HMS Carlisle (D67)
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HMS ''Carlisle'' was a C-class
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 ...
of the
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 ...
, named after the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
city of Carlisle. She was the name ship of the ''Carlisle'' group of the C-class of cruisers. ''Carlisle'' was credited with shooting down eleven Axis aircraft during 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 ...
and was the top scoring anti-aircraft ship in the Royal Navy.


Construction and early years

She was laid down by
Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a Scottish shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy ...
in 1917 and launched on 9 July 1918. She was completed with a hangar located under the bridge to enable the carriage of aircraft. This did not occur, and the hangar was later removed. ''Carlisle'' was commissioned too late to see action in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In 1919 ''Carlisle'' joined the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron at Harwich. During March 1919 she departed alongside the squadron and took up station in China. On the evening of 3 March 1921, the
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
an passenger ship ran aground on the White Rocks off Lamock Island, Shantou, China and was wrecked with the loss of an estimated 900 to 1,000 lives. The steamer discovered the wreck on the morning of 4 March and rendered assistance, rescuing 45 survivors before steaming to Shantou to seek additional help for ''Hong Moh''. Upon receiving word of the disaster, the British consul at Shantou informed the British Senior Naval Officer at
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, who in turn broadcast a wireless message requesting ships to come to ''Hong Moh''′s aid. The Royal Navy sloop arrived on the scene late on 5 March but was unable to locate the wreck in the darkness. ''Carlisle'' joined ''Foxglove'' on the scene at dawn on 6 March and the two ships located ''Hong Moh'' and began to rescue additional survivors, with ''Foxglove'' taking 28 survivors on board before having to depart late in the afternoon to refuel. ''Carlisle'' continued to work throughout the night of 6/7 March using
searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...
s and through the daylight hours of 7 March. ''Carlisle''′s commanding officer, Edward Evans, swam over to the wreck at around 20:00 on 7 March to help the last few survivors get aboard the ship′s boats. ''Carlisle'' finally ceased rescue operations at 23:00 on 7 March. At dawn on 8 March, ''Carlisle''′s boats approached the wreck of ''Hong Moh'' but found no further signs of life and ''Carlisle'' departed for Hong Kong with 221 survivors aboard. Among the officers and ratings of ''Carlisle'', Evans, along with Lieutenant-Commander Ion Tower and Gunner John G. Dewar, were awarded the Board of Trade Silver Medal for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea, while Leading Seaman W. G. Eldrett and Able Seaman A. E. Whitehead received the award in Bronze. ''Carlisle'' was refitted between 1921 and 1929 and went on to serve on the Africa Station with the 6th Cruiser Squadron. In February 1930, Carlisle was 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 ...
,
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 ...
prior to joining the 2nd cruiser squadron Atlantic ( Home Fleet). On 16 March 1937 she was relieved by the cruiser and returned to the United Kingdom to be reduced to the reserve. In June 1939 ''Carlisle'' started a conversion to an anti-aircraft cruiser, with eight 4-inch (102 mm) QF MK16 and 1 quadruple 2-pounder
Pom-Pom A pom-pom – also spelled pom-pon, pompom or pompon – is a decorative ball or tuft of fibrous material. The term may refer to large tufts used by cheerleaders, or a small, tighter ball attached to the top of a hat, also known as a ...
being fitted. This conversion was completed in January 1940; ''Carlisle'' was fitted with radar during her conversion and introduced the Type 280 combined air warning and gunnery radar into the Royal Navy; she thus became the first naval vessel to be equipped with an anti-aircraft fire control radar system.Howse, ''Radar at Sea'', p43


Early war service

She then spent a brief period with the Home Fleet, in which she participated in Allied operations against the
German invasion of Norway German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...
. She escorted a troop convoy consisting of the 148th Infantry Brigade which went ashore at
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. ...
; threatening the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
position in
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
from the north and south (Operation Sickle). Later that month, the sloop was mistaken for a cruiser and was badly damaged by German Ju 88s forcing her to be sunk by ''HMS Janus''. In August ''Carlisle'' was serving in the
Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
and Gulf of Aden area when she assisted in the evacuation of British troops, civilians and the sick from
Berbera Berbera (; so, Barbara, ar, بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It ...
in British Somaliland to Aden before Berbera was occupied by
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troops.


Mediterranean

She returned to the Eastern Fleet in August 1940; like most of her sisters, she was then assigned to the
Mediterranean Sea 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 and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, departing the Far East in March 1941. Once in the Mediterranean, she was used to escort convoys as an A-A vessel of the 15th Cruiser Squadron for convoys from
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
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
(Operation Lustre). She became involved in
Battle of Cape Matapan The Battle of Cape Matapan ( el, Ναυμαχία του Ταινάρου) was a naval battle during the Second World War between the Allies, represented by the navies of the United Kingdom and Australia, and the Royal Italian navy, from 27 t ...
, as well as the
first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and second battles of Sirte. She was also involved in the naval attack during the
Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...
in 1941 and was hit and damaged by aircraft on 22 May whilst attacking an enemy convoy. A direct hit killed her commanding officer, Capt. Thomas Cloud Hampton, RN. The destroyer went alongside to give assistance, whilst ''Carlisle'' continued to engage the enemy. She went on to rescue the survivors of the SS ''Thistlegorm'' after the ship was sunk in an air attack on 5 October 1941. By December, she returned to convoy duties between Alexandria and
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 ...
and was sent to support the commissioned auxiliary supply ship HMS ''Breconshire''.


Damage and reclassification

In July 1943, she escorted the support force for the
Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...
. In September–October, during the German counter-attack in the
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
, ''Carlisle'' made a sortie into the area south of
Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saron ...
with the destroyers and HMS ''Rockwood''; intercepting German convoys in the
Scarpanto Karpathos ( el, Κάρπαθος, ), also Carpathos, is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality of Karpathos, which is part o ...
Strait. On 9 October 1943, they were spotted by German
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 ...
dive bombers from I. StG 3 from the Megara air base which succeeded in sinking ''Panther'' at 12.05 and later on seriously damaged ''Carlisle''; killing 24 members of the ship's company. She was taken in tow to
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 ...
by ''Rockwood''. She was considered to be beyond economical repair as a warship and was converted to serve as a base ship in the harbour of Alexandria in March 1944. She was last listed as a hulk in 1948 after the war had ended, and was broken up in 1949. ''Carlisles badge can still be seen painted on the side of the Selborne dry dock wall at Simonstown, South Africa.


Notes


References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlisle C-class cruisers Ships built in Govan 1918 ships World War I cruisers of the United Kingdom World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in October 1943