Fiji

HMS Fiji underway, 28 August 1940.

History

Design

HMS Fiji was a Crown Colony-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the Pacific island group; the Crown colony of Fiji. She has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.

The Crown Colony-class was designed in the aftermath of the Second London Naval treaty, where the size limit for cruisers had been reduced from 10,000 tons to 8,000 tons, hence the Crown Colony-class made an attempt to keep the same armament of twelve 152mm (6-inch) guns as the previous Town-class cruisers, but on a smaller hull. To achieve this, the hull was shortened by 10m from the Southampton sub-class of the Towns, and the armour belt thickness was reduced to 3.5-inches (89mm), although the belt was now extended to cover the machinery spaces, as was used the Edinburgh sub-class of the Town class. Another feature inherited from the previous Edinburghs was the Mk.XXIII turret for the 152mm Mk.XXIII gun, featuring the squared off edges on the face of the turret. However, the armour of the turrets was reduced from 114mm on the face to 51mm (2-inches) and from 51mm to 25.4mm (1-inch) on the rest of the turret. This saved 21 tons over the turrets used on Edinburgh. The power of the machinery was also reduced to 72,500shp to save weight, thus reducing the ships top speed to 31.5kn, as compared to 32.25kn in the later Town-sub-classes.

Other features of the Crown Colony-class that differed from the Town-class was the use of straight funnels and masts, as opposed to the raked ones found on the Town-class, and the use of a transom stern. The after fire control position was mounted on the top of X-turret, as the more conventional position was found to be untenable when the after turrets fired towards the forward limits of their arcs. As a result of the armament on such a small hull, the ships proved very cramped and overcrowded in wartime conditions.

The second group of the Crown Colony-class, the Ceylon sub-class, restored the 80,000shp machinery of the Town-class and thus the top speed. This was achieved at the expense of X-turret, reducing the main armament to 9 152mm rifles, but this change enhanced the ships anti-aircraft outfit and eased living conditions for the crews, making them less cramped. The X-turret was removed from the Fiji sub-class (except Nigeria) as allowed later in the second world war.

Although HMS Nigeria was laid down first, Fiji was launched and commissioned first, and hence gave her name to the first sub-class of the Crown Colony-class.

Service

Fiji was commissioned on the 5th May 1940, and was assigned to the Home Fleet where she participated in the blockade of German-controlled Europe and escorted convoys. She was due to take part in Operation Menace, the attack on Dakar, but she was hit by a torpedo from submarine U-32, which necessitated 6 months of repairs. In early 1941, after patrolling the Denmark Strait for the German raider Admiral Scheer, she was transferred to Force H, this time operating off the west coast of France as well as performing convoy escort duties on the Malta route. In May 1941, during the battle and evacuation of Crete, Fiji was tasked with covering the rescue of survivors from the destroyer HMS Greyhound, along with 2 other destroyers and the Town-class HMS Gloucester. However, low on anti-aircraft ammunition, the ships were attacked, and Fiji sustained 4 bomb hits, which slowed her and eventually caused her to capsize on 22 May 1941. 523 survivors were picked up.

Nigeria was commissioned in September 1940 and was also assigned to the Home fleet. There she spent the majority of her early war service performing convoy escort duties in the North Atlantic and Arctic. In June 1941, she intercepted the German weather ship Lauenburg, and recovered parts of an enigma machine and codebooks before the ship sank. The next month, Fiji operated in the Arctic, sinking the German training ship Bremse off Norway, though she received damage to her bows, possibly from a mine, and required repairs. By August 1942, repairs were complete, and Nigeria was sent to the Mediterranean to provide escort for the Malta convoy; Operation Pedestal. However she was torpedoed and damaged by the Italian submarine Axum during the battle and sent to the US for repairs. Nigeria operated in the South Atlantic in 1943, and joined Kenya with the British Pacific Fleet in 1944, taking part in operations against the Japanese. Nigeria was the only Fiji sub-class to retain X-turret. Her post-war service station was the South Atlantic until 1950, when she was placed in reserve. In 1954, Nigeria was sold to India where she was renamed Mysore. Mysore served in the Indian Navy until the 1980s when she was finally decommissioned and scrapped.

