Captain J Garnier MVO FIL (RN)

HMS London entering Portsmouth

FOREWORD BY CAPTAIN J GARNIER MVO FIL (RN) It will be a sad day for all of us when HMS LONDON pays off in Portsmouth on return from the Caribbean. This fine ship has enjoyed a distinguished career since 1963, and our sadness will be shared by all those who served in previous commissions. We should not, however, allow our regret to dim our memories of the excellent spirit that has always prevailed onboard throughout the life of the ship, and particularly over the last two years. We have been faced with many challenges and I hope that all of you will share my great pride at our achievements. Both operationally and professionally we have reached a very high standard, and the obvious success of our goodwill visits will have contributed significantly to the diplomatic efforts of our national representatives. This has entailed a lot of hard work by everybody, and I have been continually impressed by the outstanding good humour and enthusiasm with which each new task was undertaken. Nor should we forget our families, without whose warm and unflagging support HMS LONDON would not have been such a happy and efficient ship. I am most grateful to the Editors of this booklet for their hard work in providing such an excellent souvenir of a most memorable last commission, and I wish you and your families the best of good fortune in the future.

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INTRODUCTION The aim of this Newsletter is to mark the end of the present HMS LONDON's life. Looking back into history at the careers of the other ships to bear the name, it can be seen that the present day LONDON has had a lot to live up to. The strong ties with the City of London date back to the seventeenth century when the City contributed to the building of the fourth LONDON. Since that time the 'London' ships have had a special association with the capital city. The London of today bas carried on this tradition, each time that the ship has visited the City the age old ties have been re-established and strengthened. By briefly covering the past twenty years from its launching in December 1961 until its Paying Off in December 1981, it is hoped that the ships varied career can be accounted for. Whilst not having an adventurous life as compared to its predecessors it has played its role in the Royal Navy of the present era. The West Indies deployment has been LONDONs 'Swan Song', everyone has enjoyed themselves at one time or another during the trip. The dits in the latter half of the Newsletter telling the story of this last deployment. A lot of work has gone into this Newsletter and it is hoped that the people reading it will be able to grasp the LONDON spirit in the years to come. ·,

HMS LONDON History

LONDONS PAST There have been 9 other HMS LONDONS, some more famous than others. What follows is a short summary of their careers. 1st LONDON 1620 The first ship to bear the name of LONDON was a famous fighting East Indiaman, privately owned and not a man-of-war. However, such ships did valuable service on the country's behalf and in 1620, LONDON accompanied by three escorts entered Saldanha Bay, just north of Capetown, and took possession of the neighbouring land in the name of James I. Five months later the ship fought two fierce battles against Portuguese corsair squadrons, which were attempting to stop the East India Company from establishing itself in the Persian Gulf. 2nd LONDON 1636

In 1636 another merchantman, the LONDON, equipped as a man of war of 4o guns served in the "ship-money fleet", one of ten vessels furnished by the City of London, in obedience of King Charles I's wish requiring the Lord Mayor to fit out a squadron for service with the Royal Navy. This ship is considered to be the first man-of-war named LONDON in the British Navy. She had an illustrious career, joining Blake's fleet and partaking in the battles of KENTISH KNOCK in the Thames Estuary and with Admiral Monk at GABBARD and SCHEVENINGEN against the Dutch Admiral Tromp. 3rd LONDON - 1656 - 1665 2nd RATE MAN-OF-WAR Built under an order by Cromwell she was launched on 30th July 1656. Cromwell had given the name 'LONDON' to this particular ship as a compliment to the City of London. At the time, however, the general election for the Second Parliament of the Protector was about to take place. London and Middlesex were to hold twelve seats between them; where voting was to be close on a division, these 12 seats were worth securing. Cromwell’s compliments were not usually given as a casual gesture. Cromwell at the time it is worth noting was spending 4/5ths of the National Revenue, of £1,050,000 on building up the British Fleet. He was laying down for the world in general the cardinal principle of his national policy. In his own words, "I will make the name 'Englishman' to be as much dreaded as was ever the name 'Roman Citizen' “• The London was a 2nd rate Han '0' War carrying 64 guns; she was 150ft long, 81ft across her beam and weighed 1050 tons. Her crew was of 360 Officers, men and boys. Her first duties after being fitted out were to fire a salute to Blake’s flagship, the St George, as she carried Blake’s body up the Thames. (He had been killed in a great sea battle against the Dutch). She was used as an escort for the first brigade of ironsides over to Dunkirk, where she witnessed the handing over of the keys of Dunkirk. (After the Battle of the Dunes). In the summer of 1660, after the death of Cromwell, the London formed one or a squadron which fetched Charles 2nd for the Restoration of the

Monarchy. London’s own special passenger was the Kings brother, James, Duke of York (later James II). London was flying the flag of Lord High Admiral, the post to which James had been appointed. In March 1665 as the fleet was preparing for the second Dutch war, disaster struck the London. On her way up the Thames she blew up, killing three hundred on board. Only twenty four men and one woman survived the explosion, the cause of which was unknown. 4th LONDON 1665 - 1748 The second Dutch war had just broken out, shots had been fired. The loss at this particular time of one of Britain’s finest man-o-ward was a staggering blow. The City of London was startled and horrified (especially as the ship involved was 'London'). A cry went out to build a new LONDON for the Kings Navy. A letter was sent to the King offering to build a new LONDON. The King highly impressed by the Cities loyalty, announced that the new ship be called 'LOYAL LONDON'. Money for the subscription to build the new 'LOYAL LONDON' was slow in coming forth after the initial cry. However work had started down at Deptford on the new ship. The master builder, a Captain Taylor, who had built the previous LONDON, was to adopt his earlier design, improving on it in certain ways to make the new ship better. The money was now being collected from many sources. Every company in the city was approached - Goldsmiths to Brewers, Mercers, Glaziers, Taylors, Fishmongers and Grocers. The accounts of the building of the LOYAL LONDON were not in fact closed until 5 years later. However the City had kept its promise. The ship was launched in 1665 and was named the 'LOYAL LONDON' on the 10th July 1666, (the naming ceremony was usually carried out after the ship had been launched, as was the custom of those days). The day was a great occasion; the King was present, along with the Lord Mayor and his Sheriffs. The LOYAL LONDON was a three decker of 96 guns, with a crew of 470 men; she was described by Pepys as the best ship in the world. The LOYAL LONDON was described as a 'sea wasp', her sides were a bright canary yellow - the colour of the resin and oil varnish composition dubbed over the oak planking. In startling contrast, two double bands of black extended the length of the ship between each tier of ports and below to the waterline. The bulwarks and upper deck ports of the hull were painted blue, being decorated with arabesque work and gilded moulded wreaths. A gilded carved lion rampant with open jaws and wearing a crown decorated the bows, together with the shield of the City arms. At the stern was a carved representation of the Royal Arms of England painted in heraldic colours, together with King Charles' royal cypher in gilded letters. The whole of the rest of the stern was a mass of gilded brackets and mouldings, particularly around the lattice of the cabin windows. On board, the upperdeck gratings, hatchways and ladders were all painted a dull red - to hide "the unpleasant stains and splashes which occurred during battle". Below decks the woodwork was oiled and dubbed. The 'LOYAL LONDON' was ready to join the fleet the following month. Work had been hurried along as the Dutch fleet had been sailing up and down the English coast for some weeks; The French were poised with their Armies across the Channel. On July 25th 1666, St James Day, the two fleets engaged, the Dutch bad the

