HMS Effingham

Effingham between 1925 and 1936
History
United Kingdom
NameEffingham
NamesakeLord Howard of Effingham
OrderedDecember 1915
BuilderHM Dockyard, Portsmouth
Laid down6 April 1917
Launched8 June 1921
CompletedJuly 1925
IdentificationPennant number: 98 (1925);[1] I98 (1938); D98 (1940)[2]
FateWrecked off Bodø, Norway, 18 May 1940
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeHawkins-class heavy cruiser
Displacement
Length604 ft 10 in (184.4 m) (o/a)
Beam65 ft (19.8 m)
Draught19 ft 3 in (5.9 m) (deep load)
Installed power
Propulsion4 × shafts; 4 × geared steam turbines
Speed30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph)
Range5,640 nmi (10,450 km; 6,490 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement690
Armament
Armour
  • Belt: 1.5–3 in (3.8–7.6 cm)
  • Deck: 1–1.5 in (2.5–3.8 cm)
  • Gun shields: 1 in (2.5 cm)
General characteristics (1938)
Installed power
  • 8 × Yarrow boilers
  • 61,000 shp (45,000 kW)
Speed29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph)
Range5,410 nmi (10,020 km; 6,230 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complementover 800
Armament

HMS Effingham was one of five Hawkins-class heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. She was not finished during the war and construction proceeded very slowly after the end of the war in 1918. Completed in 1925, the ship was assigned to the East Indies Station, sometimes serving as a flagship. She returned home in 1932 and was assigned to the Reserve Fleet as its flagship for the next four years. Effingham was rearmed and modernized in 1937–1938 and then resumed her previous role.

When the Second World War began in September 1939, Effingham was assigned to the Northern Patrol, but severe engine problems caused her to spend most of the next six months under repair. In between dockyard visits, the ship ferried a load of gold bullion to Canada and was briefly assigned to the North America and West Indies Station. After a lengthy refit at the beginning of 1940, Effingham supported Allied troops during the Norwegian Campaign, mostly bombarding German positions and providing naval gunfire support to troops ashore. While ferrying troops and supplies to Bodø on 18 May, the ship struck a shoal due to a navigational error and sank in shallow water. Her crew was evacuated without loss and the cruiser destroyed by a pair of torpedoes from an accompanying destroyer. Her wreck was salvaged after the war with only some minor wreckage remaining.

  1. ^ Dittmar, F J; Colledge, J J (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 49.
  2. ^ Lenton, H T (1973). British Cruisers. London: Macdonald. p. 151.