Fiji-class cruiser

Nigeriain 1943
Class overview
Name	Fijiclass
Operators	Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy Royal New Zealand Navy Indian Navy Peruvian Navy
Preceded by	Didoclass,Townclass
Succeeded by	Minotaurclass
Subclasses	Fiji Ceylon
Built	1938–1943
In commission	1940–1985
Completed	11
Lost	2
Scrapped	9
General characteristics
Class and type	Light cruiser
Displacement	8,530long tons(8,670t) standard 10,450 long tons (10,620 t) full load Later 10,830–11,090 long tons (11,000–11,270 t) full load
Length	555 ft 6 in (169.32 m) (o/a) 538 ft (164 m) (p/p)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draught	16 ft 6 in (5.03 m)
Installed power	4Admiralty 3-drum boilers 72,500shp(54,100kW)
Propulsion	4 shafts; 4 gearedsteam turbines
Speed	31.5knots(58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph)
Range	10,100nmi(18,700 km; 11,600 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	730 920 war time
Armament	Fijigroup: 12 ×BL 6 in (152 mm) Mark XXIII gunsin 4 triple mountings Mark XXI 8 ×QF 4 in (102 mm) Mark XVI gunsin 4 twin mountings Mark XIX 8 ×QF 2 pdr (40 mm) Mark VIII "pom-pom"in 2 quad mountings Mark VII 2 × triple21 in (533 mm) tubes for torpedoes Mark IX Ceylongroup: 9 × BL 6 in (152 mm) Mark XXIII guns in 3 triple mountings Mark XXI 8 × QF 4 in (102 mm) Mark XVI guns in 4 twin mountings Mark XIX 12 × QF 2 pdr (40 mm) Mark VIII in 3 quad mountings Mark VII 2 × triple 21 in (533 mm) tubes for torpedoes Mark IX
Armour	Belt3+1⁄2–3+1⁄4in (89–83 mm) Bulkheads2–1+1⁄2in (51–38 mm) Turrets 2–1 in (51–25 mm) Ring bulkheads 1 in (25 mm) max
Aircraft carried	TwoSupermarine Walrusaircraft (removed by 1944, never fitted inFijiorKenya)

TheFiji-class cruiserswere aclassof elevenlight cruisersof theRoyal Navythat saw extensive service throughout theSecond World War.Each ship of the class was named after aCrown colonyor other constituent territory of theBritish Commonwealth and Empire.The class was also known as theColony class,orCrown Colony class.Developed as more compact versions of the precedingTown-class cruisers,the last three were built to a slightly modified design and were sometimes also called theCeylonclass.

Design

They were built to the limitations that the 1936Second London Naval Treatyimposed on cruisers, which lowered the limit for a light cruiser set in the 1922Washington Naval Treatyfrom 10,000 tons to 8,000 tonsdisplacement.Externally they appeared as smaller derivatives of the 1936Town-class cruisers.

TheFiji-class cruisers however, like theMinotaurclassthat followed in the middle of the war, essentially carried the same armament on a 1,000-tons less displacement. TheFijiandMinotaurclasses were very tight designs, built largely in war emergency conditions with little margin for any great updating postwar. The 62-foot (19 m)beamimposing crippling limits.

TheFijiclass were distinguishable from the Towns as they had atransomstern and straightfunnelsandmasts;those of the Towns being raked. The armour scheme was revised from that of the Towns; the mainbeltnow protected the ammunition spaces for the 6-inch (150 mm) guns but the belt itself was reduced to 3.5 and 3.25 in (89 and 83 mm) in the machinery spaces. The6-inch Mk XXIIIgun turretsand ammunition spaces were laid out as per theEdinburghgroup of the Town class, except the after turrets were positioned a deck lower as in theSouthamptonandGloucestergroups. The long turret version of the triple 6-inch gun fitted to theFijiclass were 25 tons heavier than the 150-ton turret on the Group 1 & 2 Towns and further cramped the design. The supply of ammunition to the 4-inch (102 mm) guns was also improved, dispensing with the complicated conveyor system.

Due to the limited size of theFijiclass, a number of the ships had their'X' turretremoved to fit additional lightanti-aircraft(AA) guns. Ships of the first group were equipped with theHigh Angle Control System(HACS) for secondary armament AA fire while theCeylongroup used theFuze Keeping Clockfor AA fire control. Both groups used theAdmiralty Fire Control Tablefor surface fire control of the main armament and theAdmiralty Fire Control Clockfor surface fire control of the secondary armament.By the late 1940s most of theFijiclass had the updatedType 274'lock and follow' surface fire control radar, which massively increased the chance of hits from the opening salvoes. In the 1950s (except during theKorean WarandSuez crisis) no more than one of the MKXIII turrets was ever manned, with 'B' and 'Y' turrets mothballed due to the large number of crew required for their operation. This allowed for more liveable peacetime conditions by operating with a crew of 610–750 rather than the full wartime crew of 1,000–1,100.

