- Yes - In the Tech Tree.
- Yes - Event/BP.
- Yes - Premium.
- No - I would not like to see HMNZS Black Prince in game.
HMNZS Black Prince at Singapore Harbour dressed for a review. 1953 (Credit: AWM)
Description:
HMNZS Black Prince along with her sister, the HMNZS Bellona were acquired as a pair to replace the Royal New Zealand Navies (RNZN) ageing light cruisers, the Leander-class HMNZS Achilles, and the Fiji-class HMNZS Gambia, who were both on loan from the Royal Navy (RN). As she too was given to the RNZN on loan, the New Zealand government did not have to pay for her, rather they had to just pay her running, crew, and maintenance costs.
This deal was ideal for both the RNZN and the RN, as it helped reduce overhead for the RN, both from the older ship’s physical sale to another nation, but also reducing their maintenance costs, as the RNZN now held that responsibility. The RNZN in exchange received two more modern ships which were more suitable for the post war RNZN compared to the war time cruisers, reducing manning and maintenance costs.
As part of the Bellona-subclass of the Dido-class, she was not fitted with the 5.25" dual turret in the Q position, instead fitting further light AA, which was further supplemented as part of her 1953 modernisation for the RNZN for which this suggestion is for.
HMNZS Black Prince entering Malta Harbour, 1953 (Credit: Torpedo Bay Navy Museum)
History:
Royal Navy service:
Laid down as HMS Black Prince on the 2nd of November 1939 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, she would only launch on the 27th of August 1942 due to the shortage of materials for her construction. She would complete fitting out on the 20th of November 1943, and commission on the 30th of the same month.
Upon commissioning she would conduct exercises off Scapa Flow through to February 1944, where she would be sent on Arctic Convoy Escort duty, escorting JW 57 as the flagship of the Far Ocean Escort, which included herself and 14 destroyers. During this convoy two U-Boats would be destroyed, with all 45 Merchantmen arriving at Kola bay safely, albeit with the loss of the M-class Destroyer HMS Mahratta, which was torpedoed and sunk by U-990.
After this convoy she would be on patrol duty just east of the English Channel, with her first patrol within Force 26 on the 24th of April 1944. One day later on the 25th, she and the HMCS Haida, Athabaskan, Huron, and the HMS Ashanti would fire upon German Torpedo boats which were in the process of laying mines, sinking the T29, and damaging the T24 and T27 off Brittany.
While attached to Task Force 125.8, she would join the USS Nevada, Tuscaloosa, Quincy, Fitch, Forrest, Corry, Hobson, Herndon, Shubrick, Butler, Gheradi, Bates, and Rich, as well as the HMS Hawkins, Enterprise, and Erebus, as part of the bombardment group. Her target was the batteries at Morsalines.
When these operations finished up on the 16th of June 1944 she would join Force A of the British Aegean Force, operating out of Alexandria and Crete. While here she would support the allied invasion of Southern France as part of Operation Dragoon, then moving to the Aegean sea for operations in that area.
She would move to the East Indies fleet on the 21st of November 1944, leaving Alexandria on the same day, she would arrive at Colombo on the 30th of November, where she would support the carrier raids on Japanese oil and airfield installations as part of Operations Meridian, Robson, and Lentil. These strikes would include around Palembang, Pangkalan, and Brandan. During her time here she would also conduct exercises as part of fleet operations off Trincomalee.
By early January 1945 she would move to the British Pacific Fleet, participating in the Okinawa campaign, protecting the fleet from air attack, then as the war progressed she would participate in the bombardments of the Japanese mainland before their surrender. At the end of the war she would move to Hong Kong, then be based from Sydney, Australia by April 1946.
HMNZS Black Prince sitting at the Auckland Wharves, 1953 (Credit: NZ Herald via the Auckland Libaries)
Royal New Zealand Navy service:
By late 1945, the Royal New Zealand Navy had announced its plans to replace their current cruiser fleet of HMNZS Achilles and Gambia, and with the HMS Black Prince as well as her sister, the HMS Bellona both being ideal vessels and being physically close, were selected for transfer. HMS Black Prince would become the HMNZS Black Prince on the 25th of May 1946.