Kenya was also commissioned in September 1940 and assigned to the Home Fleet. She performed convoy escort duties in the North Atlantic, but in May 1941 was tasked, along with the rest of her squadron, with hunting the Bismarck and her supply ships, one of which, the Belchen was caught by Kenya. In October 1941, she sank the German blockade runner Kota Pinang off Cape Finisterre. Kenya thrn served a short tour in the Mediterranean before departing again for the North Atlantic and Arctic waters. There she participated in operations against German ships and installations on the Norwegian coast until mid-1942. Deployed to the Mediterranean again to take part in the Malta convoys; Operations Harpoon and Pedestal, Kenya was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Alagi during Pedestal, and returned to the UK for repairs until the end of 1942. From 1943 to the end of the war, Kenya accompanied the British Pacific Fleet as it conducted raids through the East Indies and into the Central Pacific. Post-war, Kenya was assigned to the Americas until she was placed in reserve during the final years of the decade. Kenya was reactivated for the Korean War, and joined Royal Navy forces there. After the war, Kenya again served in the Americas, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic before once again being placed in reserve in 1958. Kenya was sold for scrapping in 1962.

Mauritius was commissioned into the Home Fleet in January 1941, where she performed convoy escort duties. Reassigned to the Eastern Fleet to escort convoys in the Indian Ocean after war with Japan, she was then sent on to the Mediterranean in 1943 where she participated in the invasions of Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio as gunfire support. Returned to the UK for refit in early 1944, Mauritius provided further escort to convoys in the Mediterranean and then gunfire support for Operation Overlord, where she then patrolled the Brittany coast, sinking a minesweeper and 5 patrol boats. In the last few months of 1944, Mauritius joined the aircraft carriers of the Home Fleet for raids on the Norwegian coast, and in early 1945 engaged in a small naval action with German destroyers, damaging the Z31. Her post-war service was spent in the Mediterranean until 1949, when she was transferred to the East Indies until 1951. Mauritius was placed in reserve in 1952 until she was sold for scrapping in 1965.

Trinidad was commissioned in October 1941 and performed convoy escort service on the Arctic routes for convoys PQ-8 and PQ-6. In March 1942, she escorted convoy QP-8 against a potential attack from the battleship Tirpitz. Later in the month, she engaged the German destroyers Z24, Z25 and Z26 attempting to attack convoy PQ-13, and was hit by one of her own torpedoes which had malfunctioned and circled. Trinidad survived and was able to reach Murmansk, but on the return voyage she suffered a bomb hit near the torpedo damage, causing a major fire. The fire grew out of control, so Trinidad was evacuated and sunk by 3 torpedoes from the escorting destroyer HMS Matchless on 15 May 1942.

Gambia was assigned to the Eastern Fleet after commissioning in early 1942, escorting convoys on her way to the fleet, and assisted in the occupation of Vichy Madagascar several months later. She then carried out convoy escort duties until mid-1943, when she was engaged in anti-submarine patrols off the Bay of Biscay. At this time, she was transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy while both Leander and Achilles were under repair. In 1944 Gambia returned to the Eastern Fleet, eventually joining her sisters in the British Pacific Fleet and participating in the carrier raids in the East Indies, Central Pacific, and the home islands of Japan. Post-war, Gambia continued service with the Eastern Fleet before transferring to the Mediterranean in 1950, the East Indies in 1955, the Mediterranean again in 1958, the South Atlantic in 1960, and finally the Home Fleet before being sent to reserve. During this time she provided aid to islands struck by natural disasters. Although considered for preservation, Gambia was too poor condition, so Belfast was saved instead. She was sold off for scrapping in 1968.

