HMS Naiad (93)

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

Naiad at anchor in the Firth of Forth in August 1940
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Naiad
Namesake	Naiad
Builder	Hawthorn Leslie and Company (Hebburn-on-Tyne, UK)
Laid down	26 August 1937
Launched	3 February 1939
Commissioned	24 July 1940
Identification	pennant number: 93
Fate	Torpedoed 11 March 1942 by the German submarine U-565 south of Crete
General characteristics
Class and type	Template:Sclass- light cruiser
Displacement	5,600 tons standard 6,850 tons full load
Length	485 ft (148 m) pp 512 ft (156 m) oa
Beam	50.5 ft (15.4 m)
Draught	14 ft (4.3 m)
Propulsion	Parsons geared turbines Four shafts Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers 62,000 shp (46 MW)
Speed	32.25 knots (60 km/h)
Range	2,414 km (1,303 nmi) at 30 kn (56 km/h) 6,824 km (3,685 nmi) at 16 kn (30 km/h) 1,100 tons fuel oil
Complement	480
Armament	Original configuration:' 8 x 5.25 in (133 mm) dual guns 1 x 4.0 in (102 mm) gun 2 x 0.5 in MG quadruple guns 3 x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns 2 x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes 1941 - 1942 configuration: 10 x 5.25 in (133 mm) dual guns 5 x 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns 2 x 0.5 in MG quadruple guns 2 x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns 2 x 21 in (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes
Armor	Original configuration: Belt: 3 inch, Deck: 1 inch, Magazines: 2 inch, Bulkheads: 1 inch.

HMS Naiad was a Template:Sclass- light cruiser of the Royal Navy which served in the Second World War. She was sunk in action on 11 March 1942 south of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea.

History

She was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company (Hebburn-on-Tyne, UK), her keel being laid down on 26 August 1937. She was launched on 3 February 1939, and commissioned 24 July 1940.

She initially joined the Home Fleet and was used for ocean trade protection duties. As part of the 15th Cruiser Squadron she took part in operations against German raiders following the sinking of the armed merchant cruiser Jervis Bay in November 1940. In December and January she escorted convoys to Freetown in Sierra Leone, but at the end of January 1941 was back in northern waters where she briefly sighted the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau south of Iceland as they were about to break out into the Atlantic (Operation Berlin). By May 1941 Naiad was with Force H in the Mediterranean on Malta convoy operations, and flagship of the 15th Cruiser Squadron. Naiad participated in the Crete operations, where she was badly damaged by German aircraft. She subsequently operated against Vichy French forces in Syria, where, together with the cruiser Leander, she engaged the French destroyer Guépard. For the remainder of her service, she was in the Mediterranean, mostly connected with the continual attempts to resupply Malta.

HMS Naiad fires on enemy aircraft with her fore turrets during operations in the Mediterranean, March 1942

In March 1942 she sailed from Alexandria to attack an Italian cruiser that had been reported damaged. This report was false, and on the return, on 11 March 1942, Naiad was sunk by the German submarine U-565 south of Crete. 77 of her ship's company were lost.

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.
• WWII cruisers
• HMS Naiad at Uboat.net
• HMS Naiad - Dido-class AA Cruiser

External links

• HMS Naiad Association