HMS Berwick (65)

HMS "Berwick" (65) was a Royal Navy County class heavy cruiser, of the "Kent" subclass. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Govan, Scotland), with the keel being laid down on 15 September 1924. She was launched on 30 March 1926, and commissioned 12 July 1927.

History

When completed "Berwick" was sent to the China Station, where she remained until a temporary detachment to the Mediterranean in 1936. After reconstruction between 1937 and 1938, she served on the America and West Indies Station with the 8th Cruiser Squadron until 1939. When World War II started, she served on ocean convoy escort duties, then formed part of Force "F" (with HMS "York") when hunting groups were formed to find the German raiders. She did not make contact with any raider, but intercepted the mercantile blockade runners "Wolfsburg" and "Uruguay" in the Denmark Straits during March 1940.On 9 April 1940 she participated in the Norwegian campaign and on 10 May 1940 in the Invasion of Iceland. She was then allocated to Force "H" at Gibraltar arriving on 7 November. On 11 November 1940, "Berwick" escorted the carrier HMS "Illustrious" in the successful raid against the Italian battle fleet in Taranto harbor. Later that month she also escorted convoys between Egypt and Greece.

On 24 November 1940 "Berwick" had received orders to go to Freetown, escorting carrier "Formidable" with sistership "Norfolk" where they would form into Force "K" to hunt for the German heavy cruiser "Admiral Scheer", but on 27 November those orders were amended to allocate her to convoy escorts in the North Atlantic. While on passage to Gibraltar, an Italian Squadron comprising the battleships "Vittorio Veneto" and "Andrea Doria" attempted engaging the British, resulting in the Battle of Capo Teulada. In the course of the ballistic contact, at 1222 hrs "Berwick" sustained a 203 mm (8") hit on "Y" turret, with 7 dead and 9 wounded, and another at 1235 hrs, probably another 203 mm, which exploded in the Officer's quarters.

On 25 December 1940, "Berwick" came under attack from the German heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper" off the Canaries when she formed part of the escort to convoy WS-5A, a troop convoy to the Middle East. "Berwick" engaged the attacker but got the worst of the encounter, sustaining a fair amount of damage. She had to return to Britain for repairs, which lasted until June 1941.

When repaired "Berwick" joined the Home Fleet and for the remainder of her wartime career she was escorting convoys to North Russia and operating in the northern North Sea. In February 1942 she was escorting the carriers which attacked the German battleship "Tirpitz" in her anchorage at Altenfjord. She escorted two more carrier against the "Tirpitz" in 1944 and again in 1945. "Berwick's" last role was to escort carriers that were raiding the Norwegian coast in 1945

After the war she was allocated to BISCO for scrapping on 15 June 1948 and arrived at Hughes Bolkow, Blyth, on 12 July for breaking up.

References

* "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
*Colledge
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1174.html HMS Berwick at U-boat.net]