HMS Newcastle (C76)
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HMS ''Newcastle'' was a member of the ''Southampton'' subclass of the
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 ...
.


Construction

The first two were ordered from
Vickers Armstrong Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927. The majority of the company was nationalised in the 1960s and 1970s, wi ...
and
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 ...
on 1 June 1934 as part of the 1933 Construction Programme for the Royal Navy. Vickers
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
its ship, originally to be called ''Minotaur'', at their
High Walker Walker is a residential suburb and electoral ward in the south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. History The place-name 'Walker' is first attested in 1242, where it appears as ''Waucre''. This means 'wall-car ...
shipyard on the
River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden, Northumberland, Warden near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The ...
on 4 October 1934. The ship was renamed ''Newcastle'' later that year. ''Newcastle'' was launched, in a low-key ceremony owing to the death of King
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...
three days earlier, on 23 January 1936 by the Duchess of Northumberland.
Sea trials A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on o ...
, which were disrupted by bad weather, began on 30 November 1936 and continued until 11 December, with a speed of being reached during the eight-hour full power trial. ''Newcastle'' was accepted by the Royal Navy and commissioned on 5 March 1937.


Interwar period

After commissioning, ''Newcastle'' joined the
2nd Cruiser Squadron The 2nd Cruiser Squadron was a formation of cruisers of the British Royal Navy from 1904 to 1919 and from 1921 to 1941 and again from 1946 to 1952. History First formation The 2nd Cruiser Squadron was first formed in December, 1904 then placed ...
, part of the
Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...
. She took part in the Coronation Fleet Review at
Spithead Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...
in 1937.


