Fleet Ledger

Naval wars from the age of sail to the present day

Ships
/

Shropshire

HMAS Shropshire

Survived

Royal Navy, then Royal Australian Navy

TypeHeavy cruiser
ClassCounty
WarSecond World War
Main guns8 × 8″ guns

Service

to 1943Shropshire
Britain
from 1943Shropshire

Given to the Royal Australian Navy

Australia

County-class cruiser given to Australia by Britain to replace Canberra, lost at Savo Island. Fought with the US Seventh Fleet at Leyte Gulf, where her guns helped sink the battleship Yamashiro at Surigao Strait, and was at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. Sold for scrap in 1954.

British heavy cruiser HMS SHROPSHIRE at a buoy at Sheerness just before being handed over to the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Shropshire, April 1943.. Photo: Royal Navy official photographer, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Armament and specifications

Armament

Original configuration

  • 8 × 8-in (203 mm) Mk VIII dual guns
  • 4 × QF 4-in (102 mm) Mk V single AA guns
  • 4 × 2-pdr (40 mm) single pom-poms
  • 2 × 2-pdr (40 mm) quad pom-poms
  • 2 × 0.5-in quadruple Vickers machine gun mount
  • 2 × quadruple 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

April 1941 – November 1942 configuration

  • 4 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk XVI dual AA guns
  • 2 × 2-pdr (40 mm) eight barrel pom-poms
  • 10 × 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns
  • 2 × .50 caliber quadruple Vickers machine gun mount
  • 2 × quadruple 21-in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

November 1942 – April 1944 configuration

  • 8 × 8 in (203-mm) Mk VIII dual guns
  • 6 × 20-mm (0.8 in) single guns
  • 7 × 20-mm (0.8 in) dual guns

January 1945 – February 1946 configuration

  • 2 × 20-mm (0.8 in) dual guns
  • 15 × 40-mm (1.5 in) Bofors Mk III single guns

Armour

  • 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10.2 cm) magazine box protection
  • 1.375 inches (3.49 cm) deck
  • 1 inch (2.5 cm) side-plating, turrets and bulkheads
  • 4.5 inches (11 cm) belt
  • 4 inches (10 cm) internal boiler room sides (added 1936–1940)
BuilderWilliam Beardmore and Company (Dalmuir, Scotland)
Laid down24 February 1927
Launched5 July 1928
Commissioned24 September 1929
Displacement9,750 tons standard 13,315 tons full load
Length633 ft (193 m)
Speed32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Complement690 (peace), 1,000 (war)

As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.

Career

Launched

5 July 1928

Joined the Royal Australian Navy

April 1943 · Given to the Royal Australian Navy

Battle of Surigao Strait
Survived

24–25 October 1944

Fate

Survived

Sold for scrap, 16 July 1954