HMS Scylla (98): Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Cruiser of the Royal Navy}} |
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{{other ships|HMS Scylla}} |
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Built by Scotts, completed early 1941. |
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{{More footnotes|date=June 2008}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} |
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{{EngvarB|date=March 2018}} |
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{|{{Infobox ship begin}} |
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{{Infobox ship image |
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|Ship image=HMS Scylla 1942 IWM FL 2932.jpg |
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|Ship caption=''Scylla'' at anchor on the [[River Clyde|Clyde]], June 1942 |
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}} |
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{{Infobox ship career |
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|Hide header= |
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|Ship country=[[United Kingdom]] |
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|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}} |
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|Ship name=''Scylla'' |
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|Ship ordered= |
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|Ship awarded= |
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|Ship builder=[[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]] ([[Greenock]], [[Scotland]]) |
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|Ship laid down=19 April 1939 |
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|Ship launched=24 July 1940 |
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|Ship commissioned=12 June 1942 |
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|Ship out of service=write-off, 23 June 1944 |
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|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]] 98 |
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|Ship fate=[[ship breaking|Scrapped]], 4 May 1950. |
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}} |
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{{Infobox ship characteristics |
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|Hide header= |
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|Header caption=(as built) |
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|Ship class={{sclass|Dido|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]] |
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|Ship displacement=* 5,600 tons '''standard''' |
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* 6,850 tons '''full load''' |
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|Ship length=*{{convert|485|ft|m|abbr=on}} pp |
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* {{convert|512|ft|m|abbr=on}} oa |
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|Ship beam={{convert|50.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} |
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|Ship draught={{convert|14|ft|m|abbr=on}} |
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|Ship propulsion=*4 geared [[steam turbine]]s |
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* Four shafts |
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* Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers |
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* 62,000 shp (46 MW) |
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|Ship speed={{convert|32.25|kn|lk=in}} |
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|Ship range=* 2,414 km (1,500 miles) at 30 knots |
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* 6,824 km (4,240 miles) at 16 knots |
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|Ship complement=480 |
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|Ship armament= |
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* '''8''' × [[QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun|4.5 in (113 mm) dual guns]], |
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* '''1''' × [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|4.0 in (102 mm)]] gun, |
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* '''2''' × [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5 in MG quadruple guns]], |
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* '''3''' × [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|2-pounder 40 mm]] pom-poms quad guns, |
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* '''2''' × [[British 21 inch torpedo|21 in (533 mm)]] triple [[torpedo tube]]s. |
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|Ship armor= |
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* [[Belt armor|Belt]]: '''3''' inch, |
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* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: '''1''' inch, |
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* [[Magazine (artillery)|Magazines]]: '''2''' inch, |
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* [[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkheads]]: '''1''' inch. |
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|Ship motto= |
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|Ship nickname= |
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|Ship honours= |
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|Ship notes}} |
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|} |
