RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Add your posts about Royal Navy ships in this section
Brian James
Posts: 8764
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:58 am

RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by Brian James »

Crown Colony-Class Light Cruiser HMS Uganda pictured underway on October 14th 1944, just prior to her transfer to the Royal Canadian Navy. She served in the Pacific theatre in 1945, placed in reserve in 1947 then reactivated for the Korean War in 1952 as HMCS Quebec.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
ivorthediver
Posts: 3659
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:42 pm
Location: Cambridge Shore Battery

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by ivorthediver »

A fine looking vessel if ever there was Brian , thanks again for such a good photo
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
timlewin
Posts: 916
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:18 pm

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by timlewin »

a rare one of Nigeria torpedoed in the luckiest spread of the War. The Italian submarine Axum attacking the Pedestal convoy to Malta fired four torpedoes, one sunk the old cruiser Cairo, the next hit the vital taker Ohio but not mortally, and the third hit Nigeria. She was saved and managed to make it back to Gib and survive. Admiral Burrough transferred his flag, and staff, focsle to quarterdeck, to Ashanti from where they completed the delivery of the convoy, what was left of it, but Malta was saved. the drawing by CE Turner was a double page spread in the Illustrated London News and shows the convoy being handed over to local forces with the Ashantis cheering them on, note Adm. Burrough's flag at the forepeak. Turner was a retired Commander and knew every detail of his ships. The picture is not totally accurate being based on censored reports.
tim
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
ivorthediver
Posts: 3659
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:42 pm
Location: Cambridge Shore Battery

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by ivorthediver »

Memorable pictures Tim , and thanks for letting us share them with you , as without these photo's the history of it all passes to oblivion and those who died would be forgotten , so maybe not of interest to the general Public .........but certainly to those on this forum who care about all that went before them .
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
User avatar
jbryce1437
Posts: 1879
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2018 7:28 pm
Location: Roker, Sunderland

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by jbryce1437 »

The Colony Class comprised 11 light cruisers, all named after Crown Colonies, the first 8 were referred to as Fiji Class and the remaining 3 referred to as Ceylon Class as follows:
Fiji, Nigeria, Gambia, Mauritius, Kenya, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Bermuda.
Ceylon, Uganda and Newfoundland
Fiji and Trinidad were war losses.

Some photos of the Class:


Fiji
fiji alexandria.jpg
fiji-(1939)-stb.side.jpg
hms fiji aug 1940 cru.jpg
hms fiji 1941.jpg

Nigeria
hms nigeria at malta 61946.jpg
hms nigeria during ww2 no date.jpg
hms nigeria,at malta 61946,-passing hms moon.jpg
hms Nigeria1.jpg

Gambia
Gambia Gib.jpg
gambia at malta.jpg
gambia-(1935)-pt.side.jpg
5481paying_off2a[1].jpg

Mauritius
hms mauritius 44.jpg
hms mauritius dec 1942.jpg
hms mauritius at malta seen fresh out of refit and modernisationdated 51946.jpg
mauritius-1954.jpg

Kenya
hms kenya [1].jpg
hms kenya 2.jpg
hms Kenya 1957.jpg
hms kenya ros may 58.jpg

Trinidad
hms trinidad.jpg
Trinidad (1943) pt.qtr..jpg
trinidad-(1941)-stb.bow ply.jpg
trinidad-(1941)-stb.qtr. ply.jpg

Jamaica
hms jamaica arriving portsmouth in reserve fleet livery.jpg
hms jamaica.jpg
HMS%20Jamaica%20pic%2010[1].jpg
kingsto n hms jamaica 1939[1].jpg

Bermuda
bermuda[12].jpg
bermuda Port Said on 15 May 1953.jpg
bermuda3.jpg
bermuda1.jpg
HMSBermuda simonstown 1951.jpg
bermuda 1941[1].jpg

Ceylon
ceylon at malta.jpg
ceylon decommissions 1959[1].jpg
ceylon1.jpg
hms ceylon,during ww2.jpg

Uganda
HMS Uganda (1944) pt.bow.jpg
hms uganda during ww2 no date.jpg
uganda[1].jpg
Uganda%20as%20Canadian%20Quebec[1].jpg

Newfoundland
hms newfoundland during ww2 undated.jpg
newfoundland singapore.jpg
newfoundland with comus alongside.jpg
newfoundland-(1948)-vallett ply.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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
Retired since 2002
User avatar
ivorthediver
Posts: 3659
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:42 pm
Location: Cambridge Shore Battery

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by ivorthediver »

Thanks Jim , cracking photo's , thanks for sharing them with us all . :)
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
User avatar
Little h
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:53 pm

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by Little h »

Bermuda C52; with a screen provided by Battle Class Destroyers of the 1st DS and Super Battles of the 7th DS

1st DS & Bermuda + 1 other battle class destroyer sqdn med 60-61.jpg

The 2nd paragraph in the following excerpt almost certainly refers to the ' V ' formation shown on the attachment above.... except to say that the two squadrons of Battles were formed on Bermuda - not at the head but her as the 'main body' in the centre of the ' V ' - "Chief Stoker see me in the Admiral's Bridge" comes to mind:-

