HMS Trinidad (C46)

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HMS Trinidad was a Royal Navy Crown Colony class cruiser (also known as the Fiji-class cruisers) She was lost while serving in the Arctic on convoy duty after being damaged escorting PQ-13 in 1942.

1 Early Career
2 Loss
3 Links
4 Further reading

[edit] Early Career

The Trinidad was built by HM Dockyard Devonport. She was laid down 21 April 1938, Launched 21 March 1942. Commissioned 14 October 1941. The ship served with the British Home Fleet during her brief career.

[edit] Loss

While escorting the convoy in March 1942, she and other escorts were in combat with German Narvik class destroyers. One of her torpedoes had a faulty gyro mechanism possibly affected by the icy waters. The path of the torpedo formed a circular arc, striking the Trinidad and killing 18? men. The Trinidad was damaged but partially repaired in Murmansk. On setting out for further repairs in the US. She was attacked by more than twenty aircraft on 15 May 1942. All missed except for one that struck near the previous damage. A fire was started and after a couple of hours was so serious that the decision was taken to scuttle her. 80 men were lost including 20 survivors from HMS Edinburgh which had been sunk two weeks earlier.

[edit] Links

Uboat.net

[edit] Further reading

Frank Pearce - The Ship That Torpedoed Herself: HMS "Trinidad" (1975) ISBN 0-904593-02-9
M.J. Whitley - Cruisers of World War II, An International Encyclopedia. (1995)

Crown Colony-class cruiser

Royal Navy

Fiji group