FIJI or Colony-Class cruiser ordered from Swan Hunter,
Newcastle upon Tyne under the 1938 Estimates in 1939. The ship was laid down on
24th July 1939 and launched by Lady Hilbery, wife of
Mr Justice Hilbery on 30th November 1940. Build was
completed on 21st February 1942 and was the first RN ship to carry this name.
In March 1942 the ship was adopted by the civil community of Huddersfield, then
in the West Riding of Yorkshire following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign.
1 9 4 2
February Contractors trials.
5th Commissioned for
service.
21st Build completion and commenced
acceptance trials
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Rosyth for installation of 6
single 20mm
Oerlikon
mountings to improve defence against close range air attack.
March Passage
to Scapa
Flow
to worked-up with 18th Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet for service in
4th Cruiser Squadron, Eastern
Fleet.
Nominated for escort of military convoy to Indian Ocean.
April On completion of work-up too passage to Clyde to join
military convoy WS18.
14th Joined HM Cruiser FROBISHER, Dutch
Destroyer VAN GALEN and HM Destroyer TETCOTT
as Ocean Escort during Atlantic passage.
(Note:
Convoy also included HM Destroyer Depot Ship HECLA.)
29th Detached from WS18
on arrival at
Freetown.
May
5th Rejoined WS18 on departure from
Freetown as Ocean Escort with same
ships.
13th Detached when HMS HECLA was mined off
South Africa and escorted damaged ship to
Simonstown.
18th Passage to Kilindini
to join Squadron in Eastern Fleet for convoy defence in Indian Ocean.
29th Passage to
Ceylon with HM Battleship WARSPITE, HM
Aircraft Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS
and FORMIDABLE to re-establish Base in
Ceylon.
June
On
arrival deployed on convoy escort and interception patrol in
Indian Ocean.
July
13th Joined SCHOONER Convoy taking ANZAC
troops for part of passage from
Ceylon back
to
Australia with HM Armed Merchant Cruiser
WORCESTERSHIRE.
(Note:
Convoy included rms QUEEN
MARY, rms
AQUITANIA,
ILE
DE
FRANCE.
NIEUW
AMSTERDAM and rms QUEEN OF
BERMUDA.)
19th Relieved by USS PHOENIX and returned to
Ceylon.
August Passage
to Mombasa with ships of Eastern Fleet for execution of planned
landings to
complete occupation of
Madagascar (Operation STREAM)
September Took
part in Exercise TOUCHSTONE in preparation for STREAM with Madagascar Assault
Force.
5th Deployed with HMS WARSPITE, HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Cruisers
BIRMINGHAM,
DAUNTLESS
and CARADOC screened by destroyers as Force M
13th Escorted transports taking 29th Infantry
Brigade to Majunga for final occupation of
Madagascar
with HMS BIRMINGHAM and HM Netherlands cruiser VAN
HEEMSKERCK.
Cover
was provided by HMS WARSPITE and HMS ILLUSTRIOUS (Operation STREAM).
(Note:
HM Aircraft Carrier FORMIDABLE was intended to take part but had been retained
in Home waters.
For
full details of STREAM and other operations in the re-occupation see WAR WITH
JAPAN (HMSO)
October Remained
in area until military operations completed and then went to
Bombay for docking.
November
12th On completion of docking returned to
convoy defence in Indian Ocean.
28th Relieved HM Australian Cruiser
ADELAIDE and
Netherlands destroyer HEEMSKERCK as
escort for Convoy OW1.
December Indian Ocean convoy defence and patrol in
continuation.
1 9 4 3
January
Indian Ocean duty in
continuation.
February
6th Joined Ocean Escort off Socotra for military convoy taking
ANZAC troops back to
Australia from Suez with HM
Cruiser
DEVONSHIRE.
(Note:
Cover was provided by HM Battleships REVENGE, RESOLUTION and WARSPITE,
HM
Cruiser
MAURITIUS and 6 destroyers,
(Operation
PAMPHLET - Convoy included rms QUEEN
MARY,
AQUITANIA,
ILE DE FRANCE, NIEUW
AMSTERDAM and mv QUEEN OF BERMUDA.
17th Passage to Durban from Fremantle.
March
17th Deployed as Flagship in 4th Cruiser
Squadron for patrol and Fleet exercises in
Indian Ocean
April Deployed
for trade defence in Indian Ocean.
May
28th Took passage to UK from Capetown
with call at
Bathurst.
June
16th Paid-off.
(Note:
During refit in Liverpool commercial shipyard:
Aircraft
facilities removed.
10cm surface warning radar Type
272 and additional fire-control radar Type 283
fitted for barrage control.
For
details of development and use of radar in RN see RADAR AT
SEA by D Howse).
July Transferred
to RNZN in place of HM Cruisers ACHILLES and LEANDER approved.
to Under
refit.
August
September Harbour
trials
22nd Commissioned for
service with RNZN.
