HMS Sheffield (C24)

Last updated

HMS Sheffield.jpg
Sheffield underway in 1944
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NameHMS Sheffield
Namesake Sheffield
Builder Vickers-Armstrongs, High Walker
Yard number5
Laid down31 January 1935
Launched23 July 1936
Commissioned25 August 1937
Identification Pennant number: C24
Nickname(s)Shiny Sheff
Honours and
awards
FateScrapped at Faslane, 1967
Badge
HMS Sheffield plaque, Sheffield Town Hall.jpg
General characteristics
Class and type Town-class light cruiser
Displacement
  • 9,100 tons standard
  • 11,350 tons full load
Length
  • 591.0 ft (180.1 m) overall
  • 558.0 ft (170.1 m) p/p
Beam62.25 ft (18.97 m)
Draught17.0 ft (5.2 m)
Installed power75,000 shp
Propulsion
Speed32 knots (59 km/h)
Complement748
Sensors and
processing systems
Type 79Y radar from August 1938 [1]
Armament

HMS Sheffield was one of the Southampton sub class of the Town-class cruisers of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She took part in actions against several major German warships. Unlike most Royal Navy ships of her time, her fittings were constructed from stainless steel instead of the more traditional brass. This was an attempt to reduce the amount of cleaning required on the part of the crew. Her nickname, the "Shiny Sheff", stemmed from this. A prototype radar system was placed into service in August 1938 on the Sheffield. It was the first vessel in the Royal Navy to be so equipped. [2]

Contents

Building

Vickers-Armstrongs built Sheffield at High Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne. Her keel was laid on 31 January 1935, she was launched on 23 July 1936 and she was completed on 25 August 1937. [3]

War service

View of an Arctic convoy from Sheffield HMS Sheffield convoy.jpg
View of an Arctic convoy from Sheffield

At the outbreak of war, Sheffield served with the 18th Cruiser Squadron, patrolling the Denmark Straits and then, in April 1940, she was engaged in the Norwegian Campaign. After a short spell carrying out anti-invasion duties in the English Channel, she joined Force H, based in Gibraltar. During that time, she operated in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic until the year's end, and took part in Operation White and the battle of Cape Spartivento.

In 1941, she participated in Operation Grog, the shelling of Genoa, in operations against Vichy convoys and supporting air reinforcements to Malta. In May, Sheffield took part in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck, narrowly escaping a friendly fire torpedo attack by the aircraft carrier Ark Royal 's Fairey Swordfish; eleven torpedoes were dropped and only defective Duplex exploders and fine ship handling saved her from disaster. [4] (In the report of the attack, Admiral Sir John Tovey, commanding Home Fleet, was told only no hits were scored on Bismarck . [5] The reaction of Sheffield's crew "has not made its way into the official records".) [6] On 12 June, she located and sank one of Bismarck's tankers, Friedrich Breme. After the destruction in early October 1941 of another German supply ship, Kota Penang, (aided by the cruiser Kenya), Sheffield returned to Britain.

She was occupied on Arctic convoys until hitting a mine off Iceland on 3 March 1942 and was under repair until July. After more Arctic convoys, Sheffield joined the forces supporting the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch) in November. In December 1942, Sheffield and Jamaica formed "Force R", under the command of Rear-Admiral Robert Burnett (in Sheffield), which provided cover for Convoy JW 51B. The convoy was attacked by a strong German surface force. In the ensuing action (Battle of the Barents Sea), the Germans withdrew and Sheffield sank the German destroyer Friedrich Eckoldt, while also damaging the cruiser Admiral Hipper, Eckoldt mistaking Sheffield for Hipper. During this engagement, the destroyer Achates and the minesweeper Bramble were sunk by gunfire of the two German vessels.

Ice forms on a 20-inch signal projector during an Arctic convoy to Russia HMS Sheffield frost.jpg
Ice forms on a 20-inch signal projector during an Arctic convoy to Russia
Flagship of the reserve fleet in the 1960s HMS Sheffield (C24) MOD 45139960.jpg
Flagship of the reserve fleet in the 1960s

In February 1943, Sheffield moved to operate in the Bay of Biscay and, in July and August, she supported the landings at Salerno (Operation Avalanche). Returning yet again to the Arctic, she took part in the sinking of the battleship Scharnhorst off the north coast of Norway, in late December.

In 1944, Sheffield was an escort for the Royal Navy carrier force that executed a series of air attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz, between April and August. These had limited success and responsibility was passed to the Royal Air Force.

A lengthy refit in Boston and in Britain kept Sheffield out of action until after the end of the war.

