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{{more footnotes|date=June 2008}}
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{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption=nodab}}
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:HMS Cornwall (56).jpg|300px]]
|Ship image=[[File:HMS Cornwall (56).jpg|300px]]
|Ship caption=
|Ship caption=''Cornwall'' at anchor, 1929
}}
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{{Infobox ship career
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|UK|naval}}
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|UK|naval}}
|Ship name=
|Ship name=''Cornwall''
|Ship ordered=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship namesake=[[Cornwall]]
|Ship builder=[[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Dockyard]] ([[Plymouth]], UK)
|Ship builder=[[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Dockyard]] ([[Plymouth]])
|Ship laid down=9 October 1924
|Ship laid down=9 October 1924
|Ship launched=11 March 1926
|Ship launched=11 March 1926
|Ship christened=
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship completed=8 May 1928
|Ship commissioned=8 May 1928
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship refit=
|Ship captured=
|Ship struck=
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate=Sunk by Japanese carrier aircraft, 5 April 1942
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Sunk 5 April 1942, with {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|6}}, by bombs from Japanese carrier aircraft, west of [[Ceylon]] (198 lost)
|Ship status=
|Ship status=
⚫
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: 56
|Ship homeport=
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|Ship identification=[[pennant number]] 56
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Header caption=(as built)
|Ship class={{sclass2-|County|cruiser|0}} [[heavy cruiser]]
|Ship class={{sclass2-|County|cruiser|0}} [[heavy cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=* 9,750 tons (9,010 t) '''standard'''
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|9850|LT|t}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{convert|13520|LT|t}} ([[deep load]])
* 13,450 tons (13,670 t) '''full load'''
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|Ship length={{convert|630|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship tons burthen=
|Ship length={{convert|630|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|68|ft|5|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|68|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|20|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|16|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship power={{convert|80000|shp|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*4 shafts, [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship draft=
|Ship propulsion=*Eight Admiralty 3-drum boilers
*8 Admiralty 3-drum [[water-tube boiler]]s
⚫
|Ship speed={{convert|31.5|kn|lk=in}}
*Four shaft Brown Curtis geared turbines
*{{convert|80,000|shp|MW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship range={{convert|13300|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn}}
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|Ship complement=784
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|Ship speed={{convert|31.5|kn|km/h|1}}
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|Ship armament=*4 × twin [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|8-inch (203 mm) guns]]
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|Ship range=*{{convert|3,100|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|31.5|kn}}
*4 × single [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|QF {{convert|4|in|adj=on|0}} Mk V]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) guns
*{{convert|13,300|nmi}} at {{convert|12|kn}}
*4 × single [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns]]
|Ship endurance=3,400 tons (3,450 t) fuel oil
*2 × quadruple 21-inch (533 mm) [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship test depth=
|Ship armour=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|1|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|Ship boats=
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]s: {{convert|1.375|-|1.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|Ship capacity=
*[[Barbette]]s: {{convert|1|in|mm|abbr=on}}
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|Ship complement=700
*[[Turret]]s: {{convert|1|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|Ship time to activate=
*[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]s: {{convert|1|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|Ship sensors=
*[[Magazine (artillery)|Magazine]]s: {{convert|2|-|4.375|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
*'''Original configuration:'''
⚫
*'''8''' x [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|8 in (203 mm) dual guns]]
*'''4''' x 4 in (102 mm) single AA guns
*'''2''' x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns
*'''2''' x 0.5 in MG quadruple guns
*'''2''' x 21 in (533 mm) quadruple Torpedo Tubes.
*'''1936 – 1942 configuration:'''
*'''8''' x 8 in (203 mm) dual guns
*'''4''' x 4 in (102 mm) dual AA guns
*'''2''' x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms eight barrel guns
*'''2''' x 0.5 in MG quadruple guns
|Ship armour=
*'''Original configuration:'''
*1 to 4 in magazine box protection
*1.375 in deck
*1 in side-plating,turrets and bulkheads
*4.5 in belt
*4 internal boiler room sides (added 1936–1940)
|Ship aircraft=Three aircraft with one catapult, removed in 1942
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship notes=
|Ship notes=
}}
}}
|}
|}
'''HMS ''Cornwall''''', [[pennant number]] 56, was a {{sclass2-|County|cruiser|0}} [[heavy cruiser]] of the ''Kent'' subclass built for the [[Royal Navy]] in the mid-1920s. She was built at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Dockyard]] ([[Plymouth]], UK).
'''HMS ''Cornwall''''', [[pennant number]] 56, was a {{sclass2-|County|cruiser|0}} [[heavy cruiser]] of the ''Kent'' [[ship class|sub-class]] built for the [[Royal Navy]] in the mid-1920s. The ship spent most of her pre-[[World War II]] career assigned to the [[China Station]]. Shortly after the war began in August 1939, she was assigned to search for German [[commerce raider]]s in the Indian Ocean. ''Cornwall'' was transferred to the South Atlantic in late 1939 where she escorted convoys before returning to the Indian Ocean in 1941. She then sank the {{ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Pinguin||6}} in May. After the start of the Pacific War in December 1941, she began escorting convoys until she was transferred to the [[Eastern Fleet]] in March 1942. The ship was sunk on 5 April by [[dive bomber]]s from three Japanese [[aircraft carrier]]s during the [[Indian Ocean Raid]].