However this would not last long, as due to her war service she was very worn out and in need of refit. For this she was due to be refitted the same year as she was delivered, however due to the 1947 RNZN Mutinies there was not enough manpower to man her, as such she was placed in reserve for future use.
Sufficient personal numbers would be achieved by 1951, by which she was immediately slated for refit. This would start in January of 1952 and involved replacing the fire control systems, modernising the radar with new sets including Type 281B, and completely stripping the 20mm Oerlikons for 10 single 40mm Bofors on a unique NZ mount, the Toadstool CWIS, which was a navalised Mk.3p mount with extra radar fire control. These works would finish a year later by February 1953, when she would recommission.
It should be noted that the three QF-2pdr Mk.VIII mounts were kept, however they were not mounted in early 1953, due to a shortage of personnel to mount them.
From recommissioning she would join the Royal Naval Coronation Review at Spithead as part of the ANZAC Squadron with HMAS Sydney in June of 1953, and on her way home via the Suez she would dock at Malta, where she would accidentally ram a RN floating dock with no major damage, she would also assist those affected an earthquake in the Ionian Islands. On the 1st of February 1954 she would become the Royal Escort to the liner Gothic as part of the Queens tour of New Zealand that year.
Once this duty ended she would join in exercises with Australia and Singapore, during which she accidentally shelled the Australian town of Currarong in March of 1955, after her fire control computers errored resulting in her shells landing short. This would result in no casualties in the town, but did result in further safety commands for firing the main guns within both the RN’s and RNZN’s Dido/Bellona fleets. Later in march 1955 two of her ratings would die after a demolition charge was accidentally detonated.
By July 1955 she would be placed in reserve, being replaced by the HMNZS Bellona, who herself was tied up in reserve previously. She had a small refit from 1957 to 1958, but would be placed in extended reserve by 1959 and used as an accommodation ship. By 1961 she was stripped of parts for the new HMNZS Royalist, and her 1961 refit.
She would revert to Royal Navy control for her disposal, however she would sail directly for Japan from Auckland to be scrapped. This would be done on the 2nd of May 1962.
| General Characteristics: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name: HMNZS Black Prince | |||||
| Country: New Zealand | |||||
| Type: Anti-air Cruiser | |||||
| Class name: Bellona | |||||
| Year of commission: 1946 | |||||
| Refit: 1953 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Dimensions: | |||||
| Length: 512 ft (156m) | |||||
| Beam: 50 ft 6 in (15.39m) | |||||
| Draught: 14 ft (4.3m) | |||||
| Displacement: 7,200t | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Propulsion: | |||||
| Powerplant: 4x oil fired boilers, 4x geared steam turbines, 4 shafts @ 62,000shp (46,233kW) | |||||
| Speed: 32.25kt | |||||
| Endurance: 3,685nmi @ 16kt | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armament & sensors: | |||||
| Compliment: 520 | |||||
| Primary armament: 4x2 QF 5.25-inch on dual mount Mk.II | |||||
| Secondary armament: 3x4 QF-2pdr (pom-pom), 10x1 40mm Bofors on Toadstool mount (navalised Mk.3p) | |||||
| Tertiary armament: 2x3 21" Torpedo tubes | |||||
| Radar: Type 281B, Type 272, Type 284, Type 285, Type 282 | |||||
| Sonar: Type 128 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armour: | |||||
| Waterline Belt: 3 in (76 mm) RHA | |||||
| Magazine: 2 in (51 mm) RHA | |||||
| Deck: 1 in (25 mm) RHA | |||||
| Gun turrets: 1 in (25 mm) RHA | |||||
| Bulkheads: 1 in (25 mm) RHA |
HMNZS Black Prince at Singapore harbour for the Queen’s Birthday, 1953 (Credit: IWM)
Extra Photos:
Sources:
G.Wright (2017), HMNZS Black Prince 1946-1959
N.Friedman (2010) British Cruisers, Two World Wars and After. (p.284)
NZ Naval Board Report – 1946 – RNZN Communicators Association
HMS Black Prince (81) - Wikipedia
HMNZS Black Prince — National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy
HMS Black Prince (81) of the Royal Navy - British Light cruiser of the Bellona class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net