HMS Southampton (83)
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 HMS Southampton in Topsundet Fjord, Norway |
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Town-class light cruiser |
| Name: | HMS Southampton |
| Builder: | John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland |
| Laid down: | November 21, 1934 |
| Launched: | March 10, 1936 |
| Commissioned: | March 6, 1937 |
| Fate: | Sunk off Malta, January 11, 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 9,100 tons standard 11,350 tons full load |
| Length: | 558 ft (170 m) |
| Beam: | 61 ft 8 in (18.8 m) |
| Draught: | 21 ft 6 in (6.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | Four-shaft Parsons geared turbines Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers 75,000 shp |
| Speed: | 32 knots (59 km/h) |
| Complement: | 748 |
| Armament: | 12 × 6"/50 cal. [triple mounts] 8 × 4" [double mounts] 4 × 3 pdr., 8 x 2 pdr. [quadruple mounts] Torpedo tubes: 6 × 21". |
| Notes: | Pennant number C83 |
HMS Southampton was a member of the first group of five ships of the "Town" class of light cruisers. She was built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland and launched on March 10, 1936.
Southampton saw service in World War II, and initially served as the flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron with the Home Fleet. On 5 September 1939 she intercepted the German merchant Johannes Molkenbuhr off Stadtlandet, Norway, but her crew scuttled the ship before she could be captured. The crew was taken off by HMS Jervis, and the Johannes Molkenbuhr was then finished off by HMS Jersey.
Southampton was later damaged on 16 October, 1939 whilst lying at anchor off Rosyth, Scotland, when she was struck by a 500 kg bomb in a German air raid. The bomb was released from only 150 m height by a Ju-88 of I/KG.30, and hit the corner of the pom-pom magazine, passed through three decks at an angle and exited the hull, detonating in the water. There was minor structural damage and temporary failure of electrical systems. She was repaired and at the end of the year she was one of the ships involved in the hunt for the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after the sinking of HMS Rawalpindi. She then served with the Humber Force until February 1940, and then went to the 18th Cruiser squadron at Scapa Flow. On 9 April 1940, Southampton was operating off the Norwegian coast when she sustained splinter damage in a German air attack. The main battery director was temporarily knocked out. After being repaired, she had anti-invasion duties on the south-coast of England until she returned to Scapa Flow in October.
On 15 November she sailed for the Mediterranean. She participated in the action off Cape Spartivento on 27 November. In December she was moved to the Red Sea to escort troop convoys, and at the same time took part in the bombardment of Kismayu during the campaign in Italian East Africa. On 1 January 1941 she joined the 3rd Cruiser Squadron and took part in Malta convoy operations. On 11 January she was hit by either two or three bombs south-east of Malta, killing 81 men. Heavily damaged and without power, Southampton was sunk by one torpedo from HMS Gloucester and four from HMS Orion.
[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.
- Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946.
- HMS Southampton at Uboat.net
- HMS Southampton - WWII cruisers
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