Warship Profile 13 - HMS_Exeter

8/13/2019 Warship Profile 13 - HMS_Exeter

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HMS xeter

(1) 70 gun Third Rate . 1030 tons 150 ftx40ft .Com plement 460 . B ui lt a t B lackwal l byJohnsons 1680.In Anglo-Dutch fleet against the French offBeachy Head 1690. Damaged by accidentalexplosion off Plymouth 1691 and hulked.Broken up at Portsmouth 1717.

(2) 60 gun Fourth Rate. 949 tons 148ftx38ft. Builtin Portsmouth Dockyard 1697. In action againstthe French off Newfoundland 1702 and in theMediterranean 1711. Enlarged to 1068 tons,with 58 guns in Devonport Dockyard 1744.Drove ashore and burnt 64 gun French ship r ent in Quiberon Bay 1746. With AdmiralBoscowen at siege of Pondicherry 1748. Brokenup at Portsmouth 1763.

(3) 64 gun Third R ate. 1340 tons 158' 'f tx41ft.Built at Chatham 1763. Battle of Ushant 1778.Took part in operations against the Frencharound India 1779-83-Sadres, Providien,Negapatam and Trincomalee. Burnt at CapeTown 1784 as u nserviceable resulting fromoperational damage.

(4) Trawler hired by the Admiralty 1917-19.(5) Cruiser. 8390 tons. 540ftx57ft 6-8in guns;

4-4in guns.Launched 18 July 1929. Comm issioned 21July 1931.Battle of the River Plate 13 December 1939.Sunk by Japanese during the Battle of the JavaSea 1 March 1941.

(6) Frigate. 2170 tons. 330ftx40ft. 2-4.5in guns;2-20mm guns. Ordered 1956: cancelled.



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Full speed trials after commissioning. Note the very high masts

(Captain Dallmeyer)

The Geneva Naval Conference 1927This conference foundered largely on Britain'sadamant refusal to accept any limitations in hercruiser strength but in 1930 at the London N avalconference she surrendered to Am erican pressures.In 1929 Mr Ramsay MacDonald came to powerwith a Labour Governme nt that was committed topolicies that would cut down armam ents. Britainagreed to reduce her cruiser strength from 70 to 50in return for an American reduction of her Washing-ton Treaty cruiser strength from 24 to 18: Japan

was persuaded to accept a 5 :5 :3 ratio in cruisers.Understandably this agreement was a factor in theimprovement in Anglo-American relations but, at theapproach of war in 1939 the British Commonwealthcould muster only 62 cruisers many of which,having been in commission for more than 16 years,were in the'over-age' category.

Subsequent Cruiser PolicyFaced with Japan's immediately expressed intentionto build eight 10,000 ton 8in gun cruisers and everyindication that America, France and Italy wereentering the 'Washington Treaty' cruiser race, theAdmiralty proposed an ambitious cruiser-building

ne, or a one o t e t ree nc u e n t e -1927 programme, was laid down in 1927 and onlyExeter was authorised for 1928. These two 8400tons'B' Class or Cathedral Class cruisers representedthe first attempt of a Washington Treaty po wer tobreak away from the 10,000 cruiser as well as avictory in the Admiralty for those who advocatedthe smaller, more lightly armed, cruisers. Not onlywere they considered m ore useful, as eventssubsequently proved correct, for the protection ofour sea routes and convoys, but, being less costly tobuild, it was hoped that more could be afforded.The 7000 ton Leander Class cruisers, the next to be

built with 8-6in guns were hailed as 'a return tosanity': these ships, Leander, Neptune, Orion,Achilles and Ajax, were launched between 1931and 1934.