slight advantage in numbers - 99 to 93 on the English side. In weight of guns 4704 for the Dutch, 4460 for the English. The LOYAL LONDON was at the head of the Blue Squadron, with Sir Jeremy Smith as her Admiral. She attached Admiral Tromp, who commanded the Dutch Amsterdam Squadron, the pick of the Dutch fleet. During the afternoon as the battle raged, the two flagships became separated from the main battle. The Dutch Admiral at one time managing to set fire to the LOYAL LONDON and partially dismast her, only to be foiled at the 11th hour by two other English ships. At this point in the battle they drifted apart and out of range. Tromps report of the afternoons fight stated he had fired away 4t tons of shot. Although Tromp may have had the upper hand by nightfall, he learned the next day, that the rest of the Dutch fleet and gone off in full retreat, having had the worst of the battle. The casualty list noted the Dutch had lost 20 ships with 4000 killed and over 3000 wounded. The English fleet had lost one ship, the Resolution, and 400 lives. The LOYAL LONDON had come of worse than any other ship, losing 45 lives and 61 wounded. In June 1667 the Dutch raided the Medway, where the fleet was waiting its fitting out for the years campaign. The LOYAL LONDON suffered badly and was left a burnt out wreck. In September of that year the remains of the LOYAL LONDON were towed up to Deptford and docked for a three year refit. The reconstructed ship was launched out of the dock at the beginning of June 1670, the rebuilding having cost more than the original had. King Charles had at this time renamed the ship LONDON, dropping the prefix LOYAL. This was because the City had been unwilling to raise another subscription to fund the rebuilding of the wrecked LONDON. However it must be noted that the subscription of the building of the LOYAL LONDON was still outstanding at this time. With the City still recovering from the Plague and The Great Fire, as well ae the loss of trade during the Dutch wars, it was hardly surprising that the City was reluctant to finance any venture of this sort. The new LONDON saw action against the Dutch at Sole Bay on 28th May 1672. LONDON, under the flag of Sir Edward Spragg, led the Red Squadron. Scout frigates had been cruising off the Dutch coast waiting for the Dutch fleet to put to sea. In the meantime the English fleet was anchored off the Suffolk coast at Sole Bay. On the morning of the 28th May one of the scout frigates appeared, guns firing, with the Dutch fleet close astern. The wind had been favourable for such an attack and had taken the English fleet by surprise. With the coast behind them and the wind against them the English fleet was at a disadvantage. The battle started at 7 o'clock in the morning and lasted 14 hours. The English, although starting off at a disadvantage, had superior fire power and put the Dutch to flight, with the loss of only the flagship, the Royal James, The Duke of York (later James II) moved his flag on to the LONDON and continued his command of the battle from the quarterdeck. At the end of the day, with the loss of over two and half thousand men and the flagship, the English fleet had beaten of! the Dutch attack, The Dutch

had lost 5 ships, 3 sank and 2 captured. 1673 saw what must be LONDON's greatest year, the winning of 3 battle honours. Under the command of Vice Admiral Sir John Harman, she headed the van division of the Red Squadron. The English fleet now consisted of 62 man-o-war and with the French, who by this time were our allies, had 29 man-o-war. A fleet large enough to tackle the Dutch had thus been formed. The Dutch fleet was assembled at Schoonveldt. On the orders of Prince Rupert (who had succeeded the Duke of York as Admiral) the British fleet were to bring the Dutch Admiral DeRuyetr and his fleet into action or to blockade them at Schoonveldt. The British fleet carried six thousand men to invade Holland; more soldiers were standing by in England once a landing had been made. On 28th May 1673 the English made their attack on the Dutch fleet at Schoonveldt. LONDON was engaged, once again, against Admiral Tromp, and fought well. However, the end result was indecisive; the Dutch withdrew into the sandbanks of the Schoonveldt with the loss of one ship, the French two. The English fleet came away with a heavy loss of lives - over 500 men killed. This was mainly due to the ships being overcrowded with soldiers. The second battle occurred on the 4th June, when the Dutch made a dash for the open sea. There was a short encounter but again no decisive victory. LONDON this time was engaged against DeRuyter himself, who was attempting to break the Red Squadrons battle line. The English fleet didn't follow the Dutch, as they made their escape to the South East, but returned to the Thames Estuary. On the fleets arrival back in England, angry rows blew up about the general state of the fleet which had been sent to sea, low on provisions of all kinds. The Dockyards themselves were in a bad state and it was difficult to have repairs done. The general manning of the fleet had been hit hard by sickness, caused by the bad provisions, and by desertion. By the end of July, however the fleet managed to remuster with the French to make a combined force of some 92 man-o-war. The Dutch fleet, which was cruising off the Dutch coast, numbered 75 ships. August 11th 1673 at Texel, saw the start of the third battle. DeRuyter had planned his attack well, part of one of his squadrons was detached to engage the French who, as expected by DeRuyter, were unwilling to fight and slowly fell back, leaving more favourable odds for the Dutch. LONDON was in the thick of the battle, fighting for her survival. She held off the Dutch attack admirably. It was not until the evening that the fighting eased off when the French reappeared and the Dutch fleet ere sent in retreat. DeRuyter however bad fulfilled his orders in weakening the English enough to stop the onset of a fourth battle and any attempt to invade Holland. LONDON had received extensive damage and now awaited repairs at Chatham. Now followed a period of scandal in the Dockyards. Estimates of repairs were made, money released by the treasury, but the ships themselves were