==History==
==Description==
''Cornwall'' displaced {{convert|9850|LT|t}} at [[Displacement (ship)|standard]] load and {{convert|13520|LT|t}} at [[deep load]]. The ship had an [[overall length]] of {{convert|630|ft|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|68|ft|5|in|m|1}} and a [[draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|20|ft|6|in|m|1}}. She was powered by [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, driving four shafts, which developed a total of {{convert|80000|shp|lk=in}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|31.5|kn|lk=in}}. Steam for the turbines was provided by eight [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s. ''Cornwall'' carried a maximum of {{convert|3425|LT|t}} of fuel oil that gave her a range of {{convert|13300|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|12|kn}}. The ship's complement was 784 officers and men.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 123, 412–13</ref>
In [[Action of 8 May 1941|a single ship action of 8 May 1941]] ''Cornwall'' sank the German commerce raider {{ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Pinguin||2}} but was hit in the stern. She returned to [[Durban]] for repairs, which were completed on 10 June 1941. On 25 November 1941, ''Cornwall'' intercepted the Vichy-French merchant ''Surcouf'' off the east coast of [[Somalia]] and brought her to [[Aden]]. ''Surcouf'' was en route to [[Djibouti]] with food.


The ship mounted eight 50-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|8-inch (203 mm) guns]] in four twin [[gun turret]]s. Her secondary armament consisted of four [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|QF {{convert|4|in|adj=on|0}} Mk V]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) guns in single mounts. ''Cornwall'' mounted four single [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|2-pounder (40&nbsp;mm)]] light AA guns ("pom-poms"). The ship carried two quadruple [[torpedo tube]] above-water mounts for [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|adj=on|0}}]] torpedoes.<ref name=r12>Raven and Roberts, p. 412</ref>
⚫
[[File:Dorsetshire&Cornwall.jpg|thumb|left|HMS ''Dorsetshire'' and ''Cornwall'' under air attack by Japanese carrier aircraft on 5 April 1942. Photographed from a Japanese aircraft.]]
⚫
On 2 April 1942, ''Cornwall'' and her [[sister ship]] {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|2}} were detached from the fleet: ''Dorsetshire'' to resume an interrupted refit and ''Cornwall'' to escort convoy SU-4 (composed of the U.S. Army transport {{USAT|Willard A. Holbrook}} and Australian transport {{MV|Duntroon}}) to Australia and the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Hermes|95|2}} to [[Trincomalee]] in [[Ceylon]] for repairs.{{sfn|Gill|1968|p=16}} On 4 April, the Japanese carrier fleet was spotted and the two cruisers left harbour and, after a hurried refuelling at sea, set out for [[Addu Atoll]] shortly after midnight.{{sfn|Gill|1968|p=16}} On 5 April 1942, the two cruisers were sighted by a spotter plane from the {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Tone|1937|6}} about 200 miles (370&nbsp;km) south-west of Ceylon.{{sfn|Gill|1968|p=18}}


