HMS Achilles

HMS Achilles was a Leander class cruiser built by Cammell Laird. Laid down on 11th June 1931, Achilles was launched 1st September 1932 and completed 6th October 1933. She served with the New Zealand Navy from 1937 to 1943. HMS Achilles served in the South Atlantic 1939 taking a major role in the battle of the River Plate against the Graf Spee, firing a total of 1242 6-inch shells in the action, and receiving splinter damage from near misses. Loaned to the newly formed Royal New Zealand Navy (along with her sister ship HMS Leander) 1940 to 1943, she returned to the Home Fleet 1943-1944 and then to the Pacific Fleet in 1945. In 1948 she was sold to the Indian Navy and renamed Delhi, arriving there after refit in September 1948. Displacement: 7,030 tons Speed: 32.5kt Complement: 550 Armament: eight 6 inch guns in twin turrets, four 4 inch anti-aircraft guns in single mountings and twelve 0.5 inch machine guns in fours. Eight 21 inch torpedo tubes in quadruple mountings and 1 aircraft. Single 4 inch guns later replaced by four twin mountings.

Cammell Laird launched this Leander class light cruiser at Birkenhead on 1 September 1932 and she entered service in the Home Fleet of the Royal Navy on 10 October 1933. She served with the Royal Navy's New Zealand Division from March 31, 1937 up to the creation of the Royal New Zealand Navy, into which she transferred in September 1941, becoming HMNZS ACHILLES. Some 60 percent of her crew came from New Zealand.

On the outbreak of the Second World War, ACHILLES started patrolling the west coast of South America looking for German merchant ships, but by 22 October 1939 she had arrived at the Falkland Islands, where she joined the South American Division under Commodore Harwood, allocated to Force G with the cruisers EXETER and CUMBERLAND, later joined by HMS AJAX. In the early morning of 13 December ACHILLES, AJAX and EXETER detected smoke on the horizon, which turned out to be the pocket battleship ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE. During a fierce battle, ACHILLES took some damage: four of her crew died, and her captain, W. E. Parry was injured. Damaged, ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE broke off the engagement to head for the neutral harbour of Montevideo which she entered at 22:00 that night; ACHILLES and AJAX had pursued her all day.

Following the battle, ACHILLES returned to Auckland, New Zealand on 23 February 1940, where she refitted until June. After Japan entered the war, ACHILLES escorted troop convoys, then joined the ANZAC squadron in the south west Pacific. While operating off New Georgia with US forces, on 5 January 1943 a bomb hit her on X turret. Under repair at Portsmouth from April 1943 to May 1944, anti-aircraft guns replaced her X turret. After joining the Eastern Fleet, ACHILLES then became part of the British Pacific Fleet (Task Force 57) in May 1945 for final operations in the Pacific.

After the war, ACHILLES returned to the Royal Navy at Sheerness, Kent, England on 17 September 1946. She was then bought by the Indian Navy and recommissioned on 5 July 1948 as INS DELHI. In 1956, she played herself in the film The Battle of the River Plate. She remained in service until decommissioning for scrap at Bombay on 30 June 1978. As part of the scrapping her Y turret and director control tower were removed and given as a gift to the New Zealand government; they are now on display at the entrance of Devonport RNZN Base in Auckland.

HMS Achilles Photos for Sale
Click on the images below to see purchasing options for these photos!
To view an enlarged image click the +Enlarge Image button (where available)

Timeline Entries :

HMS Achilles Artwork Collection
Click the images below to view the fantastic artwork we have available to purchase!