HMS Manchester (15)

Manchester in 1942
History
United Kingdom
Name	Manchester
Builder	Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn
Laid down	28 March 1936
Launched	12 April 1937
Commissioned	4 August 1938
Identification	Pennant number: 15
Fate	Scuttled, 13 August 1942
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Town-class light cruiser
Displacement	9,400 long tons (9,551 t) (standard) 11,650 long tons (11,837 t) (full load)
Length	591 ft 6 in (180.3 m) (o/a)
Beam	62 ft 4 in (19 m)
Draught	20 ft 7 in (6.3 m)
Installed power	4 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers 82,500 shp (61,500 kW)
Propulsion	4 × shafts; 4 × geared steam turbines
Speed	32 knots (59.3 km/h; 36.8 mph)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	800–815
Armament	4 × triple 6 in (152 mm) guns 4 × twin 4 in (102 mm) DP guns 2 × quadruple 2 pdr (40 mm (1.6 in)) AA guns 2 × quadruple 0.5 in (12.7 mm) AA machine guns 2 × triple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour	Waterline belt: 4.5 in (114 mm) Deck: 1.25–2 in (32–51 mm) Gun turrets: 2–4 in (51–102 mm)
Aircraft carried	2 × Supermarine Walrus flying boats
Aviation facilities	1 × catapult

HMS Manchester was a Town-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s, one of three ships in the Gloucester subclass. Completed in 1938, she was initially deployed with the East Indies Station and had a relatively short but active career. When World War II began in September 1939, the cruiser began escorting convoys in the Indian Ocean until she was ordered home two months later. In late December Manchester began conducting patrols in the Norwegian Sea enforcing the blockade of Germany. Beginning in April 1940 the ship played a minor role in the Norwegian Campaign, mostly escorting convoys. She was assigned to anti-invasion duties in May–November in between refits.

In November the cruiser was tasked to escort a convoy through the Mediterranean and participated in the Battle of Cape Spartivento. Manchester was refitting during most of early 1941, but began patrolling the southern reaches of the Arctic Ocean in May. The cruiser was detached to escort a convoy to Malta in July and she was badly damaged by an aerial torpedo en route. Repairs were not completed until April 1942 and the ship spent the next several months working up and escorting convoys.

Manchester participated in Operation Pedestal, another Malta convoy, in mid-1942; she was torpedoed by two Italian motor torpedo boats and subsequently scuttled by her crew. Casualties were limited to 10 men killed by the torpedo and 1 who drowned as the crew abandoned ship.^{[Note 1]} Most of the crew were interned by the Vichy French when they drifted ashore. After their return in November, the ship's leadership was court martialled; the captain and four other officers were convicted for prematurely scuttling their ship.

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