LONDON-Class
cruiser ordered on 17th March 1926 from
Hawthorn Leslie at Newcastle under the1926
Build Programme. She was laid down on 1st
February 1927 and launched on 22nd February
1928 as the 4th RN ship to
be given this name introduced in 1652 and
last used for a 2nd Rate in 1802. The ship
was completed on 19th March 1929. This cruiser was adopted by Investment Trusts, a
Financial Company in the City of London
after a successful WARSHIP WEEK Campaign for
National Savings in March 1942. She had a
long standing association
with the County of Sussex since her build
and also, since 1940, with Liverpool after being given the Freedom of the City.
1
9 3 9
September
Took up War Station in Mediterranean.
4th
Deployed with the 1st Cruiser Squadron in
the Mediterranean
on contraband
control duty.
(Note: Other ships in Squadron were HMS
DEVONSHIRE and SHROPSHIRE.)
Sailed from Alexandria
for patrol.
October
Transferred to East Indies Station for
trade protection duty.
2nd
Sailed from Alexandria
for South Atlantic.
13th
On arrival at Simonstown
transferred to South Atlantic Command.
November
8th
Deployed with HM Cruiser SHROPSHIRE
as Hunting Group H in search for the
German battleship
ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE in the South
Atlantic.
Searched with Group H in conjunction with
Hunting Group E
(Note: Force E comprised HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN, HM Aircraft Carrier ARK
ROYAL
and HM Cruiser
NEPTUNE)
11th
Transferred to River Plate area.
Redeployed in Indian
Ocean off Durban to continue search.
December
2nd
Intercepted
German merchant ship WATUSSI with HMS
RENOWN.
German scuttled
and hulk sunk by
HMS RENOWN.
Rescued crew and
passengers from German ship.
Search continued with HM Cruiser SHROPSHIRE
between St.
Helena and Cape of Good Hope.
15th
Called at Capetown to disembark
prisoners.
27th
Transferred to 4th Cruiser Squadron in East
Indies and took passage to
Colombo.
1
9 4 0
January
6th
Arrived at Colombo
after call at Mauritius.
15th
Deployed in Indian
Ocean on interception and trade protection.
18th.
Returned passage to Colombo
27th
Passage to Trincomalee from Colombo
with HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE and HM
Australian
Cruiser HOBART.
29th
Returned to Colombo.
February
Carried out search between Colombo
and Aden.
8th
At Aden.
Continued patrol during return passage to
Colombo.
Escorted military
convoy in Indian
Ocean.
March
In view of
continuing crisis in Home waters
transferred to UK
for service
with 1st Cruiser
Squadron in Home
Fleet.
To be refitted at Liverpool commercial shipyard before joining Squadron.
(Note: For details of deployments for
interception of commerce raiders see
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
Corelli Bamett).
1st
Took passage from Colombo
with calls at Aden
and Malta.
10th
At Malta
18th
Under refit at Liverpool.
April
Under refit
Harbour trials
(Note: During the stay in Liverpool ship was given the Freedom of the City.)
May
On completion of sea trials took passage
to join Squadron at Scapa
Flow.
Deployed with
other ships of Squadron for interception
of any attempt by German
ships to break
out into Atlantic via NW Approaches.
June
Deployed for escort of evacuation convoys
from Norway with Home Fleet ships.
5th
Joined HM Battle
cruisers RENOWN and REPULSE accompanied
by HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD
with screen of
five Home Fleet destroyers in search for
two unidentified ships reported as being
on passage into
the Atlantic
by HMS PRUNELLA (Q Ship)
See Naval Staff History of Norwegian
Campaign (HMSO-2002)
7th
Arrived in Iceland and returned to Scapa
Flow after fruitless search.
July
Continued deployment at Scapa Flow with Home Fleet.
16th
Deployed in another search for enemy ships
in North Sea with HM Cruisers
SHROPSHIRE
and SOUTHAMPTON screened by 8 Fleet destroyers.
Operation was
called off when
enemy ships reversed course.
