HMS ''Birmingham'' was a member of the first group of five ships of the
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to th ...
s.
Early career
''Birmingham'' initially joined the 5th Cruiser Squadron on the
China Station
The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941.
From 1831 to 18 ...
in January 1938. On the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
in September 1939, she left for
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
for a refit before joining the
Home Fleet in March–April 1940. ''Birmingham'' was a unit of the 18th Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet, initially used to patrol off the coast of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
to prevent German fishing vessels operating in this area. In mid-April ''Birmingham'', and escorted a troop convoy to Norway. On 26 April she shelled and sank the after ''Schiff 37'' rammed and damaged the
destroyer off Norway. In May, ''Birmingham'', in company with ''Manchester'', evacuated 1,500 troops from
Åndalsnes
is a town in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is in the administrative center of Rauma Municipality. It is located along the Isfjorden, at the mouth of the river Rauma, at the north end of the Romsdalen valley. ...
. She returned to the UK and was in refit between September–December 1940.
From January until April 1941 ''Birmingham'' escorted troop convoys to the Middle East, around the
Cape of Good Hope. In May she returned to home waters, and was involved in the hunt for the and heavy cruiser . ''Birmingham'' had already put to sea from
Scapa Flow on a patrol of the
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
-
Faroes
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway betw ...
passage, and did not end up engaging the German ships. ''Birmingham'' then escorted convoy WS-9A from the UK to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
arriving on 4 July 1941. Whilst in South African waters, she docked in the
Selborne dry dock 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 ...
for a minor refit, where she was fitted with the Mk 284 and 291 radars and several new
anti-aircraft weapons.
In the Mediterranean and home waters
On completion in February 1942, ''Birmingham'' was transferred to the
Eastern Fleet
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
* Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
* Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
* Eastern Air ...
, returning to South Africa in March. In June she was reassigned to operate in the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
as a member of the 4th Cruiser Squadron under Rear Admiral Tennant. She was part of the covering force for the double convoy operation codenamed Operations
"Harpoon" and
"Vigorous" from
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
and
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
to supply the island of
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. In March, she was attacked and damaged by 15
Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Cond ...
from
Sturzkampfgeschwader 3
''Sturzkampfgeschwader 3'' (StG 3—Dive Bomber Wing 3) was a Dive bomber Wing (air force unit), wing in the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II and operated the Junkers Ju 87 ''Stuka''.
The wing was activated on 9 July 1940 using personne ...
and Italian
Cant 1007 aircraft. Though they failed to hit ''Birmingham'' directly, she was damaged by several near misses. In September she returned to the Indian Ocean and was involved in the
British operation to occupy Madagascar, codenamed Operation "Stream". In November ''Birmingham'' escorted a convoy to
Mahajanga West Coast where the 10th Infantry Brigade was landed under air cover provided by the
aircraft carrier .
In April 1943 ''Birmingham'' was again refitted in the UK, a process completed in October. She returned to the Mediterranean and on 28 November was torpedoed by the off the coast of
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...
. The torpedo struck the keel, in line with the ‘B’ turret and right under the seaman boys’ mess deck, killing about seventy men in that compartment. Seriously damaged, and with her bow almost severed, she succeeded in returning to Alexandria where temporary repairs were carried out.
[Keeble, Chapter VII “Make and Mend” pp. 107-108] In June 1944, she sailed for the United States where more permanent repairs were carried out. 'X' 6 inch turret was removed and replaced by 16 (4x4)
Bofors 40 mm gun 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
...
plus an increase to 27 (10x2, 7x1)
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
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 em ...
. In November 1944, the repairs were completed and she returned to home waters to join the 10th Cruiser Squadron at Scapa Flow.
In May 1945, as the war drew to a close, a force consisting of the cruisers ''Birmingham'', and several destroyers was tasked with occupying ports in the
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
. The force passed through the German
mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
...
barrage off the
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea.
T ...
, reaching
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
on 9 May, taking control of the German cruisers ''Prinz Eugen'' and after their surrender. On 13 May ''Birmingham'' was relieved by the cruiser and she returned to the UK.
