HMS Capetown (D88)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | C-class light cruiser |
| Name: | HMS Capetown |
| Builder: | Cammell Laird |
| Laid down: | February 23, 1917 |
| Launched: | June 28, 1918 |
| Commissioned: | February 1922 |
| Out of service: | Sold April 5, 1946 |
| Fate: | Broken up from June 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 4,190 tons |
| Length: | 451.4 ft (137.6 m) |
| Beam: | 43.9 ft (13.4 m) |
| Draught: | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion: | Parsons geared turbines Yarrow boilers Two screws 40,000 shp |
| Speed: | 29 knots |
| Range: | carried 300 tons (950 tons maximum) of fuel oil |
| Complement: | 330-350 |
| Armament: | 5 x 6in guns 2 x 3in anti-aircraft guns 4 x 3pdr guns 2 x 2pdr pom-poms 1 x machine gun 8 x 21in torpedo tubes |
| Armour: | 3in side (amidships) 2¼-1½in side (bows) 2in side (stern) 1in upper decks (amidships) 1in deck over rudder |
HMS Capetown was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the South African city of Cape Town. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name. She was part of the Carlisle group of the C-class of cruisers.
She was laid down by Cammell Laird on February 23, 1918, and launched on June 28, 1918. She was sailed to Pembroke Dock for outfitting, a process finally completed in February 1922. Capetown was commissioned too late to see action in the First World War, but served in the Second World War. Like most of her sisters, she was originally assigned to the Mediterranean and later to the Red Sea, where she was torpedoed and severely damaged by the Italian Motor torpedo boat MAS 213 off Massawa. Seven members of her crew lost their lives.
She spent a large part of her career with the Eastern Fleet, including a period between the wars from July 1934 until August 1938, when she returned to the UK for a refit. She rejoined the Eastern Fleet in August 1940, and served with it, with a short break, until November 1942. She then returned to the UK and joined the Home Fleet.
She survived the war and was sold on April 5, 1946. She arrived at the yards of Ward, of Preston for breaking up on June 2 1946.
[edit] References
- Colledge, J. J. and Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy, Rev. ed., London: Chatham. ISBN 9781861762818. OCLC 67375475.
- Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company
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