''Cornwall'' was only lightly protected with little more than a single inch of plating protecting vital machinery. Her [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s were the exception and were protected by {{convert|2|-|4.375|in|mm}} of armour. Space and weight was reserved for one [[aircraft catapult]] and its [[seaplane]], but they were not fitted until after she was completed.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 251, 412</ref>
⚫
As part of the engagement known as the [[Easter Sunday Raid]], a wave of dive bombers led by Lieutenant Commander Egusa took off from Japanese carriers to attack ''Cornwall'' and ''Dorsetshire'', {{convert|320|km|nmi mi|abbr=on|sp=UK}} south-west of Ceylon, and sank the two ships. British losses were 424 men killed; 1,122 survivors spent thirty hours in the water before being rescued by {{HMS|Enterprise|D52|6}} and two destroyers.{{sfn|Gill|1968|p=19}}

==Construction and career==
''Cornwall'', the fifth ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy,<ref>Colledge, p. 79</ref> was named after the [[Cornwall|eponymous county]]. The ship was [[keel laying|laid down]] at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Dockyard]] on 9 October 1924 and was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 11 March 1926. Completed on 6 December 1927, she was assigned to the [[5th Cruiser Squadron]] (CS) on the China Station and spent the bulk of the interbellum period there.<ref>Whitley, pp. 83, 86</ref> In 1929–30 she received a [[HACS|High-Angle Control System]], used to direct her anti-aircraft guns, and a catapult was fitted the following year. Two quadruple [[Vickers .50 machine gun|Vickers .50-calibre (12.7&nbsp;mm) Mark III]] [[machine gun]]s were added in 1934.<ref name=rr51>Raven and Roberts, p. 251</ref>

In July 1936, ''Cornwall'' returned home to begin a major refit, which included a {{convert|4.5|in|adj=on|0}} [[Krupp cemented armour]] belt abreast the [[engine room|engine and boiler room]]s as well as the dynamo room and the [[Fire-control system#Naval fire control|fire control transmitting station]]. This belt extended {{convert|6|ft|1}} down from the lower [[deck (ship)|deck]]. Four inches of armour were also added to protect the sides of the boiler room fan compartments. A hangar for her aircraft was added and a new, more powerful catapult was installed. The ship's [[director (military)|director]] was moved to the roof of the hangar and a new power-operated [[List of British ordnance terms#DCT|director-control tower]] was installed in its original location. Her single four-inch AA guns were replaced with twin-gun mounts for [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|Mark XVI guns of the same calibre]]. Two octuple-barrel 2-pounder mounts were added abreast the searchlight tower and the original 2-pounder guns were removed. The changes raised the ship's displacement by {{convert|107|LT|t}} and cost an estimated £215,000.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 244, 251</ref> After the refit was completed in December 1937, the ship was assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron before rejoining the 5th CS in 1939.<ref name=w6>Whitley, p. 86</ref>

On 5 October 1939, a month after the start of World War II, she was assigned to Force I to hunt for German commerce raiders in the [[Indian Ocean]] and spent most of the rest of the year there. ''Cornwall'' was then transferred to the South Atlantic for convoy escort duties.<ref name=w6/> On 13 September 1940, the ship rendezvoused with a convoy that was carrying troops intended to capture [[Dakar]] from the Vichy French, but was detached to intercept the Vichy French [[light cruiser]] {{ship|French cruiser|Primauguet|1924|2}} that was escorting an [[oil tanker]] to [[Libreville]], [[French Equatorial Africa]], five days later and forced them to return to [[Casablanca]] in [[French Morocco]]. She then returned to the Indian Ocean and sank the German commerce raider {{ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Pinguin||2}} on 8 May 1941. ''Cornwall'' rescued 3 officers, 57 ratings and 22 prisoners after the battle.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 38, 40, 42, 72</ref>