(Note: During the return passage to
Scapa
Flow HM Destroyer IMOGEN was sunk in a
collision with
HM Cruiser GLASGOW in fog.
August
Deployed with 1st Cruiser Squadron at Scapa Flow.
Propulsion machinery defect discovered.
September
Under repair to turbine blades at
Princes Dock, Glasgow.
17th
Hit in Engine
Room by 2501b bomb during air raid on
Glasgow.
This caused
a serious
conflagration which threatened
magazines.
Because of danger of
explosion the
local community was evacuated.
To assist in controlling the
fire the dry
dock was flooded without time to prevent
water getting
into
the ship.
The subsequent flooding of compartments
made the her
unstable and
she capsized.
20th
Damage assessment showed extensive
structural repair would be required to
make the ship
fully
operational.
October
After being re-floated towed to Stephens
shipyard at Govan for rebuilding and
repair.
(Note: This major incident was never
publicly announced).
November
Under repair.
to
December
1
9 4 1
Under repair.
1
9 4 2
January
Under repair.
to
(Note: During repair ship was fitted with
radar equipment for surface and aircraft
warning
July
and for fire-control of secondary and AA
armament.
For details of development and use of
radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse.
Ten 20mm Oerlikon guns and two eight
barrelled Pom-Pom
mountings were installed
to improve
close range defence against air attacks.)
August
9th
On completion took passage to Scapa
Flow to rejoin the Home Fleet after post
refit trials and
shakedown
exercises.
September
4th
Rejoined 1st Cruiser Squadron at Scapa
Flow.
Worked up for service and deployed in NW
Approaches for interception of any
break-out
by commerce
raiders to attack into Atlantic shipping
October
29th
Carried out exercises with HM Battle ships
KING GEORGE V, ANSON and HOWE.
31st
Returned to Scapa
Flow after exercises.
November
Withdrawn from service for further refit
work in Tyne
shipyard.
(Note: Work included installation of fire
control radar for main armament and
replacement
of surface
warning radar by an improved design sited
on after superstructure to
improve cover.)
December
Under refit prior to deployment in
Eastern Fleet.
1
9 4 3
January
Rejoined 1st Cruiser Squadron at Scapa Flow for convoy defence and interception duties.
in Atlantic because of continuing threat by German capital ships.
February
Transferred to 4th Cruiser Squadron in
Eastern Fleet and took to passage to
Mombasa.
26th
Intercepted German tanker HOHEN FRIEDBURG
in position 500 miles SW of Cape
Finisterre.
Came under
torpedo attack by U264 which had been
with the enemy ship
but avoided a
salvo of four
torpedoes.
See HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.
(Note: No attempt was made to rescue
survivors from German ship because of the
known
threat of
further submarine attack.)
March
11th
Joined military convoy WS27 at Freetown
as Ocean Escort during passage
to Durban
26th
Detached from WS26 on arrival at Durban
April
Deployed on trade defence and
interception in Indian
Ocean.
to
(Note: One source records escort of
military convoy from Durban. This is to be confirmed)
June
(Details of Indian
Ocean trade defence see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY)
July
Became Flagship of Eastern Fleet.
15th
Carried out Squadron exercises with HM
Cruisers NEWCASTLE, SUFFOLK
and
FROBISHER off Mombasa.
19th
Passage to Ceylon
with CinC Eastern Fleet embarked for
return to Colombo.
August
Deployed as Flagship for CS4 and carried
out patrol and interception duty in Indian
Ocean
to
September
October
Under refit at Durban.
to
(Note: Work done included repair to
turbine)
November
December
Passage to Trincomalee to rejoin Eastern
Fleet
Part of Eastern Fleet escort for HM
Battleships QUEEN ELIZABETH, VALIANT and
HM Aircraft Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS and
UNICORN during passage in Indian
Ocean from
Aden
to reinforce.
Eastern Fleet.
1
9 4 4
January
Deployed on convoy defence and
interception in Indian Ocean.
February
Joined H M Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS,
HM Cruiser GAMBIA,
HM Destroyer
ROTHERHAM
and HM Netherlands Destroyer TJERK HIDDES
in search for enemy
blockade
runners SW of Cocos
Islands (Operation SLEUTH).
