HMS Gloucester (C62)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | Builder: Devonport Dockyard (Plymouth, U.K) |
| Laid Down: | 22 September 1936 |
| Launched: | 19 October 1937 |
| Commissioned: | 31 January 1939 |
| Decommissioned: | |
| Fate: | Sunk 22 May 1941 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 9400 tons standard; 11,650 tons deep load |
| Length: | 588 ft p.p. |
| Beam: | beam: 62' 4" |
| Draught: | 20' 7" mean deep load |
| Propulsion: | 82,500 hp (61.5 MW), 4-shaft Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers. |
| Speed: | 32 knots (59 km/h) |
| Range: | |
| Complement: | 800 |
| Armament: | Original Configuration: Twelve 6 inch (152 mm) guns in triple turrets Eight 4 in (102 mm) guns 4 × 3 pdr., 8 x 2 pdr. [quadruple mounts] Six 21 inch (530 mm) torpedo tubes |
| Aircraft: | Two Supermarine Walrus aircraft |
HMS Gloucester was a member of the second group of three ships of the "Town" class of light cruisers. Gloucester saw heavy service in World War II. On May 22, 1941, while helping defend Crete, the Gloucester was dive-bomed by German Stukas and sank, having sustained at least four heavy bomb hits and three near-misses. 723 lives were lost, with just 82 survivors. Her sinking is considered to be one of Britain's worst wartime naval disasters.
She was nicknamed The Fighting G.
The wrecksite is a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act.
See HMS Gloucester for other ships of this name.
[edit] References
- Source: Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946.
[edit] External links
| Town-class cruiser |
| Southampton sub class
Birmingham | Glasgow | Newcastle | Sheffield | Southampton |
| Gloucester sub class
Gloucester | Liverpool | Manchester |
| Edinburgh sub class |
List of cruisers of the Royal Navy |