left without work being carried out. LONDON received two inspections over the next 4 years and in 1680 was reported to be fully refitted at the cost of £3,500. In actual fact LONDON hadn't even been docked, the money along with the previous estimates had been pocketed by the Chatham officials. 1685 saw another demand for urgent repairs to the LONDON. The Dockyard had been allowed to go to rack and ruin and store houses were empty. Confidential plans for 30 large ships, ordered by Parliament in 1676, had been stolen and sold to the French. A reform came when Pepys himself was appointed Secretary of the Admiralty. It was three years before the damage was rectified. LONDON received the long awaited refit and now took part in the battle of Barfleur in 1692 against the French. The LONDON was part of a fleet of English and Dutch ships (the Dutch had now become our allies). The battle at Barfleur took place after the French had scattered from a previous battle. They had anchored off the Channel Islands when the English fleet engaged them, losing their flagship, the Soliel Royal. The two battles were spread over 4 days. After four or five weeks cruising off the French coast the LONDON was laid up for the winter. It was rare in those days to keep large, unweatherly vessels at sea after the end of August. For the next four years LONDON was employed as a guardship off the Medway at Chatham. She then re-joined the fleet for a short period policing in the Western Approaches and down to Biscay. In 1701 LONDON received another rebuild. Commissioned again in 1706 serving in Queen Anne’s war and in the Mediterranean fleet. She was refitted in 1722 and lasted to be the oldest man-o- war in the fleet. She was finally broken up in 1757 after being used for a time as a Chapel. 5th LONDON 1756 -1758 In November 1756, an 80 ton merchant vessel named 'HOLDEN' was renamed LONDON. She was commissioned in the Royal Navy and took part at the capture of Senegal in April 1758, where she was wrecked on the bar. 6th LONDON 1766-1811

On the 14th December 1758 an Admiralty order for twelve ships to be built was issued. Among the twelve were two three deckers, one a 100 gun the other a 90 gun ship. The 100 gun ship was to be named Victory, the other LONDON LONDON was launched at Chatham on the 24th May 1766. Her overall dimensions were: Gun Deck - 176ft 6in Length of keel - 152ft 6 ¾ in Breadth - 49ft 8tin Depth in hold - 21ft Tonnage - 1,894 In 1768 she joined the fleet at Spithead with the Victory. She was

involved in the patrolling of the Channel where France and Spain were planning an attack. The English fleet at this time was under the mismanagement of Lord Sandwich and had suffered badly through him. The most that could be mustered to defend the Channel was between 30 and 40 ships against the combined Spanish and French fleet. Fortunately the state of this combined fleet was far from good. Disease and sickness had hit the force badly and their provisions were also in a poor state. These factors had stopped an almost certain attack on Plymouth in August 1779 and the planned destruction of Portsmouth and the capture of the Isle of Wight. By November 1779 the threat of invasion was over. May 1780 saw the LONDON sail across the Atlantic, one of six ships sent to stop the lately departing ships from France with reinforcements for Washington. On arrival in America, LONDON joined up with other ships, making a total fleet of ten ships, LONDON being the largest. February 1781 saw the wrecking of two ships in a heavy storm. The French took the opportunity to land 2,000 troops at Chesapeake. With the odds more evenly matched the French sailed from Newport. Command of the British Squadron was poor, time was lost in gaining a weather advantage and when the two squadrons engaged, the British were strung out. The first three ships fought the first part of the battle on their own, receiving heavy losses, the French dismasting them. The British Admiral Arbuthnot declined a further encounter, the odds now being against him and ordered the remaining ships into Chesapeake Bay, blocking its entrance. For the moment all was well. 5th September 1781 saw a reversal and Chesapeake was in the hands of the French. Their fleet had been reinforced from the West Indies squadron and now numbered 24 ships. The British Squadron had been strengthened to 19 ships. The British encountered the French fleet as it was moving out of Chesapeake Bay. LONDON was in the centre of the British line of battle. An error of judgement on the part of Admiral Graves lost England the battle. While half of the British line had engaged the French the other half was still behind and failed to reach the battle. British losses at the end of the day were 90 killed, 246 wounded and one ship badly hit, which was later burnt. LONDON for her part had three guns dismounted and lost 21 men. The French side was considerably less, not more than 200 killed or wounded. Meanwhile ashore, the Americans, reinforced with the French troops soon had the better of the British. The American colonies had been lost. LONDON was sent down to Jamaica, where she arrived in December. The fear that Jamaica was the next French objective was rising. The reconquest of Jamaica was half the price the Spanish had asked in return for her aid in the Channel. The other half was the recapture of Gibraltar, which was under the third year of a siege at this time. Whilst in Jamaica, news that the French fleet had been defeated by Admiral Rodney off Dominica arrived at the end of April 1782. A great sea battle had taken place which the French Admiral DeGrasse (who had been LONDON's opponent at Chesapeake) had been taken prisoner, his flagship the famous Ville de Paris taken and five other ships captured. Rodney was definitely the hero of the day. Jamaica had been saved. In July, as the British fleet was assembling, a flagship from England arrived with the astounding news that the triumphant Rodney was to be relieved as Commander in Chief by Admiral Hugh Pigot. Elections in

