HMS Sirius (82)
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 HMS Sirius post-war, probably before going into reserve in 1949 - note post-war colours. |
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Dido-class light cruiser |
| Name: | HMS Sirius |
| Builder: | Portsmouth Dockyard (Portsmouth, UK): Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland) |
| Laid down: | 6 April 1938 |
| Launched: | 18 September 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 6 May 1942 |
| Decommissioned: | 1949 |
| Out of service: | 14 March 1951 |
| Reclassified: | In reserve between 1949 to 1956 |
| Fate: | Scrapped, Arrived at Blyth yard of Hughes Bolkow, (Northumberland, UK) in 15 October 1956. |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 5,600 tons standard 6,850 tons full load |
| Length: | 485 ft (148 m) pp 512 ft (156 m) oa |
| Beam: | 50.5 ft (15.4 m) |
| Draught: | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion: | Parsons geared turbines Four shafts Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers 62,000 shp (46 MW) |
| Speed: | 32.25 knots (60 km/h) |
| Range: | 2,414 km (1,500 miles) at 30 knots 6,824 km (4,240 miles) at 16 knots 1,100 tons fuel oil |
| Complement: | 480 |
| Armament: | Original configuration: 8x 5.25 in (133 mm) dual guns, 1x 4.0 in (102 mm) gun, 2x 0.5 in MG quadruple guns, 3x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes. Mid 1943 - Late 1943 configuration: 10x 5.25 in (133 mm) guns, 7x 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 2x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes. Late 1943 - 1945 configuration: 10x 5.25 in (133 mm) guns, 6x 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 2x 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors Mk III single guns, 2x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes. |
| Armor: | Original configuration: Belt: 3inch, Deck: 1inch, Magazines: 2inch, Bulkheads: 1inch. |
| Notes: | Pennant number 82 |
HMS Sirius was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard (Portsmouth, UK) , with the keel being laid down on 6 April 1938. She was launched on 18 September 1940, and commissioned 6 May 1942.
[edit] History
Sirius's completion was delayed due to German bombing at Portsmouth Dockyard. She was completed at Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland). On completion she initially joined the Home Fleet, and was then assigned to operate in the Mediterranean in August for Operation Pedestal. She was then ordered to the South Atlantic to patrol against Axis blockade runners on the Far East route, returning to Gibraltar in November for Operation Torch, the North African landings. As part of Force Q at Bone in December she harried Axis convoys to and from Tunisia until the Axis surrender in North Africa. Sirius then formed part of the 12th Cruiser Squadron, was at the Allied invasion of Sicily, (Operation Husky), in July. For the next few months she supported the army ashore, and in September took part in the occupation of Taranto before transferring to the Adriatic, where, on 7 October 1943 Sirius, HMS Penelope and the destroyers HMS Faulknor and HMS Fury, north of Astipalea (Stampalia) in the Dodecanese, attacked a German convoy consisting of the auxiliary submarine chaser Uj 2111 (former Italian Tramaglio), the cargo ship Olympus and seven MFPs, sinking all but one MFP.
On 17 October, Sirius was badly damaged by bombs off Scarpunto, and sailed to Massawa for repairs. These were carried out between November 1943 and February 1944, before the ship returned to Britain for Operation Overlord, the Normandy landings, where she was part of the reserve of the Eastern Task Force. In August she returned to Mediterranean waters for the landings in the south of France, Operation Dragoon. She then served again in the Aegean, where, in October 1944, she was present during the reoccupation of Athens. Sirius remained with the Mediterranean Fleet, 15th Cruiser Squadron, postwar until 1946. After a refit at Portsmouth in 1946, Sirius joined the 2nd Cruiser Squadron with the Home Fleet in March 1947. She was paid off in 1949 and was put up for disposal in 1956. On 15 October 1956 Sirius arrived at the Blyth yard of Hughes Bolkow for breaking up.
[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.
- WWII cruisers
- HMS Sirius at Uboat.net
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