RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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timlewin
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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one of Norfolk....
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Brian James
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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County Class Heavy Cruiser HMS London pictured in 1937.
She was a member of the second group of the County Class Heavy Cruisers.She and her sisters; Sussex, Shropshire, and Devonshire differed from the earlier group of Counties, (known as the Kent class), by having a smaller forward superstructure, which was positioned slightly further aft, and little armour plating.
London was laid down at Portsmouth Dockyard on February 23rd 1926, and later launched on September 14th 1927 and commissioned on January 31st 1929. London served with the 1st Cruiser Squadron until March 1939, and was the flagship of Admiral Max Horton during his time in command of 1st Cruisers. Her flag captain during this time was Henry Harwood.London and her sister ship Shropshire facilitated the evacuation of thousands of civilians from Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. From March 1939 she was under reconstruction at the Chatham Dockyard, and was much altered in appearance. Replacement of her machinery was considered, but later abandoned. She was given a new superstructure above the main deck and in many ways resembled a Crown Colony Class Light Cruiser. Her single 4-inch gun mounts were changed to twin mounts, and several 20mm AA guns and radar were added. In addition, she was fitted with a 3½-inch cemented armoured belt, 8 feet deep down from the main armoured deck which covered the machinery spaces. The reconstruction work was finally completed in March 1941. The refit was planned to be implemented to other ships of the County class, but due to wartime pressures no other ships were reconstructed.
London was involved in the pursuit of the German Battleship Bismarck in May 1941. During this time at sea, many cracks appeared in her upper deck and hull, due to the weight of the new superstructure causing stresses. She entered a commercial Shipyard on the River Tyne in October 1941 and was under repair until February 1942. London then spent from March 1942 to November 1942 in the North Atlantic on convoy protection duties in the company of several US Navy warships. This period of operations in the heavy North Atlantic seas caused hull cracks and popped rivets in her lower hull, necessitating the ship again going into the dry-dock in December 1942 for strengthening of the hull and for the fitting of newer and more refined radar, and of more light Anti-Aircraft guns. This refit rectified her hull and was completed in May 1943, with the ship ready for sea in July. After sea trials and loading of ammunition, she was assigned to operate off the South African coast and then to the Eastern Fleet for the rest of the war.
Following the Second World War, and being the Royal Navy's only modernised 8-inch gun Cruiser, London was refitted for further service in early 1946 to allow her to serve in the postwar fleet. Following the refit she sailed for the far east in 1946 and served there for the next three years on the China
In the spring of 1949 the frigate Amethyst became trapped by advancing Communist Chinese forces up the Yangtze River. London sailed up the river as a show of strength in an attempt to help free the frigate. The Communist forces were not intimidated and took the Cruiser under fire. London returned fire with her 8-inch and 4-inch guns, firing several hundred rounds, but was hit several times. Her two forward 8-inch turrets and "X" turret aft were damaged and rendered inoperable, and her bridge sustained several hits. London retreated down river and returned to Hong Kong for repairs which lasted until the end of July.
London remained in Chinese waters until August 1949, when she was relieved by HMS Kenya, and she returned to the UK in the autumn of 1949. London was surveyed to determine if an extensive repair and refit for further service was feasible, but the condition of her machinery (dating back to 1928 and not replaced during her rebuild in the 1930s), as well as the large crew she required made her too expensive a proposition, given Britain's post war financial difficulties. She was retired to reserve in the River Fal until sold for scrapping in 1950.
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designeraccd
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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How about LONDON in what was becoming Red China? She was no more immune to show batteries than was the light RN light cruiser (name?) that was shot up. :( This modernization of LONDON was quite expensive and not very successful; many further mods were done to make her reasonably seaworthy again. The hull had been strained by the additional tons built onto her. :(


In "honor" of BISMARCK chase, late war pic of NORFOLK! DFO
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jbryce1437
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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designeraccd wrote: Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:42 pm How about LONDON in what was becoming Red China? She was no more immune to show batteries than was the light RN light cruiser (name?) that was shot up. :( DFO
Not sure about a light cruiser, but HMS Amethyst, a Black Swan Class sloop was shot up in the Yangtze Incident.