Modifications

The addition ofradarsets meant that spotting aircraft were now surplus to requirements,allowing the removal of the aircraft facilities andcatapult.Not only did this provide additional accommodation spaces for enlarged wartime crews, but there was no longer the need to carry large quantities of volatile aviation fuel; in 1940,Liverpoolhad herbowblown off when a torpedo detonated the 5,700 gallons of aviation fuel stored forwards and was out of action for a year.FijiandKenyahad never received the catapult,Nigeriahad hers removed in 1941 and the other ships had theirs removed between 1942 and 1944.

TheCeylongroup were completed without 'X' 6-inch turret, and between 1944 and 1945, those ofBermuda,Jamaica,MauritiusandKenyawere also removed. This allowed the carriage of additional light AA weapons, a quadrupleQF 2 pdr pom-pommounting Mark VII generally being carried in 'X' position.Bermuda,JamaicaandMauritiushad 2 additional quadruple pom-poms added (for a total of five) and between two and four single pom-poms in powered mountings Mark XV. InKenya,all pom-poms were removed, and were replaced with five twin and eight single40 mm Bofors guns.By the end of the war,Newfoundlandhad one andUgandahad two American pattern quadruple 40 mm Bofors mounts Mark III andNigeriahad four single mounts Mark III. Generally, 6 to 2420 mm Oerlikon gunswere also added in a mixture of single mounts Mark IIIA and twin powered mounts Mark V.

Postwar modifications of the class were very limited with improved Type 274 lock and follow surface fire control.Newfoundlandhad a fragile and unreliable 'glasshouse' version of Type 275 for twin 4-inch control,Ceylonhad the short range type 262 MRS1 AA control which was limited to about 4 km (2.5 mi) range for tracking.BermudaandGambiahad much more advanced US Mk 63 radar with four High AngleDirector-Control Tower (DCT)and separate radar disks on the mounts themselvesusing systems that were released by the cancellation ofHMSVanguard's 1955 long refit. Slightly improved new versions of the basic twin 4-inch gun mounts were generally fitted in extended refits in 1950; these had electric drive and could train and elevate at 20 degrees/sec to track subsonic jets.

US advice and offers under mutual assistance to replace the obsolete and inaccurate 4-inch guns with twin 3-inch 50-calibre turrets of similar weight and dimensions as the RN twin 4-inch Mark XIX turrets were rejected because the RN had huge stocks of 4-inch shells.These ships would have been altered for water sprays to wash offnuclear falloutand received the Type 960 standard long-range air search radar.Newfoundlandreceived a greater extent of electrical updating and rewiring with more comprehensive AA fire control and was the onlyFiji-class vessel updated close to the standard planned for the improvedDido-classships. TheFijiclass were only refitted for shore bombardment and colonial patrol and presence. The mid-1950s refits ofCeylon,GambiaandBermudawere very austere. They included increasing automation, the life of the geared steam turbines, and reducing manning below decks. There was simplification of the short range anti-aircraft defence to six to eight twin L/60 Bofors in Mk 5 twin mountings with a fire rate increased to 150 rpm per gun (280–300 rpm for each twin mounting). These would have stopped earlier WWII low-level or laterFalklands War-type attacks, by which time the RN no longer fitted 40 mm, the last were withdrawn withHMSBulwarkin 1981.

Service

They served with distinction during theSecond World War.Jamaicatook part in a number of operations, including driving off the heavy cruisersAdmiral HipperandLützowin 1942, the sinking of thebattleshipScharnhorstin 1943, and escorting carrier air attacks on the battleshipTirpitzin 1944.Fijiwas sunk in 1941 by German aircraft during thebattle of Crete.Trinidadwas lost on Arctic convoy duty in 1942; sailing at reduced speed due to damage in a surface action earlier she was set on fire by German air attack and scuttled. The survivors continued in service after the war, taking part in further actions, such as theKorean War.

