Nigeria HMS 1939
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:35 pm
Name: HMS NIGERIA
Ordered: 20. 12 1937, Builder: Vickers Armstrongs, Walker, Tyneside, Laid down: 8 Feb 1938, Launched: 1939-07-18, Commissioned: 1940-09-23, Out of service: Sold to Indian Navy as Mysore, 29 August 1957
General characteristics:
Displacement: 8,530 tonnes standard, 10,450 tons full load, Length: 169.3 m (555.5 ft), Beam: 18.9 m (62 ft), Draught: 5.0 m (16.5 ft), Propulsion: Four oil fired 3-drum Admiralty-type boilers, 4-shaft geared turbines, 4 screws, 54.1 megawatts (72,500 shp), Speed: 33 knots, Range: 6,520 nmi at 13 knots (24 km/h), Complement: 907, Armament: Twelve (after 1943 refit Nine) BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval guns (4 (3) × 3), eight 4 inch guns (4 × 2), eight 40 mm Bofors AA (4 × 2) guns, 3 quadruple 2 pounder ("pom-pom") AA mounts, 12 20 mm AA (6 × 2) guns., Six 21 inch (2 × 3) torpedo tubes, Armour: Main belt: 83 mm, deck: 51 mm, turrets: 51 mm, Director control tower: 102 mm., Aircraft carried: Two Supermarine Walrus aircraft, removed November 1943.
Honours and awards: Atlantic 1941, Norway 1941, Actic 1942, Malta Convoys 1942, Sabang 1944, Burma 1944-45
Home waters
NIGERIA served in Home waters and off the Scandinavian coast for the early part of the war. On 28 June 1941 NIGERIA, in company with HMS BEDOUIN, HMS TARTAR and HMS JUPITER intercepted the German weather ship LAUENBURG in thick fog north-east of Jan Mayen Island. The German ship was detected through the use of HF/DF. The crew of the LAUENBURG abandoned ship after they were fired upon, allowing the British to board her. Valuable codebooks and parts of the Enigma machine were found aboard and recovered from the German weather ship. This was one of the earliest captures of Enigma material of the war, and came a few weeks after HMS BULLDOG had captured the first complete Enigma machine from the German submarine U-110 on 9 May 1941.
In July 1941, NIGERIA became the flagship of Force K, commanded by Rear Admiral Philip Vian. During this period, Force K made two expeditions to Spitsbergen (Norwegian territory), the first to ascertain the situation and the second, in September, to escort a troopship, EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA, with Canadian troops and a team of demolition experts (see Operation Gauntlet). Their task was to evacuate Norwegian and Soviet personnel from the archipelago and destroy coalmines and fuel stocks that might be of use to the enemy. Bear Island was also visited to destroy a German weather station. The two cruisers of the task force, NIGERIA and HMS AURORA diverted to intercept a German convoy. During this action, NIGERIA sank the German training ship BREMSE, but suffered serious damage to her bow, possibly having detonated a mine. On return to Britain, she was sent to Newcastle for repairs.
The Mediterranean and Far East
NIGERIA was then assigned to operate in the Mediterranean. On 12 August 1942 she was participating in Operation Pedestal, escorting a convoy bound for Malta. She was the flagship of the close escort group, commanded by Admiral Harold Burrough. NIGERIA was torpedoed and damaged by the Italian submarine AXUM but managed to make it back to Gibraltar escorted by three destroyers. Admiral Burrough meanwhile transferred his flag to the destroyer HMS ASHANTI whilst NIGERIA returned to Gibraltar.
She was sent from there to the United States for repairs, which took nine months to complete. After these were complete, she operated off the South African coast, and on 12 March 1943 she picked up 30 survivors from the American merchant JAMES B. STEPHENS that was torpedoed and sunk on 8 March 1943 by the German submarine U-160 about 150 nautical miles (280 km) north-east of Durban. NIGERIA was then assigned to operate with the Eastern Fleet from February 1944 until December 1945, when she returned to the UK to be refitted. During her time in the far east, she participated in raids on Sumatra.
Summary of Post War Service
1946 - Commissioned for service and took passage to Simonstown. Visited Lagos.
1947 - Deployed for visits and exercises including ships of the newly formed South African Navy
1948 - South Atlantic deployment in continuation. (Note: During this period an increase in presence of Argentine warships became evident and whilst in Falklands area and the ship made formal protest to Argentine naval tugs lying at Melchior, 800 miles south of Cape Horn.)
1949 to1950 - South Atlantic deployment in continuation.
1951 - Returned to UK to pay-off and reduce to Reserve status. Paid-off and destored. Accepted into Reserve.
1952 to 1953 - Laid-up in Reserve and placed on Sales List
1954 - Sold to the Indian Government for £300,000 and to be refitted with equipment brought up to current standards of an RN cruiser of this Class.
1955 to 1956 - Under refit and modernization at Birkenhead by Cammell Laird shipyard.
Service in the Indian Navy
1957 - Commissioned on 29th August as INS MYSORE for service as Flagship of the Indian Navy. Passage to Bombay for operational service.
1958 - Flagship duties in continuation including exercises with other Commonwealth Navies of SEATO Powers.
1959 - Flagship duties in continuation. Involved in collision with HM Destroyer HOGUE in Indian Ocean during Exercise JET59.
1960 to 1974 - Flagship duties in continuation.
1975 to 1980 - Redeployed for training duties before being placed on Disposal List. Sold for breaking-up.
Sources: Wikipedia. http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono ... igeria.htm.
