HMS Scylla (98)
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2008) |
 Scylla at anchor on the Clyde, June 1942
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Scylla |
| Builder | Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland) |
| Laid down | 19 April 1939 |
| Launched | 24 July 1940 |
| Commissioned | 12 June 1942 |
| Out of service | write-off, 23 June 1944 |
| Identification | Pennant number 98 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 4 May 1950. |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type | Dido-class light cruiser |
| Displacement |
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| Length |
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| Beam | 50.5 ft (15.4 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 32.25 knots (59.73 km/h; 37.11 mph) |
| Range |
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| Complement | 480 |
| Armament |
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| Armor | |
HMS Scylla was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland), with the keel being laid down on 19 April 1939. She was launched on 24 July 1940, and commissioned 12 June 1942.
One of two sisters (the other was, appropriately,
The forward superstructure was considerably modified to accommodate these and also to increase crew spaces. Known as the 'toothless terrors', they proved to be very good anti-aircraft ships, often leading to comparisons with their sisters armed with the heavier
History
Scylla served with the
On 31 December 1942, she was directed to the German blockade runner Rhakotis by a RAF Coastal Command Whitley from 502 Squadron based at RAF St Eval, Cornwall. The aircraft piloted by F/O Arthur Hodgson had located Rhakotis in appalling weather but after several attack runs they had run out of ammunition. The crew then shadowed the target for over an hour, reporting the vessel's position enabling Scylla to intercept Rhakotis some 200 miles (320 km) north-west of Cape Finisterre in position 45°01′N 10°30′W / 45.01°N 10.50°W, where Scylla opened fire. She hit Rhakotis numerous times with Scylla's main armament before torpedoing and sinking her.[2] F/O Hodgson was awarded the DFC for his part in the operation. In February she returned to the Home Fleet for Arctic convoys but was back in the Bay of Biscay by June 1943 to cover anti-submarine operations.
In July 1943 she stopped the Arklow schooner Mary B Mitchell in the Bay of Biscay. Captain Dowds, formerly principal of the Irish Nautical College, was captain of the schooner. The officer in charge of the boarding party was a pupil of Dowds. There was a pleasant reunion, then Mary B Mitchell resumed her voyage to Lisbon, and Scylla continued her search for blockade runners.[3]
In September 1943 Scylla was part of the Support Carrier Force at the Salerno landings (
On 23 June 1944 Scylla was badly damaged by a mine and written off. Although towed to Portsmouth, she was not disposed of until 1950, after use as a target between 1948 and 1950. She arrived at Thos. W. Ward, (Barrow-in-Furness, UK) on 4 May 1950 for breaking up.
Footnotes
- ^ Hughes 1975, pp. 28–57.
- ^ Hughes 1975, pp. 108–112.
- ^ Forde 2000, p. 17.
- ^ Kingsley 1995, pp. 159–161.
References
- Forde, Frank (2000). The Long Watch: World War Two and the Irish Mercantile Marine (online, rev. ed.). Dublin: Island Books. ISBN 978-1-902602-42-4.
- Hughes, Robert (1975). Flagship To Murmansk. London: Futura Publications. ISBN 0-8600-7266-5.
- Kingsley, F. A., ed. (1995). The Applications of Radar and Other Electronic Systems in the Royal Navy in World War 2 (PDF) (online pbk. repr. ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan for Naval Radar & MacMillan Trusts. ISBN 978-1-349-13625-4. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
Further reading
- 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. ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
- ISBN 978-1-5267-9327-0.
- ISBN 978-1-59114-078-8.
- Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980). British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-922-7.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- ISBN 1-86019-874-0.
External links
- WWII cruisers
- HMS Scylla at navalhistory.net
- HMS Scylla at Uboat.net
- Newsreel video of HMS Scylla fighting the Luftwaffe while protecting convoy PQ18 Archived 24 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- SS City of Cairo
- Norwegian Victims of Michel
- London Gazette
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