Some Features in Design and EquipmentLike York, the Exeter was designed by Sir W illiamBarry, Chief of Naval Construction, and differed fromher sister ship in several features. She was one footbroader in the beam, had a slightly larger displace-ment and was to cost more. It was originally intendedthat both ships should have three raking funnelsbut their foremost funnels were trunked into the

second in order to improve conditions on the bridgesand to economise in space and weight. Exeter sfunnels were built straight in order to improve herappearance and were shorter than York s. Because'B' turret proved insufficiently strong to take theaircraft catapult and runway, as had been planned,they were repo sitioned aba ft the funnels. Thisdecision came too late to alter York s bridge andfunnels but Exeter s bridge was lowered so that thedirector was only 60ft above the water. Exeter wasprovided with unique arrangements for launchingher aircraft, her twin runways in a V pattern enablingtwo planes to be carried and catapulted from either

side of the stack.H MS Dorsetshire and York. Much weight was saved in York and Exeter by eliminating half the No. 1 deck accommodation providedin the County Class cruisers which were also 50ft p.p. longer. Clearly illustrated are York s high bridge, raked funnels and extendedsideplatirig (Captain Dallmeyer)

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Exeter, port side amidships. The 4in guns are covered. The torpedo tubes and searchlights are clearly shown

Barracks and the Devonport Division of the Metro-politan Police, who then provided the DockyardPolice, Lady Madden, wife of the First Sea Lord,launched the Exeter. A running commentary of theceremony was broadcast for the BBC by Comm anderStephen King-Hall, Royal Navy.An imm ediate scare that the plight of the nationaleconomy might cause suspension of work on theship proved false and for the ne xt three years thework of com pletion cont inued in No 5 Basin ,Keyham.

CommissioningUnder the command of Captain I. W. Gibson, OBE,MVO, Exeter was commissioned on Tuesday 21 July1931 and on the following Thursday proceeded tosea for acceptance trials, returning to harbour thesame evening. After inspection by the Commander-in-Chief in Plymouth Sound a week after beingcommissioned, Exeter sailed for Exmouth off whichresort she anchored. C ivilities were exchangedbetween the ship and the City of Exeter whosepresentations included a silver model of the Guildhalland sh ields for inter-divisional football and rifleshooting. After working-up exercises at sea, Exeterput into Portsmouth for minor repairs and modifica-tions to be carried out before proceeding to join theAtlantic Fleet at Invergordon.

Mutiny at InvergordonExeter was proceeding to join the Second CruiserSquadron, having been engaged in gunneryexercises and in cooperating with the Royal AirForce in their 'B' bomb trials, when a signal wasreceived outlining the cuts in services' pay that the

government had imposed. The Captain immediatelycleared lower deck to rea d the distasteful news tothe ship's company off duty. Their Divisional Officersthen collected the names of those who would be

(NMM)

particularly hard hit by the pay cuts and tried toalleviate their anxieties.The ship arrived at Invergordon late in the evening ofTuesday 15 September and as she proceeded to hermooring ahead of York, her crew, unaware that theAtlantic Fleet was in a state of mutiny, were surprisedby the unexpected enthusiastic cheering from otherships that greeted them. That evening and onWednesday, on the afternoon of which a make-and-mend (free afternoon) was given, other ships tried topersuade Exeter s crew to refuse to turn-to whenordered. Although some half dozen men appearedreluctant to fall in for work on Thursday and tried toraise a cheer at the forecastle break, the sh ip'scompany by and large, 'continued to show the best

Plan of Exeter s arrangement for twin aircraft runways

4



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steaming at speed or in rough weather.

'Exeter ' s' AircraftThe Fairey l/IFThe Fairey IIIF was the last of the famous Fairey IIIbiplane series, with a smooth pointed nose andstreamlined fuselage. Although it might have beenused for high-level bombing, it w as essentially athree-seater spotter-reconnaissance plane carrying awireless telegraphist air-gunner and naval observerin addition to the pilot. They were flown off carriersor, an especially stressed mark, catapulted from

capital ships or cruisers . In all, 622 of these allmetal structured, fabric covered, aircraft were built,340 being provided to the Fleet Air Arm. The firstwas delivered to the FAA in 1927 and the last inSeptembe r 1932. They were armed with fixedVickers guns forward and one m anually operatedLewis gun in the after cockpit. Up to 5001b of bombscould be carried below the wings.