England had put the Whigs in power. Rodney being a Tory was no longer required. LONDON remained on station in Jamaica until she sailed for home at the end of April 1783, arriving back at Chatham 70 days later. Between 1785 and 1787 LONDON was in refit and updated to a 98 gun ship. Her brass cannon replaced by iron guns. She no carried a crew of 750 officers and men, including 150 marines. Her overall appearance was similar to that of the Victory today, her sides painted a dull yellow, (‘dockyard drab as it was called’) with the waterline area tarred over, the areas above and below the gun ports painted black. Vice Admiral John Colpoys hoisted his flag on board the LONDON in October 1794. She saw action against the French in July 1795 off Groix Island in the Bay of Biscay. In 1797, the Spithead Mutiny took place. The LONDON's crew mutinied when the first lieutenant shot one of the crew who was harassing him. The Admiral on board was much perturbed that 'the men must not be allowed to come up till he ordered them up'. He addressed the crew, which seemed to quieten them down; however the Admiral and his officers were kept in their quarters for three days until the LONDON mutiny ended. It was also reported that the Chaplain was lucky to get off so lightly. For some reason of their own the mutineers had prepared tar and feathers with a grating to launch him upon and a boat hook and hammock for a sail. The LONDON now sailed for the Mediterranean to join the fleet there. She patrolled off Cadiz waiting to engage the Spanish but nothing became of it. At the end of 1799 she returned to the Channel fleet. During 1800 she patrolled off Brest and the Bay of Biscay. 1801 saw Nelson's bombardment of Copenhagen. LONDON carried the Commander in Chief, from whom Nelson took his orders. The battle plan was for Nelson, in the 74 gun ship 'Elephant' 1 and 5 other ships to approach Copenhagen over the shallow waters and bombard the fort guarding the city. 4 ships also guarded the Arsenal. LONDON was to provide covering fire if Nelson had to withdraw. However the wind and tide prevented the LONDON getting any nearer than 3 miles, some distance beyond gunshot. On the 2nd April 1801 Nelson attacked the city fortress. Fighting was heavy; three of Nelson's ships had gone aground early in the battle. Others were facing tremendous fire from batteries on shore and the Danish fleet, some 18 ships. From the quarter deck of the LONDON, the Commander in Chief was concerned for the safety of Lord Nelson. The signal No39 was hoisted from the LONDON, Nelsons signal to disengage, which Nelson, putting his telescope to his blind eye, declined to see. By the afternoon the Danish gunfire had visibly weakened. Nelson then sent a letter to the Crown Prince under a flag of truce, addressed to the Brothers of Englishmen, the Brave Danes, after which the firing ceased. In August 1805, just before Trafalgar, LONDON was sent back to England with the disgraced Admiral Calder, who had failed to engage the enemy off Cape Finisterre in July. She was then to return to Nelsons fleet with Calder’s replacement, Sir John Duckworth. Unfortunately LONDON didn't leave England until some days after the Battle of Trafalgar had been won, otherwise Trafalgar would have been one of LONDON's battle honours. March 1806 saw the capture of the 'Marengo' by the LONDON. The Marengo was an 80 gun ship, commanded by Admiral Linoia, on its way home after a

campaign in the Indian Ocean. The LONDON attacked her off the Cape de Verde Islands, here mighty broadside crippling the Marengo, the Admiral losing his leg. This is one of the comparatively rare single ship battle honours.

HMS LONDON 1902

Battleship LONDON 1899- 1920

In November 1807, LONDON was one of the squadron which escorted the Portuguese Royal Family to Brazil after the blockade of Tagus, Marshall Junot taking control of Portugal. It was reported at the time, the LONDON was the first three decker that had ever crossed the Equator. On her return from three years’ service across the Atlantic, in 1811 she was broken up. She had been afloat for 45 Years. 7th LONDON 1840 - 1881t

October 1840 saw the launch of the seventh LONDON. A 90 gun - two decker she carried 28,100 sq. ft. of canvas and carried a ere of 850 officers and men. The figure head on the LONDON was a bust of Queen Victoria, then 22 years old. In the summer of 1851 she was commissioned as the non-seagoing flagship at Sheerness. By October of 1854 she was serving in the B19ck Sea where she took part in the bombardment of Sebastopol during the Crimean War. LONDON was one of three ships that were towed by steamer to the Sebastopol forte. At a range of some 1,500 yards LONDON anchored and began here bombardment. LONDON was in the centre of the three ships, the combined fire power soon rendered the main upper batteries in Sebastopol useless. The crew of the LONDON also served ashore, staying some ten months in all, remaining at the front until the end of the siege. After being converted into a screw steam ship in Devonport in 1858, LONDON now served as a depot ship in Zanzibar, until she was broken up in 1884. 8th LONDON 1899 – 1920

Launched at Portsmouth on 21st September 1899, the eighth LONDON was a Formidable class battleship of 15,000 tons. Her specifications were as follows: Length - 430 ft. Breadth - 75 ft. Armament - 4 x 12 inch turret guns. Armoured with 12 inch steel plates. Shells: weighing 8501b each. Cartridge: weighing 2281b each. Magazine carried 80 rounds per gun. 12 x 6 inch gun6 housed in casements. Range - 7 - 10,000 yards. 16 x 12lbs Quick-firers. 4 x 18 inch torpedo tubes. She had a belt of 12 inch armour plate on the water line covering some 4,500 sq. ft. At her bows she had a solid steel casting, as a ram, which weighed 530 tons.

The shells from her 12 inch guns would go through 12 inches of armour plate at a range of 2 miles. Her short career started as flagships of the review at Spithead in July 1902 for King Edward VII. She saw action during the First World War at the Dardanelles in 1915. Two years after the end of the war she was sold and broken up. It was from this LONDPON that many of the trophies in the ships possession originated from. The silver plate model of the Tower of London and the ships bell with its ornate bracket are but two. 9th LONDON 1927 – 1950

