HMS Sussex 1942

WEM K 716

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Released in October 1998, master patterns were built by Brian Fawcett. 

History time!

H.M.S. Sussex was the second of the London class of cruisers, known collectively with the similar Kent and Dorsetshire classes as the "Counties". They were built under the terms of the Washington Treaty, limiting their displacement to 10,000 tons and gun calibre to 8". In order to fulfill the trade protection role intended for them and to keep the 8" guns considered necessary to match foreign treaty cruisers of the period, while still keeping within treaty displacement limits, side armour was dispensed with, a feature which led to much criticism and the nickname of "tinplate liners". An advanced gunnery system designed for 5 rpm per gun was adopted, but the system gave problems for years before it was finally perfected. These shortcomings, combined with high cost, meant that the Counties were considered the worst bargain made by the R.N. in many years.  However, with the coming of the Second World War, with their teething problems long since remedied, these handsome ships finally proved their worth. Their high freeboard made them excellent sea boats, which combined with a good endurance and a well arranged armament, made them far more useful ships than some that appeared superior on paper. In addition, their large size gave them an adequate margin of stability for the inevitable additions of armament and equipment that occurred during the war.

Sussex was launched on 22nd February 1928 by Hawthorn Leslie at Hebburn, and completed in March 1929. The outbreak of war delayed a planned refit intended to add, amongst other things, a side armour belt, and then during routine machinery repairs on the Clyde, she was hit by a bomb on 22nd November 1940. Being unmanned, she was quickly gutted by fire and a serious explosion, at which point the decision was made to flood her in order to minimise further damage to the ship and surrounding yard. As a result, Sussex capsized and settled on the bottom of the basin. She was later refloated and repaired, finally recommissioning in August 1942, when she joined the Home Fleet. The following year she went to the Far East, before a refit lasting from June 1944 to March 1945. After a time with the 5th Cruiser Squadron, Sussex went into reserve in 1946, being sold for scrap in 1950.

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