1940 HMS Exeter returns Home

British Newsreel. February 19, 1940. HMS Exeter was a York class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that served in World War II. She was laid down on 1 August 1928 at the Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. She was launched on 18 July 1929 and completed on 27 July 1931.At the outbreak of the Second World War, she formed part of the South American Division with Cumberland. Together with the Leander class light cruisers Ajax and Achilles she engaged the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December 1939, which action resulted in the scuttling of the Admiral Graf Spee several days later. Exeter operated as a division on her own, Achilles and Ajax as the other, in order to split the fire of Graf Spee. Exeter was hit by seven 11-inch shells and several near misses caused significant splinter damage. Sixty-one of her crew were killed and another twenty-three wounded. All three 8 inch turrets were put out of action and her speed was reduced to 18 knots (33 km/h), forcing her to withdraw from battle. Exeter made for Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands for emergency repairs which took until January 1940, then returned to Devonport without assistance for full repairs between February 1940 and March 1941.On the entry of the Empire of Japan into the war in December 1941, Exeter formed part of the ABDACOM naval force intended to defend the Dutch East Indies from Japanese invasion.On February 27, 1942, Exeter was damaged in the Battle of the Java Sea when she received an 8" shell hit to a boiler room and was subsequently ordered to Surabaya for repairs. The destroyer HMS Electra was sunk covering her withdrawal. Two days later, when she attempted to reach the Sunda Strait, she was intercepted by the Japanese heavy cruisers Nachi, Haguro, Myoko and Ashigara and the destroyers Akebono, Ikazuchi, Inazuma, Yamakaze and Kawakaze on the morning of 1 March 1942. The Second Battle of the Java Sea ensued, now more appropriately called The Battle off Bawean Island, and Exeter was soon badly damaged by gunfire from the above and another crucial 8" shell hit caused the loss of all power to the ship. Scuttling charges were set and she soon began sinking, initially listing to port only to be hit to starboard by a torpedo from the destroyer Inazuma[1] which sat her back upright and rolled her to starboard before she finally sunk about noon. Her escorting destroyers, HMS Encounter and USS Pope were also lost, although Pope temporarily escaped the initial melee only to be sunk with the aid of aerial attack a few hours later. About 800 Allied seamen, including the commander of Exeter, Captain O. L. Gordon, became prisoners of war.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• HMS
• Exeter
• Heavy
• Cruiser
• Royal
• Navy
• British
• Battle
• River
• Plate
• Admiral
• Graf
• Spee
• Achilles
• Ajax
• Light

[kensington25]

Thank you so much for this clip. My grandfather Lt Brougham was on board when she was sunk in 1942. He spent the rest of the War as a POW in Japan. He also kept a diary. What they went through was devastating.

[skoblinI]

Your welcome, kensington. If I find more I will post it.

[machineamsterdam]

My heartfelt thanks to Skolini for posting this. My dear father, Horace Samuel Cooper was a common seaman on board the HMS Exeter during the tours of the Americas and South Atlantic from 1936 to 1939, coming home to England in 1940. He was there at the Battle of the Rio de la Plata.

[skoblinI]

Thanks for the comment, amsterdam. Your father must have had stories regarding the Battle of the Plate.

[Hearwood]

Very vell! A had never seen video vith HMS Exeter. One of my favorite photos from WV2 - HMS Exeter in Bristol. Earlier I supposed that this video must be somewhere. Thanks.

[skoblinI]

I will look for more Exeter videos. cheers, mate

[MrDiredemon]

Hi my names damian millington and my grand uncle eugen was present in montevideo as the ambassador its kind of strange knowing that i had a relative of such stature there :)

[Factnotfictionpeople]

Good old Jack! 

[aberboy007]

my Grandad john morgan was a marine on her, Everytime i watch the battle for river plate have tears in my eyes due to his bravery. Gone but never forgotten

[CaxiasFreguesia]

Great, great video. HMS Exeter came to the Falklands at noon of Saturday, December 16, 1939, sailing at an average speed of 18 knots. Light repairs were made to grant seaworthy conditions. "Y" turret was successfuly repaired and the remained 8" ammunition were transferred from the the bow deposits to stern for any eventuality. Captain Frederick Bell had his eyes hit by almost microscopic splinters, being treated by the surgeon on board.

[donewntcrzy]

My friend's grandfather Clifford Muldoon was Chief Stoker, D/K 62627,Exeter,Killed 27 February 1942,Surface action. His grand father was killed when a bomb hit the boiler room the first time the ship was bombed. He was killed with seven of his crew mates.The ship returned was repaired and sent back out when it was sunk.

[Acme633]

HMS Exeter was no match for the Japanese cruisers in the Battle of Java Sea.

[ToonandBBfan]

Achilles and Ajax were both Leander class cruisers.

Perhaps the men of Achilles had a strong fondness for that type of ship.

Exeter wasnt a wonderful ship, she carried a large spare parts locker and her Y turret often broke down apparently.

Exeter was by all accounts liked by her own crew, so I guess sailors form attachments to their ships.

Without Achilles, after Exeter withdrew, AGS would probably have finished off Ajax.

But faced against 2 cruisers Langsdorff backed off.

Thanks

[swanningaround]

@ToonandBBfan. Interesting. I did meet some men off the Achilles. They spoke more of the Amiral Graf Spee and the Ajax than the Exeter. They said there was no triumphalism in New Zealand like there was in England. They were just relieved at the fact that so few men were lost - on both sides.

[ToonandBBfan]

Exeter got the bulk of the attention because she was the heavily damaged ship.

It wasnt just the British that did that.

After Guadalcanal, USS South Dakota recieved the credit when she didnt actually do anything (other than get her superstructure shot up).

It was USS Washington that sunk the IJNS Kirishima that night.

[ToonandBBfan]

Actually, Captain Dove of the MV Africa shell (a small oiler sunk by AGS) praised Langsdorff for his honour and seamanship in a book he wrote about his time onboard the AGS (much to the annoyance of the British high command).

Achilles contribution WAS apprieciated by the Royal Navy.

People who say otherwise are just Anti-British