Dates: 1933 - 1941
HMS Neptune was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom during World War II.
The Neptune was the fourth ship of its class and was the ninth Royal Navy vessel to carry the name Neptune. Built by Portsmouth Dockyard, the vessel was laid down 24 September 1931, launched 31 January 1933, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 12 February 1934 with pennant number 20.
History
During World War II, Neptune operated with a crew drawn predominantly from the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy.
In December 1939, several months after war was declared, Neptune was patrolling in the South Atlantic in pursuit of German surface raider pocket battleship (heavy cruiser) Admiral Graf Spee. Neptune, with other patrolling Royal Navy heavy units, was sent to Uruguay in the aftermath of the Battle of the River Plate. She was still in transit however on December 17 when the Germans scuttled the Graf Spee.
Neptune participated in the battle of Calabria, on 9 July 1940, during which she was hit by the Italian light cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi. The 6" shell splinters damaged her floatplane beyond repair, its wreckage being thrown into the sea.
During 1941, she led Force K, a raiding squadron of cruisers. Their task was to intercept and destroy German and Italian convoys en route to Libya. The convoys were supplying Rommel’s Afrika Korps in North Africa with troops and equipment.
Sinking
Force K was sent out on 18 December 1941, to intercept a convoy bound for Tripoli.
On the night of 19 December–20 December, Neptune, leading the line, struck two mines, part of a newly laid Italian minefield. The other cruisers present, Aurora and Penelope, also struck mines.
While reversing out of the minefield, Neptune struck a third mine, which took off her propellers and left her dead in the water. Aurora was unable to render assistance as she was already down to 10 knots (19 km/h) and needed to turn back to Malta. Penelope was also unable to assist.
The destroyers Kandahar and Lively were sent into the minefield to attempt a tow. The former struck a mine and began drifting. Neptune then signalled for Lively to keep clear. (Kandahar was later evacuated and torpedoed by the destroyer HMS Jaguar, to prevent her capture.)
Neptune hit a fourth mine and quickly capsized. Only 30 seamen, out of her complement of 767, survived the sinking, and only one was still alive, when their lifeboat was picked up five days later, by an Italian torpedo boat.
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving HMS Neptune
" Leave the poor wee laddie alone!! I’ve seen a couple of mighty clangers at fancy dress parties, for example: Wardroom Fancy Dress one night, just a few weeks after the Hillsborough tragedy, two junior officers turned up in Liverpool shirts and had painted black and blue lines down their ..."
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" Quoting: Bob CLARK My dream date would be to have Cher on one arm and Janet Street-Porter on the other. Thats if they dont mind a 60 year old "Overweight" Arnold Swartzaneggar look-alike..... Or am I really that desparate for Miss Right to sweep me off my feet and keep me to the life-style ..."
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" That reminds me of two dits that are very similar to your story: We had a sweet young Irish Wren getting wed at Plymouth to a Booty (nae taste some wimmen!) Anyway a parcel arrived for her but no return address and the spelling and writing on the address was all wrong (turns out her granny was ..."
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" Michael. Good hunting! You should get a lot of help if you try this site: www.submarinersassociation.co.uk This used to be the Submarine Old Comrades’ Association. There are many contacts, especially if you know which boats your father was on, years etc. I was general service but ..."
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" HMS NEPTUNE sank with the loss of all but one of her Ship’s company on the night of 19 December 1941. The tragedy took the lives of 757 officers and ratings; Able Seaman John Norman Walton was the sole survivor. Of those lost in NEPTUNE, 150 were New Zealanders, and 80 of them had served ..."
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