British Heavy Cruiser HMS York

HMS York was a heavy cruiser of the York class, built for the Royal Navy in the late 1920s. She was the lead ship of her class, which also included HMS Exeter. The York class was base on the preceding County class cruisers, and designed to smaller and cheaper while having better armour.

HMS York was laid down at the shipyard of John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland, on 16 May 1926. She was launched on 17 July 1928, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 1 May 1930.

HMS York was armed with six 8-inch (203 mm) guns in three twin turrets, four 4-inch (102 mm) guns in single mounts, and six 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in two tripple mounts. She was also equipped with a catapult and could operate one Supermarine Walrus seaplane.

HMS York served extensively during World War II. She participated in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940, and she was later deployed to the Mediterranean Sea. On 26 March 1941, she was badly damaged by two Italian explosive motor boats in a dawn attack at Suda Bay, north Crete. The motorboats, each armed with 300-kg (667 lb) charges in the bows, were piloted by Italian Navy officers. Two boiler rooms and one engine room were flooded and the ship was run aground to prevent her sinking. On 18 May, a Luftwaffe air attack further damaged York. She was subsequently scuttled after her guns were wrecked.

The wreck of HMS York was raised and salvage for scrap in 1952.