Built as a light cruiser under yard No. 558 by John Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd., Clydebank, Scotland for the British Royal Navy.
20 December 1937 ordered.
30 March 1938 laid down.
31 May 1939 launched under the name HMS FIJI (58) one of the Fiji class. Seven sisters.
Displacement 8.525 tons standard, 10.350 tons full load. Dim. 169.3 x 18.89 x 5.97m. (draught).
Powered by four single reduction geared Parsons turbines, 72.500 hp., four shafts, speed 33 knots maximum.
Range by 30 knots 2.180 mile, by 16 knots 4.900 mile.
Armament: 12 – 6 inch, 8 – 4 inch, 8 - 1.57 inch AA, 6 – 21 inch torpedo tubes.
Carried three aircraft.
Crew 920 during wartime.
17 May 1940 commissioned under command of Captain W.G. Benn.
After completing she got orders to proceed to Bermuda, and sailed on 04 June 1940 from the Clyde.
10 June she arrived at Bermuda.
After arrival used for patrol service in the Western Atlantic, and blockading Martinique the French Island in the Caribbean, France had surrendered and the FIJI had to intercept any French warship from Martinique which would try to leave that port for France.
12 July she was withdraw from this patrol, and received orders to proceed to Scapa Flow.
23 July she arrived at the Clyde for repairs on her engines, 10 August she sailed from the Clyde for Scapa Flow, where she joined the 18th Cruiser squadron, Home Fleet.
20 August she arrived at Rosyth, where she received orders to relieve HMS BIRMINGHAM at Sheerness as part of the anti-invasion plan.
23 August she received orders to join the Expedition Force to Dakar (Operation Menace) and together with four destroyers and the troop transports SOBIESKI, KENYA and ETTRICK she sailed from Scapa Flow on 31 August.
01 September 1940 at 18.00 the convoy was attacked by the German submarine U-32 in a position about 58 10N 12 55W. The FIJI was torpedoed and damaged in the attack, her forward boiler room was flooded, but could reach the Clyde under her own steam for repairs; she was replaced by HMAS AUSTRALIA.
The FIJI stayed for repairs at Greenock for 6 months, and left the Clyde in March 1941 under a new commander, Capt. P.B.R.W. Wiliam-Powlett for Scapa Flow, where she joined the 10th Cruiser Squadron.
Sailed from Scapa Flow on 27 March for the Icelandic-Faroes Patrol.
28 March she received orders, together with other ships to take over the Bay of Biscay Patrol from Force H. Keeping a watch on the two German warships SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU berthed in French ports.
02 April ordered to proceed to Gibraltar to join Force H temporarily, also from time to time used for convoy escort duties.
Middle of April 1941 she sailed for Freetown, Sierra Leone, sailing from there on 18 April to join Convoy SL72 on 19 April, she escorted the convoy till 1 May.
05 May the FIJI sailed from Gibraltar as a unit of Force H escorting “Operation Tiger” convoy to Malta and Alexandria. The Mediterranean Fleet was met south of Malta on the 9th. The FIJI with the battleship QUEEN ELISABETH and cruiser NAIAD joined there the Mediterranean Fleet as reinforcements, the convoy arrived 12 May in Alexandria.
15 May the Fiji joined the 15th Cruiser Squadron.
In the night of 15/16 may she and HMS GLOUCESTER landed troops on the island Crete.
20 May 1941 the German attacks on Crete began. HMS FIJI had already joined Force B (two cruisers and two destroyers); Force B got orders to patrol the west coast of Greece from Cape Matapan to Sapienza, to intercept any seaborne enemy forces making for Crete.
Till 21 may the naval forces were subjected to heavy air attacks at least 26 being recorded, the force suffered damage and loss.
On the 22nd the air attacks were even more intensive, at least 67 being recorded. Force B suffered in common with the other forces.
During daylight a large German force was reported south of the island of Milos bound for Crete and escorted by a large number of German dive bombers.
The British forces proceeded to that position to intercept the German forces. The British naval forces came under heavy bombing attacks, first the destroyer GEYHOUND was sunk, then the GLOUCESTER was hit amidships by a bomb and she sank, and only the FIJI had to take care of herself against an overwhelming force of the Luftwaffe. The FIJI after having survived some 20 bombing attack in four hours, in which she shot down some enemy aircraft, was hit by a bomb from a single Me 109 aircraft which flew out of the clouds in a shallow dive and scored a hit very close to the port side amidships. Her speed fell off and she got a heavy list. When a second wave of enemy airplanes arrived a half hour later she got three bomb hits from a single aircraft which proved fatal. She sank in a position 34 35N 23 10E about 45 miles south-west off Crete.
With her she took 16 officers and 228 ratings.
523 Survivors were picked up by two destroyers HMS KINGSTON and HMS KANDAHAR.
Fiji 1995 $1.12 sg910, scott723
Source: Mostly copied from http://www.angelfire.com/ri/georgev/hms ... tional.txt and other websites.