Dido class cruiser
Encyclopedia
The Dido class was a class
of sixteen (including the Bellona sub-class) light cruiser
s built for the Royal Navy
. The design was influenced by the Arethusa class
light cruisers. The first group of three ships was commissioned in 1940, the second group (six ships) and third group (two ships) were commissioned in 1941–1942. The Bellona class ships commissioned between 1943 to 1944. Most members of the class were named after figures of Greek mythology
.
They were designed as fleet escorts to protect heavier units from both light surface forces and aircraft. The enthusiasm felt for them by the Board of Admiralty was borne out by good results in action and the only real problem with the type was shortage of gun-mountings and a need to stiffen them forward to take the weight of the forward turrets.
The class were intended to be armed with ten 5.25 inch (133 mm) guns in five twin turrets, which were of the same circular design as the secondary armament in the King George V
class battleships. A shortage of the guns, due to difficulties in manufacturing them, led to the first group being armed with only eight 5.25 inch guns in four twin turrets. The fifth twin turret was added later to Dido
only. The first group was also armed with a single 4 inch (102 mm) gun and two quadruple QF 2 pounder
(40 mm) "pom-poms".
The second group had the full five twin 5.25 inch guns but did not have the single 4 in (102 mm) gun added. The third group's armament was completely changed due to the shortage of the 5.25 in gun, being armed with eight 4.5 inch (113 mm) guns in four twin turrets instead. The 4.5 inch gun was actually better suited to the primary anti-aircraft role of the Dido class. The single 4.0 inch (102 mm) gun was also re-introduced, and its 2 pounder armament was increased from eight to ten.
The Bellona sub-class differed appearancewise somewhat from their predecessors. They had eight 5.25 inch (133 mm) RP10MkII guns in four twin turrets, and had vastly improved anti-aircraft armament, with twelve 2 pounder guns and twelve Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
s. The bridge of the Bellona-class was lowered by one deck compared to the previous three groups, which allowed full radar control to be fitted to the 5.25 inch (133 mm) turrets and 2 pounders, due to the decreased topweight. These ships used the HACS
high angle fire control system. The two funnels were more upright than the raked ones of the original Dido-class.
, the ships of this class saw much action, including the battle of Cape Matapan
, the Second Battle of Sirte
, Operation Torch
, Operation Overlord
, and the battle of Okinawa
, as well as many other duties in the Mediterranean and Pacific, indeed the Didos saw even more service than is mentioned here. The class lost a number of ships during the war. These were Bonaventure
, Charybdis
, Hermione
, Naiad
, Scylla
and Spartan
. The post-war survivors continued in service; all were decommissioned by the 1960s. Bellona
, Black Prince
and Royalist
were loaned to the Royal New Zealand Navy
post-World War II
. In 1956, Diadem
was sold to Pakistan
and renamed Babur.
completed with only four twin 5.25 in turrets because of shortages, and received a 4 inch starshell gun in X position. She had received a radar set before October 1940, but was otherwise unaltered.
Naiad
completed with five turrets. She received five single 20 mm in September 1941 and had radar Type 279 by this time.
Phoebe
completed with four turrets and was fitted with a 4 inch in Q position forward of the bridge. The latter was landed during her refit between November 1941 and April 1942, at New York
, along with the .5 inch machine guns and Type 279 radar, while a quadruple 2 pdr supplanted the 4 inch and eleven single 20 mm guns were fitted. Radars were now Type 281, 284 and 285. The A turret was temporarily removed at the end of 1942 after torpedo damage. During repairs in the first six months of 1943, all three quadruple 2 pdr were landed, as were seven single 20 mm, to be replaced by three quadruple 40 mm Bofors gun
s and six twin 20 mm. Radar Type 272 was also fitted. The A turret was replaced in July 1943. Her light anti-aircraft weaponry in April 1944 was twelve 40 mm (3 × 4) and sixteen 20 mm (6 × 2, 4 xl).
Dido
had four turrets and a 4 inch similar to Phoebe. The 4 in and the machine guns were removed in the latter half of 1941 at Brooklyn Navy Yard
, when Q 5.25 in turret was shipped and five single 20 mm were fitted. In the early summer of 1943 three single 20 mm were exchanged for four twin 20 mm, and the radar outfit was altered by the addition of Types 272, 282, 284 and 285. April 1944 lists, however, show only eight 20 mm.
