HMS Scylla Cruiser

1940 HMS SCYLLA One of the eleven-strong Dido class of anti-aircraft cruisers, ordered for the Royal Navy just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War.

THE DIDO CLASS

These ships represented a departure from the traditional cruiser pattern, with their 8in (203mm) or 6in (152mm) guns, and were designed from the outset as heavy anti-aircraft batteries. None succumbed to air attack, which was a tribute to their design, but four were lost to torpedoes during the Second World War. HMS ScyIIa was one of the last of the class; constructed by Scotts, she was laid down on 19 April 1939, launched on 24 July 1940 and completed on 12 June 1942. She was severely damaged by a ground mine during the invasion of Normandy in June 1 944, and was never completely repaired; she was broken up in 1 950.

ARMOUR AND ARMAMENT

Though these ships were much smaller than most of the cruisers in RN service when they were built, they were, nonetheless, well-protected, with side armour 3m (76mm) thick, 1in (25mm) decks over the machinery spaces and 2in (50mm) decks over the magazines and shell rooms. They were intended to have ten 5.25in (133mm) semi-automatic guns in turrets, but slow delivery meant they were completed with mixed armament, and ScyIla in fact had only eight 4.5in (115mm) guns in simple shield mounts, plus eight 2pdr pom-poms.

TECHNICAL DATA

Type: Anti-aircraft cruiser
Machinery: 4-shaft Parsons geared turbines giving 62,500shp
Dimensions (overall): Length, 156m (51 2ft}; beam, 15.4m (50.51t}
Displacement: 5600t standard; 6975t full load
Draught: 5.2m (17ft) full load
Complement: 480
Speed: 32.5 knots (60km/h)