----------------

Mustn't get too ahead of ourselves as its only Monday morning, the 16th of January 1961 and it's a leisurely start to the week as the last lines were hauled inboard at 1030 to allow BERMUDA to follow TRAFALGAR and JUTLAND out of harbour. A rapid run up and down the Measured Mile soon gave way to a tracking exercise as preparations were made to take DUNKIRK in tow. After the tow was done and hawsers had been recovered BERMUDA then shot at splash targets being towed by CAMPERDOWN and SOLEBAY to pass the remaining hours of light. As darkness fell the island of Filfla began to tremble as the triple 6" guns in 'A' & 'B' turrets commenced a two hour bombardment. It finished just as a vessel was observed to be on fire. SAINTES was detached to investigate. It turned out to be in a fishing vessel - I wonder if it was the one that was in BERMUDA's line of fire last Thursday - and was quickly extinguished prior to the tug SEA GIANT taking it in tow. A destroyer screen around BERMUDA took the ships through the night of 16/17 January.

The forenoon saw the ships in AA firing exercises as well as squaring off the upper-deck in readiness to take centre-stage. At 1300 BERMUDA took up station at the head of the 'V' formation of ships of the 1st and 7th Destroyer Squadrons for a photo's session before returning to harbour in the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday.

Source of the excerpt is is a page titled HMS BERMUDA 1961 - In the Mediterranean then Home Fleet ........... in the gangestoterror.org site.

_________________________________


... and why my interest - well I was in Camperdown D32 in the 1st DS and was on board during the evolutions described. The image is one of a set of four(?) purchased by me after - completion of the manoeuvres; aerial photographs processed; and the distribution of same for sale to participating ships.

----------------

Oh and my late cousin was onboard Bermuda at the time.
z img221.jpg

(he on the left as you look at photo - before he qualified as a submariner)

----------------

Bermuda C52; with Camperdown D32 on a PASSEX on her stbd side
HMS Bermuda img115.jpg

-----------------
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Little h
User avatar
jbryce1437
Posts: 1879
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2018 7:28 pm
Location: Roker, Sunderland

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by jbryce1437 »

Thanks for the input Harry. When still at school I went onboard Bermuda when she paid a visit to Sunderland c1961 and remember sitting in one of the open gun mountings and couldn't help thinking how tatty the red seat coverings were in there, they were torn at the edges ;-)

Jim
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
Retired since 2002
User avatar
Little h
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:53 pm

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by Little h »

I quite believe that Jim.

I only went aboard once to visit my cousin in his messdeck (mess on port side 'around' 'A' gun IIRC) and although very spacious compared to the Battle Class Destroyers I'd been on, as you say her fixtures certainly showed signs of age. Word on the Bermuda was that her hull leaked like a sieve.
Little h
timlewin
Posts: 916
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:18 pm

Re: RN Cruisers: Crown Colony Class

Unread post by timlewin »

when TTL was in HMYB I can remember these ships up the trot in reserve at Portsmouth, or they might have been just moored to a buoy (there were masses of ships at Portsmouth back then) I am sure Bermuda might have been one of them?? that would have been 1957-ish and I was 10 years old, we used to go sailing in the yacht's RNSA 14. A 14' clinker dinghy so robustly built it needed a force 5 to move, they were usually stowed on deck so needed to be tough as old boots, replaced in approx. 1960 by the much lighter but equally robust fibreglass Bosun, I wonder where they all went in retirement? in 1962-ish TTL had moved on to F17, Urchin/Tenby and we as a family moved to South Milton, between Salcombe and Kingsbridge and handy for either Plymouth or Dartmouth. Dad deputed two midshipmen, volunteers, to sail one of these sterling little boats from Plymouth to Salcombe so he/me could use it over the summer hols whenever possible. This was about 21 miles, a long sail in a small boat up the Channel. We were easy to spot as someone had let the top 4 feet of the sail dip over the side into FFO when tied to a boom alongside so that part was indelibly black.

Sorry, rambling.

Trinidad was famously the cruiser that torpedoed itself, there is an excellent book "The Ship that Torpedoed itself" (think by Frank Pearce) which I highly recommend, she was trying to sink a Narvik Class destroyer in the Arctic she had already severely damaged by 6" gunfire when the torpedo malfunctioned, turned 180 degrees, and ran back to hit Trinidad amidships. She survived to reach Murmansk where she was drydocked at Rosta and repaired with plates brought out by Edinburgh (soon to be lost herself) the plates were welded to lengths of railway line purloined from under snow in the DY at Rosta but sadly Trinidad was caught by bombers on her way home. Struck by 3 huge bombs just forrard of the bridge she took fire that in gale conditions soon burned out of control. Her escorting destroyers nosed up alongside her quarterdeck and took off her people which included Adm Bonham Carter who is reported to have asked a group of sailors if he could sit with them and apologised if they thought he was a bit of a Jonah, Trinidad being the third ship to go down under him. Trinidad and Edinburgh, linked by this common history, were the only two cruisers to be lost in the Arctic.

tim
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Royal Navy”