The ninth LONDON a heavy cruiser was laid down in 1926 under the terms of the Washington Treaty which limited her displacement to 10,000 tons and armament to 8 inch gins, of which she carried eight. This formidable gun weight coupled with a light armour protection earned the nickname “Eggshells armed with hammers. Nonetheless their imposing high freeboard and long range made them excellent seaboats and successful flag showers around the world. She was launched on 14th September 1927 at Portsmouth and served with the Mediterranean fleet until March 1939. At the outbreak of war she was at Chatham undergoing a partial reconstruction and emerged in February 1941 sporting a tower bridge and two funnels replacing the original three, to accommodate the hangar for a Walrus seaplane. In May of that year, she took part in the Bismarck chase and in September carried the British and American Missions to Russia for the three Power conference in. Moscow. Most of 1942 was spent escorting Russian convoys in the Arctic. In 19444, she joined the Eastern fleet and took part in supporting operations for the air strikes on the island of Sabang and the Japanese air base at Sourabaya. In, 1945, HMS LONDON took part in an offensive sweep off the coast of Sumatra and strikes against enemy occupied ports. At the end of hostilities, she was at Sabang with the destroyers HMS RAIDER and HMS ROCKET to accept the Japanese surrender. After a period of reserve followed by a refit, she recommissioned in September 1947 for service in the Far East. She is probably best known today for her important role played when the frigate AMETHYST escaped down the Yangtse under the guns of the communist Chinese in April 1949. LONDON was hit aft, killing 13 men. She returned to Chatham later that year and was reduced to reserve. HMS LONDON was the only ship of her class to undergo a partial rebuild and yet was the first to be scrapped, going to the breakers in 1950. 10th LONDON Following a line of ships closely associated with the City of London, the present HMS LONDON was launched on 7 December 1961. Built by Messrs Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson at Wallsend, her keel was first laid in February 1960, the fourth of the 'County' class

Destroyers. DLG CONCEPT In the late 1940’s early 1950's a feasibility study was carried out into the future design of warships. The study group was given three main tasks:

Inspection by King George VI -1942

HMS LONDON March 1929 1

HMS LONDON 1940 - 1945

To produce a design of ship that could be steamed by fewer men. That living and working conditions, especially marine engineering wise would be improved and. , . That the ship could steam safely through a nuclear fallout (Remembering that at the time of the study Hiroshima and Nagasaki were very fresh in peoples minds) The first two tasks resulted in the remote control of machinery from an air conditioned control room. (Fewer men less than ½ the number – better conditions). The last was satisfied by siting the control rooms in a gas tight citadel. Two major designs came out of this study, the Type 81 Tribal Class Frigates and the Type 102a Guided Missile Destroyers. These satisfied ' 1e Design Criteria, Initially the GMDs were proposed as light cruisers and by coincidence the Bulkhead numbers in the machinery spaces are the same as Tiger and Blake. This design was vetoed by Parliament (Labour) and the design was resubmitted and accepted as Guided Missile Destroyers. The fact is that the finished article is longer and heavier than the original cruiser! The GMD’s were initially designated for carrier support and protection, hence the Anti-Aircraft mode and the large Operations Room. They still remain as the only class of ship ever to have been built around a weapons system. In the later design stages, Lord MOUNTBATTEN is supposed to have had a hand in the designs for the Wardroom and Admirals quarters. Hence the siting and spacious accommodation adjacent to the gangways and the accommodation ladders! THE SHIP DESIGN Lightweight structures designed to best attack and defend herself by manoeuvrability and speed rather than the armoured protection of older deigns. Flexibility, redundancy and short notice availability were provided by the combined Steam Turbine and Gas Turbine drive to each of the twin shafts. Similarly Electrical Power Generation can be supported by Diesel Generators and A Gas Turbine Alternator when the steam system is shut down. The normal 440V 60Hz 3 Phase supply system is fed by 2 Steam Turbine Alternators backed up by the Auxiliary Generators previously mentioned. Manoeuvrability is achieved by a conventional destroyer hull and propeller configuration with large twin rudders. A speed of over 30 knots is available with impressive acceleration using the Gas Turbines in series with the Steam Turbine sets. In addition the LONDON can sail from harbour at very short notice on Gas Turbine drive in the case of unplanned requirements. A gas tight citadel encapsulates all the ship's living and lighting compartments except the actual main machinery spaces which can be operated remotely from machinery control rooms within the citadel. The citadel and a fitted pre-wetting system around the upper deck allow the ship to operate safely and as an efficient fighting unit in a nuclear explosion fall out area. LONDON has a large 'Hotel' capacity for personnel and can be used very effectively for professional sea training for all departments. Presently we carry 505 men.

The roles of HMS LONDON are: A Command Ship that is a Flag Ship capable of accommodating an Admiral and his staff with sea going command of a Task Group. LONDON has a large outfit of communications and information gathering equipment to assess the local situation and to enable the Command to liaise with other forces and Headquarters groups as required. A major Operations Room installation is one feature of the Flagship role. An Anti-Aircraft warship, LONDON, has long range detection radar and electronic warfare equipment with Sea Slug and Sea Cat missiles and 2 Twin Gun Turrets of 4.5 inch guns. A strong shore support/Commando landing capability led by the Royal Marines detachment onboard and using the Wessex 5 troop carrying helicopter. A capability of shore bombardment using the 4.5 inch guns. A limited Anti-Submarine role with hull mounted sonar and helicopter delivered weapons. GUIDED WEAPON SYSTEM MARK I Guided Weapon System Mark I, affectionately known as Seaslug was designed in the late 1940's and fitted for testing onboard HMS GIRDLENESS. One of the main visible differences between the pre-production system and the one we know today is that the launcher had three barrels instead of the two fitted on the production model. At this time, the advent of Guided Missiles on ships in its infancy and those of us who remember this trials ship entering Portsmouth Harbour after a firing, used to look in awe at this great mass of burnt lattice steel called a launcher and wondered what shape our future ships would take. In the early 1960s the four Mark I ships appeared. HM Ships HAMPSHIRE, DEVONSHIRE, KENT and LONDON, their magazines being 285 ft. long and were the largest automatically operated hydraulic handling machinery ever to be seen at sea in a British Warship. The first two ships carried only twenty four missiles each. In order to increase this number, the magazines in later ships were altered. It is interesting to note that when most new systems are introduced into service there is a simulator fitted ashore for training purposes. However with the massive size and related cost this never materialised with the Seaslug Handling Gear. An Ordnance Artificer at HMS EXCELLENT', tasked with teaching the remote control of handling machinery in the magazine became so frustrated, that he built a full scale model of the Control Console in the Missile Quarters Position. This was achieved at a very low cost. For this he gained the highest Herbert Lott Award ever to have been awarded at that time. The Console is still in use but has since been moved to HHS COLLINGWOOD. Each missile is 19.9 ft. long with a width from tip to tip of 5 ft. Total weight is some 2 tons with 1.5 tons being the propellant, which produces a thrust from the four boosts equal to that of Concorde prior to take off. It reaches a speed of 1.5 Mach (1050 MPH) in four seconds. One may wonder why Seaslug has wrap around boost motors, as opposed to more modern missiles which are of the cigar shape. At the end of the last war the German scientists who were well advanced in the rocket field were developing two types of missile propellant, one was solid fuel, using wrap

around boost motors and the other liquid fuel in the cigar shaped missile. The latter group was taken by the Americans which left Britain with the former and consequently the majority of our earlier missiles were fitted the wrap around boost motors. Unfortunately the test of time has favoured liquid propellants and we now prepare to fire the last Seaslug missiles onboard HMS LONDON. LONDON DETAILS Laid Down 26 February 1960 Launched 7 December Commissioned 1961 14 November Payed Off 1963 14 December 1981 Displacement 6200 tons full load Length