CHARACTERISTICSA single 570hp Napier Lion XIA water-cooled engineSpan: 45'911Length: 34'4 (36' 4 " if fitted out as a seaplane)H e i g h t : 1 4 ' 2 4 "Wing area: 44^ sq. ft

Max. speed: 120mph 10,000ft3-4 hours enduranceService ceiling 20,000ft

Weight : 39231b empty6301 loaded

The Hawker OspreyThe Hawker Osprey had supplanted the Fairey IIIFin all catapult flights by 1935. It was a two-seaterfighter-reconnaissance biplane either flown fromcarriers or, modified as a seaplane, catapulted. Itsstructure was stainless steel and fabric covered.These aircra ft were fitted with one or two fixedforward firing Vickers guns and one moveable Lewisgun over the rear cockpit.

CHARACTERISTICSA single 640hp Rolls Royce medium supercharged engineSpan: 37Length: 29' 4" (31' 9" if fitted out as a seaplane)Height: 10' 5"Wing area: 339sq ftMax. speed: 160mph at 1 3,000ft

2-3 hours enduranceService ceiling 22,000ft

(Performance was greater when not modified as aseaplane)

*The Supermarine Walrus

The Supermarine Walrus, or Shagbat as it waspopularly called, was especially designed as a navalspotter-reconnaissance amphibian. By its perfor-

"Aircraft Profile No. 224.

A Fairey IIIF being hoisted on board by the crane(Captain Dallmeyer)

mance and proven capabilities in all weathers andclimates it earned naval pilots' unreserved respect.Designed by R. J. Mitchell of Spitfire fame it wasfirst ordered for the Royal Navy after trials abroadNelson in 1935. Superm arine built the first 287Walrus until they had to concentrate on buildingSpitfires when they sub-contracted to Saunders-Roewho built a further 453 until production ceased. TheWalrus could also be flown from carriers or catapulted

and it carried a crew of three. They were armed withone Vickers K gun in the bows and one or two of thesame weapon amidships, and light bombs could befitted underneath the wings.

CHARACTERISTICSPegasus nine cylinder radial air cooled engineSpan: 45' 10" (17' 11" when folded)L e n g t h : 3 7 ' 3 "H e i g h t : 1 5 ' 3 "Wing area: 610sq ftMax. speed: 135mph at 4750ft

600 miles cruising range at 95mph at 3500ftService ceiling I8,500ft

Weight : 49001bempty7200lb loaded

Second Cruiser Squadron , Home FleetIn peacetime the Royal Navy not only in its militaryrole, policed the seas and exercised a visible deter-rent to would-be trouble makers but also, as anextension of British diplomacy, paid goodwill visitsto foreign parts and rendered assistance in themaintenance of order and in alleviating disaster inmany parts of the world. And by frequent calls toBritain's colonial territories, the ships of the RoyalNavy gave tangible evidence of B ritain's closeassociation and her concern for their well-being and

protection.When she sailed to the West Indies in January 1932with the Second Cruiser Squadron for the springcruise, Exeter began to play her part in the exerciseof British seapower. Having visited Trinidad, St Louis

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Exeter in the West Indies. The seamen, in tropical white uniform, have just lowered No. 2 cutter preparatory to securing to the buoyahead of the ship. Note the two aircraft (Captain Dallmeyer)

and Barbados, she returned with the Squadron toScapa Flow for the Home Fleet Regatta, in whichExeter won the 'Cock', an almost unknown feat inany ship's first year of commission. Then followed acruise round the U K, visiting Liverpool, Ilfracombeand St Ives before proceeding to Portland for theRoyal Review in July. In the autumn, all four shipsof the squadron Dorsetshire, Norfolk, York andExeter visited Copenhagen on the occasion of theBritish Exhibition there.In 1933, before paying off in August, Exeter visitedseveral Spanish ports in the spring and later, after

torpedo trials in the M oray Firth, undertook agoodwill cruise of Scandinavian countries.Crisis in the Mediterranean 1935-36On recomm issioning in October, Exeter joined theSouth American Division of the American and WestIndies Squadron, 'showing the flag' round bothBritish territories and the centres of South Americaand both sides of the continent.In the hope of deterring Mussolini's overt intention to

'The Cock ' won by x t r in the Home Fleet Regatta at Scapa low Captain Dallmeyer)

invade Abyssinia the British Government postured athreat to intervene b y hastily reinforcing theMediterranean Fleet. From Bermuda hastened Ajax,whilst xeter at Valparaiso, refuelled and sailedround Cape Horn in the longest passage of all theships to the crisis area. Such was the urgency thatshe was required to maintain high speed a ll the way,causing the Captain grave anxiety whether shewould have sufficient fuel to reach Alexandrianon-stop. Commander T . H. Crgokshank, theEngineer Commander, ventured the calculated riskthat there was enough fuel to take the cruiser to