Jamaica was commissioned in mid-1942 and joined the Home Fleet for Arctic convoy duty. She briefly detoured to support Operation Torch, bombarding and supporting the invasion at Oran, and then returned to Arctic waters to escort the Arctic convoys. In December 1942, Jamaica alongside Sheffield fought at the Battle of the Barents Sea against the German cruisers Admiral Hipper and Lutzow to protect convoy JW-51B. Throughout 1943, she escorted arctic convoys, and in December she took part in the Battle of the North Cape where Scharnhorst was sunk, Jamaica firing 2 of the torpedoes that finally sunk the German Battleship. She resumed duties in the Arctic and Home fleet, and was under refit to join the British Pacific Fleet, but the war with Japan ended before this was carried out. Post-war, Jamaica served with the Eastern Fleet through 1947, then in the Americas through 1949, returning to Asia for the Korean War. In reserve from 1951 to 1954, Jamaica served her final years in the Mediterranean until 1957. She was sold off for scrapping in 1960.

Bermuda was commissioned in August 1942 and joined the Home Fleet for convoy escort duty. In late 1942, she participated in Operation Torch against Vichy France, returning to convoy duty in the arctic in early 1943. Later in June 1943, Bermuda began anti-submarine patrols in the Bay of Biscay before rejoining operations in the Arctic through 1944. Under refit through early 1945, Bermuda was scheduled to join the British Pacific Fleet when the war ended. Post-war, Bermuda was assigned to the Eastern Fleet through 1947 when she was sent to the reserve until 1950. From 1950 to 1953, Bermuda served in the South Atlantic. She was then transferred to the Mediterranean in time to assist with the delivery of aid to earthquake victims in Greece, and was again placed in reserve in 1956, returning to the Mediterranean in 1958. She was finally decommissioned in 1962 and sold for scrap in 1965.

Historical Inaccuracies

• In game, Fiji has a 114mm main belt, while it was only 89mm historically. This increase can be explained by the addition of the 25mm backing plate into the belt armour value.
• Fiji uses the armour values for the Mk.XXIII turrets from Edinburgh, the actual values for Fiji's Mk.XXIII turrets were 51mm for the front, and 25mm elsewhere.
• The 51mm deck armour of Fiji is seemingly not present.
• Both the (A)-hull and (B)-hull have completely fictional anti-aircraft fits. No cruiser of the Fiji sub-class ever carried Octuple 40mm 'pompoms' or Quadruple 40mm 'bofors'. The smaller guns are very loosely based off of various conditions of HMSKenya, but are not consistent.
• Fiji's actual anti-aircraft complement at the time of her sinking were four twin 4-inch (102 mm) dual-purpose guns, two quadruple 40 mm Vickers pom-pom guns and four quadruple 12.7 mm Vickers machine guns.
• Fiji's historical top speed was 31.5kn, not the 32.5kn in game.
• Although Fiji uses the same 152mm Mk.XXVIII guns as Belfast, Leander, Edinburgh and Perth, Fiji, like other regular Royal Navy Light cruisers in game only gets access to AP shells. Historically, ships using the Mk.XXVIII gun were outfitted with both AP/CPBC (Common Pointed Ballistic Cap) and HE shells.
• The premium camouflage for Fiji is actually that of sister ship HMS Trinidad.
• Although the in game description lists 11 in the Fiji class, the last 3 ships are commonly considered their own sub-class, the Ceylon sub class.

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  Launch of HMS Fiji, 31 May 1939.

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  HMS Fiji on 28 August 1940.

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  HMS Fiji underway at sea.

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  Fiji at anchor in Alexandria, Egypt in 1941.

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  Fiji under bombing attack in Kithera Strait near Crete.

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  Plaque for HMS Fiji and her crew in Portsmouth Cathedral.

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  HMS Kenya in the Arctic Circle, May 1942.

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  HMS Ceylon at anchor in Greenock, Scotland, July 1943.

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  HMS Kenya at anchor, August 1950.

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  HMS Bermuda in Malta, August 1953.

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  HMS Gambia and HMS Bermuda escort Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II from Tobruk to Malta during her first Commonwealth Tour as sovereign, May 1954.

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  HMS Bermuda docks in Malta, 25 March 1959.