520 ft. 6 in

Beam 54 ft. Main Machinery Steam Turbines 2 x 15000 Y10Z A Manufacturers: A.E.I

Gas Turbines 4 x 7500 G6 Manufacturers: A.E.I First ship of their size to have combined Steam and Gas Machinery (COSAG) Boilers 2 Babcock and Wilcox Props 2 in No. 5 Bladed, 13 ft. diameter Max Speed 31 Knots Range 3900 Nautical Miles at 20 knots

Original Cost £13.8 million - £16.8 million Armament

2 x Twin 4.5 Turrets Mk 6 Seacat 2 quad laW1chers (42 missiles) Seaslug Twin Launcher (36 missiles) 2 x 3in Rocket Launcher System Mk 4 Mk 44 Torpedoes for Wessex 2 x 20mm (added for picket duties in South East Asia)

Helo carried

Wessex Mk 5

Complement

Officers 46 Senior Rates 115 Junior Rates 340 NAAFI 4 Total 505

LONDON’S TROPHIES Most of the trophies held onboard have au origin from the 8th LONDON built in 1899. At this particular time the City of London, under the direction of the Lord Mayor, for the first time in the annals of the City Corporation officially entertained representatives of the Royal Navy. Between, three and four hundred officers and men from all branches and departments including the First Lord of the Admiralty and the Sea Lords attended the grand occasion. By way of return when the names of the new battleships for the year were publicly announced, LONDON was the name at the head of the list. A few years later when the Centenary of the Battle of 'Trafalgar occurred, a subscription was raised for a presentation to the new HMS LONDON. The

presentation was to comprise of certain special gifts - its object to keep alive the memory of the historic association between the City of Landor, and the LONDON man-of-wars. The Lord Mayor and his Sheriffs personally contributed, RS did other dignitaries of the time. Many of the City Guilds also donated to the subscription including the Mercers Company, along with other Companies who had some two and half centuries earlier contributed to the building of the 'LOYAL LONDON • The presentation to the LONDON comprised finally of five separate gifts. The first consisted of a magnificent model in silver of the Tower of London. The selection of the Tower of London was made by the Captain and Officers in response to a request from the Guildhall to what form the presentation should take place. The model took a full year to complete; the base is of oak supported by silver dolphins at each corner together with scroll work silver plate on the front bears the inscription, "Presented to the Captain and Officers of HMS LONDON 1905-6 A pair of handsome dishes in solid silver were also presented with the Tower. The second gift took the form of a chase silver challenge shield, to be competed for at big-gun practice annually. These gifts were inspected by the King, who expressed his warm approval of both the intention of the gifts and the workmanship. The third gift was a Silken Ensign, which was hoisted to the masthead when the five gifts were officially presented. The fourth, a Ships Bell. Modelled from one of the historic Bow Bells of London, it was presented with its own chaste silver brackets. The fifth was presented to the Officers by the Mercers Company, senior of the City Companies. The gift was of three silver gilt cups, copies of historic loving cups in the possession of the Company. A minor gift of remaining funds was in the form of cash prizes to go along with the Gunnery Challenge Shield. The 9th LONDON was also presented with a number of trophies. The first to mention is a carved casket containing a ceremonial mallet and key. These were used during the keel laying and launching ceremonies when the ship was being built in Portsmouth Dockyard. Again a number of gifts were received from the City of London; these included a pair of silver salvers, a silver tea tray and a silver Filigree fruit bowl. One other trophy worth mentioning is that of the one presented to the 9th LONDON for its services to the British Colony in Funchal, Madeira during the Revolution of April-May 1931. The story has it that the LONDON was just returning from its first three year commission in the Mediterranean, when it was called to aid the British Colony in Madeira. It was another three months before LONDON finally returned to Portsmouth. There are many other trophies held by the LONDON, including those won by the Ship’s Sports team. The ships close affiliation with the Royal Fusiliers also has its trophies, including a pair of candlesticks made from Spanish cannon taken at Gibraltar on 14 September 1782.

There are some eighty trophies held onboard. Not all of them are directly cone1ected with the LONDON and are merely for show. The total value of trophies held however is in the region of £64,000. CAPTAINS

Capt. J.C. BARTOSK, DSC, RN 14.9.63 to 17.2.66 Capt. D.N. FORBES, DSC, ADC, RN, 17.2.66 to 31.12.67 Capt. D. JERMAIN,DSC, RN 1.1.68 to 27.6.69 Capt. P.G. LOASBY, DSC, RN 28.6.69 to 1.9.70 Capt. R.S. FORREST, RN 1.9.70 to 21.8.72 Capt. P.D. NICHOL,RN 5.5.75 to 9.8.77 Capt. D.N. O'SULLIVAN, RN 9.8.77 to 28.12.78 Capt. T.G.A. RAM, RN 29.12.78 to 19.11.79 Cdr R.G. HASTILOW 19.11.79 to 10.4.80 Capt. J. GARNIER, MVO, FIL, RN 10.4.80 to

HMS London 1963

Launching of LONDON Dec 1961 Wallsend

HMS LONDON’s 20 YEAR< DIARY 1961 December 7th Launch of the LONDON

HRH The Duchess of Gloucester performed the launching ceremony on a grey day at the Wallsend Shipyard of Messrs Swan Hunter and Wigham Ricbardsons. Admiral LeFanu who was also at the launch, as the Admiralty representative, thanked H.R.H for performing the ceremony.