Second World War

''Newcastle'' was under refit on the outbreak of war of the
Second World War 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 ...
, joining the newly established
18th Cruiser Squadron The 18th Cruiser Squadron was a formation of cruisers of the Royal Navy from 1939 to 1942. The squadron was formed in September 1939 and was assigned to the Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the Unit ...
on the refit's completion. Duties included trade protection duties in the
Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...
and operation with the
Northern Patrol The Northern Patrol, also known as Cruiser Force B and the Northern Patrol Force, was a naval force of the Royal Navy during the world wars. The Northern Patrol was part of the British "distant" Blockade of Germany (1914–1919). Its main task wa ...
in the waters between Scotland, Iceland and Greenland, enforcing the blockade of Germany by intercepting merchant ships suspected of carrying contraband to Germany. On 25–26 September 1939, ''Newcastle'' sailed with the Home Fleet as it sortied to cover the 2nd Cruiser Squadron which was escorting the submarine , which had been damaged by German
trawlers Trawler may refer to: Boats * Fishing trawler, used for commercial fishing * Naval trawler Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the World War I, Fir ...
, back to Britain. The covering force came under attack by German bombers, with the battleship hit by a bomb that failed to explode, while air attack against the cruisers of the 18th Cruiser Squadron proving ineffective. On 12 November 1939, ''Newcastle'' intercepted the German
blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usua ...
in the
Denmark Strait The Denmark Strait is the strait that separates Greenland from Iceland. Geography The strait connects the Greenland Sea, an extension of the Arctic Ocean, to the Irminger Sea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is long. The narrowest part o ...
. ''Parana''s crew set the German merchant ship on fire before abandoning ship, and ''Newcastle''
scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...
''Parana'' with gunfire the next day. On 23 November 1939, the German battleships and , on a sortie into the North Atlantic, encountered and quickly sank the British
armed merchant cruiser An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...
of the Northern Patrol. ''Newcastle'', the next ship to the west in the British patrol line, responded to ''Rawalpindi''s contact report and attempted to come to ''Rawalpindi''s aid, but when ''Newcastle'' was spotted by the two German battleships, they broke off attempts to rescue ''Rawalpindi''s crew, and made off at high speed, behind a
smoke screen A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft, or ships. Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as ...
, with ''Newcastle'', not yet fitted with radar, soon losing sight of the German ships in a rain squall. On 23 March 1940, ''Newcastle'' began a refit on the Tyne which continued until 3 June that year, thus missing the majority of the Norwegian campaign. From 7 July, she was detached to Plymouth to guard against a potential German invasion. On the night of 10/11 October 1940, ''Newcastle'' provided illumination with star shells while the battleship bombarded the French port of
Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...
in an attempt to destroy shipping that could be used in a German invasion. On 17 October 1940, ''Newcastle'' set out from Plymouth with the cruiser and the destroyers , , , and to investigate reports of German destroyers. Later that day, the British force encountered the German destroyers ''Hans Lody'', ''Friedrich Ihn'', ''Erich Steinbrinck'' and ''Karl Galster''. The German destroyers turned back at full speed making for Brest, with the British force in pursuit. ''Newcastle'' launched her
Walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped marine mammal with discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only extant species in the family Odobeni ...
seaplane to direct the British force's fire, but while ''Hans Lody'' was hit twice and ''Erich Steinbrinck'' received splinter damage, the German force escaped to safety in Brest. On 13 November 1940, ''Newcastle'' set out for the Mediterranean, carrying 200 RAF personnel and a cargo of aircraft spare parts for
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 ...
, where she arrived on 19 November. ''Newcastle''s next mission was Operation Collar, in which a convoy of merchant ships would be escorted westwards from
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
in Egypt to Malta, while more merchant ships would be escorted eastwards from Gibraltar to Malta and Egypt, with the opportunity taken to transfer warships, including ''Newcastle'' from the Mediterranean to the North Atlantic. On 27 November, the Italian Fleet attempted to intercept the British convoy, resulting in the inconclusive
Battle of Cape Spartivento The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War, fought between naval forces of the Royal Navy and the Italian '' Regia Marina'' o ...
. ''Newcastle'' was then ordered to the
South 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 ...
, taking part in an unsuccessful search for the that month. ''Newcastle'' remained continually at sea from 10 December 1940 to 21 April 1941, a total of 133 days, with 109 days out of sight of land, a record for Royal Navy warships during the Second World War, before a brief refit at Simonstown, South Africa. In May that year, ''Newcastle'' returned to commerce protection duties in the South Atlantic, and on 18 May 1941, captured the
Vichy French Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...
merchant ship ''Lieutenant Saint Loubert Bie'' south of
Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
. On 25 July, ''Newcastle'' intercepted the German blockade runner off the mouth of the River Plate estuary, with ''Erlangen'' being scuttled by her crew. ''Newcastle'' continued duties in the South Atlantic until August, when she made passage to the United States for refit. ''Newcastle'' was refitted at
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
from September to December 1941, and after returning to Britain on 29 December, was further modified at Devonport dockyard, including revisions to her radar outfit. In February 1942, ''Newcastle'' left to join the
Eastern Fleet Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...
, becoming the flagship of the
4th Cruiser Squadron The 4th Cruiser Squadron and (also known as Cruiser Force H) was a formation of cruisers of the British Royal Navy from 1907 to 1914 and then again from 1919 to 1946. The squadron was first established in 1907, replacing the North America and ...
. In June 1942, ''Newcastle'' was loaned to the Mediterranean Fleet to take part in
Operation Vigorous Operation Vigorous (known in Italy as 1942, "the Battle of mid-June 1942") was a British operation during the Second World War, to escort supply Convoy MW 11 from the eastern Mediterranean to Malta, which took place from 11 to 16 June 1942. Vigo ...
, an attempt to run a convoy from Egypt to Malta at the same time as Operation Harpoon attempted to reach Malta from the West. The Vigorous convoy left Alexandria on 13 July, coming under air attack from 14 July. Early on 15 June, as a result of a sortie of the Italian Fleet, the convoy was ordered to temporarily turn to the east, and while this manoeuvre was underway, the German motor torpedo boat ''S-56'' took advantage to attack the convoy, hitting ''Newcastle'' with a single torpedo. The torpedo blew a hole on the starboard side of ''Newcastle''s bow. While the cruiser's speed was temporarily reduced to , damage control was successful, and ''Newcastle'' soon was able to increase speed to , allowing her to keep up with the convoy, while she reached later that day when avoiding the torpedo attack that sank the destroyer . ''Newcastle''s armament was undamaged, and she claimed a share in shooting down four enemy aircraft before the convoy returned to Alexandria on 16 June. It was decided to repair ''Newcastle'' at Simonstown, leaving Alexandria on 19 June, and calling in at
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
to reinforce the ship's temporary repairs. On 27 June, ''Newcastle'' encountered heavy weather while crossing the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
, with a hole being torn on the port side of the ship's bow of similar size to that on the starboard side, and badly damaging the internal structure in the damaged region of the ship. ''Newcastle'' returned to Aden for more shoring-up of the damaged areas, and underwent further temporary repairs at
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
, with the holes in the bow being patched over and temporary decks being installed. Permanent repairs were carried out at
Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a se ...
, New York in October–November 1942, followed by further modifications at Devonport until March 1943. After work up at Scapa Flow, ''Newcastle'' left to rejoin the Eastern Fleet on 15 April 1943, arriving at
Kilindini Harbour Kilindini Harbour is a large, natural deep-water inlet extending inland from Mombasa, Kenya. It is at its deepest center, although the controlling depth is the outer channel in the port approaches with a dredged depth of . It serves as the harbo ...
in Kenya on 27 May, where she resumed her role as the flagship of the 4th Cruiser Squadron. ''Newcastle'' continued to be employed on commerce protection duties, as well being employed in attempting to intercept supply ships used for the replenishment of 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. In late June 1943, ''Newcastle'', together with the cruiser and the destroyers and , was deployed on Operation Player, a search for a U-boat supply ship believed to be operating in the Indian Ocean, but the search proved unsuccessful and was called off on 30 June. ''Newcastle'' was refitted at Simonstown from 26 August to 17 September 1943, with her anti-aircraft armament being strengthened. In February 1944, ''Newcastle'', together with ''Relentless'' and Catalina flying boats, were deployed in a search for the U-boat supply ship based on intelligence from decrypted radio messages. The British ships found ''Charlotte Schliemann'' on the night of 11/12 February, and when ''Relentless'' opened fire, the supply ship's crew scuttled her. On 12 March 1944, ''Newcastle'' together with the escort carrier, , the cruiser and the destroyers and , were sent to intercept the U-boat supply ship ''Brake'', again in response to signals intelligence. ''Brake'' was spotted by aircraft from ''Battler'', and ''Roebuck'' rushed to intercept, with ''Brake''s crew scuttling the tanker. From 16–24 April 1944, ''Newcastle'' took part in
Operation Cockpit Operation Cockpit was an Allied attack against the Japanese-held island of Sabang on 19 April 1944. It was conducted by aircraft flying from British and American aircraft carriers and targeted Japanese shipping and airfields. A small number of ...
, an airstrike from the carriers and against Sabang, off
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, with ''Newcastle'' forming part of the covering force and battleships and cruisers, and on 17 May, ''Newcastle'' took part in
Operation Transom Operation Transom was an attack by Allies of World War II, Allied forces against the Japanese-occupied city of Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java during World War II. Conducted by the British-led Eastern Fleet, the operation took place on ...
, another carrier strike by ''Illustrious'' and ''Saratoga'', this time against
Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...
,
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
. On 17 December 1944, ''Newcastle'' left Ceylon as part of the escort force for
Operation Robson Operation Robson (20 December 1944) was the first of a series of aerial operations, Operation Outflank, undertaken by the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) against the oil refineries of Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, Japanese-occupied Su ...
, a carrier strike by ''Illustrious'' and against targets in Sumatra on 20 December, with the fleet returning to Ceylon on 22 December. From early 1945, ''Newcastle'' began to be involved in direct support for the
British Fourteenth Army The British Fourteenth Army was a multi-national force comprising units from Commonwealth countries during the Second World War. As well as British Army units, many of its units were from the Indian Army and there were also significant contribut ...
in their campaigns in
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
. On 2 January 1945, ''Newcastle'' was deployed in support of landings on the north tip of
Akyab Island Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the city h ...
, but the landings were unopposed as the Japanese had already evacuated Akyab. On 26 January, Newcastle, together with the cruisers and and the destroyers and , landed
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
on
Cheduba Island Cheduba Island (; also known as Manaung Island) is an island in the Bay of Bengal close to Ramree Island and belongs to Myanmar, formerly Burma. It has a maximum length of , with an area of approximately . It belongs to Taungup District of Rakhi ...
. She also carried out shore bombardment duties during the
Battle of Ramree Island The Battle of Ramree Island (), also known as Operation Matador, took place from 14 January to 22 February 1945, in the Second World War as part of the offensive on the Southern Front in the Burma campaign and was conducted by the XV Indian C ...
. ''Newcastle'' returned to Britain for a refit on the Tyne in May 1945, and was still being refitted at the end of the war.


