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HMS Exeter (68)

1931 WORLD WAR 2

HMS Exeter (68) History

The York-class was a group of two-person heavy cruisers used by the Royal Navy prior to World War II (1939-1945). HMS York was commissioned in 1930 and HMS Exeter was commissioned in 1931. The gap between her order dates led to some important changes and improvements to the Exeter's design, resulting in a more modern and streamlined surface combatant. HMS Exeter (68) ordered on 15 March 1928 and laid at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth on 1 August 1928.

She was launched on July 18, 1929, and officially commissioned on July 27, 1931.

The modifications brought to Exeter resulted in a markedly different silhouette from the original lead ship York. Exeter's bridge structure is lower and more closed, while her funnel and brigs are perfectly vertical, not bent aft. The boat is also wider.

In terms of weapons, Exeter followed the York design pattern, and the propulsion machinery remained unchanged.

When built, the HMS Exeter displaces 8,400 tonnes under standard load and up to 10,400 tonnes under full load. She is 575 feet long, with a beam of 58 feet and a draft of 17 feet. Her machine consisted of 8 Admiralty three-barrel water tube boilers and 4 geared steam turbines producing 80,000 horsepower on 4 shafts.

Top speed in ideal conditions is just over 32 knots, with a range of 12,430 miles at 14 knots. Her full crew is 630 people. Armor protection appears to be 3" on the main belt and 2" on the deck.

Heavy cruisers were originally intended for long-term service on the high seas, but had to maintain a delicate balance between speed and powerful armament, while also providing armor protection. Like other medium ships, cruisers can be required to operate independently or as part of a larger fleet, which requires a multi-role design approach. Many served as scouts for the main fleet, and their cannons gave them a good chance to fight other warships.

Like other designs of the period, the Exeter was subject to restrictions imposed by post-World War I naval treaties to prevent further global naval arms races.

Exeter has a 6 x 8" (203 mm) BL L/50 Mark VIII main battery with two mounted atop three main turrets - two forward of the bridge and one turret Located aft of the stern mast. Just one full broadside to count all six guns Additional fire is seen from the 4 x 4" (101.6mm) QF Mk V gun mounted on a single gun mount. Approximately 8 x .50 caliber Vickers heavy machine guns are deployed for local defense, in addition to 2 x standard size 21" (533mm) "triple" torpedo launchers (six torpedoes).

A pair of Supermarine Walrus seaplane reconnaissance aircraft, launched by two catapult systems amidships, recovered by starboard cranes.

After commissioning, the HMS Exeter entered service with the Atlantic Fleet, which operated from 1931 to 1935. She worked in Mediterranean waters until 1939 and the outbreak of World War II in Europe on September 1. By this time the ship had been diverted to South American waters, and it was mid-December 1939 that HMS Exeter, along with HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles, was pulled into battle with KMS Graf Spee - a major German ship operating nearby Pocket battleship. This engagement went down in history as the Battle of the River Plate.

During the battle, Exeter inflicted significant damage to the German warships, causing the enemy to retreat to Montevideo, a neutral Uruguay. Believing that the larger British fleet was waiting for the ship to leave port, the Graf Spee sank and was permanently out of the war.

However, the battle also caused considerable damage to Exeter itself. She was transferred to the Falklands for basic repairs until January 1940, which was enough to allow her to cross the Atlantic back to her home waters in Devonport for full repairs - which took place between February 1940 and 1941 March. She also underwent an overhaul to modernize her components after her battle experience with Count Spee.

8 x QF 2-pdr (40mm) cannons and 2 x 20mm Oerlikon cannons have been added to AA defenses. She rejoined the Royal Navy in 1941 and undertook several escort operations in response to attacks by German U-boats.

HMS Exeter was redeployed to the Far East to protect British and Allied interests from a possible Japanese takeover following the Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. naval port of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941. On February 27, 1942, she took part in the first naval battle of the Java Sea, pitting Dutch, American, British and Australian forces against the Japanese navy. The battle was a decisive victory for Japan, resulted in the fall of the Dutch East Indies and resulted in the sinking of two Allied light cruisers and three destroyers - this was the same as the sinking of the only IJN destroyer and 36 men die.

During this engagement, Exeter was hit directly by an 8-inch shell, taking the crippled ship out of combat.

On 27 February 1942, the Exeter arrived in Surabaya for temporary repairs, and the following evening, two destroyers, HMS Encounter and USS Pope, escorted them through the Sunda Strait to the Java Sea (to preserve Ceylon to gain access to more repairs). Work). Another battle followed earlier on March 1 with Japanese warships (cruisers and destroyers) - marking the second battle in the Java Sea.

The Japanese army consisted of four cruisers and four destroyers, and the battle began with gun battles that lasted for hours.

Exeter took a big hit in their boiler room, which took them out of power. and stopped the battleship. It was ordered to sink her out of enemy control, but before this operation was completed, she received two torpedoes on the starboard side, supplied by IJN Inazuma. Exeter is now badly damaged and flooded, sinking (Encounter and Pope joined her in time).

The Exeter's crew of 652 were captured by the victorious Japanese, including the captain and other senior officers, but 152 of them died in brutal conditions in the months and years that followed.

The Exeter Hulk is about 200 feet of water about 90 miles northwest of Bavern Island. The wreck site was discovered in February 2007.