DHM1418. HMS
Blake by Ivan Berryman. The
newly converted Command Helicopter Cruiser HMS Blake leaves Grand
Harbour Malta at the end of the 1960s. In the background, the old
Submarine Depot ship HMS Forth lies at anchor at the very end of her
long career.
B0134. Operation Neptune by
Ivan Berryman. Forming part of the Eastern Task Force covering the landings at
Normandy in June 1944, the cruiser HMS Mauritius is shown in company
with the monitor HMS Roberts and the cruiser HMS Frobisher shelling
German batteries at Merville, Houlgate and Benerville as the combined
British and American forces embark upon what would become known forever
as D-Day.
B0151. HMS Durban Escorts the
Troopship RMS Queen Mary by Ivan Berryman.
B0146. HMS Jamaica by Ivan Berryman.
B0118. HMS Coventry by Ivan
Berryman. The anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Coventry comes under
intense air attack off Tobruk on 14th September 1942 in company with the
Type 2 Hunt class destroyer HMS Beaufort. Coventry was repeatedly
bombed both by Italian and German aircraft during the raids and was
eventually lost.
B0127. HMS Emerald by Ivan Berryman.
The E-class light cruiser HMS Emerald is shown off the Newfoundland
coast in company with a Flower class corvette. Between October 1939
and August 1940, HMS Emerald carried £58 million in gold from Britain to
Canada.
B0132. HMS Naiad by Ivan Berryman.
The Dido class cruiser HMS Naiad is pictured together with the
cruiser HMS Leander during the encounter with the French Guepard in 1941
whilst they were both engaged in operations against the Vichy-French
forces in Syria.
B0123. HMS Dorsetshire (The End
of the Bismarck) by Ivan Berryman. The heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire is brought up to sink the blazing
wreck of the Bismarck with torpedoes at around 10:30 hours on the morning
of May 27th 1941. The once proud German ship had been ruthlessly
pounded into a twisted and burning wreck by the British battleships Rodney
and King George V. HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Maori combed the area of
the sinking for survivors, between them picking up a total of 110 out of
an original complement of 2,300.
DHM1288. HMS Dorsetshire (The End of the
Bismarck) by Ivan Berryman. The heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire is brought up to sink the blazing
wreck of the Bismarck with torpedoes at around 10:30 hours on the
morning of May 27th 1941. The once proud German ship had been
ruthlessly pounded into a twisted and burning wreck by the British
battleships Rodney and King George V. HMS Dorsetshire and HMS
Maori combed the area of the sinking for survivors, between them picking
up a total of 110 out of an original complement of 2,300.
HMS Dorsetshire. built at Portsmouth Dockyard
(Cammell
laird) and launched 29th January 1929 and completed 30th September
1930. she was part of the class which included HMS Norfolk, (two
other ships were planned but were cancelled in 1930, they were to be HMS
Northumberland and HMS Surrey) She carried a seaplane in1 931
and had a catapult added in 1932. At the outbreak of world war two, HMS
Dorsetshire served in the east Indies in 1939, then to the South Atlantic
in 1940 - 1941. she took part in the final action against the Bismarck
firing 254 shells and three torpedoes of which two finally sank the German
battleship. In1942 HMS Dorsetshire went to t he eastern Fleet and was
bombed by Japanese aircraft of West of Ceylon and sank, 5th April 1942.
Displacement:
9,975 tons (Dorsetshire), Speed:
32kt Complement: 650 to 710
Armament:
Eight 8 inch guns in pairs. Eight 4 inch anti-aircraft guns in pairs and
sixteen 2pdr anti-aircraft guns in pairs as well as eight 0.5 inch machine
guns in pairs. Eight 21 inch torpedo tubes in pairs and 1
aircraft.
B0119. HMS
Norfolk at the Battle of the North Cape by Ivan Berryman. HMS Norfolk and HMS
Belfast of Force I are shown engaging the Scharnhorst which has already
been hit and disabled by both HMS Duke of York and the cruiser HMS
Jamaica. Scharnhorst was never to escape the clutches of the British
and Norwegian forces for, having been slowed to just a few knots by
numerous hits, fell victim to repeated torpedo attacks by the allied
cruisers and destroyers that had trapped the German marauder.