1962 The summer saw the appearance of the first of the LONDON's crew, six Officers and twelve ratings. Newcastle Brown Ale provided the main guidance towards LONDONS’s completion date.

1963 Sea trials were held in April and May. Still flying the Red Ensign, she was put through her paces. After the sea trials the remainder of the LONDON's crew joined the ship, She was to have been completed by August but due to inevitable last minute delays, November 14 was finally set as Commissioning Day. Principal guests at the ceremony were Vice Admiral Sir Peter Cazalet, who had commanded the previous LONDON, and Alderman Sir Denis Truscott, representing the Lord Mayor of London. A telegram was received from Princess Alice, who had launched the ship two years earlier, wishing the LONDON and her crew 'Good Luck'. 'The ship arrived in Portsmouth on 25 November after her acceptance trials.

1964 HATs and SATs were completed by the end of April. The first Seaslug firings then took place with a 100% success rate In May, Princess Alice spent a day; it sea with the LONDON, when the ship was anchored in Spithead. It was her first visit since she launched the ship in 1961. Portland Work-Up followed, and in, June LONDON became fully op rational. During the Work-Up LONDON had her second Royal visit namely that of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. He witnessed a Seacat firing, the aimer of which shot down the target at the first attempt. 'The Duke exclaimed "Give that man a coconut"; several weeks later a parcel arrived from Buckingham Palace inside which was the said coconut. July saw LONDON's first visit to the City of London, the highlight of which wa6 a march through the city streets by 325 officers and men to the GUILDHALL, where the Lord Mayor, Sir James Harman, entertained the ship6 company to a banquet. In September LONDON sailed on her first deployment, her first major call being at Houston, Texas, for the opening of the British Trades Fair. By the end of the year LONDON had transited through the Panama Canal (her only time through) and had visited Call o Peru, Valparuss Panta Arenas Chile, Panta del Este, Uruguay, Rio de Janerio, Brazil, Trista da Cunda and finally Simonetolol, where she spent Christmas and the New Year. This visit was reported as being the highlight of this particular deployment.

1965 Far East After leaving Simon6town, London called at Port Louis and Maritus where the ships flight erected a 143 ft. T.V. mast.

Before her return journey in July, she had taken part in three exercises and had visited Gan, Singapore, Port Swettenham, 3atic Hong Kong, Bangkok and Lang Kawi. On her return to the U.K. she travelled through the Suez Canal (her only time through) where she went to the aid of a cargo ship the "Adriana Angusta". August, on her return to Portsmouth, after being away for 12 months, she had to have the flag once more by appearing in Portsmouth Navy Daye. In November LONDON started her first refit, when defects arising from her first commission and routine maintenance items were dealt with. This lasted for six months.

1966 July, after trials the previous month, LONDON began her 2nd Work Up at Portland, her first commissioning crew now having completely changed. During the autumn she had a spell of duty in the Mediterranean visiting Civitavecchia, Athens, Malta and of course Gibraltar.

1967 In the new year LONDON was in the San Juan exercise areas of the West Indies employed on Exercise Springboard. Before her return to Portsmouth she was able to visit English Harbour Antigua, Kingston St Vincent, Bridgetown Barbados and Hamilton Bermuda. On her way back to Portsmouth she was involved in Exercise Wicked Lady. In March LONDON was back alongside for Easter leave. During this period LONDON was severely damaged by a Major Galley Fire. The fire spread as far as 1K cross passage, the galley itself was totally destroyed. The fire brought on an early D.E.D. to repair the damage. October, after the D.E.D. and trials had been completed LONDON sailed for Aden and Operation Magister she was part of a Naval task force stationed off shore in case of any emergency or foreign intervention, over the period of withdrawal of British forces. LONDON, in company with H¥.S EAGLE, half a dozen escorts, a submarine and a large number of RFA5 exercised together, whilst remaining at operational readiness. She remained on station for 48 days without a break throughout the withdrawals, covering some 7,000 miles. A week before independence the naval task force a5sembled in the harbour, where the High Commissioner reviewed the 24 ships which had taken part in the operation.

1968 Mombassa, where LONDON spent the Christmas and New Year period, recovering from her operational duties. She sailed early in January after a three week stay, calling in Simonstown then heading across to the West Indies for exercises with the Dutch and Venezualan Navies. After being put through her paces and showing off her missile systems, she managed visits to Trinidad, Venezuala, Curacao, Puerto Rico and Bermuda. On her return to Portsmouth in April she started A six month refit.

Open to visitors Yokohama 1969

25' Pier Hong Kong Aug 69

At Greenwich 1968

In company with KENT & HAMPSHIRE

Adm. Varyll-Begg Governor of Gib 1969

LONDON and KENT off Portsmouth

1969 After trials and Christmas leave LONDON headed for her 3rd

Portland Work-Up, which preceded her Far East deployment. Leaving Portsmouth on the 14th April she took Admiral Sir Varyl Begg and his family to Gibraltar where he was taking up his appointment as Governor, the first time a Naval Officer had done so. After stopping off at Simonstown, LONDON did a short spell on the Beria patrol. Singapore was her next port of call via Mahe in the Seychelles and Gan. Japan with NIAD and AJAX in company was to follow. The purpose of the visit was to demonstrate the Match Attack System. After her visit to Yokohama and Hakodate, LONDON took part in exercise Julex, before going to Hong Kong. It was now the end of August and a week was spent alongside. During her stay 17 men from LONDON were involved with the building of a 24 ft. pier.

Aug 72 – Nov 75

Major Refit: During LONDONs Major Refit many changes took place. The Seacat GWS 21 System was changed to the more modern GWS 22which meant the modernisation of the T.S. and the fitting- of new directors. This brought about the moving of the boots davits, altering the look of the ship. The forward superstructure was extended aft of the ford. funnel. Accommodation was modernised, the four ford. Senior Rate messes were made into two, the extra space making a lounge area for each mess. The Wardroom and Admirals/Capts quarters; were also rebuilt. Unfortunately, as the story goes money ran out when it came to the Junior Rates Messes although they were panelled in. Machinery underwent major overhauls, ventilation systems up rated. Electronic gear modernised, SCOT was also an addition during this refit. Although not planned as a three year refit the three day working week hit production, so it wasn't until the end of Nov 75 that LONDON went back to sea in her new state.

