HMS Enterprise (D52)
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 HMS Enterprise entering Portsmouth harbour March 1938 - note flying a paying-off pendant |
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Built By: | John Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd. (Clydebank, Scotland) |
| Laid down: | 28 June 1918 |
| Launched: | 23 December 1919 |
| Commissioned: | 7 April 1926 |
| Reserve: | In reserve between 5 January 1945, but was used for trooping duties postwar. |
| Decommissioned: | 13 January 1946 |
| Fate: | Scrapped, She was handed over to BISCO for scrapping on 11 April 1946, arriving at Cashmore's yard at Newport, USA on 21 April 1946 for breaking up. |
| Penant: | D66 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 7,580 tons standard;
9,435 tons full load. |
| Length: | 570 ft (173.7 m) |
| Beam: | 54.5 ft (16.6 m) |
| Draught: | 16.5 ft (5.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 shafts Brown-Curtis geared turbines 8 boilers in 4 compartments - part forward of amidships magazine and part abaft forward engine room 80,000 shp (59.6 MW) |
| Speed: | 33 knots (61 km/h) |
| Range: | 1,350 nautical miles at 32 knots (2,500 km at 59 km/h); 8,000 nautical miles at 15 knots (15,000 km at 28 km/h); 1,746 tons fuel oil |
| Complement: | 572 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: | Original configuration:
August 1939 - 1941:
1941 - August 1942:
April 1943 - April 1944:
April 1944 - 1945
|
| Armour: | Original configuration:
|
| Propulsion: | 4 shafts Brown-Curtis geared turbines 8 boilers in 4 compartments - part forward of amidships magazine and part abaft forward engine room 80,000 shp (59.6 MW) |
| Aircraft: | One aircraft with one catapult. Catapult later removed. |
HMS Enterprise (D52) was an Emerald-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by John Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd. (Clydebank, Scotland), with the keel being laid down on 28 June 1918. She was launched on 23 December 1919, and commissioned 7 April 1926.
[edit] History
Enterprise served with the 4th Cruiser Squadron in the East Indies until 1934. After her return home she reduced to care and maintenance on 4 July 1934, followed by a major refit. She returned to the East Indies in January 1936, but was relieved by Manchester at the end of 1937 and came home. In 1938 she was employed to take crews to the China Station, returning home to pay off on 30 September and she was reduced to the reserve fleet.
At the start of World War II, in October 1939, she was recommissioned and began Enterprise was also employed on Atlantic escort duties, with the Halifax Escort Force during 1939 to 1940, before being transferred to the Home Fleet for the Norwegian Campaign. During April and May 1940 she supported the army ashore by bombardments in and around Narvik, Norway and, on 19 April, was attacked but missed by U 65. After some repairs Enterprise joined the newly formed Force "H" in June 1940, participating in the action at Mers el Kebir in July.
In 1941, Enterprise was dispatched to the Atlantic Ocean to suppress the revolt of Rashid Ali in Iraq in May and April of 1941. From 11 March to 18 March she entered refit and repair at Colombo. In December she helped escort troop ships to Singapore and Rangoon, Burma, and then joined the Eastern Fleet under Admiral Sir James Somerville, taking part in protection of trade for the next year. On 6 April 1942 she picked up the survivors of the cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire, sunk in the Indian Ocean raid.
On 25 December 1942, she returned to Clyde for refit and modernization. On 31 October 1943, she returned to service, and on 28 December 1943, in the Bay of Biscay, Enterprise and Glasgow intercepted a force of eleven German destroyers, the tardy escort for their blockade runner Alsterufer (which had been sunk the previous day by air attack). Three of the destroyers, T 25, T 26 and Z 27, were sunk and four damaged.
From 3 February to 29 February 1944 Enterprise was docked at Devonport for refit, and from March 27 to March 31 she was fitted for missile jamming gear at Devonport. Enterprise was then assigned to Task Force 122 Western Naval Forces, under the command of Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk. Her sub-group was TF125 Assault Force "U" (for Utah Beach). In June 1944 Enterprise took part in the Allied landings in Normandy (Operation "Overlord") as part of the bombarding force, serving with USS Nevada, HMS Black Prince, and USS Quincy.
On 25 June 1944, Enterprise departed Portland to support troops at Cherbourg. She fired on Querqueville, silencing the German guns there.
On 5 January 1945, Enterprise was placed in reserve service at Rosyth. In May she helped return British troops from the Far East, and on 13 January 1946, returned to the United Kingdom for the final time. She was handed over to BISCO for scrapping on 11 April 1946, arriving at Cashmore's yard at Newport, USA on 21 April 1946 for breaking up.
Enterprise received battle honors for her service in the Atlantic in 1939 and 1940, Norway in 1940, the Bay of Biscay in 1943, and Normandy in 1944.
See HMS Enterprise for other Navy ships of this name.
| Emerald-class cruiser |
|
Emerald | Enterprise |
| List of cruisers of the Royal Navy |