HMS
Norfolk . built at Fairfield Ship
Building yard and launched 12th December 1928 and completed 30th
April 1930. she was part of the class which included HMS Dorsetshire,
(two other ships were planned but were cancelled in 1930, they were to be
HMS Northumberland and HMS Surrey) She carried a seaplane in
1931 and had a catapult added in 1932. At the outbreak of world war two,
HMS Norfolk served in the Home Fleet in 1939 till 1945 t she took
part in the final action against the Bismarck firing 527 8-inch shells and
eight torpedoes. HMS Norfolk also took part in the action against the
Scharnhorst, she was hit by two, 11-inch shells, one of which went through
the X ring bulkhead and went overboard without exploding.
Displacement:
9,925 tons (Norfolk) Speed:
32kt Complement: 650 to 710
Armament:
Eight 8 inch guns in pairs. Eight 4 inch anti-aircraft guns in pairs and
sixteen 2pdr anti-aircraft guns in pairs as well as eight 0.5 inch machine
guns in pairs. Eight 21 inch torpedo tubes in pairs and 1
aircraft.
DHM1255. The Pursuit of the Graf Spee by Ivan
Berryman. Viewed from beneath the blistered guns of the
damaged X and Y turrets of her sister HMS Ajax, Achilles come sunder fire from
the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee during what was to become known as the
Battle of the River Plate on the 13th December 1939. Shells from Achilles are
closing on her opponent as the Graf Spee alters course at the start of the
doomed battleships flight to Montevideo.
B0111. HMS Achilles engaging the Graf Spee by Ivan
Berryman. Viewed from beneath the wrecked X and Y turrets of her sister HMS
Ajax, Achilles comes under fire from the pocket battleship Admiral Graf
Spec during what was to become known as the Battle of River Plate on
13th December 1939. Shells from Achilles are closing on her opponent as
the Graf Spee alters course at the start of the doomed Battleship's
flight to Montevideo.
HMS
Achilles a Leander Class Cruiser built by Cammell Laird and laid
down on the 11th June 1931, launched 1st september 1932 and completed
6th October 1933, served with the new Zealand Navy from 1937 to
1943, HMS Achilles served in the South Atlantic 1939 taking a
major role in the battle of the River Plate against the Graf Spee,
firing a total of 1242 6-inch shells in the action. receiving splinter
damage from near misses. Loaned to the newly formed New
Zealand navy (along with her sister ship HMS Leander) 1940 to
1943, returning to the home Fleet 1943 - 1944 and then to the Pacific
Fleet in 1945. In 1948 she was sold to the Indian Navy and renamed
Delhi. arriving there after refit in September 1948. In the 1953 film
Battle of the River Plate she played her self in the film. She again saw
service in the action to seize Goa by a small naval force in 1961.
Seeing no further service until1969 when she visited Australia, new
Zealand and Fiji. after which she was based on harbor duty at Cochin
finally being paid of in 1977
Specifications
for HMS Achilles
Displacement:
7,030 tons Speed: 32.5kt Complement: 550
Armament:
Eight 6 inch guns in pairs. Eight 4 inch anti-aircraft guns in pairs and
eight 2pdr anti-aircraft guns in pairs as well as twelve 0.5 inch machine
guns in fours. Eight 21 inch torpedo tubes in pairs and 1
aircraft.
DHM1108. Richelieu and HMS Cumberland 1945 by Ivan Berryman.
The French battleship Richelieu with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS
Cumberland, shown during Operation Crimson after bombarding Sabang during
July 1944. Grumman Avengers from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS
Vengeance shown overhead.
HMS Cumberland
built at Vickers Armstrong at Barrow and launched 16th March 1926.
Served in the South Atlantic 1939-1941, Home Fleet 1941-44, Eastern
Fleet 1944-45 and East Indies in 1945. HMS Cumberland converted to a
trials vessel in 1949 and finally scrapped in Newport on 3rd November
1959.
Displacement: 9,750 tons Speed: 31.5kt
Complement: 679 increasing to 710 as Flagship. Armament:
Eight 8 inch guns in pairs. Eight 4 inch anti-aircraft guns in pairs and
eight 2pdr anti-aircraft guns in pairs plus eight 0.5 machine guns in
pairs. Sixteen 21 inch torpedo tubes. 4 aircraft. Cumberland
had to be cut down aft in order to balance the weight increase
