HMS Liverpool ( C11 ) HMS " Liverpool " , named after the port city of Liverpool in north - west England , was a Town - class light cruiser of the Royal Navy in service from 1938 to 1952 . During the Second World War , " Liverpool " gained four battle honour s and was seriously damaged in two attacks by Italian torpedo bomber s . She operated variously with the naval stations in the East Indies and China and with the Mediterranean and Home fleets . While assigned to the China Station in January 1940 , the cruiser instigated a diplomatic incident with Japan when she intercepted the liner " Asama Maru " off the coast of Japan . " Liverpool " fought in the battles of the Espero Convoy and Calabria , the Arctic Convoys , and Operation Harpoon during the Malta Convoys . An aerial attack on 14 June 1942 , during Operation Harpoon , proved to be the ship ' s final combat of the war and for the remainder of the conflict , " Liverpool " underwent repairs and refitting at Rosyth , Scotland . " Liverpool " returned to service in 1945 for assignment to the Mediterranean Fleet . In the early 1950s , the cruiser harboured in Port Said to support the British Administration of the Suez Canal Zone when Egyptian guerrillas campaigned against it . The cruiser was decommissioned in 1952 during a period when the Royal Navy was rapidly contracting , and was broken up in 1958 at Rosyth . History . Design and commission ( 1935 – 1939 ) . Procured in response to the American " Brooklyn " and Japanese " Mogami " classes of light cruiser , the Town class consisted of three variants for a total of 10 ships . These ships were intended for fleet duties rather than trade protection , which their predecessors had been designed for . The class represented a significant improvement in armament and armour , which provided reasonable protection against shells . Their primary armament of twelve guns in triple turrets , compared to the eight and six guns possessed by the preceding " Leander " and " Arethusa " classes , still adhered to the constraints of the London Naval Treaty . " Liverpool " became one of the three Town - class cruisers — with " Gloucester " and " Manchester " — ordered to a slightly revised design referred to as the " Gloucester " , " Liverpool " , or Type II sub - class . The second group retained an almost identical configuration , differentiated only by a beam enlarged to ( compared to " Southampton " ' s beam of ) , a redesigned bridge , and improved fire control equipment . When first ordered in the mid - 1930s , the original Town - class cruisers " Newcastle " and " Southampton " were to have been called " Minotaur " and " Polyphemus " on commissioning . Ordered under the 1935 estimates , the keel of the " Liverpool " was laid down at Govan on 17 February 1936 and launched on 24 March 1937 by Priscilla Norman , wife of the Governor of the Bank of England Montagu Norman . " Liverpool " became the first cruiser launched at the Fairfield shipyard since the County - class " Norfolk " . After being commissioned into the navy on 2 November 1938 , " Liverpool " was assigned to the East Indies Station under the command of Captain A . D . Read . Before the deployment , the cruiser visited her namesake port in January 1939 . The Liverpool Woman ’ s Service Bureau presented the cruiser with a Union flag and White Ensign , while the city ' s Corporation gave the crew " three pairs of candlesticks , a silver cup , and two bugles " . " Liverpool " ' s crew had already received a silver bell and plate originally in the possession of her predecessor . East Indies and China stations ( 1939 – 1940 ) . Before arriving in the East Indies , " Liverpool " prepared for the deployment in the Mediterranean for two months and had engine defects corrected . At the beginning of the Second World War , " Liverpool " formed part of the 4th Cruiser Squadron , which she left in November to transfer to the 5th Cruiser Squadron , China Station . While part of the station , the cruiser became involved in a diplomatic incident when she intercepted the Japan ese passenger liner " Asama Maru " on 21 January 1940 . Alerted to reports that German sailors in the United States had arranged transport to Germany , the British Government authorised the station ' s commander - in - chief to direct a warship to board the " Asama Maru " and detain suspected passengers , provided the procedure did not occur within sight of the coast of Japan . Just east of Niijima , off Honshū , " Liverpool " located the liner and removed 21 of the ship ' s passengers , believed by the British to be survivors of the scuttled German liner " Columbus " . The " Asama Maru " had been late and had deviated from her expected course , necessitating an operation much closer to Japan ' s coast . " Liverpool " discharged a warning shot across the " Asama Maru ' s " bows to compel the liner to halt , afterwards deploying 12 men to conduct the search . Four days after the incident , the NYK Line dismissed Captain Watanabe , under