Dates: 1927 - 1954
HMS Devonshire was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that served in World War II. She was part of the London subgroup of the County class.
Devonshire served with the 1st Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean until 1932. She suffered a mishap early in her career, when on 26 July, 1929 while engaged in firing practice in the Aegean, off the island of Skhiatos, the left gun of "X" turret misfired. The breech operator did not realize it and opened the breech block, causing the charge inside the barrel to explode and also ignite the next one inside the turret; 17 men died in the mishap. Devonshire returned to England for repairs in August with "the turret swung ’round and the guns awry". As a result of this incident, a new interlock was fitted, which prevented the operator from opening the breech until it had been tripped by the gun firing or manually reset by another operator inside the turret. She was on the China Station until 1933, and returned to the Mediterranean again until 1939. This year, the surrender of the island of Minorca was signed on board, during the Spanish Civil War, and Devonshire subsequently evacuated distinguished republicans.
Under the command of the future First Sea Lord John H. D. Cunningham, she participated in the Norwegian campaign, and evacuated the Norwegian Royal Family from Norway on 6 June 1940, two months after Germany had invaded. She was part of the force for the raid on Dakar in August 1940 (Operation Menace, when she shelled ships and batteries in and around the port. When the attack was abandoned she was employed in operations against Vichy French territories on the coast of equatorial Africa, blockading the Cameroons and Gabon. She was involved in the search for the German raider Kormoran in the South Atlantic, and during her time off South Africa under the command of captain R. D. Oliver, captured an entire Vichy French convoy east of the Cape of Good Hope, on 2 November, 1941. She then served with the Home Fleet off Norway and Russia until September 1941.
On November 21, 1941, under the command of Captain R. D. Oliver, and with the help of its Supermarine Walrus observation plane, Devonshire located and then sunk a German merchant raider, the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis, at a range of 14–15 km. Seven German sailors were killed.
She was under refit at Norfolk, Virginia between January and March 1942. She then served with the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean until May 1943, covering Anzac troop convoys from Suez to Australia and then participated in the assault on Madagascar in May 1942. She underwent another refit until March 1944, and was then assigned to serve with the Home Fleet off Norway, where she covered the carrier raids against the Norwegian coast until 1945.
Postwar, she was converted to the Royal Navy’s cadet training ship in 1947, in which role she served until 1953. Life aboard her during her service in this role was chronicled in John Winton’s ’We Joined the Navy’. Devonshire was sold for scrap on 16 June 1954 and arrived at Newport on 12 December 1954 where she was broken up by Cashmore’s.
Memories of HMS Devonshire
HMS Devonshire, random memories db tanky in 1977Written by Billy Beck
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"Gibraltar 4 runs ashore was it 50 pubs ?
the mucky Duck portsmouth then joanna’s southsea with who?
West Palm Beach Ark Royal
St thomas
san wan Porto rico
esbjerg denmark
roosevelt roads
portland
guadeloupe
Weymouth
Disney World
all the good stuff
being in dry dock for ages then getting out and some idiot breaks the gearbox !
and we go back in
crawling in between boilers gas turbine engines
db tanky in the north sea gale force spewing
deck plate scrubbing boiler room for ever
painting pipes
getting sent down a hatch in a fearnot suit and ba with over heating seacat missiles to see why ? (we were in caribbean)
Russ Ramus
Millie Millward
Jock Grant
Chris Herd
Pascal Ogilvie
Paddy Manson
smudge
Bob meek
countless others sorry boys i forgot"
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving HMS Devonshire
" I am looking for some of my Dad’s old shipmates. Does anyone know him? Here are his details: Name: John Stevenson NickName: Jock or Stevo Service Number: P/K 050455 Service: Navy Base/Ship: HMS Ark Royal HMS Naiad HMS Devonshire Rank: Petty Officer (POME) Year Signed Up: 1959 Year ..."
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" Anyone there who was on the 200 mile farewell, route march around Cyprus late 1960, with 63(F) Squadron, RAF Regiment, especially No 3 Flight from RAF Pergamos. I also sailed on the HMS DEvonshire from Cyprus to Singapore (RAF Tengah) when she was last used as a Troopship, on 63(F) Squadron ..."
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" ...Gary Jones from HMS Devonshire used to drink in Marthas in Portsmouth 1974/75. Can anyone help .. please ? "
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"...Gary Jones who was on HMS Devonshire 1973/74 ... used to drink in Marthas in Portsmouth...can anyone help - please? "
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" Hi Jennie If you log on to www.royalnavymemories.com This is the web site for Hms Devonshire/Leopard. You can leave a message on the guestbook etc. I was on the 66-68 commission Regards Wally Workman "
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