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'''HMS ''Scylla''''' was a {{sclass|Dido|cruiser}} of the [[Royal Navy]]. She was built by [[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]] ([[Greenock]], [[Scotland]]), with the keel being laid down on 19 April 1939. She was launched on 24 July 1940, and commissioned 12 June 1942. |
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Originally completed with 4.5 inch guns instead of the planned 5.25 inch, the planned guns having been appropriated for the [[anti-aircraft]] defence of [[London]]. |
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One of two sisters (the other was, appropriately, {{HMS|Charybdis|88|2}}, see [[Scylla and Charybdis]]), ''Scylla'' was completed with four twin [[QF 4.5 inch naval gun|QF 4.5 in Mk.III]] in UD MK III mountings because of a shortage of the intended [[QF 5.25 inch gun]] mountings. |
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The forward superstructure was considerably modified to accommodate these and also to increase crew spaces. Known as the 'toothless terrors', they proved to be very good anti-aircraft ships, often leading to comparisons with their sisters armed with the heavier [[QF 5.25 inch Mark I naval gun|QF {{convert|5.25|in|mm|abbr=on}} guns]]. |
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==History== |
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[[File:HMS Scylla ice.jpg|thumb|left|A member of crew on the snow-covered deck whilst on patrol in the North Atlantic]] |
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''Scylla'' served with the [[British Home Fleet|Home Fleet]] escorting Arctic convoys. She was flagship of R. Adm. [[Robert Burnett]] during the battle for [[convoy PQ 18]] in September 1942.{{sfn|Hughes|1975|pp=28–57}} She carried a signals intelligence team headed by F/O R. E. Gunn and on at least one trip to the Kola Peninsula she is reported as having collected Signals Intelligence (PRO HW 14/53 and 55). ''Scylla'' sailed for [[Gibraltar]] on 28 October 1942. The following month she was at the French North Africa landings ([[Operation Torch]]) as part of Force "O" with the Eastern Task Force, but in December was sent into the [[Bay of Biscay]] as part of the effort to catch homecoming [[Axis Powers|Axis]] blockade runners. |
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On 31 December 1942, she was directed to the German [[blockade runner]] {{MS|Rhakotis||2}} by a RAF Coastal Command Whitley from 502 Squadron based at RAF St Eval, Cornwall. The aircraft piloted by F/O Arthur Hodgson had located ''Rhakotis'' in appalling weather but after several attack runs they had run out of ammunition. The crew then shadowed the target for over an hour, reporting the vessel's position enabling ''Scylla'' to intercept ''Rhakotis'' some {{convert|200|mi}} north-west of Cape Finisterre in position {{coord|45.01|N|10.50|W}}, where ''Scylla'' opened fire. She hit ''Rhakotis'' numerous times with ''Scylla'''s main armament before torpedoing and sinking her.{{sfn|Hughes|1975|pp=108–112}} F/O Hodgson was awarded the DFC for his part in the operation. In February she returned to the Home Fleet for [[Arctic convoys of World War II|Arctic convoys]] but was back in the [[Bay of Biscay]] by June 1943 to cover anti-submarine operations. |
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In July 1943 she stopped the Arklow [[schooner]] {{ship||Mary B Mitchell|schooner|2}} in the Bay of Biscay. Captain Dowds, formerly principal of the Irish Nautical College, was captain of the schooner. The officer in charge of the boarding party was a pupil of Dowds. There was a pleasant reunion, then ''Mary B Mitchell'' resumed her voyage to Lisbon, and ''Scylla'' continued her search for blockade runners.{{sfn|Forde|2000|p=17}} |
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In September 1943 ''Scylla'' was part of the Support Carrier Force at the Salerno landings ([[Operation Avalanche]]) but came home to refit for duty as an Escort Carrier Flagship in October, which lasted until April 1944. The Scylla was one of two Dido class cruisers fitted with, an Action Information Organisation (AIO) room (the other was HMS Royalist) to co-ordinate radar and intercept information. ''Scylla'' was the allotted RN flagship for the [[Normandy Landings|Normandy landings]] and the flagship for Vice Admiral Philip Vian and it was considered vital to all shipping and naval movements in the area, particularly that of coastal RN MTBs and enemy E boats, to prevent blue on blue incidents.{{sfn|Kingsley|1995|pp=159–161}} She served off Normandy as [[flagship]] of the Eastern Task Force, for 18 days. |
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On 23 June 1944 ''Scylla'' was badly damaged by a [[Naval mine|mine]] and [[write-off|written off]]. Although towed to [[Portsmouth]], she was not disposed of until 1950, after use as a target between 1948 and 1950. She arrived at [[Thos. W. Ward]], ([[Barrow-in-Furness]], UK) on 4 May 1950 for breaking up. |
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[[File:HMS Scylla (98) model.jpg|thumb|A model of ''Scylla'' at the [[Glasgow Museum of Transport]].]] |
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==Footnotes== |
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{{reflist|30em}} |
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==References== |
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{{refbegin}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Forde |first=Frank |title=The Long Watch: World War Two and the Irish Mercantile Marine |year=2000 |publisher=Island Books |location=Dublin |edition=online, rev. |isbn=978-1-902602-42-4}} |