Jim

amethyst-(1950)-stb.bow.jpg
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HMS Raleigh 1963 , HMS Collingwood 1963 & 67 , HMS Ark Royal 1964-7, HMS Undaunted 1968-71, HMS Victory (Fleet Maintenance Group) 1971-72, HMS Exmouth 1972-74
JEM, EM, OEM, LOEM, POOEL
Then 28 years in the Fire Brigade
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designeraccd
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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I thought it started with A, almost...sorta a very light....uhh...cruiser...oopz! :oops: DFO
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timlewin
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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Actually London was sent up river to try to rescue Amethyst Cdr Kerans, with HMS Black Swan but as you say they were turned back. HMS Consort was also involved and lucky to escape, she was coming down the river from the British Mission in Nanjing (where Kerans was the Naval Attache, he replaced the original Captain who was one of those sadly KIA) as Amethyst was going up. Jim Rae painted a series of superb pictures for me to put into the HMS Belfast 1938-2018 book to celebrate her career, although not directly involved Belfast was the regional flagship and greeted Amethyst when she arrived back to Hong Kong. there is one of London setting off on this abortive mission.
here is the dramatized version on film;-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDoNQY2FFyk

Jim, if you are watching this thread maybe you can post your painting we used.

For those that would like an electronic version of this book its on Amazon and all eBook platforms under the above title.

tim
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ivorthediver
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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timlewin wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 8:30 pm Actually London was sent up river to try to rescue Amethyst Cdr Kerans, with HMS Black Swan but as you say they were turned back. HMS Consort was also involved and lucky to escape, she was coming down the river from the British Mission in Nanjing (where Kerans was the Naval Attache, he replaced the original Captain who was one of those sadly KIA) as Amethyst was going up. Jim Rae painted a series of superb pictures for me to put into the HMS Belfast 1938-2018 book to celebrate her career, although not directly involved Belfast was the regional flagship and greeted Amethyst when she arrived back to Hong Kong. there is one of London setting off on this abortive mission.
here is the dramatized version on film;-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDoNQY2FFyk

Jim, if you are watching this thread maybe you can post your painting we used.

For those that would like an electronic version of this book its on Amazon and all eBook platforms under the above title.

tim
Thanks Tim , a taste of the past thats always welcome and invigorating .
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
Brian James
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Re : RN Cruisers: County Class

Unread post by Brian James »

HMS Cornwall pictured at Honolulu on August 11th 1928.
She was a County Class Heavy Cruiser of the Kent Sub Class built at Royal Devonport Dockyard,Plymouth in 1928.She ship spent most of her pre-World War II career assigned to the China Station. Shortly after the war began in August 1939, she was assigned to search for German Commerce Raiders in the Indian Ocean. Cornwall was transferred to the South Atlantic in late 1939 where she escorted convoys before returning to the Indian Ocean in 1941. She then sank the German Armed Auxiliary Cruiser Pinguin in May. After the start of the Pacific War in December 1941, she began escorting convoys until she was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in March 1942. She was sunk on April 5th by dive bombers from three Japanese Aircraft Carriers during the Indian Ocean Raid. As part of the engagement known as the Easter Sunday Raid, a wave of Aichi D3A dive bombers took off from three Japanese Carriers to attack Cornwall and Dorsetshire, 320 kilometres south-west of Ceylon, and sank the two ships. British losses were 424 men killed; 1,122 survivors spent thirty hours in the water before being rescued by the Light Cruiser Enterprise and two Destroyers.
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timlewin
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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Here is a file of letters home from Adm. Sir James Somerville under whose command Cornwall was lost; these make fascinating reading and give a unique insight to his private feelings about the condition of his fleet and the preparedness of our Naval forces to deal with the Japanese at the time.
When you are the top man its a lonely place to be, there is no one to share your feeling with other than "the wife" at home.

The original of these now reside with the Churchill Archives, I found these copies in a forgotten file left by TTL.
tim
Somerville, Adm Sir James 1942.pdf
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timlewin
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Re: RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

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sorry if they are inverted, but its easy to turn them round on PDF.
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