Category: Cruisers

Harold Tweed was born in 1910 and after school joined the local newspaper. When called up in 1941 he inevitably joined the Writers Branch. The diaries begin in 1942 and continue to March 1945. They give an interestingly detached and literate lower deck account of life on a busy cruiser.

WINGATE, John. HMS Belfast (Profile Warship, 29). 97–127pp., illus. Windsor: Profile Publications, 1971.

A much briefer account than that in the fuller Warships in Profile Book.

NICHOLSON, Arthur. Very Special Ships: Abdiel Class Fast Minelayers of World War Two. 208p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Seaforth, 2015. ISBN: 1848322356.

Covers the design and building of the six very active ships in this class, along with operational histories. Profusely illustrated.

DIMBLEBY, Ken. Turns of Fate: The Drama of HMS Cornwall. 231p., illus., index. London: Kimber, 1984. ISBN: 071830523X.

A survivor of the sinking gives an account of her wartime career from the beginning of WWII to her sinking in 1942 by Japanese dive bombers, including the action with the German raider Penguin, probably better known as HK33.

FORRESTER-BROWN, Glennys E. A Diver's Escapades: The Early Life and Wartime Experiences of Joe Forrester - A Lad from the Potteries Who Served in the Royal Navy During World War II. 126p., illus. Bognor Regis: Woodfield, 2012. ISBN: 184683127X.

A biography by his daughter but based on contemporary notes. He joined the Royal Navy in 1926, at the age of 17, and was with Emerald in Ceylon in 1939. He was sunk in Curlew in Norwegian waters in 1940. Later, as a gunner on Prince of Wales, he was involved in the Bismarck action and was sunk with her in the Japanese air attack. He escaped hidden on a native ship and made it to Ceylon. Here he was involved in salvage work as a diver on the salvage vessel Salviking for the next two years. He was aboard when she was torpedoed and sunk near the Maldives. Once again, he was fortunate to survive.

WALLIS, R. Ransome. Two Red Stripes: A Naval Surgeon at War. 144p., illus. London: Ian Allan, 1973.ISBN: 0711004617.

This memoir is concerned principally with the two years that Wallis spent on London in 1941-42. After a short spell hunting German supply ships in the South Atlantic, London spent most of her time on the northern patrols and Arctic convoys.

A profusely illustrated and technically detailed description and history of Belfast, a Town Class cruiser now preserved in London.

A nuts-and-bolts view, elaborately illustrated with line drawings.

Aged 17, the author and four other New Zealanders joined up in 1941 and were sent to Aurora. This is a composite account of their and her service.

OSBORNE, Richard. The Watery Grave: The Life and Death of HMS Manchester. xx, 244p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Frontline, 2015. ISBN: 1473845858.

This account of her building and career focuses on what was to be the longest court martial in Royal Navy history. Torpedoed for the second time in a year during the Pedestal convoy, her captain chose to scuttle her off the Tunisian coast.

A short history of the ship, fullest on the River Plate action.

Queen Mary accidentally rammed and sank her escorting cruiser in 1942. A full account of the tragedy, in which Holmes was one of two surviving officers.

Neptune ran into a minefield off the coast of Tripoli during the night of 19th December 1941, and was lost with all hands except one, thus becoming one of the Royal Navy's most catastrophic disasters of WW2. Some 150 of the casualties were New Zealanders, on board in preparation for the planned handover of the ship to the Royal New Zealand Navy early in 1942.

Examines the wartime roles of the British cruiser. Each role from trade protection to anti-aircraft cover is discussed in turn.

Produced for the trust preserving the ship. A brief account of the role of cruisers in general and Belfast in particular is given. The illustrations of war art are excellent.

A log of the ship and memoir of her war career.

The association between Euryalus and the then Lancashire Fusiliers began at Gallipoli, when her boats crews towed them ashore with heavy losses. There is a little material on WWII.

WATERS, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development and Performance Southampton & Belfast Classes. 288p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Seaforth: Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781526718853.

The ten Town class cruisers were built between 1937 and 1939 and were the largest six-inch gun cruisers built for the RN. Four were lost in action. This is a quite excellent and well-illustrated account of their design, construction, active service, repairs and modifications right through to 1971 when Belfast became a museum ship.

BLAKE, John. HMS Belfast Pocket Manual. iv, 156p., bibliog., illus., index. Oxford: Osprey, 2018. ISBN: 9781472827821.

This fascinating book comprises a series of documents that give information on the building of the ship, her wartime service history and life on board.

COPEMAN, Harold. At War at Sea in the Med 1941-44: The Naval Diary of Harold Copeman transcribed and edited by Caroline and Chris Pond. 64p., illus. Loughton: The Alderton Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781905269310.

Published by the family to mark the centenary of his birth. Has some background contextual detail but basically transcribes the diary he kept on the coding sheets he used as a leading coder. Entries are short and sparse, typically a sentence for each day, but give a good picture of daily life on the lower deck. He served principally on the cruiser Cleopatra and Aurora  

OTTER, Ken. HMS Gloucester: The Untold Story. [x], 182p., bibliog., illus. Durham: G. A. M. Books, 1999. ISBN: 0952219425.

