Dates: 1933 - 1941
HMS Galatea, after the Galatea of mythology, has been the name of eight ships in the British Royal Navy.
* HMS Galatea (1776) was a 20-gun Sixth Rate Post-ship launched in 1776 and broken up in 1783.
* HMS Galatea (1797) was a 32-gun Fifth Rate launched in 1794 and broken up 1809.
* HMS Galatea (1810) was a 36-gun Fifth Rate launched in 1810, a coal hulk after 1836, and broken up 1849.
* HMS Galatea (1859) was a wooden screw frigate launched in 1859 and broken up 1883. In 1866 she went on a world cruise, under the command of the Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.
* HMS Galatea (1887) was an Orlando-class first-class cruiser built in Glasgow, and launched on 10 March 1887 and sold for scrapping on 5 April 1905.
* HMS Galatea (1914) was an Arethusa-class light cruiser launched on 14 May 1914 at William Beardmore and Company shipyard and sold 1921.
* HMS Galatea (71) was a light cruiser of (another) Arethusa class, launched on 9 August 1934 at Scotts shipyard in Greenock, Scotland.
* HMS Galatea (F18) was a Leander-class frigate built in 1963 and expended as a target in 1988.
HMS Galatea (71) was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Greenock, Scotland), with the keel being laid down on the 2 June 1933. She was launched on the 9 August 1934, and commissioned 14 August 1935.
History
Galatea joined the Mediterranean Fleet on commissioning and acted as flagship, Rear Admiral (Destroyers). After the outbreak of war she was ordered home, and between February and March 1940 she took part in the operations to intercept Axis merchantmen attempting to break out of Vigo. In April 1940 she was involved in the Norwegian campaign, and in May joined the Nore Command as Flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron.
On 4 April 1940, the Polish destroyers Burza, Grom and Błyskawica reached their new homebase Rosyth. In the afternoon they left the harbour with Galatea, her sister ship Arethusa and three destroyers. They were ordered to conduct a patrol in the North Sea and were later ordered to intercept German invasion groups heading for Norway.
On 1 September 1940 Galatea struck a mine. She remained with the Home Fleet (under refit, between October 1940 to January 1941) until May 1941, and was involved in hunting the Bismarck operations. In July 1941 she joined the Mediterranean Fleet via the Red Sea, and by November was based at Malta with Force "K", operating against the Axis supply convoys to North Africa.
Fate
On 14 December 1941 before midnight Galatea (Capt. E.W.B. Sim, R.N.) was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-557 off Alexandria, Egypt. Captain Sim, 22 officers and 447 ratings were killed. Some 100 survivors were picked up by the destroyers HMS Griffin and HMS Hotspur.
Ironically, U-557 was accidentally sunk less than 48 hours later, by the Italian Torpedo Boat Orione.
Memories of HMS Galatea
HMS Galatea The Cod War in 1976Written by Jim Banks
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"The Cod War was caused by Iceland unilaterally declaring a two hundred nautical miles fishing zone. Our trawlers wouldn’t accept that and kept fishing as usual and the Icelandic Coastguard Vessels fitted themselves up with cutters to rip their nets off and that cost our fishermen a lot of money. So the government sent us up to protect them. I was serving on what I always refer to as the smartest and finest fighting frigate in the Royal Navy and we spent a lot of time up there. I think we did a great job but the politicians conceded defeat. My ship, HMS Galatea, didn’t have a big gun up for’ard as it had been taken off and replaced by an Ikara anti-submarine missile. The ICGV Baldur, I think it was Baldur it was a long time ago, had rammed HMS Diomede and she was in danger of sinking and it was happening too far away from us the bastards were escaping into a fjord before we could get there. Our skipper was a fucking great bloke, one of the finest naval officers I’ve ever met, he got a bastard on and decided he could blow the fuckers out of the oggin with the Ikara. So he sent a flash signal to MOD(N) requesting permission to open fire. Quickest reply I’ve ever heard of, it came back in seconds: "Negative." Good laugh though, I bet it woke the Admiral up. Our skipper was a four ringed Captain called Guetterbock, he was originally Afrikaans. Around the same time we got our bow smashed to bits and when we got back to Rosyth we were amazed to find that they had a full Leander bow lying around the dockyard and they just took ours off and stuck the new one on . We were back up the Ice in about a fortnight but this time we were even better equipped as our Jimmy had been skipper of a minesweeper previously and had the idea of fitting mine-sweeping gear to cut the ICGV cutters. So he comes down to the Stores Office and asks the best killick dusty in the navy, I’m blushing because I’m bragging, how soon we could get all this stuff. If they’ve got it, Sir, I reckon I could get it by the day after tomorrow, I used to work here before I joined up. I delivered and that got me one of the best references possible when I left the Navy.
Q: I knew it was rough up there but wasn’t aware we were battling their Coastguard as well!
That was what it was all about but there was never a shot fired. I thought it was a great laugh. It was maybe a wee bit dangerous but nobody actually got hurt. Well maybe that’s not true, a few were injured but that could have happened on exercise in rough weather like we had up there. It’s just as well we are talking about this in a message though as one of my oppos, Ken Lowcock, would have a fit. He was on HMS Salisbury during the Cod War and got a broken wrist which wasn’t set properly and has caused him problems ever since. He’s got a war pension for it but he had to take early retirement from his civvie job last year. It’s a mistake to mention it to him though as he will put a video of the operation on FB at the drop of a hat and that would give ye’ the boak. I meant to say last time that when we went back up there with the mine-sweeping gear fitted the Icelanders were really huffed because they were beaten at their own game. The trawlermen used to think we were wonderful and our Captain was a brilliant seaman, he could turn her on a tanner. I remember one of the Hull skippers came on the radio and exclaimed, "Ee, if we had more like him we’d still ’ave a fookin’ Empire!" It made me feel proud but it was funny as well. Another time we overheard a radio conversation between HMS Ariadne and a trawler skipper: "Ariadne, Ariadne, this is Warship Ariadne!" Says the sparker on Ariadne, which was the proper way for him to identify himself, "Arry fookin’ oo?" enquires the Hull trawlerman. Bloody good laugh, man. We already had Freedom of the City of Kingston Upon Hull and when we went back there they would do anything for us. Pissed as a handcart and not allowed to spend a bean. Lovely people."
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving HMS Galatea
" I know he used to mention HMS Galatea a lot but i suppose i need to do a bit more research! "
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" Jacqui, this doesn’t seem to accept email addresses but is is edit at navynews dot co dot uk. Also if you put HMS Galatea into google you will be able to find something there. It was a Leander class frigate F18. George "
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"Has anyone any past history on HMS Galatea my brother served on a ship of that name which was sunk inthe Med in WW2 1941/42 "
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" I am a High School teacher in Ipswich, but I am currently researching for a book concerning the Norwegian gold bullion saved by RN ships when Norway was invaded. I would be very interested to hear from veterans or relatives of those involved with the following HM ships during April and May 1940: ..."
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" I am trying to find any information regarding my late father who served in the RN from 1944-1966 as a stoker. He served on a number of ships the ones I have some info for are below HMS Swiftsure 1944-45 HMS Alaunia 1954 HMS Tyrian 1955 HMS Tumult 1956 HMS Sheffield ..."
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