1976 Post refit trials extended into the new year, before the Portland Work-Up. (Her 5th). In June/July LONDON visited Providence Rhode Island followed by New York as part of the United State Bicentennial Celebrations. Whilst at New York LONDON participated in the International Naval Review which was inspected by President Ford. On her return to UK LONDON exercised her Seaslug systems at Aberporth before Summer Leave at Portsmouth. September saw her involved in Exercise Teamwork with FOF1 embarked followed by a visit to Amsterdam. A 6 day visit to London followed this. Her first visit to the capital since her refit. In November Commandant (STANAVFORLANT) transferred his Flag from Norfolk. LONDON deployed an active role which with 5NFL exercises with the Portuguese Navy ended 1976.

Post refit visit to London 1976

STANAVFORLANT 1976-1977

1977 Exercise Lock gate and Exercise Springtrain in the New Year

were LOODON’s main involvement during her SNFL role. In March she handed over the flagship role to HMLNS GALEN and the Ambuscade relieved LONDON as the British representative. After Easter leave JMC 772 was held in which LONDON took part, ending in a visit to Helsinki. In June she was in the line-up for the Queens Jubilee Review at .Spithead. Exercise Highwood ended her active role before she entered Portsmouth for a D.E.D. Before Christmas she started a Staff Sea Check with a break for Christmas leave she completed this in the New Year.

1978 After LONDON completed her Staff Sea Checks, Gibraltar was her first port of call for Exercise Springtrain. 4 days in Gibraltar for a sportex before a complete change of scenery to Rosyth. JMC 78/1 included a day’s visit to Scapa Flow. Easter back in Portsmouth was followed by another visit to Gibraltar for PWO Gunnery Firings. A visit to Funchal helping to make a break during the course. After the job of taking the outgoing Governor of Gibraltar back to Plymouth. A days turn around and back out to Malta to take part in Exercise Op n Gate and Dawn Patrol. Informal visits to Naples and Malta provided the breaks in-between exercises. The end of June saw her return to Portsmouth for summer leave, August, and LONDON was on her way across the Atlantic via Bermuda, to Philadelphia. Whilst in the States a 'Dial a Sailor' scheme was started, the ship being overwhelmed with invitations. The six day visit proved to be very popular. After the visit, the ship sailed to Norfolk Virginia, the largest Naval Base in the world, to get down to the job in hand Exercise Common Effort and Northern Wedding. FOF2 was embarked on this exercise and he left the ship a month later in Rosyth after the exercise had ended. Edynia, Poland was a stark contrast to Philadelphia as LONDONs visit there at the end of September proved to be interesting giving many of the ships company a first time glimpse of the Eastern side of life. Aarhus in Denmark for 3 days proved to be an expensive contrast, in a more relaxed atmosphere. A refit due at this time had been delayed by six months until May 79, a new forecast was being planned, in the meantime a London visit was the next major event. The visit was a great success comparable to the ships visit to Philadelphia. Amongst the highlights was a luncheon for the Royal Naval Film Corporation. Hosted by Earl Mountbatten, several top film company chairmen and managing directors were the guests. A visit at the end of November to Glasgow, for a ‘Meet the Navy' visit ended 1978 for LONDON.

1979 Exercise Springtrain began LONDONs commitments for the year, followed by the Historical Event of Guardship for the withdrawal of UK Forces in Malta. LONDON was in Malta for 3 weeks during which time many sporting activities took place, and many memorable visits arranged. When LONDON finally sailed the harbour was lined with thousands of people to say a final farewell, which brought the 180 years of British presence on the Island to an end. As the LONDON arrived back into Portsmouth at the beginning of April another chapter in LONDONs life was brought to a close. Refit 79: The refit lasted a year; the Seacat system was updated during this time. The ship was generally rejuvenated, to bring new life to the ships machinery and equipment.

1980 April 25th saw the rededication of the ship by HRH Princess Alice. Actual completion date for the refit however wal1 the 8 May. Sea trials took place during May, climaxing with SAT (G) and GWS1 firing in the Gibraltar areas in June. The Gibraltar areas giving the work of tanning and setting to work a pleasant uut1ooi<. In duly after returning to Portsmouth a few days in Norway at Stavanger· on the FORACS Range also pr0ved a pleasant trip. Once the job of proving and cr1libraion of equipment had been done, the ship was taken up LYSEFTORDEN Fjord by the Captain. This was one of the most picturesque areas of Stavanger and featured the Pulpit Rock which overhung the Fjord by some 600 metres up. An impressive sight one which was viewed by virtually the whole ships company. After summer leave and back to reality I LONDONs last Portland work up. It was her 6th visit to the South Coast resort and one that was taken in her stride. During her work up Exercise Priory in the North Sea added to this busy time, Exercise Southaxe ended the work up. All this was closely followed by Seaslug firings at Aberporth, which ended with what proved to be a popular run, to Liverpool. November saw a period of Navigational training which took in a visit to Brest, enabling a few Christmas rabbits to be purchased, not forgetting the duty free's.

1981 The beginning of the year had a slow start, fuel cut backs took their toll Staff sea days became Staff harbour days it was not until the middle of March that LONDON finally sailed for Springtrain in the Gibraltar areas. On her return from Gib, a visit to London to renew ties broken by the refit. This proved to be a great success and was enjoyed by all. Chatham and Rosyth Navy Days followed broken by a visit to Bremen. Exercise Roebuck followed the Rosyth Navy Days. It was on LONDONs return to Portsmouth that news of further defence cuts were being planned, LONDON being named as the first of the ships to go. LONDONs future was that she would be paid off at the end of the year, her prospects beyond that unknown. She would at the present time be for Disposal by Sale. The programme for the rest of the year continued. After summer leave Exercise Ocean Venture took place in the Faroe/Iceland gap. The weather proving that we were indeed a. long way north. Antwerp provided the relief after a hard exercise, the ship taking part in the Liberation Day Celebration providing a ceremonial guard. A short break to restore and prepare for the; much awaited trip to the West Indies then followed back in Portsmouth. LONDON sailed for the West Indies on the 18 September

Malta

By day…….

During withdrawal 1979

….By night

Princess Alice at Re-dedication 1980