HMS
Norfolk . built at Fairfield Ship
Building yard and launched 12th December 1928 and completed 30th
April 1930. she was part of the class which included HMS Dorsetshire,
(two other ships were planned but were cancelled in 1930, they were to be
HMS Northumberland and HMS Surrey) She carried a seaplane in
1931 and had a catapult added in 1932. At the outbreak of world war two,
HMS Norfolk served in the Home Fleet in 1939 till 1945 t she took
part in the final action against the Bismarck firing 527 8-inch shells and
eight torpedoes. HMS Norfolk also took part in the action against the
Scharnhorst, she was hit by two, 11-inch shells, one of which went through
the X ring bulkhead and went overboard without exploding.
Displacement:
9,925 tons (Norfolk) Speed:
32kt Complement: 650 to 710
Armament:
Eight 8 inch guns in pairs. Eight 4 inch anti-aircraft guns in pairs and
sixteen 2pdr anti-aircraft guns in pairs as well as eight 0.5 inch machine
guns in pairs. Eight 21 inch torpedo tubes in pairs and 1
aircraft.
HMS
Norfolk at the Battle of the North Cape by Ivan Berryman
HMS Norfolk and HMS
Belfast of Force I are shown engaging the Scharnhorst which has already
been hit and disabled by both HMS Duke of York and the cruiser HMS
Jamaica. Scharnhorst was never to escape the clutches of the British
and Norwegian forces for, having been slowed to just a few knots by
numerous hits, fell victim to repeated torpedo attacks by the allied
cruisers and destroyers that had trapped the German marauder.