Alexandria but the Captain, 'might not be able to goastern to check the way of the ship when she gotthere'. In the event Exeter safely berthed in Alex-andria with less than one per cent of her fuelcapacity-about 20 tons. Exeter remained in theMediterranean until the crisis evaporated in 1936after the British and French governments retractedfrom their position thus enabling the successfuloccupation of Abyssinia by the Italians.

Exeter lit up on Midsummer Day at Karlskrona(Captain Dallmeyer)

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Exeter, in her West Indies light grey paint, commissioned in 1936. The commissioning pendant streams from her mainmast (NMM)

was to arrange for the fuelling of his ships in theports of neutral South America. Port Stanley in theFalkland Islands was the nearest British base,1000 miles from Montevideo and almost 2000 milesfrom Rio de Janeiro, both of which were focal areasrequiring protective patrols against German com-merce raiders.Having been showing the flag in the South Americanstation for three years before the war, the Com -modore was as respected as he was well known inthese countries. The facilities he managed to obtainwere more helpful than he had dared to hope for,in view of the restrictive clauses of the internationallaws governing the use of neutral ports by the w ar-ships of belligerent nations. Also the tanker 01wenarrived on the station to lessen the fuelling problems.

A Narrow EscapeMeanwhile, Cumberland l e f t F ree tow n on 8Septembe r for Rio de Janeiro on a course thatunknowingly would take her through the area cho senby Graf Spee to hunt for prey. The German pocketbattleship* had sailed out into the Atlantic on 21August and successfully rendezvoused with hersupply ship A/tmark south west of the CanaryIs lands on 1 September. W hils t prepar ing toprovision Graf Spee from Altmark on 11 September,

Captain Langsdorf flew off his aircraft to patrol thethe area against any surprise interruption whilstboth ships were stopped. Cumberland was spottedby the battleship's aircraft when she altered to acourse that would have taken her within 10 miles ofthe German ships. Captain Langsdorff decided toavoid the dangerous consequences of discovery ifhe engaged the enemy cruiser and, making off athigh speed, avoided detection.

Patrolling off South AmericaExeter was on watch in the area off the River Platewhen information was received on 12 September

that some Germans, who had been unable to returnhome from Argentina where they had been working,

" See Warship Profile No.4.

10

were planning to mou nt a raid on the FalklandIslands. Ajax was ordered to remain at the base andCommodore Harwood sailed south so that he couldbe in a position to cover eventualities both at theFalkland Islands and off the River Plate. His resourceswere further stretched when Cumberland, who hadbegun her watch off Rio de Janeiro, was ordered toAscension Island where 'reliable information' of anintended rendezvous of German ships on 28September was expected. Ajax came north toreplace Cumberland off Rio, leaving the FalklandIs lands ung uarded. W hen i t was learnt thatAchilles would reinforce the South A merica Division,it was decided that she should join her sister-ship,Ajax, with the two destroyers to protect trade offRio, whilst Exeter and Cumberland would form ahunting group. However, Hotspur and Havock wererecalled to the Home Fleet which was c riticallyshort of destroyers, and Comm odore Harwoodconsidered that Exeter, who had been continuallyat sea since 23 August, needed a respite in PortStanley to make repairs and rest the crew. Oninstructions from the Commander-in-Chief, Exetercontinued giving protection to convoys u ntil26 October when Achilles joined her off the RiverPlate. Having fuelled from the Olwen, and hercommander, Captain W . R. Parry, having conferred

with the Commodore, Achilles sailed to joinCumberland who had reached Mon tevideo on thesame day. These two cruisers then sailed for thefocal area off Rio. When Ajax arrived off the RiverPlate, Commodore Harwood transferred his pendantfrom Exeter who sailed for the Falkland Islands.Ajax s task was to watch over the shipping laneswhilst Cumberland and Achilles patrolled as ahunting group with instructions, should they meet aGerman battleship raider, to shadow her by day andto attack only at night.The consequences of Britain's agreement in 1929to limit her cruiser strength was all too evident.

