Dates: 1916 - 1948
HMS Caledon was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She was the nameship of the Caledon group of the C-class of cruisers.
She was built by Cammell Laird and laid down on March 17, 1916, launched on November 25, 1916 and commissioned into the Navy on March 6, 1917. She was commissioned in time to see action in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight. During the battle Ordinary Seaman John Henry Carless, although mortally wounded in the abdomen, still went on serving his gun and helping to clear away the casualties. He collapsed once, but got up again and cheered on the new gun’s crew. He then fell and died. He not only set a very inspiring example, but while mortally wounded continued to do effective work against the enemy. He was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross. HMS Caledon survived the First World War and went on to see action in the Second World War.
Caledon spent the early part of the war with the Home Fleet, where she escorted convoys and was involved in the pursuit of the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after the sinking of HMS Rawalpindi. She was reassigned to the Eastern Fleet between August 1940 and September 1942. She then rejoined the Home Fleet. Upon her arrival in the UK, she underwent conversion into an Anti-Aircraft cruiser at Chatham Dockyard between 14 September 1942 and 7 December 1943.
Obsolete by the end of the war, she was disarmed in April 1945, and subsequently sold to be broken up for scrap on 22 January 1948. Caledon arrived at the yards of Dover Industries, Dover on 14 February 1948 to be scrapped.
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving HMS Caledon
"RIGHT GUYS MIDI SHIP CUP WINNERS1982--1983 WE PLAYED THE FINAL AT HMS CALEDONIA GROUND THEN WE WENT TO THE SUBMARINERS MESS IN CALIE FOR A SESSION BUT I HAD TO GO BACK ON BOARD TO DO SCRAN YOUS GUYS CANT BE THAT OLD YOUR MEMORIES HAVE LEFT YEAS IWOULD RECKON ABOUT 50+ BY NOW"
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"Hi there looking for anyone who seved at HMS Caledonia Rosyth "
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"HMS Fisguard
HMS Caledonia
BRNC Dartmouth"
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" Quoting: liz coombes Hi there looking for anyone who seved at HMS Caledonia Rosyth "
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"hms raleigh 1956 1956
hms birmingham 1956 1957
hms caledonia-hms artifex 1957 1959
hms camperdown 1959 1962
fmu chatham dockyard 1962 196"
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