HMS Gambia (C48)
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HMS ''Gambia'' (
pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...
48, later C48) was a
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 thi ...
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 F ...
. She was in the service of the
Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...
(RNZN) as HMNZS ''Gambia'' from 1943 to 1946. She was named after the then
Crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...
of
the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
, and has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.


Construction

''Gambia'' was conceived in the 1938 Naval Estimates and was laid down on 24 July 1939, at
Swan Hunter Swan Hunter, formerly known as Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, is a shipbuilding design, engineering, and management company, based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. At its apex, the company represented the combined forces of three powe ...
's Yard at
Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This fo ...
. She was launched on 30 November 1940, by Lady Hilbery and commissioned on 21 February 1942.


Service history


Early wartime career

The cruiser saw active service in the East Indies with the British Eastern Fleet, and was involved in the Battle of Madagascar in September 1942. She then carried out trade protection duties in the Indian Ocean, but returned to home waters, calling at the territory of the Gambia on the way, where West African Chiefs in full regalia led thousands of their subjects to visit the ship named after their colony. She refitted at Liverpool between June and September.


Royal New Zealand Navy service

Because New Zealand's two other cruisers of the time, and were damaged, it was decided in discussions with the Royal Navy
Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...
that ''Gambia'' would be recommissioned as HMNZS ''Gambia'', for the use of the Royal New Zealand Navy. The New Zealand ''Official History'' writes: "...HMNZS ''Gambia'' was commissioned at Liverpool on 22 September 1943 under the command of Captain William-Powlett, DSC, RN. A few of the officers and three-quarters of the ratings were New Zealanders." On 3 October 1943 the New Zealand High Commissioner visited the ''Gambia'' and addressed the ship's company. After sea trials, shaking down, and ten days attached to the
1st Cruiser Squadron The First Cruiser Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron of cruisers that saw service as part of the Grand Fleet during the World War I then later as part of the Mediterranean Fleet, Mediterranean during the Interwar period and World War II it first ...
in
Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...
, she arrived at Plymouth "...on 5 December 1943 to work with HM ships Glasgow and ''Enterprise'' under the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth." With these ships she commenced anti-blockade runner patrols in the
Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
in December, as part of
Operation Stonewall Operation Stonewall was a World War II operation to intercept blockade runners off the west coast of German-occupied France. It was an effective example of inter-service and international co-operation. Background From the start of the war, the ...
. Of particular note was the pursuit of the German blockade-runner ''Osorno,'' and the pursuit and destruction of another blockade-runner under Captain William-Powlett's overall command, but without actual involvement: "Under the circumstances," wrote William-Powlett, "''Gambia'', the senior of the four cruisers, was unable to take part in the successful and exciting operation carried out by Glasgow and Enterprise: she could merely play the part of an exasperated listener-in...’ ''Gambia'' subsequently served with the British Pacific Fleet and participated in attacks on
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese positions throughout the Pacific. In February 1944 she searched for blockade runners in the Cocos Islands area. She also supported a series of carrier raids against oil installations and airfields. She saw action off Okinawa,
Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...
and Japan and took part in the bombardment of the Japanese city of Kamaishi on 9 August. She was attacked by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft as a ceasefire was announced, and fired some of the last shots of World War II. She was present on 2 September 1945 in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.


Return to the Royal Navy

''Gambia'' was returned to the Royal Navy at Portsmouth on 27 March 1946. She underwent a refit and was recommissioned on 1 July 1946 for the 5th Cruiser Squadron with the Far East Fleet. She returned to the UK on 6 January 1948, and in January 1950 she was assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean, later serving with the
1st Cruiser Squadron The First Cruiser Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron of cruisers that saw service as part of the Grand Fleet during the World War I then later as part of the Mediterranean Fleet, Mediterranean during the Interwar period and World War II it first ...
on the same station until October 1954. In 1953, she and her sister brought aid to the Greek island of Zakynthos when it was struck by the Ionian earthquake. Greek officials would later comment, "we Greeks have a long-standing tradition with the Royal Navy and it lived up to every expectation in its infallible tradition of always being the first to help". In the same year she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1955 she became
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the
4th Cruiser Squadron The 4th Cruiser Squadron and (also known as Cruiser Force H) was a formation of cruisers of the British Royal Navy from 1907 to 1914 and then again from 1919 to 1946. The squadron was first established in 1907, replacing the North America and ...
on the East Indies Station, but the decision not to continue the refit of the
battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
, meant funds were available for a life extension of ''Gambia'' and ''Bermuda'', with additional finance and equipment from US assistance to NATO. The refit gave them a final light
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
(AA) armament of nine twin 40 mm Bofors, refitted in positions than gave wider angles of fire and US Mk 63 and SPG-35 radar fire control for the 4 inch mounts. This was similar to that being fitted to the remaining United States Navy s in 1956–57, although the twelve twin 3-inch/50 calibre guns on the US cruisers were far more accurate and effective than the Royal Navy Mk 5 Bofors or X1X twin 4-inch guns. In May 1957 ''Gambia'' sailed again for the Persian Gulf, becoming the last flagship for the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies, Vice Admiral Hilary Biggs, and returned to Rosyth on 19 September 1958. On 4 November 1958 she recommissioned for the 1st Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean. She deployed to the Far East on 4 December 1959 to relieve the cruiser in the Red Sea. The ship returned to the UK via South Africa with a visit to Freetown and the Gambia, before arriving in Portsmouth in July 1960. The last months of 1960 she served in the South Atlantic and the Home Fleet before entering the reserve in December of that year, her crew largely going to the new cruiser .


Decommissioning and fate

''Gambia'' was paid off to reserve in December 1960. She remained in reserve at Portsmouth until she was put on the disposal list and sold to Thos. W. Ward for scrapping. She left Portsmouth under tow on 2 December 1968 and arrived at Inverkeithing for breaking up on 5 December.


Notes


References

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External links


World War II cruisers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gambia (C48) Crown Colony-class cruisers of the Royal Navy Ships built by Swan Hunter Ships built on the River Tyne 1940 ships World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom Crown Colony-class cruisers of the Royal New Zealand Navy World War II cruisers of New Zealand