HMS Bonaventure (31)

HMS "Bonaventure" was a "Dido"-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. Due to shortages "Bonaventure", "Dido" and "Phoebe" were completed without one 5.25 inch gun and had a 4 inch starshell gun instead as its main armament.

She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Greenock, Scotland), with the keel being laid down on 30 August 1937. She was launched on 19 April 1939, and commissioned 24 May 1940.

History

"Bonaventure" served initially with the Home Fleet on completion, and escorted WS convoys. While on such duty with WS5a on 25 December 1940, the convoy was attacked by "Admiral Hipper", although no damage was incurred or inflicted.

Almost immediately afterwards the ship was ordered to the Mediterranean. On 28 December 1940, "Bonaventure" intercepted the German blockade runner "Baden" (8204 tons) off Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. The German ship was "en route" from Tenerife to France. A capture was not possible due to the bad weather, so "Bonaventure" sank the ship with a torpedo.

"Bonaventure" was a part of Force "F" during the Operation Excess convoy to Malta in January 1941, she was attacked by the Italian torpedo boats "Circe" and "Vega" south of Pantelleria, but sank "Vega" on 10 January 1941. In March she escorted a convoy to Malta and was damaged by near misses while at Malta on 22 March 1941. She then participated in the Greek campaign, but on 31 March 1941, while escorting a convoy from Greece to Alexandria, she was torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine "Ambra" south of Crete with 139 lives lost.

References

*Colledge
* [http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3 WWII cruisers]
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4020.html HMS Bonaventure at Uboat.net]