View source for HMS Fiji (58)

{{short description|Fiji-class cruiser}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS FIJI, 28 August 1940 FL13125.jpg
|Ship caption=''Fiji'' in 1940
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[United Kingdom]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=''Fiji''
|Ship namesake=[[Colonial Fiji]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[John Brown & Company]], [[Clydebank]]
|Ship laid down=30 March 1938
|Ship launched=31 May 1939
|Ship christened=
|Ship commissioned=5 May 1940
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship fate=Sunk by German bombers, 22 May 1941
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: 58
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as built)
|Ship class={{Sclass|Fiji|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|8530|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{convert|10724|LT|t}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|555|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|62|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|19|ft|10|in|m|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*4 [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
*{{cvt|80000|shp|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=4 shafts; 4 geared [[steam turbine]] sets
|Ship speed={{convert|32.25|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|6250|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|13|kn}}
|Ship complement=733 (peacetime), 900 (wartime)
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*4 × triple [[BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval gun|6&nbsp;in (152&nbsp;mm) guns]]
*4 × twin [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|4&nbsp;in (102&nbsp;mm)]] [[DP gun]]s
*2 × quadruple [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|2-pdr ({{cvt|40|mm|1}})]] [[AA gun]]s
*2 × triple [[British 21 inch torpedo|21&nbsp;in (533&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armour=*[[Engine room|Engine and boiler rooms]]: {{convert|3.25|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]s: {{convert|2|-|3.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Magazine (artillery)|Magazine]]s: {{convert|2|-|3.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|1|-|2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship aircraft=2 × [[seaplanes]]
|Ship aircraft facilities=1 × [[aircraft catapult|catapult]], 2 × [[hangar]]s
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''HMS ''Fiji''''' was the [[lead ship]] of [[Fiji-class cruiser|her class]] of 11 [[light cruiser]]s built for the [[Royal Navy]] shortly before the [[Second World War]]. Completed in mid-1940, she was initially assigned to the [[Home Fleet]] and was detached to escort a force tasked to force [[French West Africa]] to join the [[Free French]]. The ship was torpedoed en route and required six months to be repaired. ''Fiji'' was then assigned to [[Force H]] where she helped to escort [[Malta Convoys|convoys to Malta]]. The ship was transferred to the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] in early May 1941. After the [[Battle of Crete|Germans invaded Crete]] a few weeks later, she was sunk by German aircraft on 22 May after having fired off all of her anti-aircraft ammunition.

==Description==
''Fiji'' displaced {{convert|8530|LT|t|lk=on}} at [[Displacement (ship)|standard]] load<ref name=w2/> and {{convert|10724|LT|t}} at [[deep load]]. They had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|555|ft|6|in|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|62|ft|m|1}}<ref name=r2>Raven & Roberts, p. 422</ref> and a [[draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|19|ft|10|in|m|0}}. The ships were powered by four [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by four [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s. The turbines developed a total of {{convert|80000|shp|lk=on}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|32.25|kn|lk=in}}.<ref name=w2/> ''Fiji'' had a [[metacentric height]] of {{convert|3.4|ft|m}} at deep load.<ref name=r2/> The ''Fiji'' class carried enough [[fuel oil]] to give them a range of {{convert|6520|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|13|kn}}.<ref name=w2>Whitley, p. 120</ref> The ships' complement was 733 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]] in peacetime and 900 during war.<ref name=r2/>

[[File:HMS Jamaica gunners.jpg|thumb|left|The interior of a 6-inch triple Mark XXIII mounting on board [[sister ship]] ''Jamaica''. The crew is wearing [[anti-flash gear]] and the crewman in the foreground has over his shoulder a {{convert|30|lb|adj=on}} [[cordite]] [[propellant]] charge.]]
The armament of the ''Fiji''-class ships consisted of a dozen [[BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval gun|BL 6-inch (152&nbsp;mm) Mk XXIII guns]] in four three-[[gun turret]]s, one [[superfiring]] pair fore and aft of the [[superstructure]]. Their secondary armament consisted of eight [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|4-inch (102&nbsp;mm) Mk XVI]] [[dual-purpose gun]]s in four twin turrets. Anti-aircraft defence for ''Fiji'' was provided by two quadruple [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|2-pounder ({{cvt|40|mm|1|order=flip}}) ("pom-poms")]] [[AA gun]]s and two quadruple mounts for [[Vickers .50 machine gun|Vickers {{convert|0.5|in|1|adj=on}}]] [[anti-aircraft machinegun|AA machineguns]]. The cruisers also carried two above-water triple [[torpedo tube]] mounts for [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|adj=on|0}}]] torpedoes, one mount on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]].<ref name=r2/>

