Name: HMS SIRIUS
Builder: Portsmouth Dockyard (Portsmouth, UK): Scott’s Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland); Laid down: 6 April 1938; Launched: 18 September 1940; Commissioned: 6 May 1942; Decommissioned: 1949; Out of service: 14 March 1951; Reclassified: In reserve between 1949 to 1956; Fate: Scrapped, Arrived at Blyth yard of Hughes Bolkow, (Northumberland, UK) in 15 October 1956.
General characteristics:
Displacement: 5,600 tons standard, 6,850 tons full load, Length: 485 ft (148 m) pp, 512 ft (156 m) oa, Beam: 50.5 ft (15.4 m), Draught: 14 ft (4.3 m), Propulsion: Parsons geared turbines, Four shafts, Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 62,000 shp (46 MW), Speed: 32.25 knots (60 km/h), Range: 2,414 km (1,500 miles) at 30 knots, 6,824 km (4,240 miles) at 16 knots, 1,100 tons fuel oil, Complement: 480, Armament: Original configuration: 8x 5.25 in (133 mm) dual guns, 1x 4.0 in (102 mm) gun, 2x 0.5 in MG quadruple guns, 3x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes. Mid 1943 - Late 1943 configuration: 10x 5.25 in (133 mm) guns, 7x 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 2x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes. Late 1943 - 1945 configuration: 10x 5.25 in (133 mm) guns, 6x 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 2x 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors Mk III single guns, 2x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes Armor: Original configuration: Belt: 3inch, Deck: 1inch, Magazines: 2inch, Bulkheads: 1inch, Notes: Pennant number 82
SIRIUS's completion was delayed due to German bombing at Portsmouth Dockyard. She was completed at Scott’s Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland). On completion she initially joined the Home Fleet, and was then assigned to operate in the Mediterranean in August for Operation Pedestal. She was then ordered to the South Atlantic to patrol against Axis blockade runners on the Far East route, returning to Gibraltar in November for Operation Torch, the North African landings. As part of Force Q at Bone in December she harried Axis convoys to and from Tunisia until the Axis surrender in North Africa.
The last naval battle held in Mediterranean Sea during 1942, saw HMS SIRIUS as protagonist. The Q Force (HMS SIRIUS, AURORA, ARGONAUT, destroyers QUENTIN and QUIBERON) intercepted a small convoy in the Sicily Channel, starting the Battle of Skerki Bank. On the night of 2nd December, a troop convoy was heading for Tunisia: German KT-1 (850 tons), AVENTINO (3,794 t), PUCCINI (2,422 t), ASPROMONTE (a miliarized ferry-boat, 976 tons). The Q Force intercepted the convoy in the night between 1st and 2nd December. The British ships hit very hard and destroyed, one after the other, all the cargo and troop ships. The escort ships were hit as well, with FOLGORE fatally damaged (9 133 mm direct hits) by cruisers, and later sunk with 120 dead (among them, commander Ener Bettica), DA RECCO badly damaged (explosion of the forward 120 mm ready ammunition depots) with 113 dead. CAMICIA NERA launched all her 6 torpedoes, but missing the targets (mainly HMS SIRIUS). At dawn, the savage short-range engagement saw a clear British victory, while Axis lost no less but 2,033 lives and five ships. This battle was almost forgotten (at least in Italy), but it was a big battle nevertheless, in which HMS SIRIUS was an absolute protagonist, escaping with no hits aboard despite CAMICIA NERA firing on her from only 2 km, dodging several torpedoes and cooperating in the sinking of many Axis ships. On the return journey HMS QUENTIN was sunk by 500 kg bombs released from Junkers 88s.
SIRIUS then formed part of the 12th Cruiser Squadron, was at the Allied invasion of Sicily, (Operation Husky), in July. For the next few months she supported the army ashore, and in September took part in the occupation of Taranto before transferring to the Adriatic, where, on 7th October 1943 SIRIUS, HMS PENELOPE and the destroyers HMS FAULKNOR and HMS FURY, north of Astipalea (Stampalia) in the Dodecanese, attacked a German convoy consisting of the auxiliary submarine chaser UJ 2111 (former Italian TRAMAGLIO), the cargo ship OLYMPUS and seven MFPs, sinking all but one MFP.
On 17th October, SIRIUS was badly damaged by bombs off Scarpunto, and sailed to Massawa for repairs. These were carried out between November 1943 and February 1944, before the ship returned to Britain for Operation Overlord, the Normandy landings, where she was part of the reserve of the Eastern Task Force. In August she returned to Mediterranean waters for the landings in the south of France, Operation Dragoon. She then served again in the Aegean, where, in October 1944, she was present during the reoccupation of Athens.
HMS SIRIUS was deployed in the Mediterranean until 17th February 1946 when she took passage to UK for refit. On completion of refit at Portsmouth she joined attended the dedication of the War Memorial at St Nazaire commemorating the raid during WW2. Later that year she was present at the Royal Review in the Clyde. She was laid up during the manning shortage in 1947 but re-commissioned the next year. Paid off in April 1949 this cruiser reduced to Reserve status in April 1949. After six years in the Reserve Fleet this cruiser was placed on the Disposal List and sold to BISCO for breaking up by Hughes Bolcow at Blyth where she arrived on 15th October 1956.
Sources: Wikipedia. http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Sirius.htm.
Information Mr P Crichton