HMS Exeter (68)

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HMS Exeter (68)

HMS Exeter (68) was a York class

York class cruiser

The York class was the second and last ship class of gunned cruisers built for the Royal Navy under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922....
heavy cruiser

Heavy cruiser

The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre ....
of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
that served in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. She was laid down on 1 August 1928 at the Devonport

HMNB Devonport

Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three UK operating bases for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, Devon, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England....
Dockyard, Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a City status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers River Plym to the east and River Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound....
, Devon

Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
. She was launched on 18 July 1929 and completed on 27 July 1931. She fought against the German pocket battleship Graf Spee
Graf Spee

Graf Spee can refer to*Graf Maximilian von Spee, a Germany admiral in World War I.or to several German ships that were named after the admiral:...
at the 1939 Battle of the River Plate

Battle of the River Plate

The Battle of the River Plate was the first major naval battle in World War II. The Nazi Germany pocket battleship German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September....
, suffering extensive damage that caused a long refit. Having been rebuilt, she was sent to the East Indies where she was sunk by the Japanese in 1942.

xeter was ordered two years after her sister York

HMS York (90)

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Encyclopedia

HMS Exeter (68) was a York class

York class cruiser

The York class was the second and last ship class of gunned cruisers built for the Royal Navy under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922....
heavy cruiser

Heavy cruiser

The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre ....
of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

World War II

HMNB Devonport

Plymouth

Devon

Battle of the River Plate

The Battle of the River Plate was the first major naval battle in World War II. The Nazi Germany pocket battleship German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September....
, suffering extensive damage that caused a long refit. Having been rebuilt, she was sent to the East Indies where she was sunk by the Japanese in 1942.

Design

Exeter was ordered two years after her sister York

HMS York (90)

HMS York, pennant number 90, was a York class cruiser heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow, on 18 May 1927 launched on 17 July 1928 and completed on 1 May 1930....
and therefore her design incorporated improvements in the light of experience with the latter. Her beam was increased by to counter for increases in topweight, and the boiler uptakes were trunked backwards from the boiler rooms, allowing for straight funnels removed from the bridge rather than the raked funnels necessary in York to ensure adequate dispersal of the flue gasses. As a result, the masts were stepped straight, and the after funnel was thickened, to aid appearance. As the roof of the gun turret had proved to be inadequately strong to accommodate the catapult intended for York, Exeter had a pair of catapults angled out from amidships, with the associated crane stepped to starboard. Consequently, the bridge could be lowered (that of York being tall to give command over the intended aircraft arrangements), and was of a modern, enclosed design that was incorporated into later cruiser designs.

Modifications

In 1932, Exeter had side plating added amidships to the upper deck to enclose her open main deck as far as the after funnel (unlike the County class, the Yorks were not flush-deckers). This provided additional enclosed spaces for accommodation and working. In 1935, the intended multiple Vickers machine gun

Vickers machine gun

The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the Water cooling .303 British machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army....
s were finally added, single QF 2-pounder guns

QF 2 pounder naval gun

The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch United Kingdom autocannon, used famously as an Anti-aircraft warfare by the Royal Navy....
having been fitted in lieu. Early war modifications saw the replacement of the single guns with modern twin Mark XVI models on the ubiquitous mounting Mark XIX and a single 20 mm Oerlikon gun

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

The term "Oerlikon 20 mm cannon" refers to a series of autocannons, based on an original designed by Reinhold Becker during World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others....
added to the roof of both 'B' and 'X' turrets. Radar Type 286 air warning was added requiring the pole masts to be replaced by tripods, this primitive metric set had separate transmitting (Tx) and receiving (Rx) aerials, one at each masthead. Radar Type 284 was fitted to the director control tower atop the bridge to provide ranging information and spot fall of shot.