The ''Fiji'' class lacked a full [[waterline]] [[Belt armour|armour belt]]. The sides of their [[Engine room|boiler and engine room]]s and the [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s were protected by {{convert|3.25|-|3.5|in|mm}} of armour. The [[Deck (ship)|deck]] over the propulsion machinery spaces and magazines was reinforced to a thickness of {{convert|2|-|3.5|in|mm}}<ref name=r2/> and the main-gun turrets had only splinter protection {{convert|1|-|2|in}} thick.<ref name=w2/> They carried an [[aircraft catapult]] and two [[Supermarine Sea Otter]] or [[Supermarine Walrus|Walrus]] [[seaplane]]s.<ref>Raven & Roberts, p. 201</ref>

==Construction and career==
''Fiji'', the only ship of the Royal Navy to be named after the [[Crown colony]] of [[Colonial Fiji|Fiji]], was [[laid down]] by [[John Brown & Company]] at their [[Clydebank]] shipyard on 30 March 1938. The ship was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 31 May 1939 and completed on 5 May 1940.<ref name=r2/> She was the first of the ''Fiji'' class to enter service (Royal Navy classes were generally named after the lead ship of a class). She was initially assigned to the [[Home Fleet]].<ref>Whitley, p. 124</ref> On 31 August 1940 she sailed for the African Atlantic coast to take part in [[Battle of Dakar|Operation Menace]], the attack on [[Dakar]], but before she could join the taskforce, ''Fiji'' was damaged by a torpedo from the {{GS|U-32|1937|6}} on 1 September and had to return to Britain for repairs, which lasted for the next six months.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 36–38</ref> The torpedo hit abreast the forward [[Fire room|boiler room]] and most of the force of the detonation escaped up the forward [[funnel (ship)|funnel]], but the boiler room and an adjacent compartment flooded, reducing her speed to {{convert|11|kn}}. The flooding gave her a [[list (watercraft)|list]] to port; to counter it the ammunition from the forward turrets was thrown overboard and the portside torpedoes were ejected over the side.<ref>Raven, p. 60</ref> While under repair she was fitted with a [[List of World War II British naval radar#Type 2784|Type 284]] gunnery [[radar]] and another pair of quadruple Vickers 0.50-inch AA machineguns were added.<ref>Raven & Roberts, p. 430</ref>

She returned to service in March 1941 and was assigned to patrol the [[Denmark Strait]] for German commerce raiders. She missed the homeward-bound [[heavy cruiser]] {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Scheer||2}} on 26–27 March, and in early April she was reassigned to Force H at [[Gibraltar]] to blockade the German heavy ships then stationed at [[Brest, France|Brest]]. With Force H, she sailed into the [[Mediterranean]] to support operations to relieve the island of [[Malta]] in late April.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 65, 67, 70</ref> On 5 May Force H departed Gibraltar to escort a heavily-laden convoy bound for [[Egypt]] (Operation Tiger); Force H only escorted the convoy halfway through the Mediterranean before the Mediterranean Fleet took over. ''Fiji'' joined the fleet at that time.<ref>Greene & Massignani, pp. 166–167; Raven, p. 105</ref>

