History of  Royal Navy cruisers (heavy cruisers, light cruisers). Royal Navy cruiser website dedicated to the Fiji Class. HMS Fiji, HMS Kenya, HMS Mauritius, HMS Nigeria, HMS Trinidad, HMS Ceylon, HMS Gambia, HMS Jamaica, HMS Uganda, HMS Bermuda, HMS New Foundland including crew and families of ex-crew members notice board for the Fiji Class cruisers.

HMS Jamaica.  Built by Vickers Armstrong at barrow and launched 16th November 1940 and completed 29th June 1942. On completion she served with the Home Fleet from 1942 till the end of the war. later serving in the Indian Ocean. finally being sold and scrapped  at Dalmuir in Scotland 20th December 1960 and finally the hull was scrapped at Troon in 1962.

Displacement: 8,000 tons.   Speed: 33kts    Complement: 730

Armament: Twelve 6 inch guns in threes. Eight 4 inch anti-aircraft guns in pairs and nine 2pdr anti-aircraft guns in pairs (one single) as well as eight 0.5 inch machine guns in pairs.   Six 21 inch torpedo tubes in threes and 3 aircraft.

Displacement: 8,800 tons (Ceylon, Uganda and Newfoundland), 

HMS Ceylon.

Original Postcard.  Published by A G Gwinnel.  Price £15.  Click here to order.  Order Code  PHC453

HMS Ceylon.

HMS Ceylon photograph provided by Bill Hartland.

HMS Fiji was built at Clydebank by John brown ship builders and laid down on the 30th march 1938, launched 31st May 1939 and completed 17th may 1940. joined the Home fleet on completion from 1940 till 1941,  In September 1940 HMS Fiji was hit by a torpedo form U32 which flooded the forward boiler room, causing enough damage to keep her out of action for six months with repairs.  she was bombed by German and Italian aircraft  one direct hit and three near missus, two of the near misses caused the engine room and boiler room forward to flood rapidly which caused a heavy list, the crew abandoned the ship and HMS Fiji after five hours capsized and sank of Crete on the 22nd May 1941. 

HMS Mauritius. was built by swan Hunter at Wallsend and laid down on the 31st march 1938, and launched 19th July 1939 completed 1st January 1941. HMS Mauritius served in the home Fleet 1941 going  to the east Indies 1941 till 1942, Eastern Fleet 1942 - 1943, Mediterranean fleet 1943 - 1944 and finally  in the Home Fleet  1944 - 1945. took part in the D-day landings. June 1944.  Finally scrapped at Inverkeithing March 1965

Displacement: 8,000 tons.   Speed: 33kts    Complement: 730

HMS Fiji.

Original Postcard.  Published by P A Vicary.  Price £15.  Click here to order.  Order Code  PHC454

HMS Gambia photograph provided by Bill Hartland.

HMS Gambia entering Malta's Grand Harbour sometime in the 1940s. © Tony Davies

HMS Gambia alongside Dutch destroyer Van Galen at St Helena, 1942.

HMS Gambia alongside Dutch destroyer Van Galen at St Helena, 1942.

HMS Gambia.

HMS Gambia insignia provided by Bill Hartland.

HMS Jamaica was built at Vickers Armstrong at barrow, and laid down on the 28th April 1938, launched 16th November 1940 and completed 29th June 1942.  Joined  the Home Fleet on completion and served from 1942 until 1945. 

Joined the Home fleet and served in convoy protection in the Atlantic. In May 1941 while serving with the 2nsd Cruiser squadron. HMS Kenya was involved in the Hunt for the German  battleship Bismarck. and In June 1941 with HMS Aurora, HMS Kenya intercepted the German supply ship Belchen. in the Davies Strait. She went to the Mediterranean in September 1941. to take part in Operation halberd. after which she returned once again to serve with the Home Fleet serving in the arctic. and during this time took part in bombarding of German coastal position in Norway.  In December 1941 HMS Kenya covered the Vaagso Raid..  Then returning to the Mediterranean in June 1942.  while serving in the Mediterranean she took part in Operation harpoon./  and in August 1942 she participated in the famous pedestal Convoys to re supply Malta and on the 12th August she was torpedoed and damaged buy the Italian Submarine Alagi. Putting in for repairs  which took until December 1942.  HMS Kenya served with the Home Fleet during 1943. transferring to the 4th Cruiser squadron in the Eastern Fleet in January 1944..  During that year she covered the Carrier  raids on the Japanese controlled islands in the Indian Ocean.  and Covered the Arakan landings in 1945 and also bombarding Japanese Coastal defenses in Malaysia.   As the war ended HMS Kenya was in refit. Serving in the 8th cruiser squadron in the west Indies station From October 1946. until December `1947 when she went into reserve. re commissioned into the 5th cruiser squadron to serve during the Korean war. during 11951 and 152. moving to the Mediterranean the following year.. finally coming back to the UK on the 24th February 1953 went into reserve once again. After a refit in 1955 she served again in the West Indies Station with he 8th cruiser squadron. returning to the Home fleet in November 1956 until 1957. when she went to the Mediterranean for the last time to become the flagship of the 1st cruiser squadron. Finally paid of in September 1958.  remained in reserve at Portsmouth until being scrapped In Scotland at Faslane in October 1962.

HMS Kenya at Gibraltar. 

HMS Kenya photograph provided by Bill Hartland.

HMS Mauritius at Malta.

HMS Nigeria.

August 1945, Trincomalie. Ceylon :  Places visited during Commission in East Indies Fleet 1943 - 1945

Gibraltar, Port Said, Suez, Aden, Columbo, Trincomalie, Divitalawa, Sabang, Port Blair, Freemantle, Perth, Chittagong, Akyab, Ranger Is?, Cheduba Is, Bombay Car Nicobar, Great Nicobar, Mauritius, Madagasca, Adu Atoll, Simonstown, Capetown, Penang, Port Swettenham, Port Dickson, Malacca Straights, Samatra, Park Straights.

HMS Nigeria passing under Cooper River Bridge, Charleston, SC, USA, probably leaving Charleston Naval Base.

HMS Nigeria at speed sent in by Bill Nutall

HMS Uganda, August 1943.

A large image size 10" x 7" approx, is available.  Reproduced from the original negative / photo under license from MPL, the copyright holder.  A signed numbered certificate is supplied. Price £25.   Order photograph here   Order Code  XMP1450