Postwar career
In 1948 ''Birmingham'' was transferred to the South Atlantic Command. On January 4, 1947, she embarked the departing governor of Burma on its independence. She served in the East Indies Fleet with the 4th Cruiser Squadron between 1949 and 1950. During 1950 and 1952 ''Birmingham'' underwent a modernisation, receiving new bridgework, a lattice foremast and air conditioning rendering her suitable for service in the Far East. To control the 4" A/A armament, she was given 2 – Mk 6 high angle directors at the corners of the former aircraft hangar. Her armament now consisted of 9 (3x3) 6 inch guns, 16 (4x4) 4 inch guns and 18 (6x2 & 6x1)
Bofors 40 mm gun 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
...
. This was her last modernisation as she was considered to be too old to justify any major modernisation. After this refit she was transferred to the Far East Fleet, where she was a member of the 5th Cruiser Squadron. She became involved in the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
where she expended 1,051 six-inch shells. In June 1952 as the
Panmunjom
Panmunjom, also known as Panmunjeom, now located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea or Kaesong, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, was a village just north of the ''de facto'' border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 Korea ...
(
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
) negotiations moved belatedly towards an armistice, ''Birmingham'', along with the cruiser and two
frigates, supported American landing craft evacuating thousands of friendly Koreans from islands off the north-west coast. An armistice was finally reached in June 1953. In June 1954, ''Birmingham'' returned home from the Far East.
In 1955 ''Birmingham'' was transferred to the
Mediterranean Fleet, where she was the flagship of the 1st Cruiser Squadron. The 1956 film ''
The Baby and the Battleship
''The Baby and the Battleship'' is a colour 1956 British comedy film directed by Jay Lewis and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and André Morell. It is based on the 1956 novel by Anthony Thorne with a screenplay by Richard De Roy, ...
'' was filmed aboard her. During the same year she was in the Mediterranean, ''Birmingham'' also took part in the film
''Battle of the River Plate'' starring
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969 ...
and
Peter Finch. The visible presence in the wardroom of a full-frontal painted nude,
''The Bane'', painted in 1931 by
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
artist
Bernard Fleetwood-Walker
Bernard Fleetwood-Walker , PPRBSA, (22 March 1893 – 30 January 1965) was an English artist and teacher of painting.
Bernard Fleetwood-Walker (invariably known as B. Fleetwood-Walker) was born on 22 March 1893 in Birmingham, United Kingd ...
and loaned to the ship by
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local ...
, caused some discussion at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
of 1957.
In June 1957, she was one of seven warships involved in an exercise off the
Turkish Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
ports under the Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Admiral Sir
Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...
. the exercises led to a strong protest from the Soviet government. In May 1959 whilst operating off Malta, ''Birmingham'' was involved in a collision with the
destroyer which caused the deaths of two sailors who were overcome by fumes while inspecting areas below the ''Birmingham''s waterline for damage.
Decommissioning and disposal
''Birmingham'' was paid off at
HMNB Devonport on 3 December 1959. By this time she was the last of her class in service. She was broken up in September 1960 by
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
Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing ( ; gd, Inbhir Chèitinn) is a port town and parish, in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth. A town of ancient origin, Inverkeithing was given royal burgh status during the reign of Malcolm IV in the 12th century. It was an imp ...
. Her badge is still visible on the
Selborne Graving Dock
The Selborne Graving Dock is a dry dock in Simon's Town, South Africa. It is situated within the Naval Base Simon's Town. It is named for William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne, the High Commissioner for Southern Africa at the time of construction ...
wall 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 ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
.
Notes
References
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External links
HMS ''Birmingham'' docked at Portsmouth, 1938(
Pathé News
Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as British Pathé. Its col ...
reel)
HMS ''Birmingham'' at Cannes, 1957(Pathé newsreel)
* – Training video from 1945 featuring the ''Birmingham''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birmingham
Town-class cruisers (1936)
Ships built in Plymouth, Devon
1936 ships
World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom
Cold War cruisers of the United Kingdom
Korean War cruisers of the United Kingdom