HMS Ajax (22)
This is the third and final post relating to the Battle of the River Plate and features the second Leander-class light cruiser that participated, HMS Ajax (22).
Ajax was built at Vickers' Shipyard, in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Laid down on 7 February 1933, she was launched on 1 March 1934 and completed on 12 April 1935. After serving in the Caribbean, she underwent her first refit in late 1937, at which time the four single 4-inch QF high-angle guns were replaced by twin turrets, as seen above (compare with Achilles' original fit in the image I posted two days ago). She retained a Fairey Seafox spotter planes, although they were later replaced by Supermarine Walruses.
She became famous for her part in the 13 December 1939 Battle of the River Plate, in which the Admiral Graf Spee obtained seven hits on her, disabling X and Y turrets, causing further structural damage and 12 casualties including seven killed. At the end of the action she had less than 20% of her 6" main armament remaining.
In 1942 her anti-aircraft armament was improved with the addition of 11 Oerlikon 20mm cannons. She was bombed in harbour at Bone, Algeria, in 1943 and refitted in Norfolk Navy Yard, VA., where four American quadruple 40mm anti-aircraft mounts replaced some (all?) of the earlier AA fits.
She returned to Europe in time to support the landings at Gold Beach on D-Day and later Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France in August 1944. Post-war, she supported British anti-Communist operations in Greece. She also escorted the refrigerated cargo ship Highland Monarch for at least part of her journey (probably from Freetown) to the mouth of the Elbe river, Germany, in 1946. The cargo ship was repatriating the surviving members of the Admiral Graf Spee's crew, many of whom were reluctant to go, having married and settled in Argentina in the six year since they were interned.
Ajax was decommissioned in 1948 and went for scrapping in 1949.
Details of the Leander-class design and fit can be found under the Achilles image posted two days ago.
Seen under glass in the Museum of the Royal Dockyard at Chatham Historic Dockyard.
HMS Ajax (22)
This is the third and final post relating to the Battle of the River Plate and features the second Leander-class light cruiser that participated, HMS Ajax (22).
Ajax was built at Vickers' Shipyard, in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Laid down on 7 February 1933, she was launched on 1 March 1934 and completed on 12 April 1935. After serving in the Caribbean, she underwent her first refit in late 1937, at which time the four single 4-inch QF high-angle guns were replaced by twin turrets, as seen above (compare with Achilles' original fit in the image I posted two days ago). She retained a Fairey Seafox spotter planes, although they were later replaced by Supermarine Walruses.
She became famous for her part in the 13 December 1939 Battle of the River Plate, in which the Admiral Graf Spee obtained seven hits on her, disabling X and Y turrets, causing further structural damage and 12 casualties including seven killed. At the end of the action she had less than 20% of her 6" main armament remaining.
In 1942 her anti-aircraft armament was improved with the addition of 11 Oerlikon 20mm cannons. She was bombed in harbour at Bone, Algeria, in 1943 and refitted in Norfolk Navy Yard, VA., where four American quadruple 40mm anti-aircraft mounts replaced some (all?) of the earlier AA fits.
She returned to Europe in time to support the landings at Gold Beach on D-Day and later Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France in August 1944. Post-war, she supported British anti-Communist operations in Greece. She also escorted the refrigerated cargo ship Highland Monarch for at least part of her journey (probably from Freetown) to the mouth of the Elbe river, Germany, in 1946. The cargo ship was repatriating the surviving members of the Admiral Graf Spee's crew, many of whom were reluctant to go, having married and settled in Argentina in the six year since they were interned.
Ajax was decommissioned in 1948 and went for scrapping in 1949.
Details of the Leander-class design and fit can be found under the Achilles image posted two days ago.
Seen under glass in the Museum of the Royal Dockyard at Chatham Historic Dockyard.