===Battle of Crete===
{{main|Battle of Crete}}
[[File:Pictures For Illustrating Ritchie Ii Book. November and December 1942, Alexandria, Pictures of Paintings by Lieutenant Commander R Langmaid, Rn, Official Fleet Artist. These Pictures Are For Illustrating a Nava A13645.jpg|thumb|''Fiji'' under heavy air attack (Painting by [[Lieutenant commander (Royal Navy)|Lieutenant Commander]] [[Rowland Langmaid]] [[Royal Navy|RN]])]]
British intelligence anticipated that the Germans would attack the island of Crete on 17 May and [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] [[Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope|Andrew Cunningham]], commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, ordered his ships to sea on the 15th. Force B, ''Fiji'' and the light cruiser {{HMS|Gloucester|62|2}} were tasked to patrol west of the island. The Germans began landing paratroopers on 20 May when Force B was en route to rendezvous with the battleships {{HMS|Warspite|03|2}} and {{HMS|Valiant|1914|2}} and their escorts west of Crete. The ships rendezvoused the following morning and German air attacks began a few hours later, although with little effect other than to help exhaust the ships' anti-aircraft ammunition. That afternoon, Cunningham ordered the cruisers to disperse into their original groups and search for any troop convoys in the Aegean. The Germans spotted Force B shortly after dawn on 22 May as the cruisers were steaming south to rendezvous with the battleships again. ''Fiji'' was not hit during these attacks, but was damaged by near misses that knocked out her aft anti-aircraft [[director (military)|director]].<ref>Raven, pp. 117–120</ref>

Force B made the rendezvous with Force A1 (Rear Admiral [[Bernard Rawlings (Royal Navy officer)|H B Rawlings]]) and Force D (Rear Admiral [[Irvine Glennie]]) at about 08:30 and the combined force was ordered to report on their levels of high-angle anti-aircraft ammunition. Of the cruisers, {{HMS|Ajax|22|2}} had 40%, {{HMS|Orion|85|2}} 38%, ''Fiji'' 30%, {{HMS|Dido|37|2}} 25% and ''Gloucester'' only 18%. ''Ajax'', ''Orion'' and ''Dido'' were ordered to return to Alexandria with Glennie's Force D to rearm but ''Gloucester'' and ''Fiji'' remained with Rawlings' Force A1.<ref name="OtterC14">Otter, Chapter 14</ref><ref>Cunningham, Section 2, paragraph 30</ref>

At 12:25 Force A1, stationed 20 to 30 miles west of [[Antikythera]], received a request from Rear Admiral [[Edward King (naval officer)|Edward Leigh Stuart King]] to support the damaged {{HMS|Naiad|93|6}} and the rest of his Force C. Force A1 headed east into the [[Kythera]] Channel, rendezvousing with Force C between 13:30 and 14:00. As the more senior admiral, King took command, with air attacks now inflicting damage on both forces. At 14:02 and 14:07 respectively, ''Fiji'' and ''Gloucester'' were detached to provide anti-aircraft support for the [[destroyer]]s {{HMS|Kandahar|F28|2}} and {{HMS|Kingston|F64|2}}. The two destroyers having already been ordered to rescue the survivors of the destroyer {{HMS|Greyhound|H05|2}}, which had been sunk at 13:50. Writing in despatches after the battle, Cunningham stated that King was unaware of the shortage of anti-aircraft ammunition in ''Fiji'' and ''Gloucester''. At 14:13 King and Rawlings exchanged messages about the shortage of ammunition within both Force C and Force A1, with Rawlings expressing concern about the orders given to ''Gloucester'' and ''Fiji''. Following this communication, King issued an order to recall both ''Gloucester'' and ''Fiji'' at 14:57.<ref name="OtterC14"/><ref>Cunningham, Section 1, paragraph 8, and Section 2, paragraphs 30–35</ref>

The ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' focused its attention on the four ships dispatched to ''Greyhound'' and they were under near-constant attack for several hours. By 15:30, while attempting to rejoin Force A1, ''Fiji'' had exhausted her supply of {{convert|4|in|0|adj=on}} anti-aircraft ammunition and was reduced to firing practice [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]]. She closed on ''Gloucester'' at 15:50, right when that ship was struck by four bombs and was near-missed by three others. ''Fiji'' dropped life rafts, but was forced to depart the area with the two destroyers. These ships fought on and shot down one attacker and severely damaged two others.<ref>Shores, pp. 357–358</ref> The aerial attacks continued despite the heavy cloud cover; at 19:00 a [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]] [[fighter bomber]] struck the cruiser amidships with a bomb. The forward boiler and [[engine room]]s flooded and gave her a severe list. Despite this damage ''Fiji'' was able to maintain a speed of {{convert|18|kn}} until another Bf 109 hit her with another bomb that increased her list to 30 degrees. Abandon ship was ordered in the face of the uncontrollable flooding and she [[capsized]] around 19:30. Her accompanying destroyers were unable to rescue any of the crew until after dark when almost all of them were recovered.<ref>Raven, pp. 120–121</ref>  [[Christopher Tanner|Kit Tanner]], the ship's chaplain, was posthumously awarded the [[Albert Medal for Lifesaving|Albert Medal]] (since replaced by the [[George Cross]]) for repeatedly entering the sea to rescue men from the water.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4785451|title=HM SHIPS - DAMAGE AND LOSS (31)}}</ref>

