HMS Capetown (D88)
HMS Capetown was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the South African city of Cape Town. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name. She was part of the Carlisle group of the C-class of cruisers.
 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Capetown |
| Builder | Cammell Laird |
| Laid down | 23 February 1917 |
| Launched | 28 June 1918 |
| Commissioned | February 1922 |
| Out of service | Sold 5 April 1946 |
| Identification | Pennant number:D88 |
| Fate | Broken up from June 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | C-class light cruiser |
| Length | 451.4 ft (137.6 m) |
| Beam | 43.9 ft (13.4 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 29 knots |
| Range | carried 300 tons (950 tons maximum) of fuel oil |
| Complement | 330-350 |
| Armament |
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| Armour |
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She was laid down by Cammell Laird on 23 February 1918, and launched on 28 June 1918. She was sailed to Pembroke Dock for outfitting, a process finally completed in February 1922, following which she was assigned to the America and West Indies Station, based at the Royal Naval Dockyard, on Ireland Island in the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda until 1929. On the 21 September, 1922, Bermuda was struck with little warning by a hurricane. Capetown was in the floating drydock AFD1, which was partially submerged, protecting the cruiser from the worst of the storm. One crewman was killed, falling from the wharf and drowning. A sailor from Arabis-class sloop-of-war HMS Valerian, a cook named McKenyon, dove overboard but was unable to save him.[1][2][3][4] Capetown was commissioned too late to see action in the First World War, but served in the Second World War. Like most of her sisters, she was originally assigned to the Mediterranean and later to the Red Sea.
Capetown rescued the 20 survivors of the HMS Valerian after Valerian foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 18 nautical miles (33 km) south of Bermuda on 22 October 1926 during a hurricane with the loss of most of her crew.[5][6] She spent a large part of her career with the Eastern Fleet, including a period between the wars from July 1934 until August 1938, when she returned to the United Kingdom for a refit. She rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet in August 1940. While deployed in the Red Sea, she was torpedoed and severely damaged by the Italian motor torpedo boat MAS 213 off Massawa, on 6 April 1941. Seven members of her crew lost their lives. After a year of repairs at Bombay, she served with the Eastern Fleet until 1943. She then returned to the UK and joined the Home Fleet.
During the Normandy landings in June 1944 Capetown was deployed as a Shuttle Control/Depot ship at Mulberry A placed to seaward in order to direct incoming convoys to berths or anchorages.[8] Ceres was anchored inshore to control returning convoys of unloaded vessels with Shuttle Control Command for both ships being embarked in Capetown.[8] Shuttle Control Command was responsible for keeping the Army informed of expected arrivals and directing them to the proper unloading sectors.[8]
She survived the war and was sold on 5 April 1946. She arrived at the yards of Ward of Preston for breaking up on 2 June 1946.
Citations
- "Hurricane Strikes Bermuda With Full Force". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 23 September 1922. p. 1.
The hurricane which visited Bermuda on Thursday, though of comparatively short duration, was responsible, so far as can be ascertained, for a great deal more damage than was the case last year. Two losses of life have occurred, one a sailor from H.M.S. Capetown falling overboard in the Dockyard and being drowned.
- "Hurricane Strikes Bermuda With Full Force (continued)". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 23 September 1922. p. 3.
An account will be found elsewhere of the destruction at the West End, and in addition we learn of the fatality to the sailor off H.M.S. Capetown.
It appears that the man returned to the Yard about 10.30 p.m., and being a stranger asked one of the men at the gate to show him the way to this ship. The man agreed, and they started off. The storm earlier in the day had completely wrecked the lighting system, and progress was precarious. The result was that they went too near the edge of the Cambre, and fell in. The guide was rescued by ropes, but the sailor must have gone to the bottom. A cook from H.M.S. Valerian named McKenyon pluckily went overboard and swam round for about half an hour in the hopes of effecting a rescue, but was forced to give up without avail. Yesterday morning a diver was at work searching for the body.
The Valerian expected to go to sea yesterday, but was unable to do so; in fact, the Captain of the vessel who was at a dance at Prospect the night before, became very uneasy as to the weather. Leaving the dance, he cycled all the way back to the Dockyard to be on hand in case of trouble. - "HURRICANE STRIKES BERMUDA WITH FULL FORCE (continued)". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 23 September 1922. p. 6.
Commissioners' House was exposed to every angle of the storm, but suffered comparatively slight damage though a length of wall of considerable strength was laid low, carrying with it the poultry run and playing havoc amongst its Inmates.
The dry canteen got wet, we are told, and suffered a little damage.
In the Keep Yard the force of the wind blew open a magazine door, while roofs of buildings in the Victualling Yard were badly damaged, the subsequent leakage of water spoiling portions of the stores kept there. The Dockyard Church was in a sad state, the floor being covered with water, a couple of inches deep.
In the Cambre, the dock, with H.M.S. "Capetown" inside, was half-sunk by the Dockyard authorities in order to afford less resistance to the storm, and came through the ordeal unscathed, though a battle practice target also in the dock received some damage.
H.M.S. Constance" broke adrift from her bow-lines and was only secured with considerable difficulty. H.M.S. "Valerian" lost her after-mast, while H.M.S. "Dartmouth's" fore-topmast also went by the board.
To add to the excitement of the morning a fire broke out on board "Dartmouth," due, we believe to a defect in the oil-fuel system, which resisted the efforts of the ship's crew and necessitated the assistance of the three steam fire engines from the Dockyard stations. The fire was then promptly subdued, and the "Dartmouth" has suffered no material damage, we are told.
The residential portion of Ireland Island while bearing the evidence of a heavy battering shows no signs of serious damage, slates blown off roofs and a few chimneys dislocated being the sum total of the gale's work on the houses.
On the low-lying ground on which the pumping-station stands however, the storm wreaked its vengeance on several dinghies fitted with outboard motors, and reduced them to pulp-wood. Amongst the smashed boats are those of Messrs. Mastin, Spriddle, and Butler. These boats had all been drawn well up from the water in view of the storm warnings received, but the gale would not be gainsaid. - WW2 Cruisers: HMS Capetown
- "Naval sloop lost". The Times. No. 44411. London. 25 October 1926. col E, p. 16.
- "The Valerian". The Times. No. 44411. London. 25 October 1926. col E, p. 17.
- Naval Conmander Western Task Force (CTF 122) (26 July 1944). Report of Normandy Invasion (Annex "U"—Build Up (PDF) (Report). p. 168. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
References
- Campbell, N.J.M. (1980). "Great Britain". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 2–85. ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Friedman, Norman (2010). British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59114-078-8.
- Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
- Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980). British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-922-7.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Whitley, M. J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell. ISBN 1-86019-874-0.
- Zolandez, Thomas (2004). "Question 6/01: Japanese WW II Spy". Warship International. XLI (1): 33–34. ISSN 0043-0374.