HMS Coventry (D 43)

 

 

Light cruiser of the Ceres class


HMS Coventry before the war

 

Navy:

The Royal Navy

Type:

Light cruiser

Class:

Ceres 

Pennant:

D 43 

Built by:

Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. (Wallsend-on-Tyne, U.K.) 

Ordered:

 

Laid down:

4 Aug, 1916 

Launched:

6 Jul, 1917 

Commissioned:

21 Feb, 1918 

Lost:

14 Sep, 1942 

 

History:

Converted to Anti-Aircraft cruiser before the war.

HMS Coventry (Capt. R.J.R. Dendy) was heavily damaged in the Eastern Mediterranean, northwest of Alexandria, Egypt in position 32.48N, 28.17E by German Ju-87 dive-bombers. The ship was on fire and had to be scuttled by HMS Zulu. 

 

 

Notable events involving Coventry include:

1 Jan, 1940
HMS Coventry was damaged in a German air attack on the Shetland Islands, north of Scotland.

15 Sep, 1940
British raid on Benghazi;
On 15 September 1940 the British battleship HMS Valiant, the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, the heavy cruiser HMS Kent and 7 destroyers left Alexandria. The next day, while south off Crete they were joined by the Anti-Aircraft cruisers HMS Calcutta and HMS Coventry. The force then sailed toward Benghazi. During the night of 16/17 September, aircraft from the Illustrious, mined the harbour of Benghazi. They also attacked shipping in the harbour with torpedoes. The Italians lost 2 destroyers and two merchants.

While returning to base from this attack the heavy cruiser HMS Kent and two destroyers were detached to bombard Bardia. During the night of 17/18 September HMS Kent was hit in the stern by a torpedo from Italian torpedo bombers. She was towed back to base by the destroyers only with great difficulty. She finally arrived back at Alexandria on the 19th. Kent was out of action for a year as she didn't return to service until September 1941.

13 Dec, 1940
HMS Coventry was torpedoed and damaged by the Italian submarine Neghelli in the eastern Mediterranean in position 32.37N, 26.44E. (see map below, position marked in red)