Euryalus
completed with her designed armament. In September 1941 the .5 in MGs were landed and five single 20 mm fitted. Two more were added by September 1942. By mid-1943 two single 20 had been removed and four twin 20 mm shipped. The type 279 radar was replaced by types 272, 281, 282 and 285. In a long refit from October 1943 to July 1944, Q turret was replaced by a quadruple 2 pdr and two twin 20 mm were fitted. Radar 271 and 272 were removed and types 279b, 277 and 293 fitted.
Hermione
also completed as a five-turret ship. She had the .5 in MGs removed in October/November 1941 and received five single 20 mm.
Sirius
completed with five turrets and five 20 mm singles. She had received two more single 20 mm by mid-1943. One of these was landed at Massawa
at the end of 1943, and two single 40 mm Bofors Mk III were fitted. However, she is listed as having only seven 20 mm as light AA in April 1944 lists. By April 1945 she had two single Mk III 40 mm fitted and had landed two single 20 mm.
Cleopatra
was completed with two single 2 pdr in 1942 in lieu of the .5 in MGs, but these were removed in the middle of that year and replaced by five single 20 mm. A sixth 20 mm was added in mid-1943. During repairs between November 1943 and November 1944, Q turret was removed, as were two quadruple 2 pdr and five single 20 mm. Three quadruple 40 mm Bofors and six twin 20 mm were fitted and the singles numbered four.
Argonaut
completed with four single 20 mm in lieu of the .5 in MGs. She had Q turret removed during repairs in 1943/44, and lost the four single 20 mm. She received a quadruple 2 pdr in lieu of the 5.25 in, and had five twin 20 mm fitted. By April 1944 her light AA comprised three quadruple 2 pdr, six twin power-operated 20 mm and five single. By the end of the war with Japan
she had received five 40 mm Bofors and three single 40 mm Bofors Mk III.
Scylla
completed with four twin 4.5 in Mk III in UD MK III mountings because of a shortage of 5.25 in mountings. The forward superstructure was considerably modified to accommodate these and also to increase crew spaces. Her light AA on completion was eight single 20 mm. Six twin power-operated 20 mm were added at the end of 1943.
Charybdis
also completed with four twin 4.5 inch, and had in addition a single 4 in Mk V for-ward of X mounting. Her light AA at completion was four single 20 mm and two single 2 pdr. The 4 inch starshell gun and two single 2 pdr were removed and replaced by two twin and two single 20 mm, probably in 1943.
Spartan received no alterations as far as is known.
Royalist
was converted to an Escort Carrier Squadron flagship immediately on completion, when an extra two twin 20 mm were fitted as well as four single 20 mm. She was the only ship to receive an extensive postwar modernisation. (Loaned to RNZN in 1956, in exchange for Bellona).
Bellona
had four single 20 mm added by April 1944, and received an extra eight single 20 mm by April 1945. (Loaned to the RNZN after the war).
Black Prince
and Diadem
also received eight single 20 mm, and had a further two twin 20 mm by early 1945. (Black Prince was loaned to the RNZN after the war; Diadem was sold to Pakistan in 1956, and was renamed Babur
).
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of sixteen (including the Bellona sub-class) light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s built for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The design was influenced by the Arethusa class
Arethusa class cruiser (1934)
The Arethusa class was a class of four light cruisers built for the Royal Navy between 1933 and 1937 and that served in World War II. It had been intended to construct six ships, but the last pair, Polyphemus and Minotaur were ordered in 1934 as the 9,100 ton Town class Southampton and...
light cruisers. The first group of three ships was commissioned in 1940, the second group (six ships) and third group (two ships) were commissioned in 1941–1942. The Bellona class ships commissioned between 1943 to 1944. Most members of the class were named after figures of Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
.
They were designed as fleet escorts to protect heavier units from both light surface forces and aircraft. The enthusiasm felt for them by the Board of Admiralty was borne out by good results in action and the only real problem with the type was shortage of gun-mountings and a need to stiffen them forward to take the weight of the forward turrets.
Armament
King George V class battleship (1939)
The King George V-class battleships were the most modern British battleships used during World War II. Five ships of this class were built and commissioned: King George V , Prince of Wales , Duke of York , Howe , and Anson .The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 limiting all of the number,...
class battleships. A shortage of the guns, due to difficulties in manufacturing them, led to the first group being armed with only eight 5.25 inch guns in four twin turrets. The fifth twin turret was added later to Dido
HMS Dido (37)
HMS Dido was the name ship of her class of light cruisers for the Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird Shipyard , with the keel being laid down on 26 October 1937. She was launched on 18 July 1939 and commissioned on 30 September 1940.-Mediterranean:On 18 August 1942 Captain H. W. U...
only. The first group was also armed with a single 4 inch (102 mm) gun and two quadruple QF 2 pounder
QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
(40 mm) "pom-poms".