CeylonandNewfoundlandwere sold toPeruin 1959 becoming theCoronel Bolognesi,andAlmirante Graurespectively. These two were decommissioned by 1982.Nigeriawas sold toIndiawho had it reconstructed in 1954–7 to the same standard asNewfoundland.AsINSMysore,the ship was heavily used from the time of her transfer, seeing action in the1971 war with Pakistan,and later converted to a harbour training ship in 1979. She was decommissioned by 1984 and then scrapped in 1985, and as such she was the longest-lived (41 years) member of her class.

All ships of theFijiclass were decommissioned from active service with the Royal Navy by 1962 and began being sold for scrap, thoughBermudawas fully operational during 1961 and sometimes ventured to sea in 1962 as flagship of theReserve Fleet.Gambiahad been reduced to reserve in December 1960.

During the 1950s the larger Town-class cruisers were usually regarded as more habitable and comfortable in patrolling in the tropics and Far East, although being older their operational use generally ceased by 1958 and went for scrap the following year except forSheffield(which had at sea deployments as a reserve flagship until late 1960 and was then, maintained as a reserve headquarters ship) andBelfastwhich stayed in active seaworthy service until 1963.SheffieldandBelfastwere the last of the wartime commissioned cruisers considered capable of reactivation for GFS and were in semi maintained reserve until the election of the Labour Government in 1964, which immediately decided to scrap them, pending short term use as accommodation ships and consideration for historical preservation.

The lastFiji-class cruisers were seriously deteriorating due to being in an unmaintained extended reserve status many years.Gambiawas considered as an alternative for use as the London museum ship, as the ship's condition was more original thanBelfast,butGambiawas sold for scrap in 1968, because the state of the ship made it more expensive to preserve thanBelfast..

Ships of the class

Construction data forFiji-class cruisers

Name	Namesake	Builder	Ordered	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Fiji	Colony of Fiji	John Brown,Clydebank	20 December 1937	30 March 1938	31 May 1939	5 May 1940	Sunk in air attack duringBattle of Crete,22 May 1941
Nigeria	Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria	Vickers-Armstrongs,Walker		8 February 1938	18 July 1939	23 September 1940	Sold toIndian NavyasINSMysorein 1954
Mauritius	Crown Colony of Mauritius	Swan Hunter,Wallsend		13 March 1938	19 July 1939	4 January 1941	Placed in reserve in 1952 and broken up atInverkeithingin 1965
Kenya	Colony and Protectorate of Kenya	Alexander Stephens and Sons,Linthouse		18 June 1938	18 August 1939	28 August 1940	Placed in reserve in 1958 and broken up atFaslanein 1962
Trinidad	Island of Trinidad (part ofCrown Colony of Trinidad and Tobago)	HM Dockyard, Devonport	1 December 1937	21 April 1938	21 March 1940	14 October 1941	Scuttled in Arctic Ocean following air attack, 15 May 1942
Jamaica	Jamaica and Dependencies	Vickers-Armstrong,Barrow-in-Furness	1 March 1939	28 April 1939	16 November 1940	29 June 1942	Placed in reserve in 1958 and broken up atDalmuirin 1960
Gambia	Gambia Colony and Protectorate	Swan Hunter, Wallsend		24 July 1939	30 November 1940	21 February 1942	Served with theRoyal New Zealand Navyas HMNZSGambia1943–1946 Placed in reserve in 1960 and broken up at Inverkeithing in 1968
Bermuda	Bermuda	John Brown, Clydebank	4 September 1939	30 November 1939	11 September 1941	5 August 1942	Decommissioned in 1962 and broken up atBriton Ferryin 1965

Construction data forCeylon-groupFiji-class cruisers

Name	Namesake	Builder	Ordered	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Ceylon	Crown Colony of Ceylon	Alexander Stephens and Sons, Linthouse	1 March 1939	27 April 1939	30 July 1942	13 July 1943	Sold toPeruvian NavyasBAPCoronel Bolognesiin 1959
Uganda	Uganda Protectorate	Vickers-Armstrongs, Walker		20 July 1939	7 August 1941	3 January 1943	Transferred toRoyal Canadian NavyasHMCSUgandain 1944
Newfoundland	Dominion of Newfoundland	Swan Hunter, Wallsend	4 September 1939	9 November 1939	19 December 1941	21 January 1943	Sold toPeruvian NavyasBAPAlmirante Grauin 1959

