HMS Uganda (66)

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Uganda underway
History
United Kingdom
NameUganda
Ordered1939
Builder
Vickers-Armstrong, Newcastle upon Tyne
Laid down20 July 1939
Launched7 August 1941
Commissioned3 January 1943
IdentificationPennant number: 66
Honours and
awards		Atlantic 1943, Sicily 1943, Salerno 1943, Mediterranean 1943[1]
FateTransferred to Royal Canadian Navy on 21 October 1944
Canada
NameUganda
Acquired21 October 1944
Commissioned21 October 1944
Honours and
awards		Okinawa 1945
RenamedHMCS Quebec 14 January 1952
Namesake
Province of Quebec
Recommissioned14 January 1952
Decommissioned15 June 1956
IdentificationPennant number: C66
MottoNos canons parleront (Our cannons shall speak)[2]
FateArrived at Osaka, Japan, on 6 February 1961 for scrapping
BadgeOr, a maple leaf vert charged with a fleur-de-lis of the first[2]
General characteristics
Class and typeFiji-class light cruiser
Displacement
  • 8,712 tons standard
  • 11,024 tons full load
Length169.3 m (555 ft 5 in)
Beam18.9 m (62 ft 0 in)
Draught5.3 m (17 ft 5 in)
Propulsion
  • 4 x oil fired three-drum Admiralty-type boilers
  • four-shaft geared turbines
  • four screws
  • 54,100 kW (72,500 shp)
Speed33 kn (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Range10,200 nmi (18,900 km; 11,700 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement
  • 730 (wartime)
  • 650 (peacetime)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Type 281 air search
  • Type 272 surface search
  • Type 277 height finding
  • Type 274 fire control (152 mm)
  • Type 283 fire control (102 mm)
  • Type 282 fire control (2 pdr)
Armament
  • 3 × triple
    BL 6 in (152 mm) Mk XXIII guns
  • 4 × twin
    QF Mk XVI 4 in (102 mm) guns
  • 4 × quadruple
    Mk VII 2-pounder (40 mm) guns
  • 10 × twin
    Mk II 20 mm/70 cal guns
  • 2 × triple
    21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour
  • Belt 82.5–88.9 mm (3.25–3.50 in)
  • Turrets 25.4–50.8 mm (1.00–2.00 in)
Aircraft carriedTwo Supermarine Walrus aircraft, removed November 1943.

HMS Uganda was a

Second World War-era Fiji-class light cruiser launched in 1941. She served in the Royal Navy during 1943 and 1944, including operations in the Mediterranean, and was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Uganda in October 1944. She served in the Pacific theatre in 1945 and was put into reserve in 1947. When she was reactivated for the Korean War
in 1952 she was renamed HMCS Quebec. She was decommissioned for the last time in 1956 and scrapped in Japan in 1961.

Construction and career

HMS Uganda was one of the Ceylon sub-class (the second group of three ships built in 1939) of the Fiji-class cruisers, and built by

launched on 7 August 1941 and commissioned
on 3 January 1943.

Home Fleet operations

In March 1943 after training at

Washington. The journey was made at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), and the ship sailed into Naval Station Argentia, in Newfoundland, low on fuel. Upon return from that duty Uganda returned to Plymouth
for a refit.

Mediterranean Fleet operations

With her refit completed, she was sent to the

Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, on 10 July 1943. She was then assigned to close support for major bombardments throughout Sicily. Uganda sailed as part of the support force for Operation Husky from Alexandria along with three cruisers and six destroyers.[4] Uganda was part of Support Force East during the Operation Husky landings.[5] Within the British bridgehead, Uganda, with the cruisers Orion and Mauritius and the monitor Erebus supported the British Eighth Army.[6] On 10 August, again in support of the Eighth Army, Uganda and the Dutch gunboat Flores bombarded positions north of Reposto.[7] On 12 August, Uganda, the monitor Roberts and the Dutch gunboats Scarab and Soemba shelled the east coast of Sicily.[8]

On the opening of

KG 100 bomber. The Fritz X passed through seven decks and straight through her keel, exploding underwater just under the keel. The concussive shock of the Fritz X's underwater detonation close to Uganda's hull extinguished all her boiler fires, and resulted in sixteen men being killed, with Uganda taking on 1,300 tons of water. Damage control under Lieutenant Leslie Reed managed to get the ship moving with one engine. She was towed to Malta by USS Narragansett
, where temporary repairs were made.