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* {{cite book |last=Hughes |first=Robert |title=Flagship To Murmansk |year=1975 |publisher=Futura Publications |location=London |isbn=0-8600-7266-5}} |
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* {{cite book |editor-last=Kingsley |editor-first=F. A. |title=The Applications of Radar and Other Electronic Systems in the Royal Navy in World War 2 |year=1995 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan for Naval Radar & MacMillan Trusts |location=London |url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/bfm%3A978-1-349-13623-0%2F1.pdf |access-date=29 March 2018 |edition=online pbk. repr. |isbn=978-1-349-13625-4}} |
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{{refend}} |
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==Further reading== |
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* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-8317-0303-2 |chapter=Great Britain |last1=Campbell |first1=N.J.M.|pages=2–85}} |
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* {{cite book|last1=Colledge|first1=J. J.|authorlink1=J. J. Colledge|last2=Wardlow|first2=Ben|last3=Bush |first3=Steve |title=Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present|year=2020|publisher=Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-5267-9327-0|name-list-style=amp|edition=5th}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After|year=2010|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-59114-078-8 |author-link=Norman Friedman}} |
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* {{cite book|last1=Raven|first1=Alan|last2=Roberts|first2=John|title=British Cruisers of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1980|isbn=0-87021-922-7|name-list-style=amp}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2 |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia|publisher=Cassell |location=London|year=1995|isbn=1-86019-874-0|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons category|HMS Scylla (98)}} |
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* [http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3 WWII cruisers] |
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* [https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-HMS_Scylla.htm HMS ''Scylla'' at navalhistory.net] |
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* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4019.html HMS ''Scylla'' at Uboat.net] |
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* [http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=23105 Newsreel video of HMS ''Scylla'' fighting the ''Luftwaffe'' while protecting convoy PQ18] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424110150/http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=23105 |date=24 April 2011 }} |
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* [http://www.sscityofcairo.co.uk/ordeal.php SS ''City of Cairo''] |
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* [https://www.warsailors.com/raidervictims/michel.html Norwegian Victims of Michel] |
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* [https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35881/supplement/540/data.pdf London Gazette] |
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{{Dido class cruiser}} |
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{{June 1944 shipwrecks}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scylla (98)}} |
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[[Category:Dido-class cruisers]] |
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[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]] |
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[[Category:1940 ships]] |
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[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom]] |
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[[Category:Maritime incidents in June 1944]] |
Latest revision as of 19:18, 27 November 2023
![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2008) |
![]() Scylla at anchor on the Clyde, June 1942
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History | |
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![]() | |
Name | Scylla |
Builder | Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland) |
Laid down | 19 April 1939 |
Launched | 24 July 1940 |
Commissioned | 12 June 1942 |
Out of service | write-off, 23 June 1944 |
Identification | Pennant number 98 |
Fate | Scrapped, 4 May 1950. |
General characteristics (as built) | |
Class and type | Dido-class light cruiser |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam | 50.5 ft (15.4 m) |
Draught | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 32.25 knots (59.73 km/h; 37.11 mph) |
Range |
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Complement | 480 |
Armament |
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Armor |
HMS Scylla was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland), with the keel being laid down on 19 April 1939. She was launched on 24 July 1940, and commissioned 12 June 1942.
One of two sisters (the other was, appropriately, Charybdis, see Scylla and Charybdis), Scylla was completed with four twin QF 4.5 in Mk.III in UD MK III mountings because of a shortage of the intended QF 5.25 inch gun mountings.
The forward superstructure was considerably modified to accommodate these and also to increase crew spaces. Known as the 'toothless terrors', they proved to be very good anti-aircraft ships, often leading to comparisons with their sisters armed with the heavier QF 5.25 in (133 mm) guns.