October Passage
to Scapa
Flow
on completion of post refit trials
11th Shakedown and work-up with Home Fleet at
Scapa
Flow.
November Deployed
with Home Fleet for convoy defence on completion of work-up.
December Transferred to
Plymouth for service in SW Approaches.
12th Deployed with HM Cruiser GLASGOW NNW of
Azores for interception of supply ships
and blockade runners in conjunction with RAF Coastal Command
aircraft.
Refuelling
arranged in Azores. (Operation STONEWALL).
23rd Diversion orders cancelled after
blockade runner sunk by aircraft.
27th At
Fayal in
Azores and deployed to join HM
Cruisers GLASGOW,
ENTERPRISE, PENELOPE
and ARIADNE in search for German supply tanker ALSTRUFER,
which was sunk later by
HALIFAX aircraft strike before ships
could arrive.
(See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett).
28th Unable to join operation in time to take
part in engagement by HMS GLASGOW and
ENTERPRISE against German destroyers sent
to assist ALSTRUFER
Carried out search for survivors.
30th Relieved from patrol deployment by Free
French FS LE FANTASQUE and FS LE MALIN and
returned to
Plymouth.
1 9 4 4
January Prepared
for service with Eastern Fleet.
30th Took passage to join Eastern Fleet via
Mediterranean
February
19th Joined 4th Cruiser
Squadron, Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee.
22nd Deployed in unsuccessful search for
blockade runners in Indian Ocean SW of Cocos
Islands
with HM Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Cruiser
SUSSEX, HM Destroyers
ROTHERHAM and Dutch
destroyer TJERK HIDDES (Operation SLEUTH).
For
details see WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO) and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY).
28th Detached to refuel
in Fremantle after relieved by HMS SUSSEX.
March
2nd At Fremantle.
8th Escorted Indian
Ocean convoy to
Ceylon.
17th Returned to
Trincomalee after arrival of convoy.
21st Deployed with HM Battleships QUEEN
ELIZABETH and VALIANT, HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN, HM Cruisers LONDON and
CEYLON screened by ten destroyers, for
offensive
sweep in
Indian Ocean (Operation DIPLOMAT).
27th Met US Aircraft Carrier SARATOGA and
US destroyers joining Eastern
Fleet
Returned
with Eastern Fleet ships to
Ceylon..
April
2nd Arrived at Trincomalee.
18th Joined HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, HMS VALIANT,
French battleship RICHELIEU),
HM
Cruisers CEYLON,
NEWCASTLE, NIGERIA and Dutch cruiser TROMP in Task
Force 69.
Detached
with HMS CEYLON to cover air attacks on Sabang by HM
Aircraft Carrier
ILLUSTRIOUS and USS SARATOGA as Task Force 70. (Operation
COCKPIT).
May
6th Joined HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, HMS
VALIANT, FS RICHELIEU, HM Cruisers
NEWCASTLE,
HMS NIGERIA, and Netherlands
cruiser TROMP (Task Force 65) to
cover air strikes on Soerabaya by
HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and USS SARATOGA (TF66).
(Operation TRANSOM).
8th Full transfer to RNZN approved except
for operational control.
15th Refuelled at
Exmouth Gulf,
Western Australia from Replenishment Group.
17th Covered flying operations from position
south of Java.
27th Returned to
Trincomalee with Eastern Fleet after refuelling in Exmouth Gulf.
June
10th Deployed with HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and HM Escort
Carrier ATHELING for offensive
sweep in
Bay of Bengal.
11th Covered carrier operations at targets in
Sabang as diversion during US assault on
Marianas (Operation FORAGER).
13th Passage to Madras to embark FAA
personnel for transfer to
Colombo.
17th Rest and
Recuperation period at
Colombo.
July Carried
out exercises with Eastern Fleet.
22nd Joined Eastern Fleet cover for attacks by
HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and HMS VICTORIOUS for
bombardment of Sabang with HMS
VALIANT, HMS RENOWN, FS RICHELIEU,
HM
Cruisers CUMBERLAND, KENYA,
NIGERIA,
CEYLON,
Netherlands cruiser TROMP
and destroyers. (Operation CRIMSON).
25th Bombarded shore batteries at Sabang with HMS KENYA.
August Carried
out Squadron exercises.
September
8th Joined in Eastern Fleet exercises with
HM Battleship HOWE, HM Cruisers CUMBERLAND
and
LONDON.
10th Under refit at Colombo.
October
6th Rejoined Squadron on completion of
refit.
16th Joined escort for convoy to Fremantle
during passage to
New Zealand.
November Paid
series of call at ports in
New Zealand before arrival at
Wellington.
22nd Transferred to
British Pacific Fleet on formation.
December Taken
in hand for refit by HM New
Zealand Dockyard,
Auckland
1 9 4 5
January
26th On completion of post refit trials
carried out work-up for BPF service in Auckland area.
February
14th Passage to
Sydney with HM Battleship HOWE screen
by HM Australian Destroyers
QUALITY and QUEENBOROUGH.