There being no dry dock available in the European Theatre that could handle the repairs, Uganda was sent to the US shipyard at Charleston, South Carolina. The heavily damaged ship, with only one of her four propellers working, proceeded across the Atlantic Ocean to Charleston, arriving on 27 November 1943. During the repairs, Uganda had two hangars designed for carrying Supermarine Walrus reconnaissance aircraft removed. These hangars were used for radio and radar equipment as well as crew amenities.

Transfer to Canada

Bombardment by HMCS Uganda of Sukuma Airfield on Miyako-jima in May 1945
Ship's company of the cruiser HMCS Uganda, August 1945.

While under repair the

Premier of Ontario. The other members of her crew of 907 comprised a carefully selected group; additional training on cruisers was provided through personnel exchanges with the RN. The first crew for Uganda was drawn from every province in Canada as well as the Dominion of Newfoundland. Eighty-seven per cent were reservists (RCNVR and RCNR
) while the balance were regular members of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Uganda's first assignment came shortly after her recommissioning. She was tasked to join the

Fremantle
, Australia, where she arrived on 4 March 1945.

As the

Formosa instead. From 11 to 13 April 1945, Uganda, as part of Task Force 57 in the Pacific, she attacked airfields and installations in northern Formosa,[11] before being redirected back to Sakishima Gunto. The cruiser took part in the bombardment of the Japanese airbases on Sakishima Gunto between 15–20 April before the fleet was tasked to Leyte Gulf. During her time with Task Force 57, Uganda came under kamikaze attack.[12] She received battle honours for operations during the Battle of Okinawa and was involved in attacking Truk
, Formosa and Sakishima Gunto.

At

Leyte she joined the United States Third Fleet, 300 nautical miles (560 km) east of Japan and became the only Royal Canadian Navy warship to fight in the Pacific Theatre against the Imperial Japanese Navy. In May 1945, Task Force 57 sailed from Leyte to attack Sakishima Gunto for nearly the entire month. Uganda was among the ships ordered to bombard the island group. The task force suffered kamikaze attacks, forcing two of the aircraft carriers to retire and damaging another.[13]

On 4 April 1945, the Canadian government changed the manning policy for all ships deploying to the Pacific theatre. All those heading to the Pacific would have to re-volunteer. Upon volunteering again, the serviceman would be eligible for 30 days leave in Canada before deployment.[12] Controversially this policy change was applied to those already there and Uganda's RCN crew were polled by the Canadian government on 7 May 1945 to determine whether they would volunteer for further duties in the Pacific War.[12][14] Widespread discontent had grown amongst the crew, due to poor living conditions and the lack of a Canadian identity for the ship[clarification needed] and the result saw 605 of her crew of 907 refuse to volunteer.[14] The crew of Uganda felt that they had volunteered for "hostilities only" (i.e., hostilities against Nazi Germany), but now found themselves fighting a different enemy in a quite different part of the world.

The vote on 7 May was held onboard Uganda and 605 crew out of 907 refused to volunteer for continuing operations against Japan. The

British Admiralty was furious and said it could not replace the ship until 27 July at the earliest. However, the cruiser continued her deployment in the Pacific throughout June and July while the Naval Staff sought an answer to the problem. An embarrassed Royal Canadian Navy offered to replace Uganda with HMCS Prince Robert, an anti-aircraft flak ship that was being refitted in Vancouver
.

