Emerald

Construction

Armstrong Whitworth; Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Laid down: 23 September 1918
Launched: 19 May 1920
Commissioned: 15 January 1926

Specifications

7,550 tons displacement, standard
173.7m length
16.61m beam
4.95m draft

Machinery

8 boilers, 4 turbines

Performance

33knts at 80,000shp
8,000nm at 15knts

Armor

Main belt: 50.8mm forward and aft, 57.15mm mid, 76.2mm over machinery spaces
Decks: 25.4mm

Armament

Seven (7x1) 152mm guns, three (3x1) 102mm guns, two (2x1) 40mm guns, and twelve (4x3) 533mm torpedo tubes

History

Design

HMS Emerald was an Emerald-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne, with the keel being laid down on 23 September 1918. She was launched on 19 May 1920 and commissioned 14 January 1926.

Service

Commissioned in 1926 after long delays due to fiscal restrictions and decommissioning priorities, Emerald joined the Eastern fleet, serving until 1933. Emerald was inactive for just over a year, and once again joined the Eastern Fleet until 1937 when she was again paid off and placed on inactive status. Reactivated for World War II, Emerald briefly joined the Northern Patrol until she was transferred to Halifax in October of 1939 for convoy escort duties. She served in this capacity until 1940, when she received a special mission to transport gold to Canada as payment for war materials. In 1941, Emerald was transferred to the Indian Ocean for escort duties, participating in operations in Iraq.

After the Japanese entry into the war, Emerald once again joined the Eastern Fleet, serving part of her tour as flagship of the Fast Group. Emerald returned to the UK for refit in August of 1942 and returned to the Eastern Fleet in early 1943 for escort duties until early 1944. Returning once again to the UK, Emerald participated in the Normandy landings where she supported Gold Beach with naval gunfire. Placed in reserve in 1945, Emerald became a designated target vessel and was sunk as a result. She was refloated in 1948 and sold for scrapping.

Enterprise, like her sister, was delayed in completion until 1926, and upon completion was assigned to the East Indies through 1934. Returning home for a major refit and overhaul, she rejoined the fleet in the East Indies in 1936, returning in 1937 and conducting transport duties to China station until 1938 when she was paid off. Reactivated at the beginning of World War II, Enterprise also joined the Halifax Force until 1940, when she returned home to participate in the Norway Campaign, providing naval gunfire support to troops ashore. Returning home again for quick refit, Enterprise joined Force H in the Mediterranean and took part in the action at Mers el Kebir against the French Fleet.

From 1940 through 1941, Enterprise was engaged in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean hunting for German raiders, including Admiral Scheer. In 1942 she was assigned to convoy escort on the Australian routes before briefly joining the Eastern fleet. Enterprise then returned home late in 1942 for an extensive refit and overhaul, which lasted until late 1943. Near the end of the year, Enterprise joined the Home Fleet and participated in the continental blockade in the Bay of Biscay, where, with Glasgow, she engaged in a short, sharp action with German torpedo boats and destroyers, helping to sink two of the former and one of the latter. Enterprise next participated in the Normandy invasion, providing naval gunfire support off Utah Beach before being placed in reserve early in 1945. Enterprise participated in repatriation transport duties until early 1946, when she was paid off and sold for scrapping.

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  HMS Emerald at anchor.