Original design

HMSJamaica

• Bermuda– Took part inOperation Torch,the landings inNorth Africa,during World War II, as well as other operations. After the war, the ship continued in service, seeing much of the world, and receiving a number of refits which helped her last until her decommissioning in 1962. She was scrapped in 1965.
• Fiji– In 1940Fijiwas torpedoed by a German U-boat but survived. In 1941, during theBattle of Crete,Fijiwas damaged by a bomb from a GermanMesserschmitt Bf 109aircraft, after having survived 20 bomb hits, this one caused her to list; further bomb hits increased the list and the cruiser rolled over an hour later. 523 of her crew were picked up.
• Gambia– Was transferred to theRoyal New Zealand Navyfrom 1943, seeing active service in theBritish Pacific Fleet.She was returned to the Royal Navy in 1946. The ship was scrapped in 1968.
• Jamaica– Served in World War II, taking part in a number of operations during that war, including the sinking of the battleshipScharnhorstat theBattle of North Cape,driving off German cruiserAdmiral Hipperat theBattle of the Barents Sea,and escorting carrier air attacks on the battleshipTirpitz.In the Korean War,Jamaicawas known as "The Galloping Ghost of the Korean Coast", due to the North Koreans claiming that she had been sunk three times. In 1955Jamaicawas used to playHMSExeterin the filmThe Battle of the River Plate.She was scrapped in 1960.
• Kenya– Was heavily involved in World War II, being deployed to the Far East for some time.Kenyawas also involved in the Korean War. She was scrapped in 1962.
• Mauritius– She was involved in theNormandy Landings,and other actions during World War II. She was scrapped in 1965.
• Nigeria– Was involved inOperation Pedestal(when she was damaged byItalian submarineAxum), the largest attempt to assist thebesieged island of Maltain 1942. She participated in raids onSumatraas part of theEastern Fleetin 1945, as well as a number of other deployments. She was sold to India in 1958, being renamedMysore.She was scrapped in 1985.
• Trinidad– In 1942 while engaging three German destroyers attacking convoyConvoy PQ13,she was hit by her own torpedo, which had a faultygyroscopecausing it to run in circles, though she did destroy one of the German warships. After temporary repairs in USSR, on return journey through Barents Sea to UKTrinidadwas hit by a bomb fromLuftwaffeJunkers Ju 88bombers, further damaging her to an extent that she was scuttled with a torpedo the following day.

Ceylongroup

• Ceylon– Was deployed to the Far East for much of World War II, and was heavily involved in the Korean War. She was decommissioned in 1960, and subsequently sold to Peru, being renamedCoronel Bolognesi.She was decommissioned in 1982.
• Newfoundland– She was torpedoed by theItalian submarineAscianghi,receiving temporary repairs atMalta,and full repairs atBoston Navy Yard.In 1944, the ship suffered an explosion atAlexandriawhile docked there. She sustained heavy damage, and suffered a number of casualties. She was in the Far East from 1945, supporting a number of operations there, and was present at the Japanese surrender, being one of the few British ships able to reach Japan in time. She sank the Egyptian frigateDomiat,during the Suez operations, after the latter ship fired on her. She was sold to Peru in 1959, being renamedAlmirante Grauand thenCapitan Quinonesin 1973. She was decommissioned in 1979 and scrapped inJapan,the country that she and her crew fought against in World War II.
• Uganda– EscortedRMSQueen MarytoWashington, D.C.,withWinston Churchillembarked. Covered the invasion ofSicilyin 1943. She was then hit by a Germanglide bombthat same year, causing significant damage and killing sixteen of her crew and wounding seven. Following repairs carried out in 1944 in the US she was recommissioned in theRoyal Canadian Navyas HMCSUganda.She joined theBritish Pacific Fleetin 1945 taking part in a number of actions in the Far East. She was put in reserve in 1947 but recommissioned as HMCSQuebecfor service in theKorean War.The ship was scrapped in 1961.

See also

• List of ship classes of the Second World War

Bibliography

• Brown, D. K.& Moore, George (2003).Rebuilding the Royal Navy: Warship Design Since 1945.Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-59114-705-0.
• Campbell, John (1985).Naval Weapons of World War Two.Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN0-87021-459-4.
• Campbell, N.J.M. (1980). "Great Britain". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946.New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 2–85.ISBN0-8317-0303-2.
• Friedman, Norman(2010).British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After.Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-59114-078-8.
• Murfin, David (2010). "AA to AA: The Fijis Turn Full Circle". In Jordan, John (ed.).Warship 2010.Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-84486-110-1.
• Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980).British Cruisers of World War Two.Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN0-87021-922-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen(2005).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two(Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-59114-119-2.
• Whitley, M. J.(1995).Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia.London: Cassell.ISBN1-86019-874-0.

External links

• Gunnery Layout of "Mauritius" Class Cruiser. from Gunnery Pocket Book 1945placed online courtesy of Historic Naval Ships Association