HMS Argonaut (61)

Argonaut in her war (dazzle) colours, November 1943 just after repairs at the Philadelphia Navy Yard
History
United Kingdom
Name	Argonaut
Builder	Cammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, UK)
Laid down	21 November 1939
Launched	6 September 1941
Commissioned	8 August 1942
Out of service	6 July 1946
Reclassified	In reserve from 1946 to 1955
Identification	Pennant number: 61
Fate	Scrapped, 19 November 1955
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Dido-class light cruiser
Displacement	5,600 tons standard 6,850 tons full load
Length	485 ft (148 m) pp 512 ft (156 m) oa
Beam	50.5 ft (15.4 m)
Draught	14 ft (4.3 m)
Propulsion	Parsons geared turbines Four shafts Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers 62,000 shp (46 MW)
Speed	32.25 knots (59.73 km/h; 37.11 mph)
Range	2,414 km (1,303 nmi; 1,500 mi) (1,500 miles) at 30 knots 6,824 km (4,240 miles) at 16 knots
Complement	480
Armament	:10 (5×2) 5.25 in (133 mm) dual purpose guns, 4 × 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 8 (2×4) 2 pdr (40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2 × 21-inch (533 mm) triple Torpedo Tubes.
Armor	:Belt: 3 inch, Deck: 1 inch, Magazines: 2 inch, Bulkheads: 1 inch.

HMS Argonaut was a Dido-class cruiser of the British Royal Navy which saw active service during the Second World War. Constructed at the Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead, Argonaut was laid down in 1939, launched in September 1941, and formally commissioned into service on 8 August 1942.^[1]

She saw service in the Mediterranean in 1942, and was badly damaged on 14 December. After being repaired she took part in Operation Overlord, the Normandy Landings, and Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France, before serving as an escort carrier group flagship.

After the war she was laid up and scrapped in 1955.