HMS Cleopatra - Torpedoed!

16 July 1943

HMS Cleopatra 1941

HMS Cleopatra was hit amidships by a torpedo from an Italian submarine, she sustained major damage to her structure with flooding of machinery compartments causing a list.

Only 'Local' control of armament was possible.

30 of ship's company were killed or missing with 23 wounded.

The ship survived.

As a Anti Aircraft Cruiser Cleopatra had a crew of around 500 - 550 sailors and marines, the Royal Marines compliment was smaller than larger cruisers (anywhere from 50 - 100) and was probably around 25 - 30.

Typical Roles & Responsibilities on a Light AA Cruiser

• Ship Security & Discipline

  • Conduct routine patrols and enforce shipboard regulations

  • Provide security in foriegn ports

  • Provide security for POW's

• Ceremonial Duties

  • Forming honor guards for VIP visits or ceremonial events

  • Performing guard mounting during port visits and official receptions

• Gun Crews & Damage Control Backup

  • Man light AA mounts or pom-poms

  • Acting as "force multiplier" during battle stations, damage control, or firefighting

• Battery & Ammunition Handling

  • Managing ammunition supplies.

• Boat Party Security & Boarding Teams

  • Providing armed oversight during boarding operations

  • Providing landing parties

Included in the casualties were the following Royal Marines:

LOVICK, Richard H, Musician, RMB/X 779,

LARKINS, Richard A, Corporal, RM, CH/X 2150.

Stephen Boycott [1]

My father Norman Stanley Boycott served on the Cleopatra as Capt. RM from 1941 to 1942.

He told me that Cleopatra was different to the other Dido Class cruisers by way that the Q turret was a smaller bore to the A and B turrets and was the same as the X and Y.

During the Battle of Sirte when ammunition had to be carried from forward to aft to keep the X and Y guns firing.

First hand account by Thomas William Armstong (RN) [2]

The night of July 15th we proceeded again to our special area, this time going in close to the Italian mainland, and further up the Messina Straits than on any previous occasion, with orders to proceed to Malta on completion of the night's patrol.

At 0600 on the morning of 16th July, the Defence Watch was closed up at the disbandment of All Night Action stations.

At 0616 as the weary crews were making for the bathrooms to wash before breakfast, the ship rocked and shuddered to a heavy explosion on the starboard side. To watchers on the upper-deck, came the sight of a huge cloud of black smoke, interlaced with red flashes of flame which billowed above them, followed by the rending and buckling of steel plates and bulkheads.

Oil fuel gushed high and above the bridge superstructure.

All lighting failed, and the ship listed heavily to the inrush of water. The Cleopatra had been torpedoed.

For a second all were stunned by the explosion, eyes smarting from smoke and fumes. Then without any panic, repair parties rushed to ascertain the amount of damage, men rushed to assist rescue of anyone trapped below, while the remainder of the ships company mustered on the upper-deck awaiting orders. Meanwhile our escorting destroyers had returned to cover us from further attack, and Euryalus proceeded at full speed from the danger area. Reports from repair parties stated that the bulkheads were holding, slow speed could be made from B Engine room - and so we slowly proceeded to Malta, protected by destroyers on either side, and Euryalus astern.

The torpedo had struck between the forward engine room and boiler room with devastating effect, the crews in these compartments were beyond help, both being a twisted mass of steel and wreckage. Ratings in the flat above had been injured, and some seriously by burning oil and blast.

Some men on the close range guns had been blown to the deck below while others were injured by burning oil, blasted through the upper deck vents.

Fires down below were quickly controlled by the Engineers Branch. Men on Watch in the next engine room, already badly shaken by the terrific explosion, maintained their stations, so that within a short time the ship was under way, although heavily listing. The upper-deck itself was badly buckled and twisted. The motorboat being blown to pieces.

As the injured were brought up from below, they were efficiently doctored by first-aid parties, the oil fuel wiped off, and their burns smeared with anti-burn jelly. The Torpedo Party had the lights going again in a short while, while the Seamen Branch disposed of all heavy upper-deck gear to stabilize the ship, the cooks doing commendable work in preparing tea and sandwiches.

At 1030 we had the disturbing duty of burying the first of our shipmates at sea. The Captain read the service. By mustering the remaining ships company, 22 were found to be killed and 24 badly burnt.

Later in the day the ship made Malta, her ships company fallen in Tropical Rig for entering harbour. The Cleopatra, although seriously wounded was still a proud ship, although many of her men were lost forever

HMS Cleopatra - War Service [3]

Cleopatra was a a Dido Class Cruiser and was commissioned on 5th June 1941.

Cleopatra went out to Gibraltar early in 1942, and on 9 February she sailed for Malta, where she was immediately damaged by a bomb. After repair, she was transferred to Alexandria in early March for the 15th Cruiser Squadron.

She was Admiral Philip Vian's flagship during the Second Battle of Sirte, when his group of four light cruisers and 17 destroyers held off an Italian force which included the battleship Littorio, two heavy cruisers, a light cruiser and 10 destroyers, which had all been sent to intercept their convoy to Malta.

During the engagement, Cleopatra's radar and wireless stations were wrecked by a 6" round fired by the Italian light cruiser Giovanni delle Bande Nere.

Other reports state that Cleopatra's after turrets were also damaged.

In June 1942, she covered Operation Harpoon and Vigorous, and in August bombarded Rhodes as a diversion for the Operation Pedestal convoy.

Cleopatra was dry docked in Massawa on 19 September 1942 for minor repairs and cleaning and was un-docked five days later. During the refloating, she slipped on the angled dry dock, crushing every wooden keel block on the dock but sustaining little hull damage. Captain Guy Grantham considered the resulting leak a minor nuisance and ordered Cleopatra to return to service.

By January 1943, Cleopatra was part of Force "K", later Force "Q" at Bône, from where the Axis traffic to and from Tunisia was attacked. Later, she was a unit of the 12th Cruiser Squadron, and was present at the landings in Sicily, Operation Husky, in June, followed by supporting the army ashore. On 16 July 1943, Cleopatra was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Dandolo and again badly damaged.

Temporary repairs were made at Malta which lasted until October 1943, after which she sailed to Philadelphia, US, for full repairs.

Like HMS Phoebe, Cleopatra was fitted with quad Bofors in place of its pom poms.

Mediterranean experience had shown that air attacks over the bow were common, and more forward fire power was provided with the quad Bofors in "B" position.

These were completed in November 1944, and in 1945 she went out to the East Indies, where she was the first ship into the newly recaptured Singapore Naval Base in September.

Cleopatra at anchor in the Clyde, April 1945

Related Royal Marines 'Dits'

Further Reading/ References

[1] HMS Cleopatra Association

[2] First hand account by Thomas William Armstong (RN) - WW2 Cruisers

[3] HMS Cleopatra (33) - Wikipedia