Service

On completion, Exeter joined the 2nd Cruiser Squadron with the Atlantic Fleet

Atlantic Fleet

Atlantic Fleet may refer to:* Atlantic Fleet * Canadian Atlantic Fleet* United States Fleet Forces Command ...
, where she served between 1931 and 1935. In 1934 she was assigned to the America and West Indies Station and remained there, with a temporary deployment to the Mediterranean during the Abyssinian crisis

Second Italo-Abyssinian War

The Second Italo?Abyssinian War was a brief colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire ....
of 1935 and 1936, until 1939.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, she formed part of the South American Division with Cumberland

HMS Cumberland (57)

HMS Cumberland was a County class cruiser heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that saw action during the Second World War....
. Together with the Leander class light cruisers

Leander class cruiser (1931)

See Leander class frigate for the later frigate class of the same name.The Leander class was a class of eight light cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s that saw service in World War II....
Ajax

HMS Ajax (22)

HMS Ajax was a Leander class cruiser which served with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom during World War II. She was made famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, the Battle of Crete, the Battle of Malta and as a supply escort in the Battle of Tobruk....
and Achilles

HMNZS Achilles (70)

HMNZS Achilles was a Leander class cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, alongside HMS Ajax and HMS Exeter ....
she engaged the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate

Battle of the River Plate

The Battle of the River Plate was the first major naval battle in World War II. The Nazi Germany pocket battleship German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September....
on 13 December 1939, which culminated in the scuttling of the Admiral Graf Spee several days later. Exeter operated as a division on her own, Achilles and Ajax as the other, in order to split the fire of Graf Spee. Exeter was hit by seven 11-inch shells and several near misses caused significant splinter damage. Sixty-one of her crew were killed and another twenty-three wounded. All three 8 inch turrets were put out of action and her speed was reduced to , forcing her to withdraw from battle. Exeter made for Port Stanley

Stanley, Falkland Islands

Stanley is the Capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope, south of Stanley Harbour, in one of the wettest parts of the islands....
in the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located from the coast of Argentina, west of the Shag Rocks , and north of the British Antarctic Territory ....
for emergency repairs which took until January 1940, then returned to Devonport without assistance for full repairs between February 1940 and March 1941. On 10 March, 1941, during the repair and refit period, her commanding officer, Captain W.N.T. Beckett MVO DSC died at Saltash Hospital, from complications resulting from surgery related to injuries received earlier in his career. He died the day Exeter was due to be re-commissioned. His replacement was Captain Oliver Loudon Gordon

Oliver Gordon

Captain Oliver Loudon Gordon MVO Royal Navy was in command of the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter from 11 March 1941 until she was sunk in the Second Battle of the Java Sea on 1 March 1942....
.

On returning to the fleet in 1941 she was engaged on escort duty for Atlantic convoys, including the escort of convoy WS-8B to the Middle East

Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
during the Bismarck

German battleship Bismarck

Hide header=|Header caption=|Ship class=|Ship displacement=41,700 tonnes standard 50,900 tonnes full load|Ship length= overall waterline...
episode. After this, she went on to the Far East

Far East

The Far East is a term current in English language to refer to the countries of East Asia. The term is often expanded to also include Southeast Asia and South Asia, for economic and cultural reasons, for example because Buddhism is common to East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia....
.

On the entry of the Empire of Japan

Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until its defeat in World War II in 1945....
into the war in December 1941, Exeter formed part of the ABDACOM

American-British-Dutch-Australian Command

File:ABDACOM Map.jpg The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command, code name ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia, in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II....
naval force intended to defend the Dutch East Indies

Dutch East Indies

The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, was the Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II.It was formed from the nationalised colony of the former Dutch East India Company that came under the administration of the Netherlands in 1800....
(Indonesia) from Japanese invasion.

