HMS Liverpool (C11)
| File:HMS Liverpool 1939.jpg |
The sixth Liverpool was a 9,400 ton cruiser and launched in 1937, being commissioned in November 1938, with war was looming on the horizon. On 21st January 1940 while in the China station, she intercepted the Japanese liner Asama Maru, 35 miles from the coast of Japan, removing 21 German officers and men, survivors from the German SS Columbus who were on their way to Germany. Shortly afterwards, Liverpool was transferred to the 7th Cruiser Squadron. On the 12th June 1940, she and her sister-ship HMS Gloucester, engaged three small Italian craft off the Libyan city of Tobruk. The following day, the Italians' grudgingly admitted the loss of one ship.
Later that month, on the 28th, the 7th Cruiser Squadron, comprising the ships - Gloucester, Neptune, Orion, Sydney, and Liverpool - sighted and engaged three Italian destroyers south-west of Cape Matapan. The action was at long range and resulted in the desruction of one Italian destroyer, the Espero.
On 14th October 1940, the Liverpool was torpedoed by enemy aircraft in an action south-east of Crete, seriously damaging her. She was towed to the Egyptian city of [Alexandria]] for repairs and did not get upto sea worthiness untill April 1941. She then headed for the American city of San Francisco for permanent repairs. She returned home in Spring 1942 and covered the chilly and unforgiving Arctic convoys during April and May that year.
The Liverpool joined the famous Malta Convoys in June 1942, but was again torpedoed, again by aircraft, which seriously damaged Liverpool once more.She had to be towed to the British territory of Gibraltar due to the damage that she had received. Temporary repairs were carried out before she proceeded to Rosyth for permanent repair. She was knocked out for the rest of the war. She spent three years at Rosyth, before returning to service. The Liverpool was then deployed to the Mediterranean for service there.
In 1951 Lord Mountbatten embarked aboard Liverpool, his destination was the city of Split, in what was then, Yugoslavia, to meet with Marshall Tito. In 1952 she placed into Reserve at Portsmouth. She was finally broken up in 1958, after an incredibly successful career during WWII.
See HMS Liverpool for other ships of the name.
HMS Liverpool Statistics
- Displacement: 9,400 tons
- Length: 591ft
- Beam: 62ft
- Draught: 17ft
- Complement: 700
- Armament:
- 12 x 6-inch guns
- 8 x 4-inch guns
- 8 x 2 pounder guns
- 6 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
- 3 aircraft
- Speed: 32.5 knots
- Propulsion: 4 shaft geared turbines, 82,500hp