Commodore Harwood was required to cover anarea extending well over 2000 miles with only fourcruisers, always facing the possibility of an engage-ment with a raiding German battleship. And in order



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The directors and guns of Exeter s main armament are all trained on a 90' bearing (Green nine-o)

immediately, bringing the other two into operationwhilst on passage.When Exeter joined, as directed on the morning of12 December, Commodore Harwo od's plans hadbeen ma de. Dividing his force into two Divisions,intending to go into action from different directions,he decided to attack at once by day or by night. Byday act as two units. 1st Division (Ajax and Achilles)and Exeter diverged to permit flank marking. FirstDivision will concentrate gunfire. By night shipswill normally remain in open order. . . . Of the clarityand precision of these orders Captain Parry latercomm ented, 'His intentions were so clear thatpractically no signals were made during the action,because we all knew exactly what to do'. Flank marking meant that each D ivision could spotthe others' fall of shot and also engage the enemy'sattention on two sides. First Division will concen-trate gunfire required Ajax and Achilles to firesimultaneously directed, from Ajax. These tacticswere practised on the evening before the battle.

Battle enjoined off the River Plate*Whilst Graf Spee was steaming off the River P lateon the morning of 13 December, two mast-heads

The damage to Exeter s bridge when 'B'turret received a direct hit

(MOD)

were sighted at 0530 and recognised 20 minuteslater as belonging to Exeter. The Ajax and Achilleswere sighted and identified at the same time.Captain Langsdorff, realising that any attempt toelude detection was purposeless, ordered his crewto action stations and increased to full speed.At 1614, Exeter was ordered to investigate smokewhich is now known to have been caused byGraf Spee s diesels as 'they were stepped up tomaximum powe r'. Two minutes later Captain Bellreported an enemy pocket battleship. At 1618,Graf Spee opened fire with her main armament onExeter and with her secondary armament on Ajax.Exeter immediately steamed to west of the ba ttleshipand opened fire at 0620 whilst Ajax and Achillesmade for Graf Spee s other flank, opening fire twominutes later.

The Bridge is wreckedThe first shell to strike Exeter passed through the ship

without exploding but, within a minute, B turretwas put out of ac tion by a direct hit from an 11 in

For a full description of the battle from the German viewpointsee Warship Profile No. 4 by the late Kapitan zi r See, GerhardBidlingmaier.

14



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614 I i m i l e s ` .

Opens Fire 6 6

6 miles

TH EBATTLE OF

6 wice

THE RIVER PLATE X T

Hit

73 Hit TwiceOpens i r e O p e n s i r e

N

killing half the gun's crew, and went through twodecks before exploding in the equipm ent forproviding fresh water; the third penetrated the140mm steel armoured belt and the starboardarmoured longitudinal bulkhead before explodingamidships. This last shell, had it struck a metre lower,might have reached No 4 section of the engine roombefore exploding.

Commander F. W . Rasenack, a gunnery officer onboard Graf Spee, commented on the surprisingeffectiveness of the British 11 in shells which clearlybelied the view that Graf Spee could only besuccessfully fought by a battleship'.Exeter s influence on the course of the action ismeasurable through the words of Captain Langs-dorff, 'I knocked out her foremost guns, I smashed herbridge; yet with only one gun firing, they came at meagain. One can only have re spect for such a foe asthat'.

The end of the Battle of the River Plate

Ajax and Achilles continued to harass Graf Spee

AJAXACHILLES

0614

until 0740, when Comm odore Harwood broke offthe act ion though cont inuing to shadow theGerman ship.Captain Langsdorff decided that his ship was tooseverely damaged to put out into the Atlantic andproceeded to Montevideo roads where he anchoredat 0500 on 14 December.On Sunday 17 December, Graf Spee left harbourand 'blew herself up' six miles from the town.

