Royal
Navy
York Class Heavy Cruiser
1942
February 27, 1942
Tons
8,390
Dimensions
540' | 58' | 17'
Sunk
March 1, 1942
Crew
Captain Oliver Gordon
Ship History
Laid down on August 1, 1928 at Devonport Dockyard at Plymouth. Launched on July 18, 1929 and completed July 27, 1931. Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet from 1931-1935, and assigned to the Mediterranean until 1939.
Wartime History
Part of the South American Division, engaged German Admiral Graf Spee on December 13, 1939. Hit seven times by 11" shells and several near misses. All three turrets were damaged and speed reduced to 18 knots. Sixty crew died and twenty-three wounded. Emergency repairs were made at Falkland Islands until January 1940, then full repairs at Devonport for fourteen months. Returning to service for escort of Atlantic convoys, then to the Far East.
Participated in the Battle of the Java Sea. Hit in the boiler room and ordered to Surabaya. During the battle, she was hit by an 8" shell in her engine room from Haguro. The HMS Electra was sunk while covering the Exeter's withdrawal towards Sunda Strait.
Sinking History
Initially intercepted on March 1, 1942, by Nachi and Haguro and two destroyers, the battle was soon joined by Ashigara and Myoko and three destroyers, thus beginning the Second Battle of the Java Sea or what might more accurately be called “the Battle off Bawean Island”.
Exeter was badly damaged by gunfire from the heavy cruisers and finally torpedoed by the destroyer Inazuma. She initially had listed well to port prior to sinking but then righted herself after the torpedo hit and sank to starboard before noon. Also sunk were her escorts HMS Encounter, and about one and a half hours later, USS Pope. Approximately 800 survivors including Exeter’s commander became POWs. Little was known about the sinking of these ships or the fate of their crews until the end of the war.
Shipwreck
For five years, MV Empress and her divers had been searching for this shipwreck, covering all the ‘official’ sinking positions without success. Eventually she was discovered on February 21, 2007 approximately 60 nautical miles from her captain’s estimated sinking position and then first dived by Vidar Skoglie, Alice Skoglie, Phil Yeutter and Kevin
Denlay. The shipwreck lies in just over 200' / 60m, and as expected, on her starboard side. Later that same day the team discovered and dived HMS Encounter, several miles away.
News of the discovery was delayed until Empress could return to record high definition video footage and photographs in April 2008, so as to unquestionably verify what they already knew was a positive identification. Some members of the 2008 group also worked on a survey of the shipwreck and the group left a Royal Navy Ensign flying in the currents that sweep over the wreck in honor of her crew and those that perished.
The diver's finding tend to verify Exeter's crew statements that her crew opened seacocks to prevent her captured when the ship was lost
200'
62-63m
Photos
News Release Discovery of Wreck
(PDF)
HMS Exeter Wreck Found
