cruiser ADMIRAL
SCHEER
with HM
Aircraft
Carrier HERMES and HM Armed Merchant
Cruiser
PRETORIA
CASTLE
after
sinking of ss
DUQUESA.
(For
details of searches for German raiders
in Atlantic
see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE
CLOSELY).
1
9 4 1
January
Deployed
in South
Atlantic for convoy defence.
to
August
September
Under refit by HM Dockyard, Simonstown.
October
Nominated
for duty with 5th Cruiser Squadron in East Indies
on completion of refit.
Took passage to Join
Squadron after sea trials.
November
Joined
Squadron for convoy defence in Indian Ocean.
Deployed for escort
of ss
AWATEA from Singapore.
26th
Met military convoy WS12 which was on
passage to Singapore
escorted by HM Cruiser
GLASGOW.
Took over escort
of mv
DOMINION MONARCH and ss
EMPRESS OF CANADA from
HMS GLASGOW
(Note: ss
AWATEA took passage with HMS GLASGOW for
passage to Colombo.
)
Escorted ships from
WS12V to Singapore.
28th
Detached on arrival at Singapore.
29th
Escorted troopship carrying the
survivors from HM Battleship PRINCE OF WALES
and
HM
Battlecruiser REPULSE to Colombo
with HM Cruiser DURBAN
and HM Australian
Destroyer VAMPIRE.
December
After
outbreak of war with Japan
deployed on escort of
convoys between Singapore
and
Sunda
Strait.
For
details of naval activities in Indian Ocean and East Indies area after the
outbreak of
war
with Japan
see OPERATION PACIFIC by E
Gray and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO).).
1
9 4 2
January
Transferred
to ABDA Command for convoy defence in Dutch East Indies
area.
Escorted
convoy taking reinforcement troops from
Ceylon
to Singapore.
5th
Embarked CinC (Vice Admiral G Layton)
and staff officers at Singapore
for passage
to Batavia
from Singapore.
Based at Batavia
with ABDA
ships.
16th
Took passage from Singapore
to Colombo.
20th
Diverted during passage to join British
China Force for escorted of military
convoys
between Sunda
Strait
and Singapore.
Deployed with HM
Cruisers DANAE and DURBAN,
six
destroyers and RIN Sloops.
February
Part
of Western Striking Force based at Tanjong
Priok with
HM Australian Cruiser HOBART,
HMS DANAE, HM
Destroyer SCOUT and HM Destroyer
TENEDOS.
Escorted Australian
SJ/JS
convoys to Sunda
Strait
.
6th
Relieved HM Australian Cruiser CANBERRA
with HMS DURBAN as escort
for Convoy M53
to Singapore
from Christmas
Island.
11th
Relieved HI Cruiser DORSETSHIRE with HM
Destroyer ENCOUNTER as escort for Convoy
JS2 to Oosthaven.
15th
Deployed as part of Western Striking
Force for defence duty off Western Java to intercept
Japanese invasion
craft.
26th
Carried out Unsuccessful
search in Banka
- Bilintong
area for invasion fleet.
2?th
Withdrawn
from area and transferred to Colombo.
28th
Passage to Colombo
with HMS DANAE, HMAS HOBART,
HMS SCOTT and HMS TENEDOS
March
Deployed
with East
Indies ships at Colombo.
31st
Joined HM Battleships RESOLUTION,
RAMILLIES, ROYAL SOVEREIGN and REVENGE
with HM
Cruiser CALEDON and the Dutch cruiser
JACOB VAN
HEEMSKERCK to form
Force
B of Eastern Fleet with older
destroyers.
Deployed
west of Force A during search for
Japanese naval units reported to
be on passage
towards Ceylon.
April
Deployed
with Force B and transferred to Kilindini,
Kenya.
(Note:
Colombo was considered unsafe because of its
vulnerability to air attack
Escorted military
convoys in Indian
Ocean prior to Madagascar
landings.
May
Deployed
in Indian
Ocean
for convoy defence.
June
Under repair at Simonstown.
July
Withdrawn
from operational service and took
passage to UK.
August
Taken
in hand for refit at Chatham.
to
September
October
Transferred
to Liverpool
for completion of work.
November
Under repair in Liverpool.
to
(Note: During refit extensive changes
were made including removal of No 6in
gun,
December
both
forward 4in mountings. These were
replaced by 2pdr Pom-Pom
mountings for Close
Range
AA defence. In addition radar equipment
was fitted for fire-control, for
surface
warning and
for aircraft warning.)
Transfer
on loan to Poland
under consideration.
1
9 4 3
January
Under
refit.
to
Loan to Poland
approved and ship to be
renamed ORP DRAGON.
July
August
Carried
out Post refit trials.
to
Prepared for operational service
September
Formal transfer to Polish Navy
S
e r v i
c e u n d e
r P o l i
s h C o m m
a n d
October
Joined
Home Fleet for convoy defence duty.