Repair and return homeAt Port Stanley, Exeter s crew plugged and patchedholes, rigged jury aerials, repaired equipment and,as far as facilities permitted, made the ship ready forsea. 'Y' turret was put into full working order andall ammunition transferred to it: the forward turretswere man-handled into fore and aft positions. Onerumour current was that Exeter would be abandonedas a rusting hulk alongside the iron steamshipGreatBritain but, as he wrote later, Winston Churchill was most anxious about the Exeter, and would notaccept proposals made to leave her unrepairedin the

Ajax after the action, showing her crew watching the last moments of GrafSpee. Cumberland is in the background

X T R

(/WM )



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Position of 8inturrets in HMS o rk

HMS xeter returns to her home port Devon port after the battle



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The crippled Exeter returns home Note the top masts are m issing and the successful results of repair and patching which havecamouflaged the extensive damage /WM)

Japanese ships, retired they were subjected to x t r s 8in guns startled and broke up concentra-consistent and extremely heavy air assaults but tions of enemy bombers Events moved rapidly andwithout suffering any crippling damage. Once again confusedly as the Japanese advanced relentlessly to

The officers and men of Exeterand Ajax march through Adm iralty Arch on their way to the Guildhall The Times)



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The repaired and modernised Exeter hoisting in a Walrus aircraft. Evident are the enlarged bridge, the short tripod masts, the twin 4ingun platforms in their new positions extending over the side by the bridge and after funnel. The port 2pdr pom-pom platform is s eenf o r w a r d o f th e m a i n m a s t a n d t h e 0 . 5 p l a c e m e n t s a r e s h o w n o n t o p o f ' B ' a n d ' Y ' tu r r e ts ( / W M )

occupy the islands of the East Indies, with theirwealth of oil as the principal objective.

The Battle of the Java SeaThree hours af ter reaching Sourabaya on 25February, Exeter sailed, again under Rear-AdmiralDoorman, in the mixed fleet that so gallantly, yet soforlornly was to fight until its destruction in theJava Sea. The names of these ships are worthy ofproud recollection-HMNS de Ruyter, de W itt,Kortenear, HMAS Perth, USS Houston, Pope,J. D. Edwards, Alden, Paul Jones, Ford, H M S Exeter,Electra, Encounter and Jupiter.Throughout the brightly m oonlit night, the alliedfleet unsuccessfully swept the waters off Sourabaya

in search of the reported enemy troop convoy. Justafter dawn, Japanese reconnaissance aircraftappeared and began sporadic attacks but, as theconvoy had not been sighted, Admiral Doorman

turned for Sourabaya to refuel his destroyers; hereversed course when an enemy threat of four

cruisers and 14 destroyers was reported 90 m ilesaway. Just after 1600, Electra was fired upon andthe Battle of the Java Sea had begun. Only the 8inguns of Exeter and Houston could engage at thisextreme range; one Japanese cruiser was hit andshe withdrew under a pall of smoke. But at 1651Exeter suffered flooding of some compartments froma near miss: 15 m inutes later a shell passed throughthe gun shield of her starboard 4in gun turret andNo. 1 boiler-room ventilator down into 'B' boilerroom. The shell failed to detonate but exploded onentering a boiler. Six of the cruiser's eight boilerswere put out of action and a temporary loss of

electric power put the main armament out of action.As speed was soon reduced to 11 knots, Exeter wasforced to haul out of the line, throwing the alliedline into confusion. In the subsequent manoeuvres

An artist's impression of the sinking of HMS Exeter (Illustrated London News)

22



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The end of Exeter taken from a Japanese aircraft . The ship isstill underway /WM)

this Profile would never have been started, let alonefinished.

BibliographyNaval Policy Between the Wars by Captain StephenRoskill, CollinsThe Drama of the Graf Spee and The Battle of the RiverPlate by Sir Eugen Millington-Drake, DaviesNo Surrender by W. E. Johns and W. E. Kelly, HarrapFight it Out by Captain 0. L. Gordon, KimberThe Battle of the River Plate by Dudley Pope, KimberThe Battle of the Java Sea by D. A. Thomas, DeutschBritish Naval Aircraft 1912-1958 by Owen Thetford,Putnam

Series Editor: JOHN WINGATE DSC

H MS Ajax, flagship, flying Commodore Harwood's broad pendant (Courtesy, Sir Eugen Millington-Drake, KCMG)

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Warship Profile 13 - HMS_Exeter