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British Heavy Cruiser HMS Exeter

HMS Exeter in the 1930s.

British Heavy Cruiser HMS Exeter

Launched on 18 July 1929, HMS Exeter was the second and last York-class heavy cruiser built for the Royal Navy. Commissioned on 22 July 1931, she spent the interwar period in the Atlantic, North America and West Indies Station.

With the outbreak of World War Two, Exeter was sent to the South Atlantic to hunt for German commerce raiders. On the 13th of December, she spotted the German heavy Cruiser Graf Spee and along with the light cruisers HMS Ajax and Achilles fought the Battle of the River Plate. This resulted in severe damage to Exeter, but Graf Spee was forced to find shelter in Montevideo. Subsequent British misdirection, led the captain of the Graf Spee to believe that an overwhelmingly powerful force waited for him if he left port. He therefore scuttled his ship rather than faced certain defeat. In reality only one additional heavy cruiser, HMS Cumberland had arrived.

Exeter was out of action for over a year undergoing repairs following which she scorted convoys for most of 1941. When Japan declared war in December 1941, HMS Exeter was sent to the Far East where she escorted convoys to and from Singapore. When the Japanese prepared to invade the Dutch East Indies, Exeter attempted to intercept the invasion force on 25 February 1942 along with a combined American, Dutch and Australian force. Intercepted by a Japanese cruiser force, Exeter was crippled and forced to withdraw to Surabaya during the First Battle of the Java Sea.

After temporary repairs, Exeter left harbour on 28 February attempting to make for Colombo. Along with her escort of two destroyers, she was sunk during the Second Battle of the Java Sea on 1 March when intercepted by a force of four heavy cruisers and four destroyers.

Photographs of HMS Exeter

Photos of HMS Exeter

Battle of the River Plate

Battle of the Java Sea

Detailed Photographs

Armament

Aircraft

Supermarine Walrus

Fairey IIIF

British Heavy Cruiser HMS Dorsetshire

HMS Dorsetshire

British Heavy Cruiser HMS Dorsetshire

Launched on 29 January 1929, HMS Dorsetshire was a County-class heavy cruiser of the British Royal Navy. Commissioned on 30 September 1930, During World War Two, she took part in the search for the German heavy Cruiser Graf Spee. During the final engagement with the German battleship Bismarck, Dorsetshire was ordered to close range and deliver a torpedo attack.

When Japan entered the war, Dorsetshire was ordered to the far east. On 5 April 1942, in company with her sister ship HMS Cornwall, she was spotted by Japanese aircraft. A resulting dive-bombing attack sank both ships.

French Battleship Condorcet

Condorcet

French Battleship Condorcet

Condorcet was a French semi-dreadnought battleship of the Danton-class. Launched on 20 April 1909, she was commissioned into the Marine Nationale on 25 July 1911.

On 16 August 1914, Condorcet participated in the Battle of Antivari along with a large Fleet of British and French ships. She participated in the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian protected cruiser Zenta.

For the remainder of the First World War, she helped blockade the Straits of Otranto and the Dardanelles to prevent German, Austro-Hungarian and Turkish warships from breaking out into the Mediterranean.

Post-war, Condorcet was modernised from 1923 – 25 after which she was used as a training ship. From 1931 Condorcet was converted into an accommodation hulk. When the Germans invaded Vichy France in November 1942 she was captured intact and used as accommodation from Kriegsmarine sailors. In August 1944 she was badly damaged by Allied bombing and subsequently scuttled by the Germans. Salvaged in September 1945, she was sold and broken up.