Aerial photograph ofHermione at sea, January 1942
History
United Kingdom
Name	Hermione
Builder	Alexander Stephen and SonsGlasgow
Laid down	6 October 1937
Launched	18 May 1939
Commissioned	25 March 1941
Identification	Pennant number 74
Fate	Sunk 16 June 1942
General characteristics
Class & type	Dido-classlight cruiser
Displacement	5,600 tonsstandard 6,850 tonsfull load
Length	485 ft (148 m) pp 512 ft (156 m) oa
Beam	50.5 ft (15.4 m)
Draught	14 ft (4.3 m)
Propulsion	Parsons geared turbines Four shafts Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers 62,000 shp (46,000 kW)
Speed	32.25 knots (60 km/h)
Range	1,500 nmi (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) 4,240 nmi (7,850 km; 4,880 mi) at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement	480
Armament	10 ×QF 5.25-inch (133 mm) guns 2 ×0.5 in MG quadruple guns, 2 ×2-pounder 40 mm pom-pom quad guns, 2 ×21 inch (533 mm) tripletorpedo tubes.
Armour	Belt: 3 in (76 mm) Deck: 1 in (25 mm) Magazines: 2 in (51 mm) Bulkheads: 1 in (25 mm)

HMSHermione was aDido-classlight cruiser of theRoyal Navy. She was built byAlexander Stephen and Sons (Glasgow, Scotland), with the keel laid down on 6 October 1937. She was launched on 18 May 1939 and commissioned 25 March 1941. On 16 June 1942,Hermione was torpedoed and sunk by theGerman submarine U-205 in theMediterranean. Eighty-eight crewmembers were killed.

TheDido-class were designed as small cruisers capable of being built quickly and in large numbers to allow a shortfall in numbers of cruisers against the numbers which were required to meet the Royal Navy's needs. Rather than the mixed armament of single-purpose 6-inch (152 mm) low-angle (anti-ship) and 4-inch (102 mm)high-angle (anti-aircraft) guns carried by previous light cruisers, it was decided to fit adual-purpose main armament, capable of both anti-ship and anti-aircraft fire. This used the new5.25-inch (133 mm) gun as used in theKing George V-class battleships.^[1][2]

Hermione was one of twoDido-class cruisers ordered under the 1937 construction programme for the Royal Navy, following on from five ships ordered the previous year.^[3][a]Hermione waslaid down atAlexander Stephen and SonsLinthouse,Glasgow shipyard asYard number 560 on 6 October 1937,^[4][5] waslaunched on 18 May 1939 and completed on 25 March 1941.^[4]

Hermione was 512 ft (156.06 m)long overall and 485 ft (147.83 m)between perpendiculars, with abeam of 50 feet 6 inches (15.4 m) and a meandraught of 16 feet 6 inches (5.0 m) (increasing to 17 feet 3 inches (5.3 m) atfull load.Displacement was 5,600long tons (5,700 t) standard and 6,850 long tons (6,960 t) full load.^[4][6] The ship's machinery was arranged in a four-shaft layout, with fourAdmiralty 3-drum boilers supplying steam at 400 psi (2,800 kPa) to Parsons single-reduction gearedsteam turbines, rated at 62,000shaft horsepower (46,000 kW), giving a speed of 32.25knots (59.73 km/h; 37.11 mph).^[4] 1,100 long tons (1,100 t) offuel oil were carried, giving a range of 4,240nautical miles (7,850 km; 4,880 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph), reducing to 3,480 nmi (6,440 km; 4,000 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) and 1,500 nmi (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph).^[6]

The ship's main armament consisted of ten 5.25-inch guns in five twin turrets on the ship's centreline, with three forward and two aft. Two quadruple2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom mounts were mounted on the ship's beams to provide close-in anti-aircraft protection, backed up by two quadruple.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns on the bridge wings.^[7] Two triple 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes provided additional anti-ship capability.^[6] Fire control for this armament was provided by a single low angledirector control tower (DCT) on the ship's bridge, together with twoHigh Angle Control System (HACS) director towers, one on the ship's bridge and one aft.^[3][7] A 3 in (76 mm)armour belt protected the ship's machinery andmagazines with 1 in (25 mm) protecting the ship's shell rooms. Deck armour was also an inch thick, with 3 in (76 mm) plates over the magazines.^[4] The 5.25 inch gun turrets had armour of1+1⁄2–1 in (38–25 mm) thickness.^[6]

