COLONY-Class
cruiser ordered on 4th September 1939 from
John Brown of Clydebank and laid down on
30th November 1939. The ship was launched
on 11th September 1941 by Viscountess
Weir and was the eighth RN ship to carry
this name, first introduced in 1795. Build
was completed on the 21st August 1942 and
this ship had been adopted in March 1942
by the civil community of West Bromwich,
then in the county of Staffordshire
after a successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign.
1
9 4 2
July
Contractors trials
August
5th
Commissioned for service.
21st
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
28th
On completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa Flow
to work up with ships of
Home Fleet
September
Carried out further trials and
calibrations at Scapa Flow.
October
Nominated for support of planned
allied landings in North
Africa
(Operation TORCH)
26th
On completion of work-up joined HM
Battleships DUKE OF YORK,
NELSON and HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Aircraft
Carriers VICTORIOUS
and FORMIDABLE with
HM Cruiser ARGONAUT screened by eleven
Home Fleet destroyers for passage
to Gibraltar
to support
of landings. For
details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett,
RELUCTANT ENEMIES
by W
Tute
and Naval Staff History).
November
3rd
Arrived at Gibraltar
and joined Force H.
6th
Sailed from Gibraltar
8th
Provided Distant Cover for landings
and bombarded shore gun positions
during assault.
Carried out patrolled in seaward
approaches to prevent any interference
by Vichy French
or Italian
warships.
Under torpedo and
bomb attacks by He111aircraft off Algiers
with HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD.
(Note: One air craft was claimed
destroyed and one damaged during
attacks by 34 aircraft.)
10th
Escorted convoy of three troop ships
to Bougie
with HMS SHEFFIELD.
On release from TORCH took return
passage to Scapa
Flow
to resume Home Fleet duties
14th
Deployed as Flagship of Force Q to
carry out attacks on enemy supply
shipping.
Released from Force H and nominated
for return to Home Fleet.
December
Passage to Scapa
Flow
4th
Rejoined Home
Fleet for convoy defence and patrol
duty in NW Approaches.
31st
Deployed with HM Battleship KING
GEORGE V and HOWE with Fleet
destroyers to provide
cover for
returning Russian Convoy RA51 after
the attacks on the inward Russian
Convoy
JW51B by German
warships HIPPER and LUTZOW.
(For details of all Russian Convoy
operations see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY,
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B. Schoefield,
CONVOY ! by
P Kemp and Russian Convoys
by R
Woodman.)
1
9 4 3
January
4th
Detached from JW51B during passage and
provided cover for return Convoy RA51
during
passage from Kola Inlet to Loch Ewe.
17th
Deployed with HM Cruisers GLASGOW and
KENT
to provide cover for passage of
Russian Convoy
JW52 during passage to Kola Inlet.
27th
Detached from JW52 on arrival at Kola
Inlet
29th
Deployed to provide cover for passage
of return Convoy RA52 during passage
to Loch Ewe
from Kola
Inlet
(Note: Attack by U625 failed – See
HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
February
9th
Returned to Scapa Flow
on release from RA52
March
29th
Deployed with HM Destroyer ATHABASKAN
(RCN)
for patrol in Faeroes-Iceland Gap
after
German battleships TIRPITZ,
SCHARNHORST and LUTZOW were reported
at sea
April
2nd
Returned to
Scapa
Flow
without sighting any enemy ships.
May
Relieved HM Cruiser SCYLLA as escort
for rms
QUEEN MARY
during passage to Canada
with Prime
Minister embarked for TRIDENT Meeting
with President Roosevelt..
27th
Escorted HM Battleships ANSON and
VALIANT from Scapa Flow
to Rosyth.
31st
Sailed from Greenock
with HM Cruiser CUMBERLAND,
HM Destroyers
ATHABASKAN (RCN)
and ECLIPSE covered by HM Aircraft
Carrier FURIOUS, HM Cruiser
SCYLLA screened by HM Destroyers ECHO
and MIDDLETON
(Operation GEARBOX – Relief for
Spitzbergen Garrison)
June
Bad weather forced ships to shelter
at Akureri,
Iceland.
7th
Sailed for
Spitzbergen.