Postwar

''Newcastle'' completed the refit in October 1945, and was then used as a troopship carrying out trips to South Africa and
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
, Ceylon before entering reserve at Devonport in February 1946. The ship was recommissioned late in 1947 to join 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 ...
, with duties including acting as flagship, and supporting the interception of ships carrying Jewish refugees attempting to enter Palestine illegally. ''Newcastle'' returned to Britain at the end of 1949 and was decommissioned. Work started on an extensive modernisation (officially classed as a 'Large Repair') at Devonport in May 1950, with the work completing in April 1952. Changes included a new bridge, revised sensors and fire control systems, and a new close-in anti-aircraft outfit of 18 40mm Bofors guns. In May 1952, ''Newcastle'' left British waters to serve in the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, relieving the cruiser on station off Korea on 4 July that year. Duties included patrols, carrier escort and providing naval gunfire support to UN forces. ''Newcastle'' also served during the
Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...
in the later 1950s, shelling Malayan Communist targets in June and August 1955 and again in December 1957.


Decommissioning and disposal

''Newcastle'' was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1959, and subsequently broken up at Faslane.


References


Bibliography

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External links


HMS Newcastle
at naval-history.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Newcastle (C76) Town-class cruisers (1936) Ships built on the River Tyne 1936 ships World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom Cold War cruisers of the United Kingdom Korean War cruisers of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in June 1942