While several of theDido-class were completed with reduced main armaments owing to production problems (theKing George V-class battleships had priority for the new guns),^[8][2]Hermione was completed with the full ten-gun outfit. In October–November 1941, the ship's .50 in machine guns were replaced by five singleOerlikon 20 mm cannon.^[3]

After commissioning and workup,Hermione joined the15th Cruiser Squadron of theHome Fleet.^[9]Hermione took part in the pursuit of theGerman battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiserPrinz Eugen when theysortied into the North Atlantic in May 1941.Hermione leftScapa Flow on 22 May as part of a force including the battleshipKing George V and the aircraft carrierVictorious.^[10][11][b] On 24 May,Victorious, escorted byHermione,Aurora andKenya, was detached to launch an air attack againstBismarck. The attack byVictorious'sSwordfishtorpedo bombers resulted in a single torpedo hit onBismarck which did little damage to the German ship.^[12] On 25 May,Hermione, short of fuel, was detached from the chase in order to refuel atIceland.^[13] Following the sinking ofBismarck, the British launched a major operation against German supply ships in the Atlantic which supported the operations of surface raiders, withHermione taking part in searches for these supply ships and Germanblockade runners before joiningForce H, based atGibraltar on 22 June.^[14]Hermione was then deployed to the Mediterranean. On 2 August 1941, whilst helping to protect a convoy,Hermione attacked by ramming theItalian submarine Tembien, sinking her;^[15][16] an action commemorated in a propaganda painting by artist Marcus Stone.^[17]

While under Captain G.N. Oliver, DSO, RN,Hermione was part of theForce A group which escorted supply convoy MW-11, under Rear AdmiralPhilip Vian, from Alexandria to Malta in OperationVigorous. On the 14th and 15 June 1942, theHermione expended most of her ammunition while defending the ships against heavy air attacks and had to return toAlexandria, escorted byHMS Aldenham,HMS Beaufort, andHMS Exmoor.^[18]

At 23:20 hours on 15 June,U-205 (underKapitänleutnant Franz-Georg Reschke) spotted a group of warships north ofSollum and attacked two destroyers with oneG7e torpedo each at 23:38 and 23:40 hours, but missed both. Only then didU-205 recognise one of the shadows as a cruiser and fired a spread of three torpedoes at 00:19 hours, hittingHermione on the starboard side. The ship immediately settled by the stern with a list of 22° before ultimately capsizing, remaining afloat for 21 minutes before sinking. Eight officers and 80 ratings were lost, including the ship's cat. The survivors were picked up by the escorting destroyers and were landed at Alexandria.^[18]

• Barnett, Corelli (2000).Engage The Enemy More Closely. London: Penguin.ISBN 0-141-39008-5.
• Brown, David K. (2012).Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1923–1945. Barnsley: Seaforth.ISBN 978-1-84832-149-6.
• Campbell, N.J.M. (1980). "Great Britain". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 2–85.ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969].Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing.ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.OCLC 67375475.
• Friedman, Norman (2010).British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN 978-1-59114-078-8.
• Lenton, H. T. (1973).Navies of the Second World War: British Cruisers. London: Macdonald & Co.ISBN 0-356-04138-7.
• Morgan, Daniel; Taylor, Bruce (2011).U-Boat Attack Logs: A Complete Record of Warship Sinkings from Original Sources 1939–1945. Barnsley: Seaforth.ISBN 978-1-84832-118-2.
• Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980).British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-922-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. London: Greenhill Books.ISBN 1-85367-117-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
• Whitley, M. J. (1995).Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell.ISBN 1-86019-874-0.

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33°20′N26°00′E / 33.333°N 26.000°E /33.333; 26.000

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