10th
Arrived at Spitzbergen
Ship's aircraft used to patrol the
area.
14th
Returned to Scapa
Flow.
30th
Transferred to Plymouth
to provide cruiser cover for
anti-submarine operations by
Support
Groups B2 and 2nd Support Group in Bay
of Biscay
with HM Cruiser GLASGOW to prevent
any attacks
by destroyers. (Operations
MUSKETRY and SEASLUG).
(Note: These operations were carried
out in conjunction with RAF Coastal
Command).
July
Bay of Biscay support duty in
continuing.
August
Supported
Anti-submarine operations by 40th
Escort Group and 5th Support Group
off the
Spanish coast during which attacks
were made for the first time by Hs293
weapons
(Operation PERCUSSION).
(Note: The escorts involved include HM
Frigates NENE and TWEED.
See also HITLER’S BOAT WAR by C
Blair.)
This deployment also covered passage
of outward Convoy os54 and inward
SL134)
September
Under refit at Devonport.
(Note: Close
Range
AA defence supplemented by additional
20mm Oerlikon guns.)
October
Carried out harbour and sea trials on
completion of dockyard work.
25th
Passage to
resume Home Fleet duty at Scapa
Flow.
November
19th
Provided
cruiser cover with HMS JAMAICA and HMS
KENT
for passage of the Russian
Convoys JW54A and
JW54B and later for returning convoy
RA54B.
December
3rd
Returned to
Home Fleet duties at Scapa
Flow.
11th
Taken in hand for repair to heavy
weather damage whilst in Arctic
waters in Clyde
shipyard.
22nd
Resumed Home Fleet duties
1
9 4 4
January
On completion rejoined Home Fleet.
27th
Deployed in Barents
Sea
to provide cruiser cover with HMS
BERWICK and HMS KENT
for
passage of
the Russian Convoys JW56A and JW56B.
February
Remained in area to cover returning
Convoy RA56.
7th
Detached from RA56 and resumed Fleet
duties in NW Approaches.
(Note: Deployment to provide cover for
intended air operations by HM Aircraft
Carrier
FURIOUS against enemy shipping off
Norwegian coast was not carried out.)
March
Home Fleet deployment at Scapa
Flow
in continuation.
31st
Taken in hand for refit in Tyne
shipyard.
April
Under refit.
(Note: Aircraft facilities removed and
additional 20mm Oerlikon guns fitted.)
May
Rejoined
Home Fleet.
(Note: Operation by Home Fleet units
to cover air strikes was abandoned
when ships sighted and
ships
returned to Scapa
Flow.)
19th
Took part in Home Fleet exercises to
prepare for support of planned
allied landings in Normandy.
(Operation NEPTUNE).
June
Remained at Scapa
Flow
for deployment by major Home Fleet
units as needed in Channel or in
NW Approaches.
(Note: Home Fleet units were deployed
for diversionary operations off coast
of Norway
to
suggest
assault operations in Norway
were intended.
Ship did not therefore take part in
active operations in Channel for NEPTUNE).
30th
Nominated for duty with British
Pacific Fleet and arrived in Clyde
for refit in commercial
shipyard.
August
Under refit
in Clyde
shipyard to prepare for service in
Pacific.
to
Fire control radar Type 284 replaced
by modern Type 274 centimetric
Radar.
December
Type 277 and Type 293 fitted for
surface warning and for height
finding.
Type 281B air warning radar using only
one aerial unit replaced Type 281
which used two masts.
(For details of development and use of
radar by RN see RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse)
1
9 4 5
January
Under refit
to
February
March
Carried out harbour trials
9th
Shipyard work completed and carried
out sea trials.
April
Prepared for foreign
service at Scapa Flow with Home Fleet
ships.
May
3rd
Sailed for Mediterranean
to work-up.
June
Completed work-up.
6th
Took passage to Far
East
via Ceylon.
July
7th
Arrived Sydney
to join BPF with HM Cruiser BELFAST.
August
Deployed at Sydney
15th
Nominated for duty in British Task
Unit 111.3 with HM Aircraft carrier
COLOSSUS, HM Cruiser ARGONAUT, HM
Cruiser BELFAST
and HM Destroyers
TUMULT,
TUSCAN, TYRIAN and QUIBERON.
