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Mauritius

Country United Kingdom Ship Class Crown Colony-class Light Cruiser Hull Number C80 Builder Name Swan Hunter, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom Laid Down 31 Mar 1938 Launched 19 Jul 1939 Commissioned 4 Jan 1940 Displacement 10,725 tons full Length 556 feet Beam 62 feet Draft 17 feet Machinery Four oil fired 3-drum Admiralty-type boilers, geared turbines, four shafts Power Output 72,500 SHP Speed 33 knots Crew 907 Armament 4x3x6in BL Mk XXIII guns, 4x2x4in guns, 4x2x40mm Bofors guns, 3x2pdr anti-aircraft guns, 6x2x20mm anti-aircraft guns, 2x3x21in torpedo tubes Armor 83mm belt, 51mm deck, 51mm turrets, 102mm control tower Aircraft 2 Walrus seaplanes (removed in 1943)

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseHMS Mauritius was a Crown Colony-class light cruiser, of the Fiji sub-class. Although she was commissioned into British Royal Navy service in 1940, corrosion problems in the fire main caused by the internal degaussing system, caused her to undergo a series of refits at Simonstown in South Africa, Singapore, and Plymouth in Britain. In 1942, she joined the Eastern Fleet. In Apr 1943, she was reassigned to the Mediterranean Fleet, where bad luck followed her, this time in the form of damage from grounding. After repairs were done in Jun 1943, she supported the Allied landings in Sicily and Salerno in Italy. In late 1943, she patrolled the Bay of Biscay against French and German blockade runners. In Jan 1944, she returned to Italy in support of the landings at Anzio. In Jun 1944, she supported the landings at Sword Beach in Normandie, France, followed by patrols off the coast of Bretagne. In late 1945, as a part of the Home Fleet, she patrolled the North Sea and escorted carriers. In Feb 1945, she entered the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, England, United Kingdom for refitting, and the war would end while she was in the yard. She returned to service in Mar 1946, serving in the Mediterranean Sea until 1948. After a brief period out of commission, she was recommissioned in 1949 for service in the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. Returning to Britain in Dec 1951, she was placed in reserve. She was sold for scrap in 1965.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Sep 2013

Light Cruiser Mauritius (C80) Interactive Map

Mauritius Operational Timeline

Photographs

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