HMS ''Shropshire'' was a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
(RN)
heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...
of the ''London'' sub-class of s. She is the only warship to have been named after
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
, England. Completed in 1929, ''Shropshire'' served with the RN until 1942, when she was transferred to the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
(RAN) following the loss of sister ship . Commissioned as HMAS ''Shropshire'', the ship remained in RAN service until 1949, and was sold for scrap in 1954.
Design
''Shropshire'' was one of four heavy cruisers built to the ''London'' design of the s.
[Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 119] The cruiser had a displacement of 9,830 tons at standard load, was
long overall
__NOTOC__
Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, an ...
, long
between perpendiculars
Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...
, and had a beam of .
[
The propulsion system consisted of eight Yarrow-type boilers, which fed Parsons geared turbines.][ These generated 80,000 shaft horsepower, which was fed to the ship's four diameter propellers.][ The cruiser could reach speeds of up to , with as the designated economical speed.][ At economical speed, she could travel .][
]
Armament
The cruiser's initial armament consisted of eight BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun
The BL 8 inch gun Mark VIIIMark VIII = Mark 8. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Hence this was the eighth model of BL 8-inch naval gun. was the main battery gun used on the Royal Navy's ...
s in four twin turret
Turret may refer to:
* Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building
* Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon
* Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope
* Mi ...
s, four single QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun
The QF 4 inch Mk V gunMk V = Mark 5. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Mark V indicates this was the fifth model of QF 4-inch gun. was a Royal Navy gun of World War I which was adapted ...
s and four single QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially the QF 2-pounder ( QF denoting "quick firing") and universally known as the pom-pom, was a British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy.British military of the period traditionally denoted ...
s (or pom-poms) for anti-aircraft defence, four 3-pounder guns, and a number of smaller calibre guns for point defence.[ During the 1930s, two 0.5-inch machine guns were added to the point defence armament.][
]
Shortly before transfer to the RAN in 1943, ''Shropshire'' underwent a refit.[ Although the main armament was unchanged, the 4-inch guns were upgraded to twin mountings, while the anti-aircraft armament was replaced with eighteen ]20 mm Oerlikon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...
guns (seven twin mountings and four single mountings) and two QF 2-pounder Mark VI
The 2-pounder gun, officially the QF 2-pounder ( QF denoting "quick firing") and universally known as the pom-pom, was a British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy.British military of the period traditionally denoted s ...
eight-barrelled pom-poms.[ The 3-pounder guns were deleted, while two quadruple-tube launchers for 21-inch torpedoes and several depth charge chutes were installed.][ During the same refit, the cruiser ceased operating its seaplane, and the ]aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to allow aircraft to take off from a very limited amount of space, such as the deck of a vessel, but can also be installed on land-based runways in rare cases. It is now most commonly used on aircraft carrier ...
was removed.[
In 1945, during a refit in Sydney, ''Shropshire''s armament changed again.][Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 120] The torpedo tubes and depth charge throwers were stripped from the ship, and the entire Oerlikon outfit was replaced by fifteen single 40 mm Bofors Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors:
*Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s
...
guns.[ By February 1946, six of the Bofors guns had been removed, with the cruiser's armament settling into its final configuration.][
]
Construction
Construction of the cruiser was ordered on 17 March 1926.[ ''Shropshire'' was laid down at the shipyard of ]William Beardmore and Company
William Beardmore and Company was a British engineering and shipbuilding conglomerate based in Glasgow and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active from 1886 to the mid-1930s and at its peak employed about 40,000 people. It was founded and ...
, at Dalmuir
Dalmuir (; gd, Dail Mhoire) is an area northwest of Glasgow, Scotland, on the western side of Clydebank, and part of West Dunbartonshire Council Area. The name is a lowland Scots derivation of the Gaelic meaning Big Field. The area was ori ...
, Scotland on 24 February 1927.[ She was launched by ]Violet Herbert, Countess of Powis
Violet Ida Eveline Herbert, Countess of Powis and ''suo jure'' 16th Baroness Darcy de Knayth (1 June 1865 – 29 April 1929) was a British peeress in her own right.
Early life
Violet was born on 1 June 1865 in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire, En ...
, on 5 July 1928.[ Completed on 12 September 1929, the cruiser was commissioned into the RN on 24 September 1929.][
The ship's name was chosen by ]First Lord of the Admiralty
The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...
William Bridgeman, whose constituency was located in the county of Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
.[ ''Shropshire'' is the only ship of the RN or RAN to carry the name.][Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 121] The ship's badge
Naval heraldry is a form of identification used by naval vessels from the end of the 19th century onwards, after distinguishing features such as Figurehead (object), figureheads and gilding were discouraged or banned by several navies.