the pretense of retirement , accusing him of " misconduct " . The Government of Japan condemned the operation as an abuse of belligerent rights and formally protested the action , which further escalated tensions between the two countries . The Japanese and British governments sought to defuse the dispute through negotiation , and on 5 February , the two countries accepted a proposal which entailed the release of nine Germans in exchange for Japan pledging to deny military - age German citizens access to their vessels . In Australia ' s official history of the war , it was said that the most senior of the nine Germans , Captain Groth , remarked during his passage to Japan aboard HMS " Kanimbla " that the operation had been " an excellent piece of work , and an action which would deter the remainder of the German crews still in the United States , approximately 1000 men , from making the passage " . In April , " Liverpool " became the flagship of Rear - Admiral Arthur Murray ' s Red Sea Force , which was formed with the Australian cruiser HMAS " Hobart " . The Red Sea Force was intended to help execute naval strategy in the area by performing a variety of duties , such as patrols and blockade enforcement in the event of war with Italy . While in the area , " Liverpool " escorted a convoy transporting contingents from the Australian military to Suez . When ordered to the Mediterranean in June , " Liverpool " relinquished her status as flagship with the transfer of Admiral Murray to the New Zealand cruiser " Leander " at Port Sudan . To accommodate the admiral and his staff , " Leander " transferred three officers and seven ratings to " Liverpool " . First torpedoing ( 1940 – 1941 ) . " Liverpool " formed part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron , becoming one of nine cruisers that could be fielded by the Mediterranean Fleet shortly after Fascist Italy entered the war . She first encountered Italian vessels off the coast of Libya on 12 June while shelling positions near Tobruk with " Gloucester " and four destroyers . The cruisers attacked five vessels , including the obsolete armoured cruiser " San Giorgio " , and sank the minesweeper " Giovanni Berta " . On the 28th , a British Short Sunderland patrol aircraft detected three Italian destroyer s west of Zante . The 7th Cruiser Squadron was at sea in support of convoy Operation MA . 3 when it altered course to engage the destroyers . " Liverpool " sighted them south - west of Cape Matapan at 18 : 30 and opened fire three minutes later . The ensuing action , carried out at a minimum range of about , resulted in the destruction of the Italian " Espero " . The two surviving destroyers reached Benghazi with their supplies . Ammunition had been rapidly depleted by the squadron , and by the close of the action , " Liverpool " had almost expended the contents of her shellrooms , reporting that each gun had 40 shells remaining . The Admiralty criticised the expenditure of some 5 , 000 rounds , which Admiral Andrew Cunningham , commander - in - chief of the Mediterranean Fleet , attributed to the squadron ' s inexperience and his insistence on confronting the Italian warships before nightfall . Nevertheless , the use of such a large volume of shells caused the cancellation of MA . 3 , which had encompassed two convoys from the besieged island of Malta . The Mediterranean Fleet followed MA . 3 with Operation MA . 5 in early July . During the course of the deployment , Admiral Cunningham received reports of a large formation of Italian warships and changed course towards Taranto to intercept . On 9 July , the fleets encountered each other off Calabria , in the first major battle between the Allied and Italian navies in the Mediterranean theatre . The " Liverpool " and " Neptune " commenced firing at 15 : 22 , eight minutes after Italian cruisers started their barrage at a range of . After a continuous exchange of fire , " Warspite " struck the battleship " Giulio Cesare " at 16 : 00 , inducing the Italian fleet to disengage from the battle . Italian aircraft attacked " Liverpool " with bombs on the 12th while she was returning to Alexandria , Egypt , causing fatalities and wounding three , including the cruiser ' s commander . Later in July , " Liverpool " escorted convoy AN . 2 from Egypt on its way to Greek ports in the Aegean and the southward - convoy AS . 2 from the Aegean . The latter convoy came under substantial attack by Italian aircraft on the 29th ; " Liverpool " was the only vessel hit when an unexploded bomb penetrated two decks , killing a rating . When the Mediterranean Light Forces restructured in August , " Liverpool " was switched to the 3rd Cruiser Squadron , grouped with " Gloucester " and " Kent " under the command of Rear - Admiral Edward de Faye Renouf . On 28 September , as part of Operation MB . 