HMS Emerald (D66)
| Company type | Light cruiser |
|---|---|
| Industry | Naval military vessel |
| Founded | 23 September 1918 |
| Headquarters | Newcastle-on-Tyne , United Kingdom |
| Products | Warship |
HMS Emerald Overview
HMS Emerald belonged to the Emerald-class series of light cruiser vessels serving in the Royal Navy. Constructed by Armstrong Whitworth at their Newcastle-on-Tyne shipyard, her keel was laid on 23 September 1918. The ship was subsequently launched on 19 May 1920 and officially entered service on 14 January 1926.
History
Upon commissioning, Emerald was deployed to the East Indies as part of the 4th Cruiser Squadron, eventually returning to the United Kingdom to pay off on 15 July 1933. On 1 March 1926, she arrived near Jeddah, where Ibn Saud visited the vessel, shared tea with the captain, and received a clock as a gift from the captain and wardroom officers. During her deployment in the Far East, she participated in the 1927 Nanking Incident alongside a Royal Navy flotilla, safeguarding British and other foreign nationals as well as commercial interests. Following a refit at Chatham, Emerald recommissioned for service in the East Indies on 31 August 1934. This assignment lasted until September 1937, when she was relieved by Liverpool. Upon returning home, she was placed in reserve.
With the outbreak of war, Emerald recommissioned and joined the 12th Cruiser Squadron in September 1939 for Northern Patrol operations. However, due to the emergence of German raiders in the Atlantic, she was reassigned to Halifax in October to escort convoys returning to port, remaining there into 1940. Her commanding officer until May 1940 was the distinguished Augustus Agar, V.C.. On 24 June 1940, Emerald departed from Greenock carrying £58 million in gold bullion, arriving at Halifax on 1 July where the gold was transferred onto a Canadian National Railway train for secure storage in Canada until the threat of German invasion subsided. Her sister ship, Enterprise, transported an additional £10 million as part of Operation Fish.
In 1941, Emerald was redeployed to the Indian Ocean, providing escort for troop convoys bound for the Middle East and maintaining readiness in the Persian Gulf during military actions in Iraq in April that year. Following Japan’s entry into World War II in December 1941, she joined the Eastern Fleet as a member of the 'Fast Group' and served as flagship in March 1942.
Between 30 December 1941 and 13 January 1942, HMS Emerald acted as escort for convoy DM 1. At approximately 1000 hours on 30 December 1941, about 370 miles east of Mombasa, convoy WS12ZM (Malaya), which included P&O's SS Narkunda, MV Aorangi, P&O's MV Sussex, and MS Abbekerk, detached from convoys WS12ZA (Aden) and WS12ZB (Bombay). Together with USS Mount Vernon and HMS Emerald, they formed convoy DM 1 (Durban to Malaya). The convoy arrived at ‘Port T’ – Addu Atoll in the Maldives at 1000 on 4 January 1942. The group passed through the Sunda Strait on 11 January and navigated the Bangka Strait on 12 January before reaching Singapore on 13 January.
In August 1942, Emerald returned to home waters for refitting at Portsmouth, remaining out of service until early April 1943.
Afterward, she rejoined the Eastern Fleet's 4th Cruiser Squadron for convoy escort duties before returning once more to participate in the Invasion of Normandy. During this campaign, she operated with Force "K," providing support for operations at Gold Beach. By January 1945, Emerald had been placed into reserve status. In 1947, she was designated for use in ship target trials. These trials led to her sinking at Kames Bay, Rothesay, on 24 October. The vessel was refloated on 9 June 1948, subsequently docked for inspection, and then transferred to the BISCO on 23 June for dismantling. She was broken up at Arnott Young shipbreakers in Troon, Scotland, arriving there on 5 July 1948.
See also
References
Bibliography
- Brown, David K. (1997). "Re: E's and Super Es". Warship International. XXXIV (1): 7–8. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Brown, David K. (1987). Lambert, Andrew (ed.). "Ship Trials: Tests Against Cruisers". Warship (42): 106–108. ISSN 0142-6222.
- Template:Cite Colledge2006
- Friedman, Norman (2010). British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59114-078-8.
- McBride, K. D. (1996). "Es and Super-Es". Warship International. XXXIII (3): 257–278. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised 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.
- Woodbridge, W. D. (1997). "Re: E's and Super Es". Warship International. XXXIV (1): 8. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Operation Fish, Alfred Draper, General Publishing, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, 1979
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