Post-war

The refit was completed in May 1946 and Sheffield arrived at her new base, the Royal Naval Dockyard in the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda, on the 30 August, 1946, for duties as flagship on the America and West Indies Station. Her commanding officer, Captain K. G. Harkness, D.S.C., was also the Chief Staff Officer to the Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir Irvine Glennie. [7] [8] She departed Bermuda, and the station, on 26 October, 1948, for England, replaced as flagship on the America and West Indies Station by HMS Glasgow. [9] [10]

HMS Sheffield at City of Hamilton, Bermuda for 10 June, 1948, King's Birthday ceremony. 1948-06-10 HMS Sheffield at City of Hamilton in Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda for King's Birthday ceremony.jpg
HMS Sheffield at City of Hamilton, Bermuda for 10 June, 1948, King's Birthday ceremony.

On 12 October, 1951, Sheffield returned to Bermuda again as flagship of the America and West Indies Station, replacing HMS Superb. [11] From June 1952 to May 1953, her commanding officer was Capt. John Inglis, who was to become director of Naval Intelligence in July 1954. [12] In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. [13] On 18 October, 1954, she was replaced as flagship of the America and West Indies Station by HMS Superb, leaving Bermuda the same day to decommission at Portsmouth. [14]

Bell in Sheffield Cathedral Bell of HMS Sheffield (1937).jpg
Bell in Sheffield Cathedral

There were further refits in 1949/50,1954 and 1956-7 when her bridge was enclosed, a lattice foremast added, and a comprehensive anti nuclear and biological washdown installed in 1959–60. Her final light anti-aircraft outfit consisted of eight twin Bofors Mk 5 and 2 single Bofors Mk 7. [15] In 1955, she played the part of the cruiser Ajax in the war film The Battle of the River Plate . She went into reserve in January 1959, but as the refit of HMS Swiftsure was stopped due to structural weakness and the Town cruisers considered far more comfortable and able to carry far more light AA, Sheffield was the final World War II cruiser to be refitted for possible use as a GFS monitor. She became flagship of the Reserve Fleet and served again at sea in 1960 and then as an accommodation ship until September 1964, when she was placed on the disposal list. She was widely considered as a historic and great British warship, justifying preservation and a cruiser which maintained far more the character and fit of a World War II cruiser compared with the more modified HMS Belfast. However, by 1966, examination showed Sheffield had deteriorated too much in unmaintained reserve in Fareham Creek and could not be preserved.

Her equipment was removed at Rosyth in 1967 and she was then broken up at Faslane in the same year. The stainless steel ship's bell, which was made by Hadfield's of Sheffield, was preserved and today hangs in Sheffield Cathedral along with her battle ensign.

Citations

  1. Macintyre, Donald, CAPT RN "Shipborne Radar" United States Naval Institute Proceedings September 1967 p.75
  2. Coales, J. F., and J. D. S. Rawlinson; "The Development of Naval Radar 1935-1945", J. Naval Science, vol. 13, nos. 2-3, 1987.
  3. "Sheffield". Tyne Built Ships. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  4. Stephen, Martin. Sea Battles in Close-up (Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan, 1988), Volume 1, pp.89-90.
  5. Stephen, p.91.
  6. Stephen, p.89.
  7. "Sheffield Due At Bermuda Tomorrow: Flagship for C.C. Here; Has Notable War Record; BERMUDIAN IS AMONG OFFICERS IN CRUISE". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 29 August 1946.
  8. "New Flagship Arrives at R.N. Station Here: Cruiser Sheffield Will Be Followed by H.M.S. Kenya". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 31 August 1946.
  9. "Sheffield Leaves Today: Visited By 175,000 During 5 "Showing The Flag" Cruises". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 26 October 1948. p. 1.
  10. "Farewell Dance For "Sheffield" Men". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 26 October 1948. p. 8.
  11. "H.M.S. Sheffield Arrives To Become New flagship". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 13 October 1951.
  12. Houterman, Hans; Koppes, Jeroen. "Inglis, (Sir) John Gilchrist Thesiger". Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945. www.unithistories.com. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  13. Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
  14. "Queen's Colour Handed Over To New Flagship". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 19 October 1954.
  15. Friedman, Norman (2010). British Cruisers. Seaforth. p. 282. ISBN   978-1-84832-078-9.

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Cairo</i> (D87) Royal Navy C-class light cruiser

HMS Cairo (D87) was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the Egyptian capital, Cairo. 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.

HMS <i>Norfolk</i> (78) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Norfolk was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy; along with her sister ship Dorsetshire she was part of a planned four-ship subclass. She served throughout the Second World War, where she was involved in the sinking of the German Navy's battleships Bismarck and Scharnhorst.

HMS <i>Orion</i> (85) Leander-Class cruiser

HMS Orion was a Leander-class light cruiser which served with distinction in the Royal Navy during World War II. She received 13 battle honours, a record only exceeded by HMS Warspite and matched by two others.

HMS <i>Jamaica</i> (44) Fiji-class cruiser

HMS Jamaica, a Fiji-class cruiser of the Royal Navy, was named after the island of Jamaica, which was a British Crown Colony when she was built in the late 1930s. The light cruiser spent almost her entire wartime career on Arctic convoy duties, except for a deployment south for the landings in North Africa in November 1942. She participated in the Battle of the Barents Sea in 1942 and the Battle of North Cape in 1943. Jamaica escorted several aircraft carriers in 1944 as they flew off airstrikes that attacked the German battleship Tirpitz in northern Norway. Late in the year she had an extensive refit to prepare her for service with the British Pacific Fleet, but the war ended before she reached the Pacific.