Carried out gunnery exercises on passage with HMS HOWE.
March
1st Sailed with part of BPF for exercises
prior to passage to Manus to join British Task
Force
113
17th Joined TF113 at
Manus.
(For
details of all BPF operations see THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by John Winton,
ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray and
WAR
WITH
JAPAN (HMSO)
23rd Joined Task Force 57 on formation with
ships of Task Force 113 when approval was given
by US Navy Commander in Chief for British ships to be
deployed with the
US 5th Fleet for
operations against airfields in the Sakishima
Group.
Designated
as part of Task Group 57.5 with HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, BLACK PRINCE
and ARGONAUT.
Sailed
from Ulithi for Operation ICEBERG
ONE.
27th Covered series of air attacks by H M
Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS,
ILLUSTRIOUS and IMPLACABLE on airfields in Sakishima-Gunto
Group with TF57.
April
1st Under sustained
air attack including the first by KAMIKAZES.
2nd Detached to tow damaged destroyer HMS
ULSTER to
Leyte for repair, escorted by
HM
Destroyer QUIBERON (RAN).
4th Joined by minesweepers HMAS BALLARAT
(RAN) and LISMORE.
Tow
broke and replacement delayed passage.
6th Returned to operations from Leyte with HM Cruiser
UGANDA, HM Destroyer URCHIN
and URSA.
11th Rejoined TF57 with HMS UGANDA and
deployed to cover carrier attacks on airfields
in
Formosa by HMS INDEFATIGABLE (Operation
ICEBERG OOLONG).
13th Accidentally shot down HELLCAT aircraft.
16th Resumed covering role for British
carrier attacks on Sakishima Gunto.
20th Took passage to Leyte with TF57 after 6th strike by
RN carriers.
23rd Arrived at Leyte.
(Note:
The ship had and epidemic of mumps on board with 45 personnel infected).
May
4th Deployed with TF57 in joint operations
with US TF58 for renewed air attacks and
bombardments of targets in Sakishima-Gunto
(Operation ICEBERG TWO)
Redesignated as part of Task Group 57-5 with HM Cruisers
SWIFTSURE, UGANDA (RCN),
EURYALUS
and BLACK PRINCE (See above references).
TG57.5
detached with HM Battleships KING GEORGE V and HOWE for bombardment of
the airfields on Miyako Shima.
Withdrew
after signal received notifying RN aircraft carriers in Task Group 57.2
were under extensive air attacks (See above references).
8th Further KAMIKAZE attacks during which
HMS FORMIDABLE and HMS VICTORIOUS
were hit.
23rd Took passage to
Manus prior to R&R period at Sydney.
(For full details see above references.)
27th On re-organisation by US Navy
transferred to US 3rd Fleet in redesignated as TF37.
30th Passage to Sydney.
June
5th Arrived Sydney for repair and leave.
28th Took passage with
ships of TF37 for Manus arriving on 4th July.
July
4th Arrives at Manus with TF37 ships
6th Took passage to
join BPF ships off Japan (Operation
OLYMPIC initial phase).
16th Joined TF 37 with HM Battleship KING
GEORGE V, HM Aircraft Carriers
FORMIDABLE,
VICTORIOUS, IMPLACABLE, HM Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND,
ACHILLES
(RNZN), EURYALUS,
UGANDA (RCN), BLACK PRINCE and Fleet
destroyers to cover joint air operations and bombardments by
TF37 and TF38 off
Japan.
18th Covered carrier group during air attacks
on targets in Tokyo -
Yokohama area.
August
2nd Detached with HM Cruisers ARGONAUT,
BLACK PRINCE and
NEWFOUNDLAND to
provide radio communications link between BPF and US TF38.
4th Released from
Link duties.
9th Detached as Task Unit 37.1.8 to join
US Task Unit 34.8.1 to carry out bombardment
of Ironworks at Kamaishi,
Northern Honshu with HMS NEWFOUNDLAND, HM
Destroyers TERMAGANT and TERPSICHORE.
Under
air attack and shot down one aircraft.
Rejoined TF37 on completion.
12th Transferred to TF38 with HMS KING GEORGE
V, HMS INDEFATIGABLE, HMS
NEWFOUNDLAND and nine RN
Fleet destroyers of 24th Destroyer Flotilla. as
TG38.5
under command of US Admiral TF38.
13th Covered HMS INDEFATIGABLE during air
attacks on airfields and shipping in North
Honshu and Hokkaido.
14th Covering
operations in continuation.
15th Shot down one aircraft attacking force
at the time of official cease-fire.
(Fore
details see above references.)
31st Entered Tokyo Bay with HMS
NEWFOUNDLAND.
September
2nd Represented RNZN at Japanese surrender ceremony in
Tokyo
Bay
(For
RNZN war service see AUSTRALIAN
AND
NEW ZEALAND WARSHIPS by
R.
Gillett).
