- HMS Cleopatra (33)
HMS "Cleopatra" was a "Dido"-class cruiser of the
Royal Navy . She was built by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited (Hebburn-on-Tyne, UK), with the keel being laid down on5 January 1939 . She was launched on27 March 1940 , and commissioned5 December 1941 .History
"Cleopatra" went out to
Gibraltar early in 1942 , and on9 February she sailed forMalta , where she was immediately damaged by a bomb. After repair she was transferred toAlexandria early in March for the 15th Cruiser Squadron, and took part in theSecond Battle of Sirte . In June 1942 she covered Operation Harpoon and Vigorous, and in August bombardedRhodes as a diversion for theOperation Pedestal convoy. "Cleopatra" was drydocked inMassawa onSeptember 19 1942 for minor repairs and cleaning and was undocked five days later. During the refloating, she slipped on the angled drydock, crushing every wooden keel block on the dock but sustaining little hull damage to herself. Captain G. Grantham considered the resulting leak a minor nuisance and ordered "Cleopatra" to return to service. [CommanderEdward Ellsberg , O.B.E. "Under the Red Sea Sun ", (1946). Dodd, Mead and Co., New York]By January 1943 "Cleopatra" was part of Force "K", later Force "Q" at Bône, from where the Axis traffic to and from
Tunisia was attacked. Later she was a unit of the 12th Cruiser Squadron, and was present at the landings inSicily ,Operation Husky , in June, followed by supporting the army ashore. However, on16 July 1943 "Cleopatra" was torpedoed by the Italian submarine "Dandolo" and again badly damaged. Temporary repairs were made at Malta which lasted until October 1943, after which she sailed toPhiladelphia ,USA for full repairs.These were completed in November 1944, and in 1945 she went out to the
East Indies , where she was the first ship into the newly recaptured base atSingapore in September. "Cleopatra" served postwar with the 5th Cruiser Squadron in theEast Indies until returning toPortsmouth on7 February 1946 to refit.Thereafter she joined the Home Fleet, 2nd Cruiser Squadron, from 1946 to early 1951 and later served in the
Mediterranean from late 1951 to early 1953, but returned to Chatham on12 February 1953 to be paid off. On15 December 1958 she arrived at theNewport yard of J Cashmore for breaking up.References
*Colledge
* [http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3 WWII cruisers]
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4018.html HMS Cleopatra at Uboat.net]
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