Sheffield HMS

[john sefton]

HMS SHEFFIELD a Southampton class cruiser of 9100 tons went into service in 1937. Her main armament consisted of twelve 6 inch guns. The following year she became the first ship to be fitted with an experimental radar set.
When war broke out she operated mainly in the Denmark Straits but also saw service off the Norwegian coast. During the course of the Norwegian campaign she helped land troops in Norway and subsequently take them off again.
After carrying out anti invasion patrols in the North Command she joined Force H at Gibraltar and took part in all that Force's activities. Following the sinking of the BISMARCK, SHEFFIELD sank the FRIEDRJCHE BREME which was one of the tankers supplying BISMARCK.
While sailing from Gibraltar to Britain in company of KENYA she sank the German U-boat supply ship KOTA PINANG.
The SHEFFIELD then did a spell escorting Russian convoys before rejoining Force H for Operation Torch. After Operation Torch she returned to the Russian convoys and was involved in action against the heavy cruisers LUTGOW and HIPPER and six German destroyers, one of which, FRIEDRICK ECKHOLDT, she sank. Further spells in the Mediterranean and with the Russian convoys followed. During one such convoy she helped sink the battle cruiser SCHARNHORST.
In July 1944 she went to Boston for a refit and after returning to Britain to complete the refit sailed to Bermuda in 1946 to become the flagship of the Commander in Chief America and West Indies. Two years later she landed a party of Royal Marines in British Honduras during a period of unrest there.
In April 1951 she was visited by HRH the Duchess of Kent and in May the same year carried Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth (later Her Majesty the Queen Mother) on a visit to Belfast.
After several more assignments she relieved the battleship VANGUARD as flagship of the Reserve Fleet in June 1960.
In 1967 she went to the breaker's yard.
Gibraltar Philatelic.
Gibraltar SG496 Marshall Is SG439

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a light-cruiser under yard No 5 by Vickers Armstrong Ltd, High Walker on the River Tyne for the Royal Navy.
31 January 1935 laid down.
23 July 1936 launched as the HMS SHEFFIELD (C-24) one of the Town Class.
Displacement 9,100 standard, 11,350 full load, dim. 180.2 x 18.80 x 6.55m. (draught), length bpp. 170.1m.
Powered by four Parsons geared turbines, 75,000 shp, four shafts, speed 32 knots.
Armament: 12 – 6 inch, 8 – QF 4 inch, 4 – 3 pdrs, 8 – QF 2 pdrs. guns and 6 – 21 inch torpedo tubes.
Crew 748.
25 August 1937 commissioned.