Battle of Java Sea Hms Exeter Under Attack

Fate

On 27 February 1942, Exeter was damaged in the Battle of the Java Sea

Battle of the Java Sea

The Battle of the Java Sea was a major naval battle of the Pacific War of World War II. Allies of World War II navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on February 27, 1942, and in secondary actions over successive days....
when she received an 8-inch shell hit to a boiler room and was subsequently ordered to Surabaya for repairs. The destroyer HMS Electra

HMS Electra (H27)

HMS Electra was a Royal Navy E and F class destroyer destroyer . She was ordered on 1 November 1932 as part of the 1931 Naval Build Programme; launched on 15 February 1934 at the Hawthorn Leslie Shipyard at Hebburn, Tyneside....
was sunk covering her withdrawal. Two days later, when she attempted to reach the Sunda Strait

Sunda Strait

The Sunda Strait is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java island and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean. The name comes from the Indonesian term Pasundan, "West Java"....
, she was intercepted by the Japanese heavy cruisers Nachi

Japanese cruiser Nachi

was the second of the four-member Myoko class of heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy—the other ships of the class being Japanese cruiser Myoko, Japanese cruiser Ashigara, and Japanese cruiser Haguro....
, Haguro

Japanese cruiser Haguro

Haguro was the last of the four-member Myoko class cruiser of heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was named after a mountain in Yamagata Prefecture....
, Myoko

Japanese cruiser Myoko

was the name-ship of the four-member of heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy — the other ships of the class being the Japanese cruiser Nachi, Japanese cruiser Ashigara, and Japanese cruiser Haguro....
and Ashigara

Japanese cruiser Ashigara

Ashigara was a Myoko class cruiser class heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The other ships of her class were Japanese cruiser Myoko , Japanese cruiser Nachi , and Japanese cruiser Haguro ....
and the destroyers Akebono

Japanese destroyer Akebono

was the eighteenth of twenty-four destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When introduced into services, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world....
, Ikazuchi

Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi

Ikazuchi was an Akatsuki class destroyer destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was built at Uraga, Japan and was completed in August 1932....
, Inazuma

Japanese destroyer Inazuma

Inazuma was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 14 May 1944, while escorting a tanker convoy from Manila to Balikpapan, Inazuma was torpedoed and sunk by in the Celebes Sea near Tawitawi ....
, Yamakaze

Japanese destroyer Yamakaze

Yamakaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Mountain Wind" .On the night of January 11 1942, the tried to escape Tarakan Island, but was sunk by Yamakaze and patrol boat P-38....
and Kawakaze

Japanese destroyer Kawakaze

was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "River Wind".On 7 August 1943, Kawakaze was on a troop transport run to Kolombangara. In the Battle of Vella Gulf she was sunk by gunfire and torpedoes of , and , between Kolombangara and Vella Lavella ....
on the morning of 1 March 1942. The Second Battle of the Java Sea

Second Battle of the Java Sea

The Second Battle of the Java Sea was the last naval action of the Netherlands East Indies campaign, of 1941?42. It occurred on 1 March 1942, two days after the first Battle of the Java Sea....
ensued, now more appropriately called The Battle off Bawean Island, and Exeter was soon badly damaged by gunfire, one hit causing the loss of all power to the ship. Scuttling charges were set and she soon began sinking, initially listing to port only to be hit to starboard by a torpedo from the destroyer Inazuma which sat her back upright and rolled her to starboard before she finally sank about noon. Her escorting destroyers, HMS Encounter

HMS Encounter (H10)

HMS Encounter was an E class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was launched by Hawthorn Leslie in 1934.In the Second Battle of the Java Sea , HMS Encounter and USS Pope were directed to escort HMS Exeter away from the action....
and USS Pope

USS Pope (DD-225)

USS Pope was a Clemson class destroyer destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first ship named for John Pope ....
were also lost; Pope temporarily escaped the initial melee, only to be sunk by aerial attack a few hours later. About 800 Allied seamen, including the commander of Exeter, Captain Oliver Gordon

Oliver Gordon

Captain Oliver Loudon Gordon MVO Royal Navy was in command of the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter from 11 March 1941 until she was sunk in the Second Battle of the Java Sea on 1 March 1942....
, were picked up by the Japanese and became prisoners of war.

The wreck was located and positively identified in February 2007. Exeter lies in Indonesian waters, at a depth of about 200 ft (60 m), 90 miles north of Bawean Island.

External links

, The War Illustrated
The War Illustrated

The War Illustrated was a British war magazine published in London by William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose . It was first released on 22 August, 1914, eighteen days after the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, and regular issues continued throughout World War I....
, 1 February 1946.