November
Under repair in Tyne
commercial
shipyard.
December
On
completion resumed Home Fleet duties
31st
Deployed at Greenock.
1
9 4 4
January
Home
Fleet Atlantic convoy defence with 10th
Cruiser Squadron in continuation..
February
Deployed
with Home Fleet units providing cover
for passage of Russian convoys.
(Note:
Some sources suggest part of escort for
Murmansk Convoy JW57 and this is
supported
by award of
Battle Honour ARCTIC 1944. However
although
there is no dispute
about service
off Normandy,
no Battle Honour
NORMANDY
1944
was awarded.
Possibly
this was because the ship was then a
Polish warship.)
March
Atlantic
and North Sea
convoy defence In
continuation.
Nominated
for support of planned allied landings
in Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE)
Allocated
for service in Bombarding Force D.
April
Under refit at Chatham
to suit
deployment in Force D.
May
Further
changes made to armament included:
Installation of twin
4in AA gun mounting in place of after
Pom-Pom.
Addition of 20mm Oerlikon guns and two 4
Barrelled Pom Pom
mountings
abreast
funnels.
15th
On completion rejoined Squadron in Home
Fleet
21st
Joined HM Battleships WARSPITE and
RAMILLIES, H M Monitor ROBERTS, HM
Cruisers
MAURITIUS,
ARETHUSA,
FROBISHER and DANAE of Force D in Clyde.
26th
Took part in bombardment exercises on Cape
Wrath range with Force D
ships to prepare for
support of
landings in SWORD
Beach
area.
Nominated
target in Pre-Arranged Fire Plan - 105mm
Gun Battery at Colleville-sur
Orne.
28th
Returned to
Assembly area in Clyde
with Force
D.
(For
details of naval activities before and
during Normandy
landings see LANDINGS
IN NORMANDY,
June 1944
(HMSO) and OPERATION NEPTUNE
by K
Edwards).
June
2nd
Passage to Solent
area from Clyde.
(Ships
in company were HM Battleships WARSPITE,
RAMILLIES, HM Monitor ROBERTS,
HM
Cruisers MAURITIUS, ARETHUSA, DANAE
, FROBISHER
screened by HM Destroyers
SAUMAREZ,
SCORPION, SCOURGE, SERAPIS, SWIFT,
VERULAM, VIRAGO, KELVIN
Norwegian
destroyers STORD, SVENNER, Polish
destroyer SLAZAK, HM Escort Destroyers
EGLINTON and
MIDDLETON.)
4th
Operation delayed for 24 hours.
5th
Formed Convoy S6 with ships of Force
D and took passage through swept channel
to Beach
Head
firing area
escorted by HM Destroyers SAUMAREZ and
SWIFT, H M Norwegian
Destroyers STORD and
SVENNER, and HM Frigates ROWLEY and
HOLMES.
6th
Bombarded gun battery at Calleville-sur-Orne
in accordance
with fire plan.
Battery
was destroyed.
7th
Bombarded shore battery off Trouville
which returned fire causing
three injuries.
Relieved
by HMS ROBERTS and deployed for further
bombardments.
Passage to Portsmouth
to
replenish ammunition.
8th
Returned to beachhead
and bombarded positions at Houlgate.
9th
Passage to Portsmouth
to
replenish ammunition.
11th
Landed casualties
and returned to beachhead after
replenishment.
12th
Provided Naval
Gunfire support to military operations
at Orne
and Varaville.
13th
Provided further
gunfire support on request.
14th
Gunfire Support in continuation.
to
17th
18th
Took passage
to Portsmouth
with HM Battleship NELSON
during which the battleship was
damaged after
detonating a mine.
Landed
casualties and taken in hand for repair
work.
July
Retained
for bombardment duties on completion of
repair.
(Note:
Operation NEPTUNE
terminated on 24th June.)
7th
Took passage to
beachhead area from Spithead
on completion of repairs.
(Note:
One source states ship carried out
bombardments in support of operations in
Caen
area with HM
Battleship RODNEY, HM Monitors EREBUS
and
ROBERTS, HM
Cruisers
EMERALD, ARGONAUT and ENTERPRISE
on 4th July.)
8th
Hit by One Man
Torpedo (NEGER) and badly damaged.
For
details of development of submarine
weapons see SEEK AND
STRIKE by W
Hackmann
and THE
TORPEDOMEN by A Poland).
Torpedo
exploded on port side between funnels
and detonated content of magazine.
37
of ships company
were killed and several others
injured.
9th
Taken in tow by tugs and beached off Arromanches.
Opened fire with AA
armament during air attacks in area.
Majority
of ships company
evacuated for return to UK.
11th
Declared constructive total loss and
used as part of artificial harbour.
16th
Remainder of ship’s company left ship.