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Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 12:57 PM UTC
H-P Models sends us news of three new 1/700 London Class Cruisers. These nicely molded resin kits include the HMS London, the HMS Sussex and the proud HMS Dorsetshire of sinking of the Bismarck fame. All three of these kits are scheduled sometime in the near future.
Look for these heavy cruiser kits coming to a retailer near you:
Ship History
” HMS London (C-69) was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy.
London was laid down by HM Dockyard at Portsmouth on 23 February 1926, launched on 14 September 1927 and completed on 31 January 1929. London served with the 1st Cruiser Squadron until March 1939, and was the flagship of Admiral Max Horton during his time in command of 1st Cruisers. London and its sister ship Shropshire facilitated the evacuation of thousands of civilians from Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. London was involved in the pursuit of the enemy German battleship Bismarck in May 1941, served on Russian convoy escort duties until November 1942, and with the Eastern Fleet postwar.
In June 1949, she was involved in the Amethyst incident, in which she suffered 15 men killed during duels with Chinese shore batteries in the unsuccessful rescue efforts.
London was laid up in the River Fal, handed over to the British Iron and Steel Corporation on 3 January 1950, and arrived at Barrow-in-Furness on 25 January 1950 where she was broken up by Thomas W. Ward.
HMS Sussex was one of the London sub-class of the County-class heavy cruiser in the Royal Navy. She was laid down by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, at Hebburn-on-Tyne on 1 February 1927, launched on 22 February 1928 and completed on 19 March 1929.
History
Sussex served in the Mediterranean until 1934, with the Australia Squadron until 1936, in the Mediterranean again until 1939, operated with Force H in the South Atlantic during the search for the enemy German raider Admiral Graf Spee until December 1939, served with the Home Fleet during the Norwegian campaign, was struck by bombs while in refit at Glasgow on 18 September 1940 and did not return to service until August 1942, served in the Atlantic and with the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean, and covered operations in the Netherlands East Indies following the cessation of hostilities.
HMS Sussex was paid off in 1949, handed over to the British Iron and Steel Corporation on 3 January 1950, and arrived at Dalmuir in Scotland on 23 February 1950 where she was broken up by W. H. Arnott, Young and Company, Limited.
Notable events involving Sussex
September, 1939:
Sussex and her sistership HMS Shropshire formed Group "H" in the South Atlantic in the hunt for the Graf Spee.
2 December 1939:
The German passenger ship Watussi (9552 BRT) is intercepted in the South Atlantic off Cape Town, South Africa by the British battlecruiser HMS Renown and Sussex. However, before the German ship can be captured she is scuttled by her own crew.
Following the scuttling of the Graf Spee in December 1939, she returned to the UK, took part in the Norwegian Campaign then went to Glasgow for a refit.
26 February 1943:
Intercepted the German supply ship Hohenfriedberg, 7892 tgr, west of the Azores. The ship scuttled when challenged and at the same time Sussex was narrowly missed by a spread of torpedoes from U-264 which was accompanying the supply ship.
Transferred to the British Eastern Fleet until the end of the war, covered the reoccupation of the Netherlands East Indies before returning home.
26 July 1945:
Her Task Force was attacked by 2 Aichi D3A "Val" dive-bombers acting as "Kamikaze" suicide weapons: one was shot down by escort carrier HMS Ameer and the second by Sussex. However, this latter one bounced on the surface of the sea and impacted the cruiser's hull above the waterline, causing a 2½ metre dent. Later in the same day Sussex downed another aircraft.
HMS Dorsetshire (pennant number 40) was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the English county (now usually known as Dorset). She was launched on 29 January 1929 at Portsmouth Dockyard, UK. In 1931 she was part of the Atlantic Fleet during the Invergordon Mutiny but the incident was brought to a close before her crew joined the mutiny.
In World War II, she was commanded by Captain Augustus Agar V.C.
In December 1939, a couple months after war was declared, Dorsetshire, with other Royal Navy heavy units, was sent to Uruguay in pursuit of German surface raider pocket battleship (heavy cruiser) Admiral Graf Spee, in the aftermath of the Battle of the River Plate. Dorsetshire left Simonstown South Africa on December 13th, and was still in transit on December 17th when the Germans scuttled the Graf Spee.
Survivors from the Bismarck are pulled aboard HMS Dorsetshire on 27 May 1941
In late May 1941, Dorsetshire was one of the ships which engaged the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic. On 27 May Dorsetshire was ordered to torpedo Bismarck, which had by that point been crippled by repeated aircraft and naval attacks. Bismarcks crew however had already begun the process of scuttling the ship, which then sank rapidly. Dorsetshire was able to recover only 110 of Bismarcks crew from the sea, before being forced to evade a suspected U-boat.
On 21 November 1941, Dorsetshire was involved in sinking Atlantis (the "Raider C") which had preyed on Allied shipping. She also chanced upon the German supply ship Python on 1 December 1941, which was refuelling U-boats in the South Atlantic. The submarines dived, and one of them fired torpedoes at Dorsetshire which missed. The crew of Python scuttled their ship.
In 1942 Dorsetshire was assigned to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean. In the Indian Ocean raid, Dorsetshire and her sister ship Cornwall were attacked by Japanese dive-bombers 320 km southwest of Ceylon on 5 April 1942. Dorsetshire was hit by ten bombs and sank quickly at about 13:50; Cornwall was hit eight times and sank about ten minutes later. Of Dorsetshire's crew, 234 men were killed in the attack; more than 500 survived in the water or on rafts to be picked up by the cruiser Enterprise and the destroyers Paladin and Panther the next day. Captain Agar was among the survivors.”
