HMS ''Bermuda'' (
pennant number
In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...
52, later C52) was a
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
. She was completed during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and served in that conflict. She was named for the British territory of
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
, and was the
eighth vessel of that name.
''Bermuda'' was built by
John Brown & Company
John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a Scottish Naval architecture, marine engineering and shipbuilding firm. It built many notable and world-famous ships including , , , , , and ''Queen Elizabeth 2 (ship), Queen Elizabeth 2''.
At its heig ...
of
Clydebank
Clydebank () is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Milton beyond) to the w ...
and launched on 11 September 1941. In the same year, the lead ship of the class, , was sunk while participating in the
evacuation of Crete.
War service
Through 1942, ''Bermuda'' participated in the
North Africa campaign
The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...
, including
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...
, as part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron. With the cruiser , she was detached from
Force H
Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in late-June 1940, to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany. The force occupied an odd place ...
to attack a small coastal fort, where both came under attack from Italian torpedo bombers. She covered the landing at
Bougie and managed to escape heavy air attacks unscathed. ''Bermuda'' then returned to service in the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
to escort ships in the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
, and in June 1943, she transported men and supplies to
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipel ...
. She then participated in anti-submarine operations against German
U-boat
U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
s operating in the Bay of Biscay, and the North Atlantic. After more service in the Arctic, she returned to
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
in June 1944 for a refit.
The refit removed her 'X' turret and in May 1945 she was then dispatched to the Pacific as the war in Europe was ending. She arrived in
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
on 1 July to take on fuel and stores, before continuing on to
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, where she arrived on 7 July. There she undertook exercises with other Royal Navy ships serving in the Far East, including the
battleship
A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
. Whilst in Sydney, news reached them of the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, during World War II. The aerial bombings killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people, most of whom were civili ...
and the subsequent
surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
. ''Bermuda'' then sailed for the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, arriving on 23 August. She then became part of an operation to recover allied
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
from the previously occupied Japanese territories.
On 6 September ''Bermuda'' was attacked by Japanese aircraft, apparently unaware of the end of the war, or otherwise unwilling to surrender. ''Bermuda'' fought off the attack and was able to continue on her way. She then transported allied prisoners of war to
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
for repatriation.
Post-war
''Bermuda'' remained in the Far East as the flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron, under the command of
Clarence Howard-Johnston
Rear Admiral Clarence Dinsmore Howard-Johnston (13 October 1903 – 26 January 1996) was a British Royal Navy officer and inventor. He specialised in anti-submarine warfare during the inter-war years, later heading the Anti-Submarine Division a ...
, until 1947, when she returned to the UK for a refit at
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...
. She was then placed in reserve. In 1950 she was restored to active service, and served in the South Atlantic as the flagship of the Commander in Chief,
South Atlantic Station
The Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic was an operational commander of the Royal Navy from 1939. The South American area was added to his responsibilities in 1960, and the post disestablished in 1967.
Immediately before the outbreak of the Sec ...
until 1953. Vice Admiral
Peveril William-Powlett
Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Vice Admiral Sir Peveril Barton Reiby Wallop William-Powlett, (5 March 1898 – 10 November 1985) was a Royal Navy officer who served as South Atlantic Station, Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic Station from 1952 t ...
was Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic from 1952–1954. She then served with the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1953, she and her
sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...
brought aid to the Greek island of
Zakynthos
Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...
when it was struck by the
Ionian earthquake. Greek officials would later comment, "we Greeks have a long-standing tradition with the Royal Navy and it lived up to every expectation in its infallible tradition of always being the first to help."
In 1956 ''Bermuda'' was paid-off and towed up to Palmer's at
Hebburn
Hebburn is a town in the South Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It was formerly in County Durham until 1974 with its own urban district from 1894 until 1974. It is on the south bank of the River Tyne between Gateshead and Jarrow and ...
to undergo a long refit. She was updated largely on the same pattern as HMS ''Gambia'' with an enclosed bridge, and US supplied Mk 63 directors for the 4-inch twin gun mounts, but appears to have maintained simple tacymetric fire control for new Twin Mk 5 40-mm mounts, which were repositioned for better arcs of fire. She returned to service, and spent the next few years in exercises with other
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
navies, or other Royal Navy units. In April 1958, she left
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
to assist in the reinforcement of
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
during a period of civil unrest. ''Bermuda'' attended the
Ceremony of independence of Nigeria on 1 October 1960, before joining the
Mediterranean Fleet
The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...
, relieving the cruiser .
''Bermuda'' was decommissioned in 1962, after 21 years in service. She was scrapped by
Thos W Ward
Thos. W. Ward Ltd was a Sheffield, Yorkshire, business primarily working steel, engineering and cement. It began as coal and coke merchants. It expanded into recycling metal for Sheffield's steel industry, and then the supply and manufacture ...
,
Briton Ferry
Briton Ferry () is a town and Community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The Welsh name may indicate that the church, ''llan'', is protected from the wind, ''awel''. Alternatively, ''Sawel'' may be a deri ...
,
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
starting on 26 August 1965. The ship's bell now hangs in the Royal Naval Association Club in
West Bromwich
West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...
, a British town which had adopted ''Bermuda'' in 1942.
Article title
Bermuda
HMS ''Bermuda'' made several visits to her namesake, where she was presented with a number of silver objects, including a large bell — which was occasionally used as a font for Holy Water in the baptism of children of the crew — and four bugles. Two of the bugles later found their way to the Bermuda Regiment. Apart from the bell and the bugles, which were collected together by the Bermuda Maritime Museum at the former Bermuda Dockyard, the other items went missing following the ship's decommissioning.
Notes
References
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External links
WWII cruisers
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HMS ''Bermuda'' (Clydebuilt Ships Database)
*Last pictures of HMS ''Bermuda'' at Thos W Ward
Thos. W. Ward Ltd was a Sheffield, Yorkshire, business primarily working steel, engineering and cement. It began as coal and coke merchants. It expanded into recycling metal for Sheffield's steel industry, and then the supply and manufacture ...
's breakers yard Briton ferry Neath 1960s. Her masts have been removed to enable her under the Briton Ferry river bridge and her final leg to the wharf. Can be found at the following link
HMS BERMUDA C52
Pictures of the Scrapping:
Ulsan Ship Breaking Yard, 1986 ULCC Globtik Tokyo; ULCC Bellamya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bermuda (52)
Crown Colony-class cruisers of the Royal Navy
Ships built on the River Clyde
1941 ships
World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom
Military of Bermuda