HMS Suffolk (55)

	HMS Suffolk on the Tyne
History
Name	HMS Suffolk
Builder	Portsmouth Dockyard, UK
Laid down	30 September 1924
Launched	16 February 1926
Commissioned	31 May 1928
Decommissioned	25 March 1948
Fate	Scrapped, she was allocated to BISCO on 25 March 1948 and was scrapped at J Cashmore's (Newport, Wales) where she arrived on 24 June 1948.
General characteristics
Displacement	9,750 tons (9,010 t)
Tons burthen	13,450 tons (13,670 t)
Length	630 ft (190 m)
Beam	68 ft 3 in (20.80 m)
Draught	16 ft 3 in (4.95 m)
Propulsion	list error: <br /> list (help); Eight Admiralty 3-drum boilers; Four shaft Brown Curtis geared turbines; 80,000 shp
Speed	31.5 knots (58.3 km/h)
Range	list error: <br /> list (help); 3,100 miles at 31.5 knots (5,740 km at 58 km/h); 13,300 miles at 12 knots (24,600 km at 22 km/h); 3,400 tons (3,450 t) fuel oil
Complement	700
Armament	list error: <br /> list (help); Original configuration: ; 4 × 8" (203 mm) dual guns ; 4 × 4" (102 mm) single AA guns ; 2 × 2 pdr pom-poms quad guns ; 2 × 0.5" MG quadruple guns ; 2 × 21" (533 mm) quadruple Torpedo Tubes. ; 1937 - 1941 configuration: ; 8 × 8" (203 mm) dual guns, ; 6 × 4" (102 mm) single AA guns, ; 2 × 2 pdr eight barrel quad guns, ; 2 × 0.5" MG quadruple guns. ; 2 × 21" (533 mm) quad Torpedo Tubes. ; 1941 - 1942 configuration: ; 8 × 8" (203 mm) dual guns, ; 6 × 4" (102 mm) single AA guns, ; 2 × 4" (102 mm) dual AA guns, ; 4 × 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, ; 2 × 2 pdr eight barrel quad guns, ; 2 × 0.5" MG quadruple guns. ; 2 × 21" (533 mm) quad Torpedo Tubes. ; 1942 - 1944 configuration: ; 8 × 8 in (203 mm) dual guns, ; 6 × 4 in (102 mm) single AA guns, ; 2 × 4 in (102 mm) dual AA guns, ; 6 × 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, ; 5 × 20 mm (0.8 in) dual power-operated guns, ; 2 × 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) eight barrel quad guns, ; 2 × 21 in (533 mm) quad Torpedo Tubes.
Armour	list error: <br /> list (help); Magazine box protection: 1-4" ; Deck: 1.375"; Side-plating,turrets and bulkheads: 1"; Belt: 4.5"; 4 internal boiler room sides (added 1936-1940)
Aircraft carried	Three aircraft with one catapult, removed in 1943.
Notes	Pennant number 55

HMS Suffolk (55) was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, and part of the Kent subclass. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard, Portsmouth, UK), with the keel being laid down on 15 November 1924. She was launched on 16 March 1926, and commissioned on 25 June 1928.

History

Suffolk, like her sisters, served on the China Station, save for reconstruction, until the outbreak of the Second World War. She came home in 1939 and then patrolled the Denmark Straits in October 1939. In April 1940 she participated in the Norwegian Campaign. On 13 April 1940 she arrived at Tórshavn to commence the British pre-emptive occupation of the Faroe Islands. On 14 April 1940 Suffolk sank the German tanker Skagerak northwest of Bodø, Norway.

On 17 April 1940 Suffolk bombarded the air field and sea plane station at Sola Air Station, Stavanger, destroying four aircraft and damaging the installations, but was in return badly damaged by bombs from German Ju88 aircraft of II./KG 30. X-turret's magazine had been destroyed. The ship was very lucky to survive this ordeal and she barely reached Scapa Flow with her stern awash the next morning. Until she reached port the Germans claimed to have sunk her. She was beached at Scapa Flow to prevent her sinking. Suffolk was out of action from April 1940 until February 1941 where she was repaired at the Clyde.

During May 1941 Suffolk was involved in the Battle of the Denmark Strait and the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck. Suffolk had engaged the battleship twice during the battle making several salvoes on her. Using her Radar, Suffolk was able to track the Bismarck through the Denmark Strait and maintained contact long enough for other units to vector into Bismarcks path.

After her repairs Suffolk served with the Home Fleet in Arctic waters until the end of 1942, then underwent a refit between December 1942 and April 1943. On completion of this the ship was ordered to the Eastern Fleet, operating in the Indian Ocean until the end of the war.

Suffolk was allocated to Bisco on 25 March 1948 and was scrapped at J Cashmore's (Newport, Wales) where she arrived on 24 June 1948.

References

Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
British and Empire Warships of the Second World War, H T Lenton, Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-277-7
Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946, Ed. Robert Gardiner, Naval Institute Press, ISBN 0-87021-913-8
HMS Suffolk at U-boat.net