History
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/HMS_Scylla_ice.jpg/220px-HMS_Scylla_ice.jpg)
Scylla served with the Home Fleet escorting Arctic convoys. She was flagship of R. Adm. Robert Burnett during the battle for convoy PQ 18 in September 1942.[1] She carried a signals intelligence team headed by F/O R. E. Gunn and on at least one trip to the Kola Peninsula she is reported as having collected Signals Intelligence (PRO HW 14/53 and 55). Scylla sailed for Gibraltar on 28 October 1942. The following month she was at the French North Africa landings (Operation Torch) as part of Force "O" with the Eastern Task Force, but in December was sent into the Bay of Biscay as part of the effort to catch homecoming Axis blockade runners.
On 31 December 1942, she was directed to the German blockade runner Rhakotis by a RAF Coastal Command Whitley from 502 Squadron based at RAF St Eval, Cornwall. The aircraft piloted by F/O Arthur Hodgson had located Rhakotis in appalling weather but after several attack runs they had run out of ammunition. The crew then shadowed the target for over an hour, reporting the vessel's position enabling Scylla to intercept Rhakotis some 200 miles (320 km) north-west of Cape Finisterre in position 45°01′N 10°30′W / 45.01°N 10.50°W, where Scylla opened fire. She hit Rhakotis numerous times with Scylla's main armament before torpedoing and sinking her.[2] F/O Hodgson was awarded the DFC for his part in the operation. In February she returned to the Home Fleet for Arctic convoys but was back in the Bay of Biscay by June 1943 to cover anti-submarine operations.
In July 1943 she stopped the Arklow schooner Mary B Mitchell in the Bay of Biscay. Captain Dowds, formerly principal of the Irish Nautical College, was captain of the schooner. The officer in charge of the boarding party was a pupil of Dowds. There was a pleasant reunion, then Mary B Mitchell resumed her voyage to Lisbon, and Scylla continued her search for blockade runners.[3]
In September 1943 Scylla was part of the Support Carrier Force at the Salerno landings (Operation Avalanche) but came home to refit for duty as an Escort Carrier Flagship in October, which lasted until April 1944. The Scylla was one of two Dido class cruisers fitted with, an Action Information Organisation (AIO) room (the other was HMS Royalist) to co-ordinate radar and intercept information. Scylla was the allotted RN flagship for the Normandy landings and the flagship for Vice Admiral Philip Vian and it was considered vital to all shipping and naval movements in the area, particularly that of coastal RN MTBs and enemy E boats, to prevent blue on blue incidents.[4] She served off Normandy as flagship of the Eastern Task Force, for 18 days.
On 23 June 1944 Scylla was badly damaged by a mine and written off. Although towed to Portsmouth, she was not disposed of until 1950, after use as a target between 1948 and 1950. She arrived at Thos. W. Ward, (Barrow-in-Furness, UK) on 4 May 1950 for breaking up.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/HMS_Scylla_%2898%29_model.jpg/220px-HMS_Scylla_%2898%29_model.jpg)
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Hughes 1975, pp. 28–57.
- ^ Hughes 1975, pp. 108–112.
- ^ Forde 2000, p. 17.
- ^ Kingsley 1995, pp. 159–161.
References
[edit]- Forde, Frank (2000). The Long Watch: World War Two and the Irish Mercantile Marine (online, rev. ed.). Dublin: Island Books. ISBN 978-1-902602-42-4.
- Hughes, Robert (1975). Flagship To Murmansk. London: Futura Publications. ISBN 0-8600-7266-5.
- Kingsley, F. A., ed. (1995). The Applications of Radar and Other Electronic Systems in the Royal Navy in World War 2 (PDF) (online pbk. repr. ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan for Naval Radar & MacMillan Trusts. ISBN 978-1-349-13625-4. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
Further reading
[edit]- Campbell, N.J.M. (1980). "Great Britain". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 2–85. ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
- Colledge, J. J.; Wardlow, Ben & Bush, Steve (2020). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (5th ed.). Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-9327-0.
- Friedman, Norman (2010). British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59114-078-8.
- Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980). British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-922-7.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Whitley, M. J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell. ISBN 1-86019-874-0.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)