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HMS Trinidad (C46)
Encyclopedia
HMS Trinidad was a Royal Navy
Crown Colony-class
cruiser
(also known as the Fiji-class). She was lost while serving in the Arctic
on convoy duty
after being damaged escorting PQ-13
in 1942.
Trinidad was built by HM Dockyard Devonport
. She was laid down on 21 April 1938, launched 21 March 1941 and commissioned on 14 October 1941. The ship served with the British Home Fleet during her brief career.
in March 1942, she and other escorts were in combat with German
Narvik-class
destroyer
s. She hit and sank the German destroyer Z 26, and then launched a torpedo
attack. One of her torpedoes had a faulty gyro
mechanism possibly affected by the icy waters. The path of the torpedo formed a circular arc, striking the Trinidad and killing 32 men.
Trinidad was towed clear of the action, and was then able to proceed under her own power towards Murmansk
. The German submarine U-378 http://www.uboat.net/boats/u378.htm attempted to engage and sink the damaged cruiser, but was spotted and attacked by destroyer HMS Fury
. On arrival in Murmansk she underwent partial repairs.
She set out to return home on 13 May 1942, escorted by the destroyers HMS Foresight
, HMS Forester
, HMS Somali
and HMS Matchless
. Other ships of the Home Fleet were providing a covering force nearby. Her speed was reduced to 20 knots owing to the damage she had sustained. En route, she was attacked by more than twenty Ju-88
bombers on 15 May 1942. All attacks missed, except for one bomb that struck near the previous damage starting a serious fire. Sixty-three men were lost, including twenty survivors from HMS Edinburgh
which had been sunk two weeks earlier. The decision was taken to scuttle her and she was torpedoed by HMS Matchless and sank in the Arctic Ocean
, north of North Cape.
One of the survivors was composer George Lloyd
, who during his long recovery from shell-shock wrote his Fourth Symphony, entitled "The Arctic" which he prefaced with the description "… a world of darkness, storms, strange colours and a far-away peacefulness".
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...
Crown Colony-class
Crown Colony class cruiser
The Crown Colony-class light cruisers of the Royal Navy were named after Crown Colonies of the British Empire. The first eight are known as the Fiji class, while the last three to be built are commonly referred to as the Ceylon class and were built to a slightly modified design.-Design:They were...
cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
(also known as the Fiji-class). She was lost while serving in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
on convoy duty
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
after being damaged escorting PQ-13
Convoy PQ-13
PQ-13 was a British Arctic convoy which delivered war supplies from the Western Allies to the USSR during World War II. The convoy was subject to attack by German air, U-boat and surface forces and suffered the loss of five ships, plus one escort vessel...
in 1942.
Early career
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
. She was laid down on 21 April 1938, launched 21 March 1941 and commissioned on 14 October 1941. The ship served with the British Home Fleet during her brief career.
Loss
While escorting Convoy PQ-13Convoy PQ-13
PQ-13 was a British Arctic convoy which delivered war supplies from the Western Allies to the USSR during World War II. The convoy was subject to attack by German air, U-boat and surface forces and suffered the loss of five ships, plus one escort vessel...
in March 1942, she and other escorts were in combat with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Narvik-class
Narvik class destroyer
The Zerstörer 1936A-class destroyers, or Narvik-class destroyers as they were known to the Allies, were a class of German destroyers of the Second World War...
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...
s. She hit and sank the German destroyer Z 26, and then launched a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
attack. One of her torpedoes had a faulty gyro
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
mechanism possibly affected by the icy waters. The path of the torpedo formed a circular arc, striking the Trinidad and killing 32 men.
Trinidad was towed clear of the action, and was then able to proceed under her own power towards Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
. The German submarine U-378 http://www.uboat.net/boats/u378.htm attempted to engage and sink the damaged cruiser, but was spotted and attacked by destroyer HMS Fury
HMS Fury (H76)
HMS Fury was an F class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was ordered from the yards of J. Samuel White, of Cowes, Isle of Wight on 17 March 1933 and was laid down on the 19 May of that year. She was launched on 10 September 1934 and commissioned on 18 May 1935...
. On arrival in Murmansk she underwent partial repairs.
HMS Foresight (H68)
HMS Foresight was a Royal Navy F class destroyer. She operated as a fast minesweeper during World War II and was scuttled after being damaged in an aerial attack during Operation Pedestal, an attempt to bring supplies to Malta....
, HMS Forester
HMS Forester (H74)
HMS Forester was a F class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, commissioned in 1935, that saw service in World War II, seeing action in Norway, in the Mediterranean, on the Russian and Atlantic Convoys, and during the Normandy landings before being sold for scrap in early 1946.-Construction:The...
, HMS Somali
HMS Somali (F33)
HMS Somali was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II.-History:She was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear....
and HMS Matchless
HMS Matchless (G52)
HMS Matchless was a M-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during World War II.-External links:...
. Other ships of the Home Fleet were providing a covering force nearby. Her speed was reduced to 20 knots owing to the damage she had sustained. En route, she was attacked by more than twenty Ju-88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
bombers on 15 May 1942. All attacks missed, except for one bomb that struck near the previous damage starting a serious fire. Sixty-three men were lost, including twenty survivors from HMS Edinburgh
HMS Edinburgh (C16)
HMS Edinburgh was a Town-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy, which served during World War II. She was one of the last two "Town"-class, which formed the Edinburgh sub-class...
which had been sunk two weeks earlier. The decision was taken to scuttle her and she was torpedoed by HMS Matchless and sank in the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
, north of North Cape.
One of the survivors was composer George Lloyd
George Lloyd (composer)
George Walter Selwyn Lloyd was a British composer.-Early life:Of Cornish ancestry, Lloyd grew up in a family with great enthusiasm for music. He was mainly home-schooled because of rheumatic fever. He later studied violin with Albert Sammons and composition with Harry Farjeon. He was a student at...
, who during his long recovery from shell-shock wrote his Fourth Symphony, entitled "The Arctic" which he prefaced with the description "… a world of darkness, storms, strange colours and a far-away peacefulness".
External links
Further reading
- Frank Pearce - The Ship That Torpedoed Herself: HMS "Trinidad" (1975) ISBN 0-904593-02-9
- M.J. Whitley - Cruisers of World War II, An International Encyclopedia. (1995)