5 , " Liverpool " and " Gloucester " proceeded to Malta , transporting reinforcements , airmen , and RAF provisions . The cruisers — briefly protected by a force consisting of the battleships " Valiant " and " Warspite " , " Illustrious " with her aircraft , cruisers " Orion " , " Sydney " , and " York " , and 11 destroyers — came under repeated aerial attack . Both cruisers later detached from the naval force and reached the island on the 30th . The fleet again put to sea on 8 October with the intention of supporting Malta convoy MF . 3 and the Alexandria - bound convoy MF . 4 , while seeking to engineer an encounter with the main assets of the Italian Navy . Although Admiral Cunningham did not realise his latter objective , which was limited to an engagement with Italian destroyers , the convoys reached their respective destinations . The " Illustrious " then conducted aerial operations against Italian installations on the island of Leros . While " Liverpool " and other escorts were returning from the sortie on the 14th , Italian torpedo - bombers attacked the cruiser , inflicting considerable damage to the forward section and causing fuel to be released from the aviation tank . According to Captain Read , despite the petrol being surrounded with 70 tons of water in accordance with regulation , the fuel reached the mess decks and became exposed to an electrical short circuit . The subsequent explosion , at 19 : 20 , seriously compromised " Liverpool " ' s bow structure , enveloped the forecastle in flames , and blew up the vacated " A " turret . " Liverpool ' s " crew prepared the cruiser ' s Carley float s and other small craft while warships , including " Gloucester " , began to arrive at the scene . The " Orion " , screened by the anti - aircraft cruisers " Calcutta " and " Coventry " , took her in tow at the stern . While being towed on the 15th , " Liverpool ' s " bow separated from the hull . Later in the day , 12 of the cruiser ' s sailors ( including one unidentifiable at the time ) were buried at sea . Three more died in the night and were buried before the two cruisers reached the port of Alexandria on the 16th . " Liverpool ' s " losses in the attack had amounted to 3 officers and 27 crewmen killed and 35 crewmen wounded . Her captain transferred in late October to the battleship " Ramillies " ; his successor was Captain A . L . Poland on the 27th . According to the journal of Midshipman William Hayes , " Liverpool " , like nearby warships , had been forewarned of an imminent attack via radio direction finder ( RDF ) , but the inexperienced rating on watch at his post did not report this to his superiors because of apparent confusion . As part of the ship ' s interim repairs , " Liverpool " had a provisional false bow constructed . Once able to embark on a prolonged voyage , " Liverpool " steamed to the United States to have her bow reconstructed at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo , California . The ship ' s presence would not be disclosed until September when the US Navy Department released a list identifying 12 ships situated in various ports . At the shipyard , " Liverpool " had her anti - aircraft armament increased with the addition of nine single 20 mm Oerlikon cannons . She departed in November for Britain , principally to have upgraded radar systems installed . Second torpedoing ( 1942 – 1945 ) . After returning to active service , " Liverpool " became subordinate to the 18th Cruiser Squadron at Scapa Flow and deployed in support of the Arctic convoys . The conditions that Allied ships endured during the convoys proved extreme , with freezing weather , snowstorms , and frequent attacks by the Luftwaffe and Germany Navy . " Liverpool " arrived in the Arctic as a replacement for the damaged cruiser " Trinidad " . She joined convoy QP 10 , comprising 16 merchant vessels and five destroyers , on 12 April as an escort on its journey from the Russian Kola Peninsula to Iceland . The convoy came under repeated attack from U - boat s and aircraft for three days . Four vessels were sunk ( two of which sank on the 11th ) and one was damaged ; QP 10 arrived at Reykjavík on the 21st . In mid - May , " Liverpool " joined a group of warships that was to have escorted " Trinidad " on her return journey to Britain . After temporary repairs in Russia , " Trinidad " got underway on 13 May . The group that included " Liverpool " positioned itself west of Bear Island , in the Barents Sea , to rendezvous with the cruiser . On the 14th , " Trinidad " came under repeated attack and was set ablaze by bombs . The British had to evacuate and sink her the following day when the fire became uncontainable . " Liverpool " and the rest of Rear - Admiral Burrough ' s group came under attack themselves on the return journey . On 25 May , " Liverpool " began escorting PQ 16 , a convoy of 35 merchant vessels bound for Murmansk , the largest convoy yet undertaken in support of the Soviet Union . PQ 16 had considerable protection , including the light and heavy cruisers " Nigeria " , " Kent " , and " Norfolk " , and numerous destroyers and submarines , with distant cover provided by the Home Fleet . Inevitably , the convoy came under attack , beginning with a sortie on the 25th that damaged the freighter SS " Carlton " . Sustained attacks from U - boats and at least 242 German aircraft yielded a total of seven vessels sunk on the 26th and 27th . The cruiser escort switched to the returning convoy QP 12 on the 26th . " Liverpool " returned to the Mediterranean in June to participate in Operation Harpoon , part of the Malta Convoys . While assigned to Force W covering convoy WS . 