HMS „Dido“ – the British anti-aircraft defense cruiser

After commissioning and completing trials in October 1940, the cruiser moved to Scapa Flow in early November to serve with the 15th Cruiser Squadron. The ship's first combat exit took place in the same month, when she, together with the battlecruisers “Hood” and “Repulse”, as well as her sister-ships “Naiad” and “Phoebe”, operated on the northwestern approaches in search of the German pocket battleship “Admiral Scheer". In November the cruiser escorted a military convoy to Gibraltar and the aircraft carrier “Furious”, which delivered aircraft to Freetown. During this campaign, sea tests of the “Type 281” radar were carried out. On December 3, the cruiser left Freetaun for the UK. On December 10 she got up for repairs at the Taina shipyard. On December 17 he returned to service in the 15th cruiser squadron, with which he remained until March 1941. In March 1941 he went out with the battleships “King George V” and “Nelson”, the cruiser “Nigeria” to cover the first important commando raid on enemy territory - to the Lofoten Islands (Operation “Claymore”). In April the cruiser was designated for service with the Mediterranean Fleet. On April 1 the cruiser sailed for Gibraltar. On April 24 the cruiser took part in Operation “Salient”. The operation consisted of escorting the cruiser “Dido”, the mine-layer “Abdiel” and the destroyers “Jackal”, “Jersey”, “Kashmir”, “Kelly”, “Kelvin” and “Kipling” to Alexandria with a stop in Malta. All ships had cargo for the island, but the design of the destroyers forced most of the cargo to be placed in boxes on the upper deck. This operation was carried out at the same time, as the delivery of air reinforcements to Malta as part of Operation “Dunlop” and the ships going to Alexandria were covered, respectively, by “Force H”. Force "S" (as the ships involved in the operation were named) sailed at 22:00 on 24 April with an expected arrival in Malta on 26 April. Stormy sea conditions caused damage to heavily loaded destroyers and the loss of some of their cargo, so Rear Admiral Vian ordered the “Dido” to slow down, which delayed the formation's arrival on the island by 24 hours. In fact, the ships arrived on the island on the morning of April 27th. Since April 28 “Dido” and the mine-layer “Abdiel”, together with the destroyers “Janus”, “Jervis” and “Nubian”, have escorted the transport “Breconshire” from Malta to Alexandria. On May 6 the cruiser, along with the cruisers “Phoebe”, “Calcutta” and “Coventry”, left as part of the escort of a convoy, that was sailing from Alexandria to Malta. On May 8 the cruiser was transferred to the escort of a convoy, moving towards from Gibraltar to Alexandria with tanks on board. Long-range cover was provided by the Mediterranean Fleet, consisting of the battleship “Queen Elizabeth”, and the cruisers “Naiad”, “Fiji” and “Gloucester”. The whole operation as a whole was called "Tiger". On May 14-27, the ship takes part in the Crete operation, on June 10-11 it takes part in the capture of Assab on the Red Sea coast. In July-October she was repaired in the USA, in the following months and years of the war she took part in many operations of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean, on October 22, 1944 she was transferred to the Arctic. On July 6, 1945 the cruiser left Liverpool, taking on board King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, visiting the Isle of Man. On July 8 the cruiser returned to Liverpool along with the crowned heads. On July 28 the king again paid a visit to the cruiser, stationed in Rosyth. The cruiser, however, did not enter the Pacific Fleet, as it stood in Chatham for a long-term repair in October, which lasted until 1947. Withdrawn from the fleet on July 18, 1957.

A moderately complex, well-designed and well-detailed model for intermediate and advanced modelers. Antiquarian magazine.