The second group had the full five twin 5.25 inch guns but did not have the single 4 in (102 mm) gun added. The third group's armament was completely changed due to the shortage of the 5.25 in gun, being armed with eight 4.5 inch (113 mm) guns in four twin turrets instead. The 4.5 inch gun was actually better suited to the primary anti-aircraft role of the Dido class. The single 4.0 inch (102 mm) gun was also re-introduced, and its 2 pounder armament was increased from eight to ten.
The Bellona sub-class differed appearancewise somewhat from their predecessors. They had eight 5.25 inch (133 mm) RP10MkII guns in four twin turrets, and had vastly improved anti-aircraft armament, with twelve 2 pounder guns and twelve Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
s. The bridge of the Bellona-class was lowered by one deck compared to the previous three groups, which allowed full radar control to be fitted to the 5.25 inch (133 mm) turrets and 2 pounders, due to the decreased topweight. These ships used the HACS
HACS
HACS, an acronym of High Angle Control System, was a British anti-aircraft fire-control system employed by the Royal Navy from 1931 onwards and used widely during World War II...
high angle fire control system. The two funnels were more upright than the raked ones of the original Dido-class.
Service
In World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the ships of this class saw much action, including the battle of Cape Matapan
Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan was a Second World War naval battle fought from 27–29 March 1941. The cape is on the southwest coast of Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula...
, the Second Battle of Sirte
Second Battle of Sirte
The Second Battle of Sirte was a naval engagement in which the escorting warships of a British convoy to Malta frustrated a much more powerful Regia Marina squadron. The British convoy was composed of four merchant ships escorted by four light cruisers, one anti-aircraft cruiser, and 17 destroyers...
, Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, and the battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
, as well as many other duties in the Mediterranean and Pacific, indeed the Didos saw even more service than is mentioned here. The class lost a number of ships during the war. These were Bonaventure
HMS Bonaventure (31)
HMS Bonaventure was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy.-References:**...
, Charybdis
HMS Charybdis (88)
HMS Charybdis was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird Shipyard , with the keel being laid down on 9 November 1939...
, Hermione
HMS Hermione (74)
HMS Hermione was a Dido class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, She was built by Alexander Stephen and Sons, , with the keel being laid down on 6 October 1937. She was launched on 18 May 1939, and commissioned 25 March 1941....
, Naiad
HMS Naiad (93)
HMS Naiad was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company , with the keel being laid down on 26 August 1937. She was launched on 3 February 1939, and commissioned 24 July 1940....
, Scylla
HMS Scylla (98)
HMS Scylla was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 19 April 1939...
and Spartan
HMS Spartan (95)
HMS Spartan was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Bellona subgroup of the Royal Navy. She was a modified Dido design with only four turrets but improved anti-aircraft armament - aka Dido Group 2. She was built by Vickers-Armstrongs , with the keel being laid down on 21 December 1939...
. The post-war survivors continued in service; all were decommissioned by the 1960s. Bellona
HMS Bellona (63)
HMS Bellona was the name ship of her subgroup of light cruisers for the Royal Navy. She was a modified Dido-class design with only four turrets but improved anti-aircraft armament...
, Black Prince
HMS Black Prince (81)
HMS Black Prince was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, of the Bellona subgroup. The cruiser was commissioned in 1943, and served during World War II on the Arctic convoys, during the Normandy landings, and as part of the British Pacific Fleet. In 1946, the cruiser was loaned to the...
and Royalist
HMS Royalist (89)
HMS Royalist was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Bellona subgroup of the Royal Navy. She was a modified Dido design with only four turrets but improved AA armament - aka Dido Group 2. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company with the keel being laid down on 21 March 1940...
were loaned to the Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1956, Diadem
HMS Diadem (84)
HMS Diadem was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Bellona subgroup of the Royal Navy. She was a modified Dido design with only four turrets but improved AA armament - aka Dido Group 2. She was built by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited , UK), with the keel being laid down on 15...
was sold to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and renamed Babur.
