HMS Calcutta (D82)

HMS "Calcutta" was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the Indian city of Calcutta. She was part of the "Carlisle" group of the C-class of cruisers.

She was laid down by Vickers Limited in 1917, and launched on 9 July 1918. "Calcutta" was commissioned too late to see action in the First World War, but was converted to an anti-aircraft cruiser in 1939 and deployed in the Mediterranean. On the night of 25 June 1940, "Calcutta" was tasked to join the Canadian destroyers HMCS "Restigouche" and HMCS "Fraser" on a mission to the coast of Bordeaux, France where 4,000 refugees trapped by the German Army were awaiting rescue.

The warships encountered rough seas and poor visibility, forcing the commanding officer of the "Fraser" to close quarters with the other two vessels. "Fraser" executed a turn to port to bring the ship behind "Calcutta", but in doing so, the two ships collided, with the bow of the heavier "Calcutta" slicing into "Fraser" with such force that the destroyer was cut into three pieces. The "Fraser" sank with the loss of 45 crew, while 19 of "Calcutta"’s crew were also killed.

"Calcutta" was used to escort allied convoys across the Mediterranean, and became involved in the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941. She was sunk on 1 June 1941 in an air attack approximately 100 nautical miles off Alexandria, Egypt.

References

*Colledge
*Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company
* http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1195.html