Naval heral ...
takes the leopard's face from the arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
of the Shropshire County Council.[
]
Operational history
RN service
After post-commissioning workups, ''Shropshire'' was assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the British Mediterranean Fleet in November 1929.[ During 1935 and 1936, the cruiser was involved in the British response to the ]Abyssinia Crisis
The Abyssinia Crisis (; ) was an international crisis in 1935 that originated in what was called the Walwal incident during the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Ethiopia (then commonly known as "Abyssinia"). The Le ...
.[ ''Shropshire'' was also present for the ]Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, and between 22 August and 16 September 1936, supported the evacuation of refugees from Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
.[ She remained in the Mediterranean (apart from returning to the United Kingdom for refits) until the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, at which point the cruiser was reassigned to the South Atlantic for trade protection patrols.][
On 9 December 1939, ''Shropshire'' intercepted the German merchant '' Adolf Leonhardt'', which was scuttled by her own crew.] The cruiser returned to Britain for a refit in early 1940, before proceeding to the Indian Ocean, where she was employed on convoy cover duties[ between ]Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
-Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
-Mombassa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
and Aden. She also participated in the campaign against Italian Somaliland
Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centu ...
during 1941,[ bombarding both ]Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...
and Kismayu during the advance of the South African Army from Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
to Abyssinia
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...
, and sinking the Italian vessel ''Pensilvania'' off Mogadishu on 13 February. She remained in the South Atlantic, undergoing a refit at Simon's Town
Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern ...
between March and June 1941, then came home in October 1941 for a further major refit at Chatham between October 1941 and March 1942 before returning to the South Atlantic until the end of the year, when she was recalled to Chatham prior to transfer to the RAN.[
The cruiser earned the RN ]battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible.
In European military t ...
s "Atlantic 1941" and "Arctic 1941" for her wartime service.[Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 125]
Transfer to RAN
Following the loss of the Australian heavy cruiser , a County-class cruiser of the ''Kent'' sub-class, at the Battle of Savo Island
The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , and colloquially among Allied Guadalcanal veterans as the Battle of the Five Sitting Ducks, was a naval battle of the Solomon Islands cam ...
, it was announced that ''Shropshire'' would be transferred to the RAN as a gift.[Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 128] King George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...
announced on 10 September 1943 that the ship would be renamed ''Canberra''.[ However, around the same time, United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose to commemorate the Australian warship's loss by renaming the under-construction ''Pittsburgh'' as .][Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 129]
The duplication of ship names with the United States Navy was against RAN policy, and it was initially felt that Australia had a greater claim to the name.[Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', pp. 128–9] Protests in favour of retaining ''Shropshire''s original name were received from the British elements of the ship's company, who felt that renaming a ship after one that had recently been sunk was inviting bad luck, and from citizens of the ship's namesake, which had adopted the cruiser in a Warship Week
Warship Weeks were British National savings campaigns during the Second World War, with the aim of a Royal Navy warship being adopted by a civil community. During the early parts of the war, the Royal Navy not only had lost many capital ships bu ...
earlier that year, and thought that ''Shropshire''s history and links to the community were being discarded without thought.[ One letter proposed, that the ship be named "HMAS ''Canberra (the gift of HMS) Shropshire''" in order to retain the old name.][ The Australian government decided to retain ''Shropshire''s old name after learning that the US offer had come directly from President Roosevelt.][
''Shropshire'' underwent refit at Chatham from December 1942 until 20 June 1943.][ Sources differ on the date of commissioning: although the commissioning ceremony was performed on 20 April, Captain ]John Augustine Collins
Vice-Admiral Sir John Augustine Collins, (7 January 1899 – 3 September 1989) was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) officer who served in both World Wars, and who eventually rose to become a vice admiral and Chief of Naval Staff. Collins was one ...
successfully argued to have the ship recognised administratively as a commissioned Australian warship from 17 April, in order to keep Australian personnel (arriving that day) away from the RN rum issue.[ The refit was not completed until 25 June.][
]
RAN service
''Shropshire'' left the United Kingdom in August, as part of the escort for a convoy to Gibraltar.[ After this, she continued on to Australia, and arrived in Sydney on 2 October.][ At the end of the month, she joined ]Task Force 74
Task Force 74 was a naval task force that has existed twice. The first Task Force 74 was a mixed Allied force of Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and United States Navy ships which operated against Japanese forces from 1943 to 1945 during th ...
at Brisbane, and supported the amphibious landings at Arawe
Arawe is an island in Papua New Guinea, located on the southern coast of New Britain about from Cape Gloucester. It is also the name given to the island's surrounding area, which is also known as Cape Merkus. A small harbour known as Arawe Har ...
and Cape Gloucester during December.[ In March 1944, ''Shropshire'' was involved in the ]Admiralty Islands campaign
The Admiralty Islands campaign (Operation Brewer) was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division took the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands.
