HMS Danae History

Design
HMS Danae, during the latter part of World War II commissioned as ORP Conrad, wa
s the lead ship of the Danae-class cruisers (also known as the D class), serving
with the Royal Navy between the world wars and with the Polish Navy (ORP) durin
g World War II.
Service
Of the twelve D class cruisers planned, eight were completed.
Danae was commissioned in time to see service during the final months of World W
ar I. She briefly served during post-war operations in the Baltic in 1919, takin
g part in anti-Bolshevik operations before being transferred back to Atlantic du
ties. Danae remained with the Atlantic forces until she was assigned to the Medi
terranean in 1925, remaining until 1929. Danae then served in the Americas until
she was paid off in 1935.
Recommissioned in 1936, Danae went east to the China station, serving until 1938
when she was again sent home to be decommissioned, but returned less than a yea
r later to bolster Royal Navy presence as the conflict in China escalated. Danae
was transferred to the Malaya Force in 1940, and served with the ABDA command d
uring the first few months after the entry of Japan into World War II. Danae und
erwent a major refit and modernization in the UK, lasting from August 1942 to Ju
ly 1943, then returned to the Eastern Fleet until 1944, when she took part in th
e Normandy landings. Danae was then lent to the Polish Navy, under the name Conr
ad, until the end of the war. Returned in 1946, she was paid off and sold for sc
rapping in 1948.
Dauntless also participated in the Baltic operations with Danae in 1919, then se
rved in the Americas until she was decommissioned in 1924. Reactivated in 1928,
Dauntless was reassigned to her old station, but ran aground in Halifax and sust
ained heavy damage. Repaired and returned to the Americas, she served only a yea
r before being placed in the naval reserve. Dauntless was returned to active sta
tus in 1930, and again returned to the Americas until 1932, then the Mediterrane
an until 1934. In 1935, Dauntless was again sent to reserve until 1939, and was
again stationed in the Americas. She remained several months only, and was, like
Danae, assigned to the China station. There she remained until Japan declared w
ar, operating with the Malaya Force, ABDA, and the eastern fleet until 1945, ser
ving as a training ship from 1943. She was sold off for scrap in 1946.
Dehli continued the pattern of foreign service, deactivation, and reactivation t
ypical of the class during the interwar years. She was on the reserve list at th
e beginning of World War II, but was promptly reactivated and assigned to the No
rthern Patrol where she saw good success, taking two German blockade runners. In
1940 Dehli briefly joined Force H in the Mediterranean and was present during a
ttacks on Sardinia. She then participated in operations in West Africa before be
ing sent to New York for conversion to an anti-aircraft cruiser which took most
of 1941 to complete.
Returning to service in 1942 Dehli participated in the Torch landings where she
was badly damaged by aircraft. Repaired, Dehli was present at the invasions in S
icily, Salerno, and Anzio, as well as for Operation Dragoon, the landings in Sou
thern France. Dehli continued to operate in the Mediterranean, and was damaged a
gain during a torpedo boat attack in the Adriatic off the port of Split. Dehli w
as made seaworthy but not repaired, and was used for target practice after the w
ar ended, finally being sold off for scrapping in 1948.
Despatch also spent much of her interwar service on foreign station or in naval
reserve, but was reactivated after the beginning of World War II and was assigne
d to the Americas until 1942, where she captured three German merchants in patro
ls from Chile to Brazil. In 1943, Despatch underwent a major refit, returning fo
r the invasion of Normandy. Placed in naval reserve before the end of the war in
1945, Despatch was sold off for scrapping in 1946.
Diomede served on foreign station during the interwar period and was in reserve
at the outbreak of World War II. She was also transferred to the Americas, servi
ng there until 1942 and capturing the German merchant Idarwald off Mexico. Reass
igned as a training ship in 1943, she continued in that capacity until 1945, whe
n she was placed in reserve. Diomede was sold for scrapping in 1946.
Dragon served briefly during World War I, and was active in the interwar period
on Atlantic, Baltic, Mediterranean, China, and American duties. In 1939, Dragon
was with the Home Fleet, but was redeployed to the South Atlantic where she capt
ured a Vichy French merchant in 1940 and participated in operations against Vich
y forces in West Africa. In 1941 and 1942, Dragon operated against Japanese forc
es as part of the China station, ABDA command, and finally joined the Eastern Fl
eet at Colombo. Dragon was paid off in late 1942, and was lent to the Polish Nav
y in 1943. In 1944, Dragon participated in the Normandy landings, but was badly
damaged. Declared a loss, Dragon was scuttled as a block-ship, forming part of t
he Mulberry harbors off the Normandy beaches.
Dunedin served in the Atlantic fleet until 1924, when she was placed on loan to
New Zealand, becoming HMNZS Dunedin until replaced by Leander in 1937. Active at
the beginning of World War II, Dunedin was serving with the Home Fleet, where s
he remained until 1940. Dunedin captured two German merchants and participated i
n the blockade of Martinique. In 1941, Dunedin was reassigned to the South Atlan
tic and captured another German merchant and two Vichy French merchants in the C
entral Atlantic at this time. Also scheduled for conversion to anti-aircraft cru
iser, Dunedin never received the refit; she was torpedoed and sunk by a German s
ubmarine in November of 1941.
Durban was completed post-war and spent her interwar years on foreign station. I
n reserve when World War II began, Durban was briefly assigned to the South Atla
ntic, then sailed for Singapore in 1940 to join the Malaya Force as tensions wit
h Japan were rising. Durban was damaged by air attack in February of 1942 during
the evacuation of Singapore, and returned to Colombo for temporary repairs, mov
ing on to New York and Portsmouth for completion and refit. She returned to the
Eastern Fleet until 1943 when she was returned to the UK until 1944, joining the
Allied forces for the invasion of Normandy. Durban was scuttled as a block-ship
for the Mulberry harbors in Normandy in June of 1944.