⚫
[[File:Dorsetshire&Cornwall.jpg|thumb|left|''Dorsetshire'' (background) and ''Cornwall'' under air attack by Japanese aircraft, 5 April 1942]]
⚫
After the start of the [[Pacific War]] on 7 December, the ship began escorting convoys across the Indian Ocean,<ref name=w6/> examples being Convoy JS.1 from [[Colombo]], Ceylon, to the [[Dutch East Indies]] in late January–early February 1942<ref>Gill, 1957, p. 563</ref> and the troop Convoy MS. 5 to Australia in early March. Later that month, she was assigned to the fast Force A of the [[Eastern Fleet]].<ref>Rohwer, p. 148</ref> On 2 April, ''Cornwall'' and her [[sister ship|half sister]], {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|2}}, were detached from the fleet, ''Dorsetshire'' to resume an interrupted refit and ''Cornwall'' to escort convoy SU-4 (composed of the U.S. Army transport {{USAT|Willard A. Holbrook}} and Australian transport {{MV|Duntroon}}) to Australia and the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Hermes|95|2}} to [[Trincomalee]] in Ceylon for repairs. On 4 April, the Japanese fleet was spotted and the two cruisers left harbour and, after a hurried refuelling at sea, set out for [[Addu Atoll]] shortly after midnight. The following day, the two cruisers were sighted by a spotter plane from the {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Tone|1937|6}} about 200 miles (370&nbsp;km) south-west of Ceylon.<ref>Gill 1968, pp. 16, 18</ref>

⚫
As part of the engagement known as the [[Easter Sunday Raid]], a wave of [[Aichi D3A]] dive bombers took off from three Japanese carriers to attack ''Cornwall'' and ''Dorsetshire'', {{convert|320|km|nmi mi|abbr=on|sp=UK}} south-west of Ceylon, and sank the two ships. British losses were 424 men killed; 1,122 survivors spent thirty hours in the water before being rescued by the light cruiser {{HMS|Enterprise|D52|2}} and two destroyers.<ref>Gill 1968, p. 19</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 |editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=Greenwich |year=1980 |isbn=0-85177-146-7}}
* {{cite book |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 |editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=Greenwich |year=1980 |isbn=0-85177-146-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Dimbleby |first=Ken |year=1984 |title=Turns of Fate. The Drama of HMS Cornwall 1939–1942 |location=London |publisher=William Kimber |isbn=0-7183-0523-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Dimbleby |first=Ken |year=1984 |title=Turns of Fate: The Drama of HMS Cornwall 1939–1942 |location=London |publisher=William Kimber |isbn=0-7183-0523-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Gill |first=G. Hermon |title=Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942 |series=Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy |volume=2 |year=1968 |publisher=Australian War Memorial |location=Canberra |lccn=76454854 |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67911 |accessdate=10 May 2015 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title=Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Two Navy: Volume I: The Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942 |last=Gill |first=G. Hermon |year= 1957|publisher=Australian War Memorial |location=Canberra, Australia|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070207/|chapter=Chapter 15: ABDA and ANZAC|chapterurl=https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070606--1-.pdf|pages=513–72|oclc=848228}}
* {{cite book |title=Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Two Navy: Volume II: The Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945 |last=Gill |first=G. Hermon |year= 1968|publisher=Australian War Memorial |location=Canberra, Australia|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070270--1-.pdf|chapter=Chapter 1 – Shaping Japan’s Perimeter|chapterurl=https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070350--1-.pdf/|pages=1–24}}
⚫
* {{cite book |last1=Raven |first1=Alan |last2=Roberts |first2=John |title=British Cruisers of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, MD |year=1980 |isbn=0-87021-922-7}}
* {{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, MD |year=2005 |edition=3rd rev. |isbn=1-59114-119-2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Raven |first1=Alan |last2=Roberts |first2=John |title=British Cruisers of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |year=1980 |isbn=0-87021-922-7}}
⚫
* {{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=3rd rev. |isbn=1-59114-119-2}}
* {{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}}
* {{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}}
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 21:15, 12 August 2016

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Cornwall.