19 on 14 June , " Liverpool " and the convoy came under attack by at least 38 Axis aircraft . They crippled " Liverpool " and sunk the Dutch freighter " Tanimbar " , ultimately depriving the convoy of a close cruiser escort as the " Kenya " and " Charybdis " were covering Force W ' s aircraft carriers when Italian ships attacked the surviving merchantmen and destroyers . The torpedo that impacted " Liverpool ' s " starboard side hit the engine room , partially flooding the cruiser and disabling her machinery and steering gear . Reduced to a speed of , " Liverpool " had to be taken under tow by " Antelope " . For the rest of the day , Italian aircraft focused on " Liverpool " rather than the convoy . Before arriving at Gibraltar on the 17th , the group came under further air attack and " Liverpool " incurred additional damage due to near misses . For " Liverpool " , casualties from the original attack were recorded in the ship ' s log as 15 killed and 22 wounded . The fatalities from the torpedoing had remained in the engine room and been affected by heat exposure , requiring the distribution of an additional tot of rum to the volunteer retrieval party . " Liverpool " received temporary repairs at Gibraltar and returned to Britain in August . Although repairs at Rosyth were completed by July 1943 , sufficient personnel would not be assigned to " Liverpool " until late 1945 . At Rosyth , " Liverpool " underwent an extended period of refitting and maintenance . The refit upgraded " Liverpool ' s " radar equipment , removed " X " turret and the aircraft catapult , and enlarged the cruiser ' s defensive armament ( which included an increase to 28 pom - poms , in six quadruple and four single mounts , seven Bofors 40 mm guns in single mounts , and the addition of five 20 mm Oerlikon cannons ) . Post - Second World War ( 1945 – 1958 ) . " Liverpool " returned to service in October 1945 to join the 15th Cruiser Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet , in which she served mostly as a flagship . In October 1946 , " Liverpool ' s " visit to Greece was interrupted by the Corfu Channel mining of the destroyers " Saumarez " and " Volage " . With Admiral Algernon Willis embarked , " Liverpool " steamed to Corfu in response , and briefly received the wounded captain of the " Saumarez " at Corfu Bay . In April 1948 , the cruiser transported Olympic torches and related items in preparation for the ceremonial prelude to the Summer Olympic Games in London . While docked in the harbour of Alexandria on 22 January 1950 , " Liverpool " entertained King Farouk . Given a 21 - gun salute by the cruiser , Farouk met Vice - Admiral Louis Mountbatten and the Ambassador to Egypt and later expressed his " pleasure at the visit and at renewing my acquaintance with the Royal Navy . " In September 1951 , " Liverpool " , as flagship of Admiral John Edelsten , became the first British warship to visit Yugoslavia post - war and was inspected by the country ' s leader Marshal Tito in the city of Split . It had been the Royal Navy ' s first official visit to the country in 12 years . Following the abrogation of the Anglo - Egyptian Treaty in October 1951 , the Royal Navy dispatched vessels to Port Said after dock workers declared a strike protesting the British administration of the Suez Canal Zone . The cruisers " Gambia " and " Liverpool " consecutively assumed responsibility for dock operations , supplying men to replace unavailable workers and guard against guerrilla attacks on facilities . In January , Egyptian media accused " Liverpool " of firing her guns into the port during an engagement with guerrillas , which the British military vehemently denied and attributed to misidentification . Upon decommission in 1952 , " Liverpool " entered the reserve at Portsmouth Naval Dockyard . " Liverpool " became an accommodation ship at Portmouth and was used by the " Senior Officer , Reserve Fleet " and his staff . The gradual rationalisation of the Royal Navy began in earnest in the 1950s under Duncan Sandys ' 1957 Defence White Paper and the reserve of at least 551 ships was abolished . With the complete withdrawal from service of wartime cruisers by the 1960s , the roles of " Liverpool " and her contemporaries effectively became superseded by the County - class guided missile destroyer s and the three missile cruisers of the " Tiger " class . " Liverpool " was sold in 1958 for breaking up at Bo ' Ness , Scotland ; more than 12 months elapsed before the vessel had been completely dismantled .