HMS Vigilant

## Badge

The final ship of the Speedwell-class heavy cruisers, the Vigilant was completed as an almost experimental version of the previous ships.

However, with the war winding down in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, the Vigilant was ordered with experimental 2 MT10 Gas turbines. These 2 turbines had actually been intended for the fourth ship of the Queen Mary-class, HMS Queen Anne.

With the cancelling of the HMS Queen Anne, the turbines were put into storage before the admiralty, seeing a post war navy needing fast, high quality warships, ordered the under construction HMS Vigilant to be modified to use these Gas turbines added.

Since the Gas Turbines were significantly smaller the Oil fired boilers, the Vigilant's engine rooms were compartmentalized, with the extra space being made available for additional fuel. (These spaces would be later re purposed into several different purposes over the life time of the ship).

Additionally, due to the decrease in weight, she would have her bilge filled with pig iron, and be continuously armed to maximum capacity to keep her as close to the original tonnage as possible.

## WW2 Service:

Due to her unique status as being the only Heavy Cruiser with Gas Turbines, the decision was made to keep her attached to squadrons with other Gas powered ships (the only other ships in the Royal Navy being the 3 ships of the Queen Mary-class).

Before being deployed to front line service, HMS Vigilant underwent lengthy sea trials in the Caribbean, lasting August 7, 1948. Deployed to the Mid-Atlantic fleet, as apart of the large naval squadron made up of the battleships HMS Queen Mary (flagship), HMS Superb, HMS Anson, and the fleet carriers HMS Africa and HMS Formidable.

Serving a predominately inactive career in the East Pacific.

## Post War:

In the immediate post war, HMS Vigilant was apart of the mass naval operation to bring British troops back to Britain.
In 1951, she would be mothballed, but in 1966, she would be reactivated. Seeing the successful conversion of several US Baltimore-class heavy cruisers into Guided missile cruisers, she would be selected alongside the mothballed HMS King George V to undergo conversion into a Guided Missile Cruiser, and Guided Missile Battleship.

Modernized extensively, with Seacat Missile launcher mounts replacing 4 of her 6 5.25in Turrets, and having 4 Exocet AntiShip Launchers, each carrying 4 Exocet Anti-Ship Missiles, she was the heaviest Guided Missile Cruiser in the world.

Serving a very quiet service life, she would most famously see service during the Falklands War, where her antiquated but potent Exocet Missiles to sink the Argentine Cruiser General Belgrano.

By 1986, HMS Vigilant was in dire need of a refit. Her condition was relatively poor, suffering from several mechanical issues that required her to return from deployments. Combined with the need to completely overhaul her sensor suite, and the commissioning of the final Type 42 (HMS Edinburgh) Destroyer the year before, the Admiralty decided to mothball the HMS Vigilant.

The idea to convert the HMS Vigilant into a mixed guided missile/helicopter carrier was made, which would involve her 2 rear most launchers removed and replaced with a helicopter flight deck and hanger, leading to the need of replacing only the forward 2 turrets.

While several efforts where made, the recent opening of the museum ship HMS Belfast, combined with the poor condition of the Vigilant, led to her being sold for scrap in 1989.