Acting on reports from ai ...
.[ During April, the cruiser participated in the landing at Hollandia.][ In May, while operating in the Wakde-Sarmi-Biak area, a bomb was accidentally dropped by a United States aircraft between ''Shropshire'' and .][ Although the bomb missed both ships and appeared to cause no damage, the cruiser's engines began to malfunction four days later, and ''Shropshire'' returned to Australia for repairs.][
]
The ship returned to service on 12 July, and provided naval gunfire support
Naval gunfire support (NGFS) (also known as shore bombardment) is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support
Fire support is defined by the United States Department of Defense as " Fires that directly support land, maritime, amphibiou ...
for operations in Aitape and Cape Sansapore during July and August, Morotai in September, and Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindanao ...
in early October.[ ''Shropshire'' was reassigned to Task Force 77, and participated in the ]Battle of Surigao Strait
The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
on 25 October.[ The cruiser was involved in the ]Battle of Luzon
The Battle of Luzon ( tl, Labanan sa Luzon; ja, ルソン島の戦い; es, Batalla de Luzón) was a land battle of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony the Philippines, and allies agai ...
during January 1945, during which she was attacked by two kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...
aircraft: one narrowly missed, while the second was shot down by close enough for debris to hit ''Shropshire''.[ ''Shropshire'' fired in anger for the last time during the Corregidor landings, then briefly returned to Australia.][
''Shropshire'' returned to the Philippines in time for the Japanese surrender of the islands, then proceeded to Japan, and was present at ]Tokyo Bay
is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous ...
on 2 September 1945 for the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender
The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan and from the Allied n ...
.[ The cruiser's wartime service with the RAN was recognised with five battle honours: "New Guinea 1943–44", "Leyte Gulf 1944", Lingayen Gulf 1945", "Borneo 1945", and "Pacific 1945".] Only five personnel died during the ship's RAN service, but although all five occurred during World War II, none were the result of enemy action; one drowned, and the other four were the result of accidents.[
]
The cruiser remained in Japanese waters until 17 November, when she sailed for Sydney.[ In May 1946, ''Shropshire'' transported the Australian contingent to England for the British Empire victory celebrations.][Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 124] The ship returned home in August.[ From January until March 1947, ''Shropshire'' was in Japanese waters.][
]
Decommissioning and fate
After returning to Sydney in March 1947, ''Shropshire'' was prepared for decommissioning, although she was not paid off into reserve until 10 November 1949.[ The ship was sold to ]Thos. W. Ward
Thos. W. Ward Ltd was a Sheffield, Yorkshire, steel, engineering and cement business, which began as coal and coke merchants. It expanded into recycling metal for Sheffield's steel industry, and then the supply and manufacture of machinery.
I ...
of Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
, England, acting on behalf of the British Iron & Steel Corporation, on 16 July 1954, for 82,500 pounds sterling.[ On 9 October 1954, the Dutch tug ''Oostzee'' began the voyage from Sydney to ]Dalmuir
Dalmuir (; gd, Dail Mhoire) is an area northwest of Glasgow, Scotland, on the western side of Clydebank, and part of West Dunbartonshire Council Area. The name is a lowland Scots derivation of the Gaelic meaning Big Field. The area was ori ...
, Scotland.[ Breaking commenced in Dalmuir on 20 January 1955, with the ship's hull then transported to ]Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O ope ...
, where scrapping resumed on 19 September.[
A silver ]bugle
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure.
History
The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...
presented to the ship by the King's Shropshire Light Infantry
The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 19 ...
was kept by the RAN after ''Shropshire''s decommissioning, and was later placed on display at the Russell Offices
The Russell Offices, also referred to as Russell or RO, is a complex of office buildings located in Russell a suburb of Canberra, constituting the seat of the Australian Department of Defence and part of the administrative headquarters of t ...
(which houses the Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
) until at least the mid-1980s.[Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 130]
Citations
References
*
*
*
*
*
External links
RAN Sea Power Centre page for HMAS ''Shropshire''
* ttp://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5424.html HMS ''Shropshire'' at U-boat.netbr>HMAS ''Shropshire'' at U-boat.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shropshire (73)
London-class cruisers
County-class cruisers of the Royal Navy
Ships built on the River Clyde
1928 ships
World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom
World War II cruisers of Australia