HMS Curacoa (D41)

HMS "Curacoa" was a World War I light cruiser of the "C" class, named after the island in the Caribbean Sea more usually spelled Curaçao. She was part of the "Ceres" group of the C-class of cruisers. She became one of the major accidental losses of the Royal Navy during World War II. The wrecksite is designated as a "protected place" under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20080950_en_1 Designation under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986] by SI2008/950, Office of Public Sector Information, The National Archives. Retrieved 2008-07-17.]

Having 'played' a German battlecruiser in the 1935 film "Brown on Resolution", she served during the early stages of the war with the Home Fleet. She spent four days serving as anti-aircraft protection off Åndalsnes, Norway. During this period, she was seriously damaged by bombs from German aircraft and forced to return to the UK for repairs, that lasted into August.

On 2 October 1942 she was engaged in convoy escort duties with the ocean liner RMS "Queen Mary". While both ships were zigzagging, the "Curacoa" crossed the "Queen Mary's" bow with insufficient clearance. The "Queen Mary" struck her amidships at a speed of 28 knots, cutting the "Curacoa" in two. Separated by about 100 yards, she sank instantly with 338 casualties. Due to the risk of U-boats, the "Queen Mary" could not even slow to assist, and steamed on with a fractured stem. The following ships in the convoy rescued 99 survivors (including Captain John W. Boutwood, RN) from the water. [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1199.html uboat.net - Allied Warships - Light cruiser HMS Curacoa of the Ceres class ] ]

References

*Colledge
*Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company

Further reading

* D. Thomas, Patrick Homes, P Holmes - "Queen Mary" and the Cruiser: "Curacoa" Disaster" (1997) ISBN 0-85052-548-9
*"Jane's Fighting Ships of WWII"
*"The Pessimist's Guide to History", Stuart and Doris Flexner, 1992

External links

* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1199.html HMS "Curacoa" info at uboat.net]
* [http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/HMSCuracoa.html HMS "Curacoa" info at roll-of-honour.com]