HMS Argonaut (61)

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Career
HMS Argonaut in her War (Dazzle) Colours, November 1943 just after repairs at Philadelphia Navy yard.
Built By:	Cammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, UK)
Laid down:	21 November 1939
Launched:	6 September 1941
Commissioned:	8 August 1942
End of Service	6 July 1946
Reserve:	In reserve between 1946 to 1955
Fate:	Scrapped, Arrived at J Cashmore, Newport in 19 November 1955
Penant:	61
General Characteristics
Type:	Light (Anti Aircraft) Cruiser
Displacement:	5,600 tons standard 6,850 tons full load
Dimensions:	485 pp, 512 oa x 50.5 × 14 feet (156 × 15.4 × 4.3 m)
Armament:	Original configuration: 10 x 5.25 in (133 mm) dual guns, 4 x 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 2 x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2 x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes. 1943-1944 configuration: 8 x 5.25 in (133 mm) guns, 3 x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 5 x 20 mm (0.8 in) twin guns, 2 x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes. 1944-1946 configuration: 8 x 5.25 in (133 mm) guns, 3 x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 6 x 20 mm (0.8 in) twin power-operated guns, 5 x 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 5 x 40 mm (1.6 in) Boffins twin guns, 3 x 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors Mk III single guns, 2 x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes.
Armour:	Original configuration: Belt: 3 inch, Deck: 1 inch, Magazines: 2 inch, Bulkheads: 1 inch.
Propulsion:	Parsons geared turbines, 4 shafts, 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 62,000 shp (46 MW) = 32.25 knots maximum speed
Range:	2,414 km (1,500 miles) at 30 knots, 6,824 (4,240 miles) at 16 knots ; 1,100 tons fuel oil
Complement:	480

HMS Argonaut was the last Dido class cruiser to be completed on 8 August 1942. She also had been built from the unmodified design with three twin 5.25 inch guns forward. Argonaut was one of the 1939-programme ships which had been suspended in the Dunkirk emergency, and as a result did not join the fleet until 8 August 1942.

She was built by Cammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, UK), with the keel being laid down on 21 November 1939. She was launched on 6 September 1941, and commissioned 8 August 1942.

[edit] History

Argonaut's first mission was to bring some reinforcements, several 3.7" guns and some Norwegian soldiers, to Spitzbergen island. She set sail on October 13th 1942. From there she continued to Murmansk as part of a convoy escort.

She left Scapa Flow on 30 October 1942 as part of a fleet bound for North Africa as part of Force "H", comprising battleships HMS Nelson, HMS Duke of York, HMS Renown, joined later by carriers HMS Illustrious and HMS Formidable. They were going to take part in Operation Torch, the invasion of the French North Africa. During that operation, Argonaut was dispatched as a decoy ship, sending false signals to confuse the axis forces.

In December 1942, Argonaut joined Force "Q". Along with cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Sirius and destroyers HMS Quentin and HMAS Quiberon. On December 1st the force found an axis convoy, and engaged in an hour battle, in which the Italian destroyer Folgore and four troopships were sunk, and destroyer da Recco and a torpedo-boat were damaged. On their way back, they suffered an air attack in which Quentin was sunk. On December 13th Argonaut joined cruiser Aurora and destroyers HMS Eskimo and HMS Quality, and they left Bone to intercept another axis convoy, which they missed. Instead, on 14 December Argonaut was torpedoed by Italian submarine Mocenigo. Two torpedoes struck the ship, and blew off both stern and bow. Amazingly, only three crewmen lost their lives in the explosions.

Argonaut managed to go to Gibraltar. Provisional repairs proved to be precaroius, and on 4 April 1943 she set sail to Philadelphia, escorted by the destroyer HMS Hero. After a brief scale in the Azores, Hero had engine problems and had to leave Argonaut on her own on 9 April 1943. On 13 April she was sighted by the American destroyer USS Butler, that escorted her to Bermuda, where some additional repairs were done. The escorted by the American minesweepers USS Tumult and USS Pioneer, she reached Philadelphia on 27 April 1943.

The repairs were completed on 13 November 1943. In December 1943, Argonaut joined the Home Fleet and was attached to the 10th Cruiser Division. She took part in the invasion of Normandy, where she fired 4359 shells. Again a lucky ship, she was hit by a German artillery shell that penetrated the quarterdeck and emerged by the starboard side without exploding and without a single casualty.

In August 1944 Argonaut was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she took part in Operation Dragoon (the invasion of Southern France). In September 1944 she was moved to the Aegean Sea, and saw action when she spotted some boats carrying troops, which she sunk, taking many prisoners. She was also involved in some shore bombardments in the Greek coast.

In early November 1945 she was ordered to Trincomalee, in the Indian Ocean. She was assigned in escort duties, and involved in the bombardment of Palembang oil fields in Sumatra. She was lucky once more: attacked several times by kamikaze aircraft, she sustained only minor damages.

In January 1945 Argonaut was ordered to Sydney, to join the Pacific Fleet. In February she took part in the shelling of Saskishima (the diversion operation from the main American operation in Okinawa). In August 1945 she sailed to Formosa, to help with the evacuation of British prisoners of war. The same mission brought her to Hong Kong later.

She finally returned to Portsmouth on 6 July 1946, where she was sent to reserve and never to be recommissioned again. Her last trip was to J Cashmore, Newport, for disposal where she arrived on 19 November 1955.

See HMS Argonaut for other ships of this name.

Royal Navy

Dido group