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HMS Calypso (D61)
Encyclopedia
HMS Calypso (D61) was a C class cruiser
of the Caledon sub-class of the Royal Navy
, launched in 1917 and sunk in 1940 by the Italian submarine Bagnolini.
HMS Calypso was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company
. Her keel
was laid down in February 1916 and she was completed in June 1917.
Calypso was involved in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
on 17 November 1917, when she and her sister ship
intercepted German
minesweeper
s near the German coast. During the battle, Calypsos bridge was struck by a 12 in (304.8 mm) shell which killed all personnel on the bridge including the captain.
Calypso went to the rescue of the Greek royal family in 1922 after King Constantine
of Greece
abdicated and a military dictatorship seized power. The King's brother, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
was banished for life by a revolutionary court and was forced to flee with his family (which included his son Philippos who was just 18 months old but who would become Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
). The British Government had received news of the situation, and dispatched Calypso to evacuate the family. They boarded with minimal possessions. Philippos was carried onboard in a cot made from an orange box. The family were taken to Brindisi
where they were put on a train to Paris.
During the early part of the Second World War
, Calypso served with the 7th Cruiser Squadron on Northern Patrol duty as a blockade ship in the North Sea between Scotland and Iceland. On 24 September 1939, Calypso intercepted the German merchant ship Minden south of Iceland. The crew of Minden scuttled their ship before she could be captured. On 22 November, Calypso captured the German merchant ship Konsul Hendrik Fisser off Iceland.
Following the sinking of the on 23 November, Calypso was involved in the search for the German warships and .
In early 1940, Calypso was sent to Alexandria in the eastern Mediterranean.
Calypso was the first Royal Naval (and British) vessel to be sunk by the Regia Marina
in the Second World War. Two days after Italy declared war on Great Britain, Calypso was on an anti-shipping patrol against Italian ships travelling to Libya when she was struck by one torpedo from an Italian submarine
about 50 mi (80.5 km) south of Cape Lithion in Crete
in the Eastern Meditarranean. The sinking occurred at 00:59 on 12 June 1940. The submarine was the R.Smg. captained by C.C. Franco Tosoni Pittoni. One officer and 38 ratings from Calypso perished in the sinking. The majority of her survivors were picked up by the destroyer
and taken to Alexandria.
C class cruiser
The C class was a group of twenty-eight light cruisers of the Royal Navy, and were built in a sequence of seven classes known as the Caroline , Calliope , Cambrian , Centaur , Caledon , Ceres and Carlisle classes...
of the Caledon sub-class of 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...
, launched in 1917 and sunk in 1940 by the Italian submarine Bagnolini.
HMS Calypso was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company
Hawthorn Leslie and Company
R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilding and locomotive manufacturer. The Company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982.-History:...
. Her keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid down in February 1916 and she was completed in June 1917.
Calypso was involved in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
The Second Battle of Heligoland Bight was a naval engagement during the First World War. On 17 November 1917, German minesweepers clearing a path through the British minefield in the Heligoland Bight near the coast of Germany were intercepted by two British light cruisers, and , performing...
on 17 November 1917, when she and her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
intercepted German
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
s near the German coast. During the battle, Calypsos bridge was struck by a 12 in (304.8 mm) shell which killed all personnel on the bridge including the captain.
Calypso went to the rescue of the Greek royal family in 1922 after King Constantine
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...
of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
abdicated and a military dictatorship seized power. The King's brother, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the seventh child and fourth son of King George I of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia. He was a grandson of Christian IX of Denmark.He began military training at an early age, and was...
was banished for life by a revolutionary court and was forced to flee with his family (which included his son Philippos who was just 18 months old but who would become Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
). The British Government had received news of the situation, and dispatched Calypso to evacuate the family. They boarded with minimal possessions. Philippos was carried onboard in a cot made from an orange box. The family were taken to Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
where they were put on a train to Paris.
During the early part of the Second World War
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...
, Calypso served with the 7th Cruiser Squadron on Northern Patrol duty as a blockade ship in the North Sea between Scotland and Iceland. On 24 September 1939, Calypso intercepted the German merchant ship Minden south of Iceland. The crew of Minden scuttled their ship before she could be captured. On 22 November, Calypso captured the German merchant ship Konsul Hendrik Fisser off Iceland.
Following the sinking of the on 23 November, Calypso was involved in the search for the German warships and .
In early 1940, Calypso was sent to Alexandria in the eastern Mediterranean.
Calypso was the first Royal Naval (and British) vessel to be sunk by the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
in the Second World War. Two days after Italy declared war on Great Britain, Calypso was on an anti-shipping patrol against Italian ships travelling to Libya when she was struck by one torpedo from an Italian submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
about 50 mi (80.5 km) south of Cape Lithion in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
in the Eastern Meditarranean. The sinking occurred at 00:59 on 12 June 1940. The submarine was the R.Smg. captained by C.C. Franco Tosoni Pittoni. One officer and 38 ratings from Calypso perished in the sinking. The majority of her survivors were picked up by the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
and taken to Alexandria.