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HMNZS ACHILLES C70

The most famous of our warships, the Leander-class light cruiser ACHILLES served in the New Zealand Naval Forces from 1937 to 1946

ACHILLES was built for the Royal Navy as one of eight Leander-class light cruisers in 1933. Along with her sister ship LEANDER, ACHILLES was transfered to the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy in 1937.

In 1939 the cruiser deployed to the South America Station under Commodore Henry Harwood RN and there ACHILLES sought German shipping that was attempting to slip past the Allies back to Germany. When Harwood asessed the German pocket battleship Graf Spee was likely to approach the River Plate area, he concentrated his cruisers and subsequently fought and won the Battle of the River Plate.

ACHILLES returned to NZ in early 1940, to a hero's welcome. The remainder of 1940/41 was spent on patrol in the NZ Station, protecting merchant shipping from the German auxiliary crisers.

With the onset of the Pacific War, ACHILLES and LEANDER were assigned to the ANZAC Squadron and carried out convoy and covering duties as the war reached the Solomon Islands. After a refit in late 1942, ACHILLES returned to active service in January 1943, but during a convoy operation to Guadalcanal, the task force ACHILLES was part of, was surprised by a Japanese air attack and ACHILLES was hit on X turret by a heavy bomb.

Consequently the damaged cruiser was sent to England for a refit and when she recommissioned in 1944 the cruiser was equipped with a heavy AA armament, better gun direction systems and long range radar. Main armament was reduced to six 6" guns, since X turret was removed.

HMNZS ACHILLES served with the British Pacific Fleet until after the war ended. In 1946 the cruiser sailed for the UK where her ship's company commissioned the Dido-class cruiser BELLONA for service in the RNZN.

ACHILLES was transferred to the (then)Royal Indian Navy and renamed DEHLI.



Displacement 7450 tonnes

Length 171 metres

Beam 20 metres

Draught 10 metres

Machinery 4-shaft geared steam turbines 72,000 horsepower available.

Armament Originally eight 6", eight 4", three quadruple 0.5" AA guns. Eight 21" torpedo tubes. ACHILLES armament was altered during WWII.

Other

Speed 32kts

Range

Complement 550 personnel.


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HMNZS ACHILLES







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Did you know?
The total value of a typical modern container ship trading to and from New Zealand (including cargo) is over 250 million NZ dollars.