Cornwall at anchor, 1929
History
United Kingdom
NameCornwall
NamesakeCornwall
BuilderDevonport Dockyard (Plymouth)
Laid down9 October 1924
Launched11 March 1926
Completed8 May 1928
IdentificationPennant number: 56
FateSunk by Japanese carrier aircraft, 5 April 1942
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeTemplate:Sclass2- heavy cruiser
Displacement
Length630 ft (192.0 m)
Beam68 ft 5 in (20.9 m)
Draught20 ft 6 in (6.2 m)
Installed power80,000 shp (60,000 kW)
Propulsion
Speed31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph)
Range13,300 nmi (24,600 km; 15,300 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement784
Armament
Armour

HMS Cornwall, pennant number 56, was a Template:Sclass2- heavy cruiser of the Kent sub-class built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1920s. The ship spent most of her pre-World War II career assigned to the China Station. Shortly after the war began in August 1939, she was assigned to search for German commerce raiders in the Indian Ocean. Cornwall was transferred to the South Atlantic in late 1939 where she escorted convoys before returning to the Indian Ocean in 1941. She then sank the German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin in May. After the start of the Pacific War in December 1941, she began escorting convoys until she was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in March 1942. The ship was sunk on 5 April by dive bombers from three Japanese aircraft carriers during the Indian Ocean Raid.

Description

Cornwall displaced 9,850 long tons (10,010 t) at standard load and 13,520 long tons (13,740 t) at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 630 feet (192.0 m), a beam of 68 feet 5 inches (20.9 m) and a draught of 20 feet 6 inches (6.2 m). She was powered by Parsons geared steam turbines, driving four shafts, which developed a total of 80,000 shaft horsepower (60,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph). Steam for the turbines was provided by eight Admiralty 3-drum boilers. Cornwall carried a maximum of 3,425 long tons (3,480 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 13,300 nautical miles (24,600 km; 15,300 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). The ship's complement was 784 officers and men.[1]

The ship mounted eight 50-calibre 8-inch (203 mm) guns in four twin gun turrets. Her secondary armament consisted of four QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft (AA) guns in single mounts. Cornwall mounted four single 2-pounder (40 mm) light AA guns ("pom-poms"). The ship carried two quadruple torpedo tube above-water mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes.[2]

Cornwall was only lightly protected with little more than a single inch of plating protecting vital machinery. Her magazines were the exception and were protected by 2–4.375 inches (50.8–111.1 mm) of armour. Space and weight was reserved for one aircraft catapult and its seaplane, but they were not fitted until after she was completed.[3]

Construction and career

Cornwall, the fifth ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy,[4] was named after the eponymous county. The ship was laid down at Devonport Dockyard on 9 October 1924 and was launched on 11 March 1926. Completed on 6 December 1927, she was assigned to the 5th Cruiser Squadron (CS) on the China Station and spent the bulk of the interbellum period there.[5] In 1929–30 she received a High-Angle Control System, used to direct her anti-aircraft guns, and a catapult was fitted the following year. Two quadruple Vickers .50-calibre (12.7 mm) Mark III machine guns were added in 1934.[6]

In July 1936, Cornwall returned home to begin a major refit, which included a 4.5-inch (114 mm) Krupp cemented armour belt abreast the engine and boiler rooms as well as the dynamo room and the fire control transmitting station. This belt extended 6 feet (1.8 m) down from the lower deck. Four inches of armour were also added to protect the sides of the boiler room fan compartments. A hangar for her aircraft was added and a new, more powerful catapult was installed. The ship's director was moved to the roof of the hangar and a new power-operated director-control tower was installed in its original location. Her single four-inch AA guns were replaced with twin-gun mounts for Mark XVI guns of the same calibre. Two octuple-barrel 2-pounder mounts were added abreast the searchlight tower and the original 2-pounder guns were removed. The changes raised the ship's displacement by 107 long tons (109 t) and cost an estimated £215,000.[7] After the refit was completed in December 1937, the ship was assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron before rejoining the 5th CS in 1939.[8]