Uganda took part in Operation Inmate, a carrier raid on Japanese installations at Truk. Sailing on 12 June from Manus Island, the cruiser was among the ships detailed to bombard the island of Dublon. The force returned to Manus Island on 17 June. In July, Uganda, now part of Task Force 37, sailed to join up with the Americans performing carrier air strikes on the Tokyo area, arriving on 16 July. On 27 July, Uganda was relieved by HMS Argonaut.[15]

HMCS Uganda was detached from the US Navy's Third Fleet on 27 July when Argonaut arrived. Uganda proceeded to

atomic bombs being dropped on Japan. They arrived in Esquimalt on 10 August, the day that Japan announced its acceptance of the Instrument of Surrender.[16][17][18]

HMCS Uganda remained on the Pacific coast following the war serving in a training capacity. The cruiser was

paid off on 1 August 1947 into the RCN reserve.[19]

Return to service

HMCS Quebec in Copenhagen in 1954

Canada's entry into the

Sorel, Quebec.[21] From 13–25 September, Quebec and the aircraft carrier Magnificent participated in the major NATO naval exercise Mainbrace in northern European waters.[22]

In February 1953, Quebec, with

paid off on 13 June 1956 and placed in reserve at Sydney, Nova Scotia.[28][29] The ship was sold in 1960 with the partially dismantled Ontario to Mitsui and Co. of Japan for scrap.[28] The ship was broken up
in Japan in 1961.

Her unit name lived on in the form of HMCS Quebec, a cadet summer training centre for the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets. The training centre closed permanently after its summer 2012 operating season.[30]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Britain's Navy
  2. ^ a b Arbuckle, p. 97
  3. ^ a b c Macpherson and Barrie, p. 40
  4. ^ Rohwer, p. 255
  5. ^ Rohwer, p. 261
  6. ^ Rohwer, p. 262
  7. ^ Rohwer, pp. 264–265
  8. ^ Rohwer, p. 265
  9. ^ Rohwer, pp. 272–273
  10. ^ a b Milner, p. 154
  11. ^ Rohwer, p. 408
  12. ^ a b c Milner, p. 155
  13. ^ Rohwer, p. 415
  14. ^ a b Hastings (2007), p. 401
  15. ^ Rohwer, pp. 420, 422, 425
  16. ^ Milner pp. 155–156
  17. ^ Mutiny: The odyssey of HMCS Uganda
  18. ^ Butler, Malcolm. "The Uganda". CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  19. ^ "HMCS Quebec". The Crowsnest. Vol. 4, no. 5. Queen's Printer. March 1952. pp. 4–5.
  20. ^ "HMCS Quebec Commissioned in Esquimalt Ceremony". The Crowsnest. Vol. 4, no. 4. King's Printer. February 1952. p. 2.
  21. ^ "New Ships, New Guns for Canada's Navy". The Crowsnest. Vol. 4, no. 10. Queen's Printer. August 1952. p. 26.
  22. ^ "Quebec, Magnificent in Big NATO Exercise". The Crowsnest. Vol. 4, no. 11. Queen's Printer. September 1952. p. 2.
  23. ^ "East Coast Ships On Training Cruises". The Crowsnest. Vol. 5, no. 5. Queen's Printer. March 1953. p. 3.
  24. ^ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
  25. ^ "RCN to Take Part In Coronation, Review". The Crowsnest. Vol. 5, no. 4. Queen's Printer. February 1953. p. 2.
  26. ^ "South American Cruise Ends". The Crowsnest. Vol. 7, no. 1. Queen's Printer. November 1954. p. 2.
  27. ^ "Training Cruisers Return Home". The Crowsnest. Vol. 7, no. 6. Queen's Printer. April 1955. pp. 3–4.
  28. ^ a b "Cruisers Bought by Japanese Firm". The Crowsnest. Vol. 12, no. 11. Queen's Printer. September 1960. p. 3.
  29. ^ "Quebec Pays Last Visit to Halifax". The Crowsnest. Vol. 12, no. 12. Queen's Printer. October 1960. p. 3.
  30. ^ "NCSM Québec : la fin d'une grande famille". La Presse. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2013.

Bibliography

External links

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