RN Cruisers: County Class 1928

[ivorthediver]

Yes I suspect your right Tim , as you say to common to be a one off ....Thanks

[timlewin]

another of Norfolk for you, plus a couple of destroyers in similar paint scheme...

[ivorthediver]

Ok I'm convinced thanks for digging these out , as always greatly received

[timlewin]

the losses at Suda Bay were among the worst the RN suffered anywhere, Crete, and its evacuation were an unmitigated disaster filled with British misjudgement, misunderstanding and mismanagement, following on from the evacuation of Greece mainland, very far from one of our finest defeats. The efforts of the RN to get the troops out were heroic but at terrible cost.
tim

PS Anthony Beevor's book on Crete is worth a read but be prepared to weep.

[ivorthediver]

Thank you for that Tim , not knowing of the detail you mention other than in the broadest terms , it probably would ,but it has always struck me as a total waste of very precious resources for the right reasons but badly carried out , and briskly thwarted by determined enemy .

[timlewin]

here is a typically gung-ho Pathe account of North Cape, which as they admit all happened in the dark of the Arctic night, and thus impossible to film so they used other shots from before/after including some good ones of Norfolk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqVYit7Q1ag
the bit where they talk about slight damage to the mast of DofY rather belittles this event, an 11" shell from Scharnhorst actually passed through the massive tubular structure just grazing it but the blast wave ripped apart the power feed to the search radar, a junior lieutenant climbed the mast and actually held the two ends of the cable together until the battle was brought to a conclusion. A similar tale emanates from Belfast, in those days DC power to the main battery was provided by two big diesel gensets. The genset feeding the forward battery blew its radiator so the seaman on duty took a fire hose and kept it on the engine block with icy sea water until the action subsided.
tim

[ivorthediver]

here is a typically gung-ho Pathe account of North Cape, which as they admit all happened in the dark of the Arctic night, and thus impossible to film so they used other shots from before/after including some good ones of Norfolk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqVYit7Q1ag
the bit where they talk about slight damage to the mast of DofY rather belittles this event, an 11" shell from Scharnhorst actually passed through the massive tubular structure just grazing it but the blast wave ripped apart the power feed to the search radar, a junior lieutenant climbed the mast and actually held the two ends of the cable together until the battle was brought to a conclusion. A similar tale emanates from Belfast, in those days DC power to the main battery was provided by two big diesel gensets. The genset feeding the forward battery blew its radiator so the seaman on duty took a fire hose and kept it on the engine block with icy sea water until the action subsided.
tim

Well Tim , I think most of us would like to think that given a situation of that type we would all aspire to such bravery and disregard for ones own safety ..........and most of us will never know,....... having not endured the circumstance but we can only admire and praise those who performed such unselfish acts of bravery

[designeraccd]

Many of the Counties lost their X turret due to top weight problems caused by additional AA, radars, etc during the war. That was a early reason the stern of the CUMBERLAND, for example, was cut down early on.

The posted late war photo of NORFOLK shows her sans X turret and with the low "bar" camo on her hull; as does this bow view of her at Malta. DFO.

[ivorthediver]

What a beautifully crisp Photo Dennis, as Tim commented at the time of the question asked "Someone will know" and thanks for the info on the rear turret and bar camouflage

Also I note the barrage ballon Trawler[ end on ] in the background too approaching Valetta harbour entrance accompanied by the Destroyer , great shot many thanks .

[Brian James]

County Class Heavy Cruiser HMS Dorsetshire pictured at Susak,Croatia in 1933.