Otter's father was Chief Yeoman of Signals on Gloucester. A full operational history, which looks unblinkingly but without rancour at her sinking and the heavy loss of life that ensued. A second enlarged edition was published in 2001. Further reprinted several times by Pen & Sword Books.

WATERS, Conrad. Cruiser Birmingham: Detailed in the Original Builders’ Plans. 144p., illus. Barnsley: Seaforth, 2018. ISBN: 9781526724977.

Another in the series based on the original drawings preserved in the National Maritime Museum. Unusually, three separate sets of plans survive: as completed in 1937, as refitted in 1943, and as modernised in 1952 which allows this novel form of anatomy to cover the whole of the ship’s long career.

STEVENS, Jeff. HMS Ajax 1935-1949. 79p., bibliog., illus. [n.p., author], 2014. ISBN: 9781502475688.

The author’s father served as a Royal Marine on the cruiser. This is a somewhat sketchy history, full of interesting but poorly reproduced photographs and not well proof read.

JEFFS, Eric. HMS Dido: A Tiffy's Tale. 64p., illus. Ilfracombe: Stockwell, 2005. ISBN: 072233706X.

Dido had a busy war and this brief account is written by an ERA who served on her throughout the war in the North Atlantic, but especially in the Mediterranean.

PARKER, Johnny. A Smack at the Boche: The World War 2 Diary and Photographs of Leading Seaman Ronald Turner Aboard the British Cruiser HMS Hawkins 1939-1941. [6], 166p., illus. n.p.: author, 2016. ISBN: 9781520145297.

A member of the RNVR he was called up at the outbreak of war. He served on Hawkins in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean. This is a transcript of his illicit wartime diary, with linking material by the author, his nephew.

ST CLAIR, Adrian. Mediterranean Minefield: Disaster of HMS Neptune, The Sinking of HM Ships Neptune and Kandahar. The Fifth Worst Loss of Life in a Royal Navy Ship in WWII. The Mediterranean Force K, Inclusive of HM Ships Aurora, Penelope, Lance, Lively, Havock. December 19th and 20th 1941. A Pictorial Tribute. 96p., bibliog., illus. [n.p.]: Neptune Association, 2005.

Largely consists of pictures and one or two sentence accounts of the eight hundred and thirty-six officers and men lost in the sinkings. An enlarged second edition was published in 2010 (ISBN: 0955038715). This includes a separate photographic supplement.

A profusely illustrated analysis of this class of ship, which includes brief details of their wartime careers. Later published as no. 5 in the Man o' War series.

RAVEN, Alan. British Cruiser Warfare: The Lessons of the Early War, 1939-1941. 320p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Seaforth, 2019. ISBN: 9781526747631.

A comprehensive chronological account is followed by chapters on lessons learned on everything from surface gunnery to damage control and technological developments.

CLARKE, Bob. War and Peacey.  [224p]., illus. [n.p., author], 2018. ISBN: 9780992760113.

Aged 15, Chris Peacey joined the RN on the outbreak of war as a boy seaman. His first ship was Prince of Wales, where he served through the Bismarck hunt and on until her sinking in the Far East. He was quickly transferred to Danae and spent some time with her in the Indian Ocean before returning to the UK. He then went to the USA where he joined the newly acquired LST 163, nicknamed Rose Marie by her crew. With her he took part in allied assault landings in North Africa, Sicily, Anzio, Normandy and Malaysia. Also describes his post-war career in submarines. A fascinating and very personal tale as told to the author.

REEVES, M. C. Russian Convoys Sept. 1941 – May 1945 (NHSA Monograph 47). 13p, illus. Garden Island, NSW: Naval Historical Society of Australia, 1995.

 A lecture given to the Society which focuses on the role of the cruiser Berwick. Reprinted in 2002 as Monograph 147.

LEVIN, Steven. Battlewagon Stoker 1938-1947. [2], 322p., illus. n.p., CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015. ISBN: 9781517299934.

A biography of his grandfather, Eric Levin. It is written in the first person, recreated from post-war memories and some written notes. He enlisted in 1938 then served on Malaya until 1941, Delhi until 1944, before joining Coastal Forces, notably in the Mediterranean.

COGSWELL, Reginald. Exeter: A Cruiser of the Medium Size. viii, 344p., illus. Liskeard: Maritime Books, 2017. ISBN: 9781904459729.

Cogswell was the Warrant Officer in charge of the central electrical switchboard on Exeter at the Battle of the River Plate. This is an autobiographical account of his service on the ship.

HEWITT, Nick. Firing on Fortress Europe: HMS Belfast at D-Day. 176p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Imperial War Museum, 2015. ISBN: 9781904897576.

Based on first-hand accounts from the IWM archives this is the story of the landings as seen from the famous cruiser.

LAVERY, Brian. The Last Big Gun: At War and at Sea with HMS Belfast. 352p., bibliog., illus., index. Oxford: Pool of London, 2015. ISBN: 9781910860014.