Didos
BonaventureHMS Bonaventure (31)
HMS Bonaventure was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy.-References:**...
completed with only four twin 5.25 in turrets because of shortages, and received a 4 inch starshell gun in X position. She had received a radar set before October 1940, but was otherwise unaltered.
Naiad
HMS Naiad (93)
HMS Naiad was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company , with the keel being laid down on 26 August 1937. She was launched on 3 February 1939, and commissioned 24 July 1940....
completed with five turrets. She received five single 20 mm in September 1941 and had radar Type 279 by this time.
Phoebe
HMS Phoebe (43)
HMS Phoebe was a Dido class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 2 September 1937...
completed with four turrets and was fitted with a 4 inch in Q position forward of the bridge. The latter was landed during her refit between November 1941 and April 1942, at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, along with the .5 inch machine guns and Type 279 radar, while a quadruple 2 pdr supplanted the 4 inch and eleven single 20 mm guns were fitted. Radars were now Type 281, 284 and 285. The A turret was temporarily removed at the end of 1942 after torpedo damage. During repairs in the first six months of 1943, all three quadruple 2 pdr were landed, as were seven single 20 mm, to be replaced by three quadruple 40 mm Bofors gun
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
s and six twin 20 mm. Radar Type 272 was also fitted. The A turret was replaced in July 1943. Her light anti-aircraft weaponry in April 1944 was twelve 40 mm (3 × 4) and sixteen 20 mm (6 × 2, 4 xl).
Dido
HMS Dido (37)
HMS Dido was the name ship of her class of light cruisers for the Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird Shipyard , with the keel being laid down on 26 October 1937. She was launched on 18 July 1939 and commissioned on 30 September 1940.-Mediterranean:On 18 August 1942 Captain H. W. U...
had four turrets and a 4 inch similar to Phoebe. The 4 in and the machine guns were removed in the latter half of 1941 at Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
, when Q 5.25 in turret was shipped and five single 20 mm were fitted. In the early summer of 1943 three single 20 mm were exchanged for four twin 20 mm, and the radar outfit was altered by the addition of Types 272, 282, 284 and 285. April 1944 lists, however, show only eight 20 mm.
HMS Euryalus (42)
HMS Euryalus was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built at Chatham Dockyard UK), with the keel being laid down on 21 October 1937. She was launched on 6 June 1939, and commissioned 30 June 1941. Euryalus was the last cruiser that Chatham Dockyard built.-Mediterranean Service:-Second...
completed with her designed armament. In September 1941 the .5 in MGs were landed and five single 20 mm fitted. Two more were added by September 1942. By mid-1943 two single 20 had been removed and four twin 20 mm shipped. The type 279 radar was replaced by types 272, 281, 282 and 285. In a long refit from October 1943 to July 1944, Q turret was replaced by a quadruple 2 pdr and two twin 20 mm were fitted. Radar 271 and 272 were removed and types 279b, 277 and 293 fitted.
Hermione
HMS Hermione (74)
HMS Hermione was a Dido class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, She was built by Alexander Stephen and Sons, , with the keel being laid down on 6 October 1937. She was launched on 18 May 1939, and commissioned 25 March 1941....
also completed as a five-turret ship. She had the .5 in MGs removed in October/November 1941 and received five single 20 mm.
Sirius
HMS Sirius (82)
HMS Sirius was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard , with the keel being laid down on 6 April 1938. She was launched on 18 September 1940, and commissioned 6 May 1942.-History:...
completed with five turrets and five 20 mm singles. She had received two more single 20 mm by mid-1943. One of these was landed at Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
at the end of 1943, and two single 40 mm Bofors Mk III were fitted. However, she is listed as having only seven 20 mm as light AA in April 1944 lists. By April 1945 she had two single Mk III 40 mm fitted and had landed two single 20 mm.
Cleopatra
HMS Cleopatra (33)
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...
was completed with two single 2 pdr in 1942 in lieu of the .5 in MGs, but these were removed in the middle of that year and replaced by five single 20 mm. A sixth 20 mm was added in mid-1943. During repairs between November 1943 and November 1944, Q turret was removed, as were two quadruple 2 pdr and five single 20 mm. Three quadruple 40 mm Bofors and six twin 20 mm were fitted and the singles numbered four.
Argonaut
HMS Argonaut (61)
HMS Argonaut was a Dido class cruiser-References:***...
completed with four single 20 mm in lieu of the .5 in MGs. She had Q turret removed during repairs in 1943/44, and lost the four single 20 mm. She received a quadruple 2 pdr in lieu of the 5.25 in, and had five twin 20 mm fitted. By April 1944 her light AA comprised three quadruple 2 pdr, six twin power-operated 20 mm and five single. By the end of the war with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
she had received five 40 mm Bofors and three single 40 mm Bofors Mk III.
