Built under yard No 679 as a modified Dido Class light cruiser by Fairfield, Govan for the Royal Navy.
30 Nov. 1939 laid down.
29 Sept. 1942 launched under the name BELLONA (C63). Named after the goddess of war, the wife of Mars.
Displacement 5.770 tons, dim. 512 x 50.6 x 15ft (draught).
Powered by Parsons geared turbines, 62.000 shp, speed 33 knots, four screws.
Armament 8 – 5.25 inch, 12 – 40mm AA guns. 6 – 21 inch torpedo tubes.
Crew. 551.
29 October 1943 commissioned.
She was based at Scapa Flow and after some exercise, made some sweeps in the English Channel and Golf of Biscay early the next year when she was based at Plymouth. She took over from HMS CHARYBIDUS, which had sunk before.
Took part in Operation Neptune, the D-Day landings. After sailing from Belfast on the third of June she headed for Plymouth, from where she left on 5th arrived at the Western task Force area on the 6th was detached as reserve bombardment vessel.
Shot down an attacking aircraft on the 9th, and arrived 17th again in Plymouth.
After the landings she was used to blockade the French ports still in the hands of German forces. She commanded Force 26, and from July she carried out together with her force some sweeps down the French coast from Ushant to the Gironde during the nights, retiring during daytime to the Gulf of Biscay or the English Channel.
During the night of 05 and 06 August contact was made between Belle Ile and Ile D’Yeu just before midnight. The contact was an enemy convoy of 8 or 9 ships protected by two minesweepers and a trawler.
Force 26 was not detected and the convoy was quickly overwhelmed, all being sunk of heavily damaged, the action was over in a half hour. Force 26 after destroying the convoy proceeded with her sweep, and 2 other ships were discovered, but she escaped back to the harbour before Force 26 could attack.
She was then again based at Scapa Flow and took part in a raid on German convoys of the coast of Norway.
A convoy was destroyed between Eggersund and Lister Fjord on 12 November 1944. The convoy was so near of the coast of Norway that a shore battery took part in the action, the BELLONA guns silenced him.
Two ships of the four in the convoy were sunk and five of the six escorts.
During the winter of 1944/45 she escorted convoy JW 62 and RA 62, JW 64 and RA 64 to and back from Northern Russia. Convoy RA 64 met terrible weather between 17th and 27th February with winds force between 8 and 12 on the Beaufort Scale.
In convoy JW 66 which sailed from the Clyde on 27 April 1945, she joined the convoy on 18 April till arrival at the Inlet on 25 April, not any ship was lost.
She escorted convoy RA 66 back when that sailed from Kola Inlet on 29 April and arrived at the Clyde on VE-Day on 8 May 1945. One escort was sunk the HMS GOODALL with heavy loss of life by submarine U-968. She was the last warship sunk during the war against Germany.
Mid 1946 she began on a refit at Chatham before leased to the Royal New Zealand Navy, as replacement for the ACHILLES and GAMBIA.
01 October 1946 commissioned in the RNZN.
After arrival in New Zealand was she mostly used for harbour training in Auckland.
She made many coastal voyages and was used in the annual Pacific Island cruise, she visited ports in New Zealand and Australia.
01 December 1948 when at anchor at Oamaru two ratings were killed during a shipsboat accident.
From 31 March 1949 was she the flagship of the new-formed NZ Squadron.
26 Feb. 1952 during an exercise near Jervis Bay an aircraft of HMAS SYDNEY attacked her when a practice rocket accidentally fired. The rocket hit BELLONA’s quarterdeck aft of Y turret, went trough a boat, tore a gapping hole in the deck and bounced over the side. Not any was killed or injured.
Sailed from Auckland 24 June 1952 for the U.K, arrived Portsmouth 06 Sept., took part in a NATO exercise, then she took on board naval stores and other equipment for New Zealand, and sailed on 24 October, returned in Auckland on 14 Dec. 1952.
After arrival was she paid off.
Feb. 1953 she went in reserve in Auckland as headquarter ship of the Reserve Fleet, and as accommodation ship for crews of ships in refit. Also used for harbour training.
Early 1954 she got a refit and after sea and engine trials on 05 June she returned to reserve.
21 October 1955 commissioned, and after a short refit for one voyage, she sailed from Auckland on 14 October 1955 via Australia, Colombo and Suez Canal to the U.K.
17 April 1956 paid off and handed back to the Royal Navy.
05 Feb. 1959 arrived by Ward, Briton Ferry for breaking up.
Tonga 1961 3d sg 98, scott 97.
Source: Battleships Cruiser Destroyer by G. Haines & B.R. Coward. Australian &New Zealand Warships since 1946 by R. Gillett. The D-Day ships by J de S Winser. Convoys to Russia by Ruegg and Hague.
http://www.navy.mil.nz/ops/ship.cfm?ship_ID=40