HMS Newfoundland (59)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

History
United Kingdom
NameNewfoundland
NamesakeDominion of Newfoundland
BuilderSwan Hunter, Wallsend
Laid down9 November 1939
Launched19 December 1941
Commissioned21 January 1943
IdentificationPennant number: 59
Honours and
awards
Mediterranean 1940–1945, Sicily 1943
FateSold to Peruvian Navy, 30 December 1959
BadgeA
caribou
Peru
NameBAP Almirante Grau
NamesakeMiguel Grau Seminario
Acquired30 December 1959
RenamedRenamed Capitan Quinones on 15 May 1973
ReclassifiedAs a static training ship, 1979
FateScrapped, 1979
General characteristics Post 1951 modernisation
Class and typeFiji-class light cruiser
Displacement
  • 8,712 tons standard
  • 11,024 tons full load
Length169.3 m (555 ft)
Beam18.9 m (62 ft)
Draught5.3 m (17 ft)
Propulsion
  • Four oil fired three-drum Admiralty-type boilers
  • four-shaft geared turbines
  • four screws
  • 54.1 megawatts (72,500
    shp
    )
Speed33 knots (61 km/h)
Range10,200 nautical miles (18,900 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h)
Complement
  • 730 (wartime)
  • 650 (peacetime)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Type 960M air search
  • Type 274 surface search
  • Type 277 height finding
  • Type 274 fire control (152 mm)
  • Type 275 fire control (102 mm)
  • Type 262(MRS1) fire control (40 mm)
Armament
  • 3 triple
    BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval guns
    (152/50 mm)
  • 4 twin
    Mk XVI 102/45 mm guns
  • 5×2 & 2x1
    Mk3 40 mm Bofors
Armour
Aircraft carriedTwo Supermarine Walrus aircraft (Later removed)

HMS Newfoundland was a

Second World War and was later sold to the Peruvian Navy
.

The hospital ship HMHS Newfoundland was a different ship, although also torpedoed in the Mediterranean in 1943.

Early career

Newfoundland was built by Swan Hunter and launched 19 December 1941 by the wife of the then British Minister of Labour, Ernest Bevin. The ship was completed in December 1942 and commissioned the next month.

HMS Newfoundland firing her 6-inch guns during target practice, April 1943. Taken from HMS Rodney

After commissioning Newfoundland joined the 10th Cruiser Squadron,

Syra.[1]

On 23 July 1943, she was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Ascianghi.[2] Some sources attribute the torpedo to the German submarine U-407.[3] One crewman was killed in the attack. Her rudder having been blown off, temporary repairs were carried out at Malta. Later, steering by her propellers only, and with the assistance of "jury rigged" sails between her funnels, she steamed to the Boston Navy Yard for major repairs.

In 1944 the ship was re-commissioned for service in the Far East. While at

Aitape-Wewak campaign. On 14 June 1945, as part of a BPF task group, Newfoundland attacked the Japanese naval base at Truk, in the Caroline Islands during Operation Inmate
.

On 6 July Newfoundland left the forward base of Manus in the Admiralty Islands with other ships of the BPF to take part in the Allied campaign against the Japanese home islands. On 9 August she took part in a bombardment of the Japanese city of Kamaishi. Newfoundland was part of a British Empire force which took control of the naval base at Yokosuka.

The ship was present in Tokyo Bay when the Instrument of Surrender was signed aboard the US battleship USS Missouri, on 2 September 1945. Newfoundland was then assigned the task of repatriating British Empire prisoners of war.

She returned to Great Britain in December 1946.

Postwar

Newfoundland was initially in

Malayan National Liberation Army targets near Penang in June 1954 when on passage to the Far East.[4]

On 31 October 1956, the Egyptian frigate Domiat was cruising South of the Suez Canal in the Red Sea, when Newfoundland encountered her and ordered her to heave to. Aware of tensions between Britain and Egypt that would lead to the Suez Crisis, Domiat refused and opened fire on the cruiser, causing some damage and casualties. The cruiser, with the destroyer Diana, then returned fire and sank her opponent, rescuing 69 survivors from the wreckage. One man from the Newfoundland was killed and five were wounded.[6]

Newfoundland then returned to the Far East until paid off to the reserve at

hulked in 1979 and used as a static training ship in Callao
, before being decommissioned and scrapped later that year.

Notes

  1. ^ "The Rev Prebendary Vere Hodge – obituary". Daily Telegraph. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  2. ^ Reginald Maurice James Hutton (26 July 1943), Operation "Husky" – Letter of Proceedings ADM 1/14477, London: Admiralty
  3. ^ "HMS Newfoundland (59) (British Light cruiser) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net".
  4. ^ a b "Command News: H.M.S.Newfoundland". Portsmouth Navy News. No. 4. September 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  5. ^ Colvin R de Silva, Hartal Archived 9 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ The War at Sea Archived 12 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine

References

External links