HMSGalatea was anArethusa-classlight cruiser of theRoyal Navy. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Greenock,Scotland), with the keel being laid down on 2 June 1933. She was launched on 9 August 1934, and commissioned 14 August 1935.

HMSGalatea as completed, circa. 1935
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMSGalatea
Namesake	Galatea
Builder	Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company,Greenock
Laid down	2 June 1933
Launched	9 August 1934
Commissioned	14 August 1935
Identification	Pennant number: 71
Fate	Sunk byU-557 off Alexandria on 14 December 1941
General characteristics
Class and type	Arethusa-classlight cruiser
Displacement	5,220 tonsstandard 6,665 tonsfull load
Length	506 ft (154 m)
Beam	51 ft (16 m)
Draught	14 ft (4.3 m)
Propulsion	Four Parsons geared steam turbines Four Admiralty 3-drum oil-fired boilers Four shafts 64,000 shp
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h)
Range	Unknown; 1,325 tons fuel oil
Complement	500
Armament	Original configuration: 6 ×BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval guns 4 x4-inch (102 mm) single AA guns 2 x0.5 in quadruple machine guns 2 x21 inch (533 mm) tripletorpedo tubes October 1940 – December 1941 configuration: 3 x 6 in (152 mm) dual guns, 4 x 4 in (102 mm) dual AA guns, 2 x 0.5 in MG quadruple guns, 8 x20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 2 x2-pounder(37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2 x 21 in (533 mm) tripletorpedo tubes.
Armour	Original configuration: 1 to3 inches –magazine protection 2.25 inches –belt 1 inches –deck,turrets andbulkheads
Aircraft carried	One aircraft (later removed).

Galatea joined theMediterranean Fleet on commissioning and except the period from March till September 1938 acted as flagship,Rear Admiral (Destroyers). Based inMalta, upon the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War she was active in joint patrols enforcing thenon-intervention policy, periodically in co-operation with theGerman cruiser Deutschland andItalian destroyers. Later deployed inAlexandria, she remained on alert in course of theItalian invasion of Abissynia. In early to mid 1938 the vessel was on refit atDevonport. She was recommissioned for the Mediterranean, deployed at Malta and Alexandria. On 29 March 1939 inGandiaGalatea took on board the leader of theNational Defence Council colonelSegismundo Casado and his entourage; the following day she sailed off and on 31 March Casado was transferred to the hospital shipMaine.^[1]

After the outbreak ofSecond World War she was ordered home, and between February and March 1940 she took part in the operations to interceptAxis merchantmen attempting to break out ofVigo. On 4 April 1940, the PolishdestroyersBurza,Grom andBłyskawica reached their new homebaseRosyth. In the afternoon they left the harbour withGalatea, hersister shipArethusa and three destroyers. They were ordered to conduct a patrol in theNorth Sea and were later ordered to intercept German invasion groups heading for Norway. In April 1940 she was involved in theNorwegian Campaign, leaving on 25 Apriltransporting part of the Norwegian National Treasury to Britain, and in May joined theNore Command as Flagship of the2nd Cruiser Squadron. Arriving at Åndalsnes in late April with troops for the Norwegian campaign she returned to Rosyth with 200 crates, weighing 40 kilograms (88 lb) each, from the Norwegian national treasury.

In June 1940 she was involved in theOperation Aerial evacuation of troops fromSaint-Jean-de-Luz, France, including SirRonald Hugh Campbell, the British Ambassador to France.^[2] On 7 September 1940 the code word "Cromwell" was issued meaning that the Germans might land inKent at dawn. During that nightGalatea was sent to patrol theStraits of Dover but made no contact with the enemy. At dawn while returning to port she struck anaval mine offSheerness and spent three months indry dock.

She remained with theHome Fleet (under refit, between October 1940 to January 1941) until May 1941, and was involved in hunting theGerman battleship Bismarck. In July 1941 she joined theMediterranean Fleet via theRed Sea, and by November was based atMalta with Force "K", operating against the Axis supply convoys toNorth Africa.

On 15 December 1941 before midnightGalatea was torpedoed and sunk by theGerman submarine U-557 off Alexandria, Egypt with the loss of 470 crew. Some 100 survivors were picked up by the destroyersGriffin andHotspur. Less than 48 hours later,U-557 was rammed by theItalian torpedo boat Orione and sank with all hands.

• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Friedman, Norman (2010).British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN 978-1-59114-078-8.
• Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980).British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-922-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised 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.

• HMS Galatea Memorial web page
• HMSGalatea at naval-history.net
  • Casualty list
• HMSGalatea at Uboat.net

31°17′N29°13′E / 31.283°N 29.217°E /31.283; 29.217