On 5 October 1939, a month after the start of World War II, she was assigned to Force I to hunt for German commerce raiders in the Indian Ocean and spent most of the rest of the year there. Cornwall was then transferred to the South Atlantic for convoy escort duties.[8] On 13 September 1940, the ship rendezvoused with a convoy that was carrying troops intended to capture Dakar from the Vichy French, but was detached to intercept the Vichy French light cruiser Primauguet that was escorting an oil tanker to Libreville, French Equatorial Africa, five days later and forced them to return to Casablanca in French Morocco. She then returned to the Indian Ocean and sank the German commerce raider Pinguin on 8 May 1941. Cornwall rescued 3 officers, 57 ratings and 22 prisoners after the battle.[9]

Dorsetshire (background) and Cornwall under air attack by Japanese aircraft, 5 April 1942

After the start of the Pacific War on 7 December, the ship began escorting convoys across the Indian Ocean,[8] examples being Convoy JS.1 from Colombo, Ceylon, to the Dutch East Indies in late January–early February 1942[10] and the troop Convoy MS. 5 to Australia in early March. Later that month, she was assigned to the fast Force A of the Eastern Fleet.[11] On 2 April, Cornwall and her half sister, Dorsetshire, were detached from the fleet, Dorsetshire to resume an interrupted refit and Cornwall to escort convoy SU-4 (composed of the U.S. Army transport USAT Willard A. Holbrook and Australian transport MV Duntroon) to Australia and the aircraft carrier Hermes to Trincomalee in Ceylon for repairs. On 4 April, the Japanese fleet was spotted and the two cruisers left harbour and, after a hurried refuelling at sea, set out for Addu Atoll shortly after midnight. The following day, the two cruisers were sighted by a spotter plane from the Japanese cruiser Tone about 200 miles (370 km) south-west of Ceylon.[12]

As part of the engagement known as the Easter Sunday Raid, a wave of Aichi D3A dive bombers took off from three Japanese carriers to attack Cornwall and Dorsetshire, 320 km (170 nmi; 200 mi)* south-west of Ceylon, and sank the two ships. British losses were 424 men killed; 1,122 survivors spent thirty hours in the water before being rescued by the light cruiser Enterprise and two destroyers.[13]

References

  1. ^ Raven and Roberts, pp. 123, 412–13
  2. ^ Raven and Roberts, p. 412
  3. ^ Raven and Roberts, pp. 251, 412
  4. ^ Colledge, p. 79
  5. ^ Whitley, pp. 83, 86
  6. ^ Raven and Roberts, p. 251
  7. ^ Raven and Roberts, pp. 244, 251
  8. ^ a b c Whitley, p. 86
  9. ^ Rohwer, pp. 38, 40, 42, 72
  10. ^ Gill, 1957, p. 563
  11. ^ Rohwer, p. 148
  12. ^ Gill 1968, pp. 16, 18
  13. ^ Gill 1968, p. 19

Bibliography

  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Dimbleby, Ken (1984). Turns of Fate: The Drama of HMS Cornwall 1939–1942. London: William Kimber. ISBN 0-7183-0523-X.
  • Gill, G. Hermon (1957). "Chapter 15: ABDA and ANZAC". Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Two Navy: Volume I: The Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942. Canberra, Australia: Australian War Memorial. pp. 513–72. OCLC 848228. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  • Gill, G. Hermon (1968). "Chapter 1 – Shaping Japan's Perimeter". Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Two Navy: Volume II: The Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945 (PDF). Canberra, Australia: Australian War Memorial. pp. 1–24. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  • Raven, Alan; Roberts, John (1980). British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-922-7.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Whitley, M. J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell. ISBN 1-86019-874-0.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Cornwall (56).

1°54′N 77°54′E / 1.900°N 77.900°E / 1.900; 77.900

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