HMS Scylla – Battle of Normandy

H.M.S. Scylla history

The light cruiser 98 H.M.S. (Her Majesty Ship) Scylla was launched on 24 July 1940 and entered service on 12 June 1942.

Originally engaged in Home Fleet, which defended British territorial waters, it also performed a number of escort of convoys in the Atlantic Ocean. As of October 28, 1942, it was deployed in the Mediterranean Sea and took part in Operation Torch in North Africa within force O.

In December, HMS Scylla carried out patrols the Bay of Biscay in search of German ships: on January 1, 1943, it engages the Rhakotis 200 miles northwest of Cap Finistère which decides to scuttle. Back in the Mediterranean Sea in September, it was involved in the Avalanche amphibious operations in front of Salerno.

Blocked following a renovation which lasted from October 1943 to April 1944, HMS Scylla then took part in Operation Neptune as a flagship of the Eastern Task Force. On 6 June 1944, off the coast of Sword Beach, it bombarded German positions in the Ouistreham area. In the early days of the Battle of Normandy, it made new escorts across the English Channel until June 23, when it was severely damaged by an underwater mine. Declared irreparable, it was towed to Portsmouth.

Used as a target for the British army from 1948 to 1950, the HMS Scylla was demolished as of May 4, 1950.

H.M.S. Scylla technical sheet

Creator/User: Britain
Denomination: 98 – H.M.S. Scylla
Class: Dido-class light cruiser

Crew: 480 sailors

Armament (1944): 8x 114 mm guns, 2x 40 mm pom-pom guns, 14x 20 mm guns, 2x 530 mm torpedo tubes

Displacement: 6,850 tons
Speed: 32,25 knots
Length: 156 m
Beam: 14,4 m
Draught: 4,3 m