ROYAL NAVY SOUTH ATLANTIC COMMAND - ROYAL NAVY N P Q R 16 SHIPS
1)NEPTUNE (LIGHT CRUISER)
Photo. https://rnzncomms.org/2016/12/06/hms-neptune/
Completed: 1934
Displacement: 7,270 tons standard, 9,740 tons full load
Length: 554.9 ft
Beam: 56 ft
Draught: 19,1 ft
Propulsion: 4 x Parsons geared steam turbines, 6 x Admiralty 3-drum oil-fired boilers, Four shafts, 72,000 shp
Armament: Original configuration: 8 × BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval guns, 4 × 4 in guns
12 × 0.5 in machine guns 8 × 21 in torpedo tubes In 1945:8 × 6 in (152 mm), 8 × 4 in (102 mm), 16 × 40 mm, 8 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (quadruple mounts)
Speed: 32,5 kts
Range: 5730 miles at 13 kts
Complement: peacetime 550, wartime 680
Aircraft: One catapult-launched aircraft, Original type was a Fairey Seafox, catpult and aircraft later replaced with Supermarine Walrus
Served south Atlantic since the war outset until July 1941 when was deployed to eastern Mediterranean. On 22 Oct 1939 Rescued 162 crewmembers of German freighter ADOLPH WOERMANN (seen below) scuttled off Ascension. Prisoners were transferred to HM Armed Merchant Cruiser CARNARVON CASTLE.
German vessel Adolph Woermann. Photo. www.photoship.co.uk
Sunk 20 December 1941, when ran into a minefield some 20 miles off Tripoli. Only 30 seamen, out of her complement of 767, initially survived the sinking, and only one was still alive when their lifeboat was picked up five days later by the Italian torpedo boat Achille Papa.
