HMS Cumberland (C57) 1928 to 1978

[Rheged]

I've  not attempted a backstory based on a warship before, so here is a first attempt.  I actually saw HMS Cumberland (well, most of her)  lying in Cashmores yard in Newport aeons ago.    As usual, should anyone wish to amend, improve or even augment the material here, please do so! Otherwise, applaud, deride or totally ignore the item as you see fit.

HMS Cumberland (C57)  1928 to 1978

H M S Cumberland was a County class cruiser, one of the Kent group, built  by Vickers Armstrong  at Barrow-in-Furness and commissioned on 23rd February 1928.  She served on the China Station with the 5th Cruiser Squadron from 1928 until 1938, returning to the UK in March 1935 for a refit. In 1938, she joined the 2nd cruiser squadron on the South American station.  On the outbreak of the Second World War, she participated in the final hours of the destruction of the Graf Spee, arriving off Montevideo having steamed for  over 1000 nautical miles  in  34 hours  from the Falklands at an average speed of approximately 30 knots.   Cumberland had an extremely varied career  as the war progressed, serving in the South Atlantic, escorting Arctic convoys and in  the Far East  with great distinction.  This wartime record  has been much researched and several excellent books and articles produced.  However it is the almost  unknown post World War Two career of H M S  Cumberland which is worthy of further study


Cumberland  returned to the United Kingdom on 12 November 1945 and acted as a troop transport until June 1946, at which time she was placed in reserve . She was then refitted at Devonport (1949–1951) for further service as a gunnery trials ship. Her main 8  inch gun turrets were removed and placed into storage, the Admiralty considering that the four twin turrets could be installed to cover the approaches to Scapa Flow.  This action was never carried through and all four turrets remained at Devonport dockyard. A prototype twin 6 inch automatic turret was fitted in the B gun position  and a twin 3 inch AA gun  turret in the X position. After comprehensive trials, these weapons were  removed and adopted for the new Tiger class cruisers.  In addition to  gunnery trials, many further ideas were tested, from bunks instead of hammocks in crew spaces and centralised cafeteria messing facilities to improved fire protection and exploring the concept of "lean" or "minimal" crewing.


In late 1953, equipment was installed to explore the theory of "pre-wetting"(1)  with sea water being sprayed over all external surfaces  to wash off radioactive fallout whilst the ship was "closed down".  During these tests, unexpected defects were found , on two occasions, in an engine room and main gearbox.  Sabotage was suspected.  Documents available since the fall of the Soviet Union  seem to support the assessment that the USSR wished to delay research into this field.


Another research project was into propellor cavitation at speed. (2) An observation chamber with extremely heavily reinforced glass was installed above the Starboard screws with lighting equipment and high speed cameras. Cumberland was able to sustain  28 knots in the Kilbrannan Sound.  The only public comment about these trials was to a newspaper reporter from an Admiralty scientist, who explained that the Navy were testing new engineer officers' overalls and the high speed runs were to assess how long an  Engineer Officer could safely sit on the safety valves.  No information as to the pressure resistance of  Chief Engineer's boiler suits has ever been published, but the shape and size of modern warship propellors owes a great deal to this detailed research.


By late 1957, HMS Cumberland had been in almost constant commission for nearly 30 years and was by any standard obsolete.  A full survey was commissioned on her hull, with a view to assessing her scrap value.  To the surprise of the shipwrights the vessel was found to be in an excellent condition; a tribute to  the build standards of Vickers at Barrow. Steel scrap prices were extremely poor in early 1958 and whilst some documentation states that the vessel was sold to Cashmores at Newport, this never actually took place.  Her Majesty's Treasury intervened at this point.  Cumberland was to be towed to Devonport, her forward 8 inch gun turrets re-installed as a training resource for the Gunnery  Establishment, HMS Excellent, at Whale Island  (Portsmouth) and the boiler and engine rooms stripped out, as the copper and other piping still had a high scrap value. The Treasury insisted that the re-use of a redundant hull for this purpose was more cost effective than a new build facility.  Cumberland could be laid up as a static training ship until steel scrap prices improved. For some  years, Cumberland provided gun turret drill practice and accommodation whilst gently swinging at anchor. 


