HMS Newcastle (1909)

HMS "Newcastle" was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy launched on 25 November 1909 from the yards of Armstrong Whitworth. She formed part of the "Bristol" subgroup.

On the outbreak of the First World War she was stationed in the Far East on the China and Pacific station, being involved in operations during the Shanghai Rebellion in 1913, that had arisen as a result of the Xinhai Revolution that had broken out two years earlier. When war broke out she bombarded Yap, prior to deploying to Valparaíso to search for the armed merchant raider SMS "Prinz Eitel Friedrich". In January 1916, "Newcastle" captured the German ship "Mazatlan".In 1917 she was reassigned to the East Indies and in 1918 she was again moved to operate off South America. After an uneventful war service in comparison with her sisters, "Newcastle" was sold for scrapping on 9 May 1921 to the breaking firm of Ward. She arrived at the yards at Lelant on 3 May 1923 to be broken up.

References

*Colledge
*Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company
* Gray, Randal (ed), "Conway's All The Worlds Fighting Ships, 1906-1921", (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1985), ISBN 0-85177-245-5
* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/light-cruiser/hms-Bristol.html Ships of the Bristol group]
* [http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/bristol_class.htm Bristol cruisers]