Scylla
HMS Scylla (98)
HMS Scylla was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 19 April 1939...
completed with four twin 4.5 in Mk III in UD MK III mountings because of a shortage of 5.25 in mountings. The forward superstructure was considerably modified to accommodate these and also to increase crew spaces. Her light AA on completion was eight single 20 mm. Six twin power-operated 20 mm were added at the end of 1943.
Charybdis
HMS Charybdis (88)
HMS Charybdis was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird Shipyard , with the keel being laid down on 9 November 1939...
also completed with four twin 4.5 inch, and had in addition a single 4 in Mk V for-ward of X mounting. Her light AA at completion was four single 20 mm and two single 2 pdr. The 4 inch starshell gun and two single 2 pdr were removed and replaced by two twin and two single 20 mm, probably in 1943.
Bellonas
Royalist
HMS Royalist (89)
HMS Royalist was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Bellona subgroup of the Royal Navy. She was a modified Dido design with only four turrets but improved AA armament - aka Dido Group 2. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company with the keel being laid down on 21 March 1940...
was converted to an Escort Carrier Squadron flagship immediately on completion, when an extra two twin 20 mm were fitted as well as four single 20 mm. She was the only ship to receive an extensive postwar modernisation. (Loaned to RNZN in 1956, in exchange for Bellona).
Bellona
HMS Bellona (63)
HMS Bellona was the name ship of her subgroup of light cruisers for the Royal Navy. She was a modified Dido-class design with only four turrets but improved anti-aircraft armament...
had four single 20 mm added by April 1944, and received an extra eight single 20 mm by April 1945. (Loaned to the RNZN after the war).
Black Prince
HMS Black Prince (81)
HMS Black Prince was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, of the Bellona subgroup. The cruiser was commissioned in 1943, and served during World War II on the Arctic convoys, during the Normandy landings, and as part of the British Pacific Fleet. In 1946, the cruiser was loaned to the...
and Diadem
HMS Diadem (84)
HMS Diadem was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Bellona subgroup of the Royal Navy. She was a modified Dido design with only four turrets but improved AA armament - aka Dido Group 2. She was built by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited , UK), with the keel being laid down on 15...
also received eight single 20 mm, and had a further two twin 20 mm by early 1945. (Black Prince was loaned to the RNZN after the war; Diadem was sold to Pakistan in 1956, and was renamed Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
).
In popular culture
- HMS UlyssesHMS Ulysses (novel)HMS Ulysses was the first novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean, and ultimately, one of his most popular. Originally published in 1955, it was also released by Fontana Books in 1960...
(1955 novel by Alistair MacleanAlistair MacLeanAlistair Stuart MacLean was a Scottish novelist who wrote popular thrillers or adventure stories, the best known of which are perhaps The Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra and Where Eagles Dare, all three having been made into successful films...
) - In the 1953 film of C.S.Forester's Brown on ResolutionBrown on ResolutionBrown on Resolution is a 1929 nautical novel written by CS Forester. It is set during World War I. The hero of the novel, seaman Brown, is the sole able-bodied survivor of a sunken British warship, who is able single-handedly to discomfit its attacker, a German cruiser, long enough to ensure its...
, (called Sailor of the KingSailor of the KingSailor of the King is a 1953 war film based on the novel Brown on Resolution by C. S. Forester and filmed in the Mediterranean Sea...
in Britain, and Single-handed in the USA), the Dido-class plays both the fictional Royal Navy ships "HMS Amesbury" and "HMS Stratford". As Amesbury she is heroically sunk by the more powerful German raider Essen, (portrayed by with large mock-up gun turrets), and as Stratford she triumphs at the end of the story. The two battle sequences depict this open-bridge light-cruiser firing her guns and torpedoes in some detail.
External links
- Gunnery Layout of a "Dido" Class Cruiser. from Gunnery Pocket Book 1945 placed online courtesy of Historic Naval Ships Association
- Newsreel video of HMS Scylla fighting the Luftwaffe while protecting convoy PQ18
- Our Navy in Action; newreel footage of Dido class cruisers engaging Axis aircraft and Italian battleships during the Battle of Sirte on 22 March 1942
- Short video clip of a Dido class cruiser in action