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| Royal Navy County-class Heavy Cruiser 9,850 Tons (standard) 13,530 (deep load) 630' x 68' 5" x 20' 6" 4 x Twin 8" guns 4 x QF 4" AA guns 4 x 2 pounder AA guns 2 x Quad .50 cal MG 2 x Quad 21" torpedo tubes  IJN April 5, 1942 |
Ship History Built by Devonport Dockyard at Plymouth. Laid down October 9, 1924 as County-class Heavy Cruiser. Launched March 11, 1926 as HMS Cornwall (56) named after Cornwall. Completed May 8, 1928 in the Royal Navy (RN). After a shakedown cruise, assigned to the 5th Cruiser Squadron (5th CS) and operated off China. During 1929–30 added a high-angle control system to direct her anti-aircraft guns and an floatplane catapult the next day. In 1934, two quadruple Vickers .50 caliber Mark III machine guns were added. In July 1936 returned to the United Kingdom for a major refit and added a 4.5" armor belt abreast of the engine rooms, boiler rooms, dynamo room and fire control station. Other alterations included a hangar for floatplanes, more powerful catapult and new 4" anti-aircraft guns and other alterations. By December 1937 the refit was completed then assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron (2nd CS), then returns to the 5th Cruiser Squadron (5th CS). Wartime History On October 5, 1939, assigned to Force I to hunt German merchant raiders operating in the Indian Ocean. Next, assigned to the South Atlantic to escort convoys. On September 13, 1940 rendezvoused with a convoy of troops to capture Dakar but was detached to intercept the Vichy French light cruiser Primauguet escorting an oil tanker to Libreville in French Equatorial Africa. Cornwall forced them to Casablanca in French Morocco. Afterwards, Cornwall returns to the Indian Ocean. On May 8, 1941 sank German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin (Kandelfels, HSK-5, Schiff 33, Raider F) in the Indian Ocean and afterwards rescues 3 officers, 57 sailors and 22 prisoners. At the start of the Pacific War, Cornwall began escorting convoys across the Indian Ocean. In late January 1942 escorts Convoy JS.1 from Colombo on on Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) in early February 1942. Afterwards, Convoy MS. 5 to Australia in early March 1942 and later assigned to Force A of the Eastern Fleet. On April 2, 1942 and HMS Dorsetshire were detached with Dorsetshire resuming a refit. Meanwhile, Cornwall escorts convoy SU-4 including USAT Willard A. Holbrook and MV Duntroon to Australia then escorts HMS Hermes (95) to Trincomalee on Ceylon. On April 4, 1942 when the Japanese fleet was spotted in the Indian Ocean, HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire depart Colombo on Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and after a rapid refueling at sea then got underway for Addu Atoll in the Maldives. Sinking History On April 5, 1942 spotted by a Japanese plane from cruiser Tone in the Indian Ocean roughly 200 miles southwest of Ceylon. Afterwards, attacked by Japanese carrier aircraft and was sunk both heavy cruisers at roughly Lat 1° 54′ 0″ N Long 77° 54′ 0″ E with the loss of 424 crew from both Rescue Afterwards, 1,122 survivors from both were at sea for thirty hours before rescued by light cruiser HMS Enterprise (D52) and two destroyers. Contribute
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