HMS <i>Kenya</i> Fiji-class cruiser

HMS Kenya was a Fiji-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. The ship was named after Kenya, a British possession at the time of the ship's construction.

HMS <i>London</i> (69) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS London, pennant number C69, was a member of the second group of the County-class heavy cruisers of the Royal Navy. She and her sisters; Sussex, Shropshire, and Devonshire differed from the earlier group of Counties,, by having a smaller forward superstructure, which was positioned slightly further aft, and little armour plating. HMS London's career spanned over twenty years.

HMS <i>Glasgow</i> (C21) Town-class cruiser

HMS Glasgow was a Town-class cruiser commissioned in September 1937. She took part in the Fleet Air Arm raid that crippled the Italian Fleet at Taranto in 1940. She had the unfortunate experience of sinking two Allied ships during her wartime service, once through accidental collision and the other by gunfire after a case of mistaken identity.

HMS <i>Ajax</i> (22) Leander-Class cruiser

HMS Ajax was a Leander-class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy during World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, the Battle of Crete, the Battle of Malta and as a supply escort in the siege of Tobruk. This ship was the eighth in the Royal Navy to bear the name. In February 1942, she was adopted by the civil community of Halifax, West Yorkshire.

HMS <i>Jervis Bay</i> 20th-century British armed merchant ship

HMS Jervis Bay was a British liner later converted into an armed merchant cruiser, pennant F40. She was launched in 1922, and sunk in battle on 5 November 1940 by the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer in an action which earned her captain the Victoria Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North America and West Indies Station</span> Military unit

The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956, with main bases at the Imperial fortresses of Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the two combined to form the North America and West Indies Station. It was briefly abolished in 1907 before being restored in 1915. It was renamed the America and West Indies Station in 1926. It was commanded by Commanders-in-Chief whose titles changed with the changing of the formation's name, eventually by the Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies Station.

HMS <i>York</i> (90) Lead ship of British York-class

HMS York was the lead ship of her class of two heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the late 1920s. She mostly served on the North America and West Indies Station before World War II. Early in the war the ship escorted convoys in the Atlantic and participated in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940. York was transferred to the Mediterranean theatre in late 1940 where she escorted convoys and the larger ships of the Mediterranean Fleet. She was wrecked in an attack by Italian explosive motorboats of the 10th Flotilla MAS at Suda Bay, Crete, in March 1941. The ship's wreck was salvaged in 1952 and subsequently scrapped.

HMS <i>Cleopatra</i> (33) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Cleopatra was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, with the keel being laid down on 5 January 1939. She was launched on 27 March 1940, and commissioned on 5 December 1941.

HMS <i>Berwick</i> (65) County-class cruiser

HMS Berwick, pennant number 65, was a County-class heavy cruiser of the British Royal Navy, part of the Kent subclass. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, Scotland, with the keel being laid down on 15 September 1924. She was launched on 30 March 1926 and commissioned 12 July 1927. When completed, Berwick was sent to the China Station, where she remained until a temporary detachment to the Mediterranean in 1936. Along with the rest of her Kent class sub-group of County-class ships, Berwick underwent reconstruction between 1937 and 1938, where her single 4-inch guns were replaced with double mounts, numerous light machine guns were added, along with a significant addition of note; a cemented 4-inch (100 mm) thick and 6 feet (1.8 m) deep armoured belt was added to both sides of her hull beginning at the armoured deck down past her water line.

HMS <i>Danae</i> (D44) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Danae was the lead ship of the Danae-class cruisers, serving with the Royal Navy between the world wars and with the Polish Navy during the latter part of World War II as ORP Conrad.

HMS <i>Gambia</i> (48) Fiji-class cruiser

HMS Gambia was a Fiji-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was in the service of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) as HMNZS Gambia from 1943 to 1946. She was named after the then Crown colony of the Gambia, and has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.

HMS <i>Bermuda</i> (52) Fiji-class cruiser

HMS Bermuda was a Fiji-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was completed during World War II and served in that conflict. She was named for the British territory of Bermuda, and was the eighth vessel of that name.

HMS <i>Capetown</i> (D88) Royal Navy C-class light cruiser

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.

HMS <i>Dauntless</i> (D45) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Dauntless was a Danae-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company of Jarrow, launched on 10 April 1918 and commissioned on 22 November 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irvine Glennie</span> Royal Navy admiral (1892–1980)

Admiral Sir Irvine Gordon Glennie KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies Station.

German destroyer Z16 <i>Friedrich Eckoldt</i> Z5-class destroyer of the Kriegsmarine

Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt was a Type 1934A-class destroyer built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine in the late 1930s. It was named after Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Eckoldt (1887–1916), the commander of torpedo boat V 48, who was killed when his boat was sunk during the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916.

References