Information Mr P Crichton.
Ordered: 20. 12 1937, Builder: Vickers Armstrongs, Walker, Tyneside, Laid down: 8 Feb 1938, Launched: 1939-07-18, Commissioned: 1940-09-23, Out of service: Sold to Indian Navy as Mysore, 29 August 1957
General characteristics:
Displacement: 8,530 tonnes standard, 10,450 tons full load, Length: 169.3 m (555.5 ft), Beam: 18.9 m (62 ft), Draught: 5.0 m (16.5 ft), Propulsion: Four oil fired 3-drum Admiralty-type boilers, 4-shaft geared turbines, 4 screws, 54.1 megawatts (72,500 shp), Speed: 33 knots, Range: 6,520 nmi at 13 knots (24 km/h), Complement: 907, Armament: Twelve (after 1943 refit Nine) BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval guns (4 (3) × 3), eight 4 inch guns (4 × 2), eight 40 mm Bofors AA (4 × 2) guns, 3 quadruple 2 pounder ("pom-pom") AA mounts, 12 20 mm AA (6 × 2) guns., Six 21 inch (2 × 3) torpedo tubes, Armour: Main belt: 83 mm, deck: 51 mm, turrets: 51 mm, Director control tower: 102 mm., Aircraft carried: Two Supermarine Walrus aircraft, removed November 1943.
Honours and awards: Atlantic 1941, Norway 1941, Actic 1942, Malta Convoys 1942, Sabang 1944, Burma 1944-45
Home waters
NIGERIA served in Home waters and off the Scandinavian coast for the early part of the war. On 28 June 1941 NIGERIA, in company with HMS BEDOUIN, HMS TARTAR and HMS JUPITER intercepted the German weather ship LAUENBURG in thick fog north-east of Jan Mayen Island. The German ship was detected through the use of HF/DF. The crew of the LAUENBURG abandoned ship after they were fired upon, allowing the British to board her. Valuable codebooks and parts of the Enigma machine were found aboard and recovered from the German weather ship. This was one of the earliest captures of Enigma material of the war, and came a few weeks after HMS BULLDOG had captured the first complete Enigma machine from the German submarine U-110 on 9 May 1941.
In July 1941, NIGERIA became the flagship of Force K, commanded by Rear Admiral Philip Vian. During this period, Force K made two expeditions to Spitsbergen (Norwegian territory), the first to ascertain the situation and the second, in September, to escort a troopship, EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA, with Canadian troops and a team of demolition experts (see Operation Gauntlet). Their task was to evacuate Norwegian and Soviet personnel from the archipelago and destroy coalmines and fuel stocks that might be of use to the enemy. Bear Island was also visited to destroy a German weather station. The two cruisers of the task force, NIGERIA and HMS AURORA diverted to intercept a German convoy. During this action, NIGERIA sank the German training ship BREMSE, but suffered serious damage to her bow, possibly having detonated a mine. On return to Britain, she was sent to Newcastle for repairs.
The Mediterranean and Far East
NIGERIA was then assigned to operate in the Mediterranean. On 12 August 1942 she was participating in Operation Pedestal, escorting a convoy bound for Malta. She was the flagship of the close escort group, commanded by Admiral Harold Burrough. NIGERIA was torpedoed and damaged by the Italian submarine AXUM but managed to make it back to Gibraltar escorted by three destroyers. Admiral Burrough meanwhile transferred his flag to the destroyer HMS ASHANTI whilst NIGERIA returned to Gibraltar.
She was sent from there to the United States for repairs, which took nine months to complete. After these were complete, she operated off the South African coast, and on 12 March 1943 she picked up 30 survivors from the American merchant JAMES B. STEPHENS that was torpedoed and sunk on 8 March 1943 by the German submarine U-160 about 150 nautical miles (280 km) north-east of Durban. NIGERIA was then assigned to operate with the Eastern Fleet from February 1944 until December 1945, when she returned to the UK to be refitted. During her time in the far east, she participated in raids on Sumatra.
Summary of Post War Service
1946 - Commissioned for service and took passage to Simonstown. Visited Lagos.
1947 - Deployed for visits and exercises including ships of the newly formed South African Navy
1948 - South Atlantic deployment in continuation. (Note: During this period an increase in presence of Argentine warships became evident and whilst in Falklands area and the ship made formal protest to Argentine naval tugs lying at Melchior, 800 miles south of Cape Horn.)
1949 to1950 - South Atlantic deployment in continuation.
1951 - Returned to UK to pay-off and reduce to Reserve status. Paid-off and destored. Accepted into Reserve.
1952 to 1953 - Laid-up in Reserve and placed on Sales List
1954 - Sold to the Indian Government for £300,000 and to be refitted with equipment brought up to current standards of an RN cruiser of this Class.
1955 to 1956 - Under refit and modernization at Birkenhead by Cammell Laird shipyard.
Service in the Indian Navy
1957 - Commissioned on 29th August as INS MYSORE for service as Flagship of the Indian Navy. Passage to Bombay for operational service.
1958 - Flagship duties in continuation including exercises with other Commonwealth Navies of SEATO Powers.
1959 - Flagship duties in continuation. Involved in collision with HM Destroyer HOGUE in Indian Ocean during Exercise JET59.
1960 to 1974 - Flagship duties in continuation.
1975 to 1980 - Redeployed for training duties before being placed on Disposal List. Sold for breaking-up.
Sources: Wikipedia. http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono ... igeria.htm.
Information Mr P Crichton.