HMS Bonaventure (31)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Bonaventure.

History
Bonaventure at her mooring in 1940
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Bonaventure
Builder:	Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland)
Laid down:	30 August 1937
Launched:	19 April 1939
Commissioned:	24 May 1940
Fate:	Torpedoed by the Italian submarine Ambra south of Crete, 31 March 1941 (139 lost)
General characteristics
Class and type:	Dido-class light cruiser
Displacement:	5,600 long tons (5,700 t) (standard) 6,850 long tons (6,960 t) (full load)
Length:	485 ft (148 m) p.p. 512 ft (156 m) o/a
Beam:	50 ft 6 in (15.39 m)
Draught:	14 ft (4.3 m)
Installed power:	62,000 shp (46,000 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Parsons geared steam turbines 4 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers 4 × shafts
Speed:	32.25 kn (37.11 mph; 59.73 km/h)
Range:	1,500 mi (1,300 nmi; 2,400 km) at 30 kn (35 mph; 56 km/h) 4,240 mi (3,680 nmi; 6,820 km) at 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h)
Capacity:	1,100 short tons (1,000 t) fuel oil
Complement:	480
Armament:	As built : 8 × 5.25 in (133 mm) dual purpose guns (4×2) 1 QF 4-inch gun 8 × 2-pounder pom-pom anti-aircraft guns (2×4) 6 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes (2×3)
Armour:	Original Configuration: Belt: 3 in (7.6 cm) Deck: 1 in (2.5 cm) Magazines: 2 in (5.1 cm) Bulkheads: 1 in (2.5 cm)
Notes:	Pennant number 31

HMS Bonaventure was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. Bonaventure participated as an escort vessel in Operation Fish, the World War II evacuation of British wealth from the UK to Canada. It was the largest movement of wealth in history.^[1]

On 10 January 1941 she, along with HMS Southampton and/or HMS Hereward, shelled and sank the Italian torpedo boat Vega off Cape Bon, Tunisia, Operation "Excess".^[2]

On 31 March 1941 she was torpedoed and sunk south of Crete (33°20′N 26°35′E / 33.333°N 26.583°E / 33.333; 26.583) by the Italian submarine Ambra with the loss of 139 of her 480 crew. 310 survivors rescued by HMS Hereward and HMAS Stuart.

References

Citations

↑ Breuer 2008, p. 62
↑ "NAVAL EVENTS, JANUARY 1941, Part 1 of 2, Wednesday 1st – Tuesday 14th". Naval History.

Sources

Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
Fechter, H.; Hümmelchen, G.: Seekriegsatlas. Mittelmeer, Schwarzes Meer, 1940 - 1943. J. F. Lehmanns Verlag, München 1972, p. 30 f., Map K 12. ISBN 3-469-00298-3

External links

Coordinates: 33°20′0″N 26°35′0″E / 33.33333°N 26.58333°E / 33.33333; 26.58333

Dido-class cruisers

Royal Navy

Dido group	Naiad Phoebe Bonaventure Hermione Euryalus Dido Cleopatra Scylla Charybdis Sirius Argonaut

Bellona group	Royalist Diadem Black Prince Spartan Bellona

Royal New Zealand Navy

Pakistan Navy

Babur / Jahangir (ex-Diadem)

Preceded by: Town class
Followed by: Crown Colony class

List of cruisers of the Royal Navy

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1941

Shipwrecks	4 Mar: Bernhard Schulte, Elbing, Gumbinnen 7 Mar: U-70 11 Mar: HMS Witherington 14 Mar: Western Chief 17 Mar: U-99, U-100 18 Mar: Bremen, HMS Rosaura 20 Mar: Mackay-Bennett 21 Mar: Benwyvis 23 Mar: U-551 25 Mar: Britannia 26 Mar: HMS York 27 Mar: Faraday 28 Mar: Fiume 29 Mar: Pola, Zara 30 Mar: Umona 31 Mar: HMS Bonaventure Unknown date: U-47

Other incidents	1 Mar: Empire Simba 25 Mar: Escaut

1940 1941 1942 February 1941 April 1941

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