HMS Shropshire (73)

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Shropshire
Namesake:	Shropshire, England
Ordered:	17 March 1926
Builder:	William Beardmore and Company (Dalmuir, Scotland)
Laid down:	24 February 1927
Launched:	5 July 1928
Completed:	12 September 1929
Commissioned:	24 September 1929
Decommissioned:	23 December 1942
Identification:	Pennant number: 73, later 83, later 96
Honours and awards:	Battle honours: Atlantic 1941 Arctic 1941
Fate:	Transferred to RAN
Australia
Name:	HMAS Shropshire
Commissioned:	20 April 1943
Decommissioned:	10 November 1949
Motto:	"Floreat Ambo"
Honours and awards:	Battle honours: New Guinea 1943–44 Leyte Gulf 1944 Lingayen Gulf 1945 Borneo 1945 Pacific 1945
Fate:	Sold for scrapping, 16 July 1954
General characteristics
Class and type:	County-class heavy cruiser
Displacement:	9,750 tons standard 13,315 tons full load
Length:	633 ft (193 m)
Beam:	66 ft (20 m)
Draught:	21 ft (6.4 m)
Propulsion:	8 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers 4-shaft Parsons geared turbines 80,000 shaft horsepower (60,000 kW)
Speed:	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range:	4,715 km (2,546 nmi; 2,930 mi) at 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph) 20,116 kilometres (10,862 nmi; 12,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) 3,210 tons fuel oil
Complement:	690 (peace), 1,000 (war)
Armament:	Original configuration: 8 × 8-in (203 mm) Mk VIII dual guns 4 × QF 4-in (102 mm) Mk V single AA guns 4 × 2-pdr (40 mm) single pom-poms 2 × 2-pdr (40 mm) quad pom-poms 2 × 0.5-in quadruple Vickers machine gun mount 2 × quadruple 21-in (533 mm) torpedo tubes April 1941 – November 1942 configuration: 8 × 8-in (203 mm) Mk VIII dual guns 4 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk XVI dual AA guns 2 × 2-pdr (40 mm) eight barrel pom-poms 10 × 20-mm (0.8 in) single guns 2 × 0.5-in quadruple Vickers machine gun mount 2 × quadruple 21-in (533 mm) torpedo tubes November 1942 – April 1944 configuration: 8 × 8 in (203-mm) Mk VIII dual guns 4 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk XVI dual AA guns 2 × 2-pdr (40 mm) eight barrel pom-poms 6 × 20-mm (0.8 in) single guns 7 × 20-mm (0.8 in) dual guns 2 × 0.5-in quadruple Vickers machine gun mount 2 × quadruple 21-in (533 mm) torpedo tubes January 1945 – February 1946 configuration: 8 × 8-in (203 mm) Mk VIII dual guns 4 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk XVI dual AA guns 2 × 2-pdr (40 mm) eight barrel pom-poms 2 × 20-mm (0.8 in) dual guns 15 × 40-mm (1.5 in) Bofors Mk III single guns
Armour:	1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10.2 cm) magazine box protection 1.375 inches (3.49 cm) deck 1 inch (2.5 cm) side-plating,turrets and bulkheads 4.5 inches (11 cm) belt 4 inches (10 cm) internal boiler room sides (added 1936–1940)
Aircraft carried:	One aircraft, one catapult. Three planes used during service; Fairey III, Hawker Osprey, Supermarine Walrus

HMS Shropshire was a Royal Navy (RN) heavy cruiser of the London sub-class of County-class cruisers. She is the only warship to have been named after Shropshire, England. Completed in 1929, Shropshire served with the RN until 1942, when she was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) following the loss of sister ship HMAS Canberra. Commissioned as HMAS Shropshire, the ship remained in RAN service until 1949, and was sold for scrap in 1954.

Shropshire was one of four heavy cruisers built to the London design of the County-class cruisers. The cruiser had a displacement of 9,830 tons at standard load, was 632.75 feet (192.86 m) long overall, 595 feet (181 m) long between perpendiculars, and had a beam of 66 feet (20 m).

The propulsion system consisted of eight Yarrow-type boilers, which fed Parsons geared turbines. These generated 80,000 shaft horsepower, which was fed to the ship's four 11-foot (3.4 m) diameter propellers. The cruiser could reach speeds of up to 32.25 knots (59.73 km/h; 37.11 mph), with 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) as the designated economical speed. At economical speed, she could travel 8,700 nautical miles (16,100 km; 10,000 mi).

The cruiser's initial armament consisted of eight BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval guns in four twin turrets, four single QF 4 inch Mk V naval guns and four single QF 2 pounder naval guns (or pom-poms) for anti-aircraft defence, four 3-pounder guns, and a number of smaller calibre guns for point defence. During the 1930s, two 0.5-inch machine guns were added to the point defence armament.

Shortly before transfer to the RAN in 1943, Shropshire underwent a refit. Although the main armament was unchanged, the 4-inch guns were upgraded to twin mountings, while the anti-aircraft armament was replaced with eighteen 20 mm Oerlikon guns (seven twin mountings and four single mountings) and two QF 2-pounder Mark VI eight-barrelled pom-poms. The 3-pounder guns were deleted, while two quadruple-tube launchers for 21-inch torpedoes and several depth charge chutes were installed. During the same refit, the cruiser ceased operating its seaplane, and the aircraft catapult was removed.

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