March
Continued Indian
Ocean deployment.
April
Transferred to Home waters for refit.
May
Passage to UK.
June
Under refit at Chatham.
to
December
1
9 4 5
January
Under refit.
to
(Note: Extensive changes were made
including removal of X Turret aft, the
aircraft
February
facilities and torpedo tubes.
More modern radars were also installed
including
barrage fire
control. Siting
of close range AA weapons was also
improved.)
March
Carried out post refit trials on
completion of dockyard work
Nominated for
service with 5th Cruiser Squadron in
Eastern Fleet
April
Passage to Scapa Flow.
25th
Took passage to Mediterranean.
May
1st
On arrival at Gibraltar
diverted and sailed for Bermuda
4th
Returned to Gibraltar
(Note: This unusual diversion requires
further investigation. The ship may have
been
recalled to
resume work-up programme with ships of
Mediterranean Fleet.)
Worked up in Mediterranean
prior to Fleet duty in Indian Ocean.
June
Completed work-up.
July
Took passage to join Eastern Fleet at
Trincomalee.
On arrival
at Trincomalee deployed in Indian
Ocean with Squadron.
19th
Joined HM Battleship NELSON, HM Escort
Aircraft Carriers EMPRESS and
AMEER
screened by four
Fleet destroyers as Force 63 to cover
minesweeping
operations by
the 4th Minesweeping Flotilla off Phuket
Island and
a series of air
strikes
by the aircraft
carriers on the Kra
Isthmus. (Operation LIVERY}
24th
HM Minesweeper SQUIRREL sunk by mine
during clearance of minefields.
26th
Under KAMIKAZE attacks during which two
aircraft were destroyed..
Sustained
slight structural damage above
waterline by the wreckage of a Japanese
aircraft.
HM Minesweeper VESTAL was sunk and HMS
AMEER was damaged.
August
Deployed with Eastern Fleet in preparation
for Malayan landings (Operation ZIPPER).
(Note: This operation was delayed by US
insistence and problems related to the
return
to UK
of long serving personnel under the PYTHON
Scheme.
See Final Report of Supreme Commander, SEAC
(HMSO) )
31st
Sailed from Trincomalee and took passage
to Singapore
for re-occupation of Singapore
and as Flagship
for Occupation Force. (Operation TIDERACE)
September
Covered passage of assault convoys for
landings at Port Swettenham
and
Port Dickson.
4th
Arrived off Singapore
with HM Landing Ship (Infantry) KEDAH and
ships of 7th
Minesweeping Flotilla.
The surrender of Japanese forces in Singapore
by Lt-Gen Itagaki
and Vice
Admiral
Fukudone, UN
was accepted on board.
12th
Present at formal surrender of Japan
to Supreme Commander, SEAC by General Itakagi
Retained at Singapore
during landing of 3rd Commando Brigade.
(For details of fleet operations see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C.
Barnett
and the Naval Staff History).
HMS
SUSSEX remained with the Eastern Fleet after
VJ Day and provided cover for the landings of
the 5th Indian Division at Soerabaya,
Java with HM Destroyers CARRON, CAESAR and
CAVALIER in November 1945. Before return
to UK on 6 March she supported military
operations against insurgents in Java.
Nominated for use as a troopship she returned
to Chatham late in March 1946 and after
essential changes to suit this role she
carried personnel returning from the Far east
until Paid-Off at Devonport prior to refit. On
completion in April 1947 she re-commissioned
for service in the 5th Cruiser Squadron,
British Pacific Fleet. Before joining the
Fleet in the Far East as Flagship for the
Squadron she worked-up in Malta. At the end of
1948 she was relieved by HMS BELFAST and
returned to Pay-off into Reserve at
Portsmouth. She was de-equipped in February
1949 and placed on the Disposal List. Sold to
BISCO for demolition on 3rd January 1950 the
ship arrived in tow at Dalmuir,
Glasgow on 23rd February where she was
broken-up by Arnott
Young.