CALEDON-Class
cruiser ordered on 8th December 1915 from R
& W Hawthorn, Leslie and Co., Ltd under
an Emergency War
Programme. The ship was laid down
on 7th February 1916 and launched on 25th
Jan. 1917 as the 8th RN
ship to carry this name. It was
introduced for Sloop in 1783 and last used
for a Corvette in 1883 which was renamed
BRITON in 1902. Build was completed on 21st
June 1917.
1
9 3 9
August
Commissioned for service with RNR crew for Royal Review of the Reserve Fleet
at Weymouth
a refit at Chatham.
9th
Attended Royal Review in Weymouth
Bay.
Nominated for service as an RCNVR
Drillship
September
Took up War Station and joined 7th
Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet at Scapa
Flow..
5th
Deployed on Northern Patrol to intercept
blockade runners.
(See THE BLOCKADERS by K Poolman).
24th
Intercepted and captured German ship MINDEN
off Cape Wrath.
October
Northern Patrol duty in continuation
based at Sullom Voe.
November
23rd
Sailed from
Sullom Voe to joined HM Cruisers
SUFFOLK and CERES in search for
German battleships SCHARNHORST and
GNEISENAU following the sinking of
HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser RAWALPINDI.
(See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
Naval Staff History.)
Intercepted German ship KONSOL HENDRIC
FISSER off Iceland.
Boarded and escorted enemy ship as Prize
to Leith.
Nominated for refit and took passage to
Tyne.
December
1st
Under refit at Tyne
commercial shipyard.
(Note: Radar for detection of aircraft
was not fitted during the refit).
21st
On completion transferred to 3rd Cruiser
Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet for
patrol and
interception
duty.
24th
Passage to Mediterranean
from Plymouth.
31st
Joined Squadron in Malta
1
9 4 0
January
Deployed for trade defence and
Contraband Control in Mediterranean.
to
May
June
Transferred to Alexandria
to join Fleet after Italy entered the
war.
(For details of Mediterranean deployments after outbreak of war with Italy,
see
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett).
11th
Joined HM. Battleships WARSPITE and MALAYA,
HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE, HM
Cruisers
ORION, NEPTUNE,
SYDNEY (RAN), LIVERPOOL and CALEDON with
screen of nine
destroyers for attacks on Italian supply
convoys to Libya.
12th
Torpedoed by Italian submarine BAGNOLINI
south of Crete.
Sank after two and a half hours.
39 of ship's company lost their lives.
Survivors were rescued
by HM Cruiser
CALEDON
and HM Destroyer DAINTY.
(Casualty
List - note
on casualties)