- WWII-WL-GB-141 Heavy Cruiser London -after rebuild
- WWII-WL-GB-142 Heavy Cruiser Sussex
- WWII-WL-GB-143 Heavy Cruiser Dorsetshire
Ship History
” HMS London (C-69) was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy.
London was laid down by HM Dockyard at Portsmouth on 23 February 1926, launched on 14 September 1927 and completed on 31 January 1929. London served with the 1st Cruiser Squadron until March 1939, and was the flagship of Admiral Max Horton during his time in command of 1st Cruisers. London and its sister ship Shropshire facilitated the evacuation of thousands of civilians from Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. London was involved in the pursuit of the enemy German battleship Bismarck in May 1941, served on Russian convoy escort duties until November 1942, and with the Eastern Fleet postwar.
In June 1949, she was involved in the Amethyst incident, in which she suffered 15 men killed during duels with Chinese shore batteries in the unsuccessful rescue efforts.
London was laid up in the River Fal, handed over to the British Iron and Steel Corporation on 3 January 1950, and arrived at Barrow-in-Furness on 25 January 1950 where she was broken up by Thomas W. Ward.
HMS Sussex was one of the London sub-class of the County-class heavy cruiser in the Royal Navy. She was laid down by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, at Hebburn-on-Tyne on 1 February 1927, launched on 22 February 1928 and completed on 19 March 1929.
History
Sussex served in the Mediterranean until 1934, with the Australia Squadron until 1936, in the Mediterranean again until 1939, operated with Force H in the South Atlantic during the search for the enemy German raider Admiral Graf Spee until December 1939, served with the Home Fleet during the Norwegian campaign, was struck by bombs while in refit at Glasgow on 18 September 1940 and did not return to service until August 1942, served in the Atlantic and with the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean, and covered operations in the Netherlands East Indies following the cessation of hostilities.
HMS Sussex was paid off in 1949, handed over to the British Iron and Steel Corporation on 3 January 1950, and arrived at Dalmuir in Scotland on 23 February 1950 where she was broken up by W. H. Arnott, Young and Company, Limited.
Notable events involving Sussex
September, 1939:
Sussex and her sistership HMS Shropshire formed Group "H" in the South Atlantic in the hunt for the Graf Spee.
2 December 1939:
The German passenger ship Watussi (9552 BRT) is intercepted in the South Atlantic off Cape Town, South Africa by the British battlecruiser HMS Renown and Sussex. However, before the German ship can be captured she is scuttled by her own crew.
Following the scuttling of the Graf Spee in December 1939, she returned to the UK, took part in the Norwegian Campaign then went to Glasgow for a refit.
26 February 1943:
Intercepted the German supply ship Hohenfriedberg, 7892 tgr, west of the Azores. The ship scuttled when challenged and at the same time Sussex was narrowly missed by a spread of torpedoes from U-264 which was accompanying the supply ship.
Transferred to the British Eastern Fleet until the end of the war, covered the reoccupation of the Netherlands East Indies before returning home.
26 July 1945:
Her Task Force was attacked by 2 Aichi D3A "Val" dive-bombers acting as "Kamikaze" suicide weapons: one was shot down by escort carrier HMS Ameer and the second by Sussex. However, this latter one bounced on the surface of the sea and impacted the cruiser's hull above the waterline, causing a 2½ metre dent. Later in the same day Sussex downed another aircraft.
HMS Dorsetshire (pennant number 40) was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the English county (now usually known as Dorset). She was launched on 29 January 1929 at Portsmouth Dockyard, UK. In 1931 she was part of the Atlantic Fleet during the Invergordon Mutiny but the incident was brought to a close before her crew joined the mutiny.
In World War II, she was commanded by Captain Augustus Agar V.C.
In December 1939, a couple months after war was declared, Dorsetshire, with other Royal Navy heavy units, was sent to Uruguay in pursuit of German surface raider pocket battleship (heavy cruiser) Admiral Graf Spee, in the aftermath of the Battle of the River Plate. Dorsetshire left Simonstown South Africa on December 13th, and was still in transit on December 17th when the Germans scuttled the Graf Spee.
Survivors from the Bismarck are pulled aboard HMS Dorsetshire on 27 May 1941
In late May 1941, Dorsetshire was one of the ships which engaged the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic. On 27 May Dorsetshire was ordered to torpedo Bismarck, which had by that point been crippled by repeated aircraft and naval attacks. Bismarcks crew however had already begun the process of scuttling the ship, which then sank rapidly. Dorsetshire was able to recover only 110 of Bismarcks crew from the sea, before being forced to evade a suspected U-boat.
On 21 November 1941, Dorsetshire was involved in sinking Atlantis (the "Raider C") which had preyed on Allied shipping. She also chanced upon the German supply ship Python on 1 December 1941, which was refuelling U-boats in the South Atlantic. The submarines dived, and one of them fired torpedoes at Dorsetshire which missed. The crew of Python scuttled their ship.
In 1942 Dorsetshire was assigned to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean. In the Indian Ocean raid, Dorsetshire and her sister ship Cornwall were attacked by Japanese dive-bombers 320 km southwest of Ceylon on 5 April 1942. Dorsetshire was hit by ten bombs and sank quickly at about 13:50; Cornwall was hit eight times and sank about ten minutes later. Of Dorsetshire's crew, 234 men were killed in the attack; more than 500 survived in the water or on rafts to be picked up by the cruiser Enterprise and the destroyers Paladin and Panther the next day. Captain Agar was among the survivors.”
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