An excellent account of her wartime and post-war service.

An autobiographical account of his service as a rating in the Supply Branch. A lively and humorous account of a very active career in Norway and the Mediterranean until she was sunk.

Based on his father's testimony and that of other crew members, this is a sprightly and well written but very personal account of the wartime career of Dunedin and of the fate of the few survivors

In fact a full history of the ship during her spell in the Royal Navy, as well as a detailed account of her RCN service. The author was a former crew member.

A richly illustrated work with photographs and plans of the majority of cruisers described.

Although a work of fiction, this is reputedly based on the experiences of Arethusa in the Battle of Sirte.

He joined as a Boy Seaman early in 1939. After training he joined the new Nigeria and served with her throughout the war. She served on Arctic convoys, in the Mediterranean and with the PEDESTAL convoy where she was damaged and he was wounded. They both moved on to join the Eastern Fleet and served for the rest of the war, finishing as a Petty Officer. Well told anecdotes.

A brochure aimed at raising the £2,750,000 required for a new cruiser. It briefly tells the story of the ship's war career.

The author's father served on the cruiser and had a photographic collection of her service, which is extensively used. Commissioned in 1940 she was involved in the Bismarck chase, the Vaagso Raid, Russian convoys, and the Pedestal convoy, in which she was damaged. After refit she joined the Eastern Fleet and served until May 1945. Her service up to scrapping in 1962 is also recorded.

These four ships had in common their quotas of men from the London division of the RNVR and it is as much their story that is told. The ships saw hard service and bloody fighting in the first three years of the war, all being sunk in action by the autumn of 1942. The book is marred by careless errors of printing.

A good biography of a hard-worked cruiser, which saw service in Norway, where she was damaged and in the Mediterranean, where she won many battle, honours, notably while serving with Force K.

A good account, mainly of the operational history, of the ships of this class.

A simple account of her movements and career. Although she served with distinction in all theatres of the war it was her fate to be dubbed "Too late for the Plate, too slow for Haguro".

A very detailed but popular ship biography of a distinguished and busy career which earned a dozen battle honours.

This competent history concentrates on the Second World War cruiser and her exploits.

Aurora was at Narvik and in the Bismarck chase but won her eponymous nickname under Captain Agnew while leading Force K from Malta. The book goes on to cover Torch, Sicily, Salerno and ends in the Aegean where she was seriously damaged.

Originally privately printed. A mixture of songs, sketches, anecdotes, and fact, recording Penelope's career from refit in mid-1941 to her escape from Malta in mid-1942. US title: Our Penelope, June 1941–June 1942. It is clear from the introduction to the American edition that the major author was the ship's chaplain, John Palmer.

Edited by the Rev E. B. Henderson, this aims to describe wartime life aboard a cruiser. To do much more would risk censorship. Interesting but bland.

A souvenir brochure prepared for the crew and by and for the city of Derby, which had adopted her. Gives a short but full and only slightly coy account of her war service.

A well-illustrated volume enriched with personal recollections of various cruisers and their part in the war.

Well illustrated and rich with contemporary memories, this is a good short account of life on a light cruiser. A revised and expanded second edition was published in 2002 (ISBN: 0907322824).

Covers WWII and gives a good account of the role of cruisers.

Has a few pages on the wartime service of members of staff, including those who served with the RN. One member's service on Delhi is particularly noted.

Her career is described from commissioning, via PQ18, the Arctic and Operation Husky, until his transfer to the escort carrier Slinger. Reprinted in 1961 and later in paperback as Flagship to Murmansk.

Anecdotes and memories from fifty crew members of all ranks who between them served on thirty-seven cruisers. The tales and anecdotes vary from the mundane problems of static electricity to the heartbreaking task of removing the dead after action.

A "factionalised" account of the author's service on Charybdis throughout her first and only commission. After work–up and a spell at Scapa she served in the Mediterranean. She returned to the UK at the end of 1942 for a refit then to be based briefly at Plymouth before returning to the Mediterranean for the various Allied landings. She returned to Plymouth in October 1943. At the end of October she was ambushed and sunk by German destroyers while on a sweep of the Bay of Biscay. An idealised and rose-tinted portrait of her service.

One of the small books in the series giving technical details.

A popular account of the three ships of name. Has some good original photographs and anecdotes.

Luscombe joined the RN in 1930. By September 1939 he was Leading Tel on Manchester sweltering in Aden. Essentially an account of his life on Manchester until just before her sinking in 1942. She had an active war and served in the thick of the action in most theatres. Has a lot of information on the mechanics of signalling.

In effect an essay on each of the ten ships of class, giving a detailed account of their career.

About half of this work is devoted to a potted naval history of WWII naval actions in which cruisers were involved. The career of Exeter is followed in some detail.

A detailed technical account.

A profusely illustrated and detailed account by two well-known authors in this field. It gives both a technical and operational review of the RN's cruisers from 1912 to 1959.

An excellent technical history.