HMS Newcastle (C76)

The seventh HMS "Newcastle" was a Town-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She belonged to the "Southampton" subclass.

"Newcastle" was laid down by Vickers Armstrong on 4 October 1934, launched on 23 January 1936 by Her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland and commissioned in March 1937. "Newcastle" joined the 2nd Cruiser Squadron, and was under refit on the outbreak of war. After the refit was completed, she joined the 18th Cruiser Squadron with the Home Fleet in mid-September 1939, initially being employed on Trade Protection duties in the Western Approaches, and then joined the Northern Patrol.

During the initial part of World War II, "Newcastle" engaged and badly damaged two German destroyers at Brest. "Newcastle" also set a record during this period by staying at sea continuously for 126 days.

On 23 November 1940, "Newcastle" encountered the German battlecruisers (or light battleships) "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" but they escaped in bad weather before other ships could come up.

She was involved in an abortive action under Vice-Admiral James Somerville against the Italians at Cape Spartivento, which gave "Newcastle" her only World War II battle honour. After operating against blockade runners in the South Atlantic, "Newcastle" was sent to the East and then re-deployed to the Mediterranean as part of Operation Vigorous from Alexandria to Malta in June 1942.

Four days out (of Alexandria), HMS "Newcastle" was torpedoed by an E-boat blowing a complete hole through the bows. The crew saved the ship, which returned at 4 knots to Alexandria where she could not be repaired but was offered facilities to make own repairs. This meant building an additional wooden bulkhead strengthened by concrete behind the damage. This had had to be continually replaced at ports in India, Ceylon, South Africa, and Brazil, finally arriving in late October at Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York where new bows were built during the next ten weeks. From New York she sailed to Plymouth before joining the Eastern Fleet at Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and acting as the lead ship of the 4th Cruiser Squadron. During her time with the Eastern Fleet, "Newcastle" participated in the bombardment of numerous Japanese-held islands and supported the British Fourteenth Army in their campaigns in Burma.

After the war, the cruiser was given an overhaul in 1952 and took part in the Korean War - acting as a flagship and providing naval gunfire support to UN forces - and the Malayan Emergency in the later 1950s.

"Newcastle" was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1959.

References

*Colledge
*cite book|last=Chesneau|first=Roger (ed.)|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946|year=1980|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|id=ISBN 0-85177-146-7
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1231.html HMS Newcastle at Uboat.net]
* [http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3 HMS Newcastle - WWII cruisers]