HMS Dido (37)

HMS "Dido" was the name ship of her class of light cruisers for the Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, UK), with the keel being laid down on 26 October 1937. She was launched on 18 July 1939 and commissioned 30 September 1940.

History

After working up was completed early November 1940, "Dido" became a member of the 15th cruiser squadron deployed in blockading the approaches to the Bay of Biscay. This duty was designed to prevent raids by the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer. In March 1941 she provided cover for the successful commando raid on the Lofoten Islands (Operation Claymore).

Mediterranean

In April 1941, "Dido" was transferred to the Mediterranean, to reinforce the fleet based at Alexandria. During May she was involved in escorting convoys from Alexandria to Malta. On the 29th of that month, "Dido" and the cruiser HMS "Orion" were both badly damaged by German bombs after embarking troops from Sphakia and Heraklian in Crete. In June, she was a member of Rear Admiral Halifax's force. Halifax was Senior Officer Red Sea Force, tasked to capture the port of Asseb, and his fleet consisted of a transport ship, an armed merchant cruiser, and two Indian sloops. On the morning of 11 June, whilst still under cover of darkness, two motor boats, each carrying 30 men of the Punjab Regiment, went into the harbour under an umbrella of air bombardment, and the broadside from "Dido". The troops landed without a shot being fired at them, in fact two Italian Generals were captured in their pyjamas, by 0600 the Task Force entered Asseb, this was the last Italian occupied harbour in the Red Sea. In July 1941, the cruiser entered the Simonstown dockyard in South Africa for repairs, and was docked in the Selborne dry dock. After this she retired to Durban for more extensive repairs. On 15 August 1941 she set sail for the USA, and was refitted at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. By December 1941, the cruiser was back in the Mediterranean, where she was involved in escorting convoys from Alexandria to Malta.

During January-February 1942, "Dido" was escorting, and also used as a covering force for the Malta bound convoys. In March, "Dido" and her sister HMS "Euryalus" and six destroyers shelled the Island of Rhodes, on the 20th, "Dido" was employed as convoy escort to the commissioned auxiliary supply ship HMS "Breconshire" loaded with 5,000 tons of precious fuel, the Clan Campbel, the bomb damaged ship of the previous convoy, the Pampas and the Norwegian ship Talabot, fully loaded with ammunition. Getting this convoy through to Malta was afterwards referred to as the Second Battle of Sirte. Admiral Vian was in command of the operation. Of the total of 26,000 tons of stores carried by the four ships only 5,000 tons finally reached Malta.

The price paid for delivering much needed stores was indeed heavy. On 19 July 1942, "Dido" along with her sister ship HMS "Euryalus" and the destroyers HMS "Jervis", HMS "Javelin", HMS "Pakenham" and HMS "Paladin" shelled Mersa Matruh.

August 18 1942 Captain H. W. U. McCall brought "Dido" to Massawa for major repairs to a bomb-damaged stern. Because "Dido" was at that time one-quarter of British surface power in the Eastern Mediterranean it was critical that she be repaired as quickly as possible. The only working drydock in Massawa wasn't large enough to lift "Dido" entirely so she was partially floated up to clear the stern, leaving the bow low in the water. Six days later "Dido" was undocked to return to battle alongside her three sister ships, "Euryalus", "Cleopatra" and "Sirius". [Commander Edward Ellsberg, O.B.E. "Under the Red Sea Sun", (1946). Dodd, Mead and Co., New York]

On 19 September, HMS "Dido" and once again the destroyers HMS "Jervis", HMS "Javelin", HMS "Pakenham" and HMS "Paladin" bombard the Daba area in Egypt. In November 1942, HMS "Dido", HMS "Arethusa", HMS "Euryalus" and ten destroyers, proceeded from Alexandria to Malta with a supply convoy, despite many heavy German air attacks, the convoy of four supply ships reached Malta. With this the Island was regarded as relieved.

In April 1943, "Dido" was based at Algiers but she left later for the UK for a much needed refit. In July she was back in the Mediterranean where she was part of the Reserve Covering Force for the Allied invasion of Sicily. During August she carried out the shelling of bridges in the Gulf of Eufemia in Calabria, in support of the 8th Army in Sicily. In September she was involved in the landing of the 1st British Airborne Division in Taranto.

Arctic

During January-March 1944, "Dido" was tasked in providing the support for the troops being landed at Anzio. During May-June, she bombarded targets in the Gulf of Gaeta, in support of the army. In August 1944, she supplied the fire support to the Allied landings on the French Mediterranean coast, between Cannes and Toulon. In October, she was sent up to the Arctic Ocean area to escort the convoys to Russia. During November, off Norway, "Dido" provided carrier escort for HMS "Implacable" which attacked a southbound German convoy in the Mosjoen area, north of the island of Namsos. In May 1945 Europe, "Dido" set sail for Copenhagen, where the German cruisers "Prinz Eugen" and "Nürnberg" lay surrendered, she escorted them to Wilhelmshaven.

During March-August 1946, "Dido" retained her fifth 5,25 inch turret in Q position while undergoing her refit. Although modern, this class of cruiser was regarded as being too cramped and insufficiently stable to receive new equipment. In September 1946, she joined the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. In October 1947, the cruiser was placed in reserve in the Gareloch. In 1951 "Dido" was moved to the Portsmouth Reserve Fleet. In November 1956 "Dido" and her sister ship HMS "Cleopatra", which formed the Reserve Fleet flagship group, were replaced by the battleship HMS "Vanguard". On 16 July 1958 "Dido" was broken up by Thomas W. Ward Ltd. at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.

"Dido"’s badge can be seen displayed on the Selborne dry dock wall at Simonstown, South Africa.

Notes

References

*Colledge
* [http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3 WWII cruisers]
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4010.html HMS Dido at Uboat.net]