On 30 May 1941, in a letter to the [[First Sea Lord]], [[Dudley Pound|Sir Dudley Pound]],  Cunningham wrote, "The sending back of ''Gloucester'' and ''Fiji'' to ''Greyhound'' was another grave error and cost us those two ships. They were practically out of ammunition, but even had they been full up I think they would have gone. The Commanding Officer of ''Fiji'' told me that the air over ''Gloucester'' was black with planes."<ref>Otter, p. 136</ref>

Following the loss of both ''Fiji'' and ''Gloucester'' to air attacks after their anti-aircraft ammunition was exhausted, all British cruisers were instructed to not allow their anti-aircraft ammunition reserves to fall below 40%.<ref>Preston, p. 45</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-8317-0303-2 |chapter=Great Britain |last1=Campbell |first1=N.J.M.|pages=2–85}}
*{{cite book|last1=Colledge|first1=J. J.|authorlink1=J. J. Colledge|last2=Wardlow|first2=Ben|last3=Bush |first3=Steve |title=Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present|year=2020|publisher=Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-5267-9327-0|name-list-style=amp|edition=5th}}
* {{London Gazette |issue =38296 |date =21 May 1948 |pages =3103–3119 |supp =y |title =Cunningham, A. B., The Battle of Crete, Despatch to the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty, 4 August 1941}}
*{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After|year=2010|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-59114-078-8 |author-link=Norman Friedman}}
* {{cite book |last1=Greene |first1=Jack |last2=Massignani |first2=Alessandro |title=The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940–1943 |date=2011 |publisher=Frontline Books |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=978-1-59114-561-5|orig-year=2002|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book |last=Otter |first=Ken |title=HMS Gloucester: The Untold Story |orig-year=1999 |edition=2nd |year=2001 |publisher=G.A.M. Books |location=Durham, UK |isbn=0-9522194-2-5 |oclc=59524624 }}
* {{cite book |last=Preston |first=Antony |year=1982 |title=Cruisers |location=Greenwich, Connecticut |publisher=Bison Books Inc. |isbn=0-86124-064-2 |author-link=Antony Preston |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/cruisersantonypr00pres }}
* {{cite book |last1=Raven |first1=Alan |title=British Cruiser Warfare: The Lessons of the Early War, 1939–1941 |date=2019 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=978-1-5267-4763-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Raven|first=Alan|author2=Roberts, John|title=British Cruisers of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1980|isbn=0-87021-922-7 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2 |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
* {{cite book | title=Air War For Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete 1940–41 | last2=Cull |first2=Brian |last3=Malizia |first3=Nicola | publisher=Grub Street | year=1987 | isbn=0-948817-07-0| location=London | last1=Shores | first1=Christopher|name-list-style=amp }}
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia|publisher=Cassell |location=London|year=1995|isbn=1-86019-874-0|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book|last=Smith|first=Peter C.|title=Destroyer Leader: The Story of HMS Faulknor 1935–46|year=2004|publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime|location=Barnsley, Yorkshire|isbn=1-84415-121-2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3 WWII cruisers]
*[http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4026.html HMS Fiji at Uboat.net]
*[https://www.angelfire.com/ri/georgev/hmsfijiphotos4.html The True Experiences of Mr Leonard Charles, a crewman aboard the ship]

{{Crown Colony class cruiser}}
{{May 1941 shipwrecks}}
{{coord missing|Mediterranean}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiji (C58)}}
[[Category:Crown Colony-class cruisers of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:1939 ships]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1941]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by aircraft during the Battle of Crete]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German aircraft]]
[[Category:Cruisers sunk by aircraft]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Greece]]