The use of gas turbines for marine propulsion was the subject of much detailed study in the Royal Navy, and an Olympus and two Proteus gas turbines had been installed in  the frigate HMS Exmouth. (3)  Even before this installation was completed, the concept of major war vessels with gas turbines was under detailed discussion.  The initial studies which culminated in the Invincible class "through-deck-cruisers" suggested a main engine fit of four Olympus gas turbines giving a power output of 100,000 hp. However, caveats were raised about the effect on efficiency and structural integrity in a large vessel.  The naval constructors based at Bath noted that Cumberland's boiler and engine rooms had sufficient space to accommodate four Olympus engines and that the hull was sufficiently sound to withstand the full power output.  She would provide a perfect "guinea pig" with modification work being immediately commenced.  An advantage of this engine installation was the fulfilment of a long-awaited Royal Navy plan for an unmanned engine room and direct control from the bridge.


In June 1969, HMS Cumberland set sail for the Isle of Arran measured mile.   A  maximum speed of 38 knots, sustained over one hour was recorded, but the maximum power output was later restricted to a continuous sea speed of 25 knots.  Trials continued for eighteen months, the data contributing considerably to the trouble free  introduction of the Invincible class.  Following these trials Cumberland made  voyages to the West Indies as a cadet training ship.


During  May 1972,  Cumberland was on a cadet training cruise in the Caribbean when the long running border dispute between British Honduras (later Belize) and Guatemala showed signs of flaring up. She made a fast run to the southern end of the  British Honduran coast, where Guatemalan patrol boats were harassing fishing boats out of Barranco, Punta Gorda and Hopeville.  The unexpected arrival of a ten thousand ton cruiser gave everyone pause for thought.  After a single salvo of 8 inch shells fired over an intruding Guatemalan patrol craft, no further  offensive action was necessary and calm restored.


Whilst returning to  Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth via  Newport News, Cumberland encountered  USS Conyngham adrift without power 90 miles off the coast,  experiencing an engine room fire.  After making the signal  "Just take mummy's hand"  a tow was established  and the Conyngham brought safely into the US naval base.  Cumberland's subsequent departure from Newport News was reported internationally, the surreal sight of an elderly, stately, three funnel cruiser passing through the most modern vessels of the United States Navy causing much comment. Less publicly reported, but noted by the United States Navy, was Cumberland's ability to reach a speed of 28 knots soon after leaving  the port limits; thus causing some embarrassment to her escort the USS Davidson, a Garcia class frigate capable only of 26 knots at flank speed.(4)

Between 1973 and 1975, Cumberland made several local training and recruitment voyages around the UK, regularly visiting  Milford Haven, Scapa Flow, Rosyth and Newcastle. In every case, she took on board officers under training, university royal naval units  and contingents from the local Sea Cadet Corps  In 1975 a major hull survey discovered developing stress flaws and she was promptly decommissioned.  The hull became a Royal Marine training asset until in March 1978 she was towed to Cairnryan   by RMAS Typhoon for scrapping.


(1)   Pre wetting:  https://www.facebook.com/ilovewarships/posts/the-trials-ship-hms-cumberland-initiates-her-pre-wetting-system-during-testing-i/788349833327842/
(2)   Cavitation:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/propeller-cavitation
(3)   HMS Exmouth:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/645007547778015/posts/1058312233114209/
(4)   Garcia class frigates:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcia-class_frigate

As usual, a great deal of information has not been included in this summary. Should readers have amendments or additions to make, please do so.

[NARSES2]

  

[Weaver]

Nice one - good blend between the real history and the what-if.

On the subject of sabotage, quite a bit of it went on in the Royal Navy post-1945, largely attributed not to the Russians, but to disgruntled National Servicemen who didn't want to be there at all, and if they had to be there, then they didn't want to go to sea. Pay freezes didn't help either. There was even a mutiny at one point IIRC. 1953 seems a little late for that, but I suppose it's possible.

I did a couple of stories that touched tangentially on HMS Cumberland, but only one of them has been finished and posted. That one had the name used again almost immediately after C57 had been scrapped, for Britain's first nuclear cruiser, which was essentially a hugely enlarged County. I did Shipbucket profiles of her in 1966, 1977 and 1988, and it seemd to go down quite well. The other had C57 scrapped in the mid 1960s and HMS Bristol cancelled, which meant HMS Lion (Tiger class) was recommissioned as a replacement trials ship for Cumberland, her main job being development and testing of Sea Dart. Unfortunately, I discovered that the official Tiger class profile on Shipbucket was catastrophically wrong, and I ended up redrawing so much of it that I eventually got fed up and never finished it.