The flag of York remained onboard when she was abandoned, the italians found it and it's now in the naval museum in Venice alongside other captured flags
It's good to see the spotlight on York for once. She deserves to be remembered for her service as a "budget" cruiser that more than paid for herself through her accomplishments.
SS Arucas, the ship that scuttled herself when York caught her, was a small canaries island cruise liner/reefer (unusual combination) for the canaries service by NDL. The scuttling actually resulted in 12 deaths among her crew including the captain. Her sister ship Otrava was renamed Rober Möhring after the captain of Arucas and was one of the ships sunk with heavy loss of life during the East Prussia evacuation in 1945.
The Italian capital ships (battleships & cruisers) didn’t exactly have illustrious careers in WW I and WW II. However, Italian small craft and combat swimmers (“frogmen”) did have their moments. I recall they sunk Austro-Hungarian battleships, Brit QE class battleships in Alexandria harbor and HMS YORK. The “motor boat” looks like a forerunner of the concepts Ukraine is using in the Black Sea. Only Italy used near suicide mariners.
A well told story, Thank You. After the planned County Class was built there was enough tonnage left for one more County or 2 smaller and cheaper ships, Exeter and York. Being a less valuable asset the York was not fitted with radar so could not spot the destroyers that launched the MAS boats. Once beached she received power from submarine HMS Rover (sunk 10 Japanese ships) which allowed her to use her guns and keep fighting. She could probably have been saved but for the German bombing which inflicted more damage and put her beyond repair.
A post-WWI analysis by the RN determined that they needed 70 cruisers to meet all of its wide variety of commitments. These included fleet escort, colonial service, convoy escort and so on. The navy was also on a tight budget; not as tight as the army and the air forces, but tight enough. Figuring out how to get numbers mattered, especially since many older cruisers also needed to be replaced. Smaller more cost-effective ships was seen as one answer.
Greetings and salutations! Thank you for an intresting history of a rather neglected ship. Also I applaud your choice of photographs. All the best, Billi.
Hearty thanks for this very informative account. I always wanted to know more about HMS York. It would also be interesting to know more about the proposed aircraft catapult and how it influenced the bridge design. And then there is the heroic tale of the MAS boats. The Regina Marina is often treated slightingly in popular accounts of the Mediterranean conflict. As you are distinguished both by the thoroughness of your research and for fairness of judgment, you might be the man to present a better assessment of the RM’s performance.
i read somewhere that these 2 ships where named after cities that had a Cathedral, and hence where originally listed as "Cathedral class" 6 guns when the us cruisers have 9 or 10 and the Japanese have 6 to 10 guns each makes them rather "light".
Id be interested in a video on Enterprise scrapping. Theres plenty out their on her career but i havnt heard much on her scrapping operations. Such an unfortunate point of history, quite a disservice to scrap her
With English place names such as Berwick, the W is usually silent if it follows an R. The R is barely sounded, like it is in the work 'barely' (ber-ick is about right). Find a UK channel touring the town to hear how it sounds. It's the same with places like Warwick, but you do pronounce the W in cases like Ipswich. There's no system to it. You just grow up knowing how to say the place names.
The flag of York remained onboard when she was abandoned, the italians found it and it's now in the naval museum in Venice alongside other captured flags
And other artefacts from HMS York are displayed in La Spezia (Museo Tecnico Navale)
Me: Mom can we stop for a County Class on the way home?
Mom: No we have a County Class at home.
The County Class at home: HMS York.
It's good to see the spotlight on York for once. She deserves to be remembered for her service as a "budget" cruiser that more than paid for herself through her accomplishments.
SS Arucas, the ship that scuttled herself when York caught her, was a small canaries island cruise liner/reefer (unusual combination) for the canaries service by NDL. The scuttling actually resulted in 12 deaths among her crew including the captain. Her sister ship Otrava was renamed Rober Möhring after the captain of Arucas and was one of the ships sunk with heavy loss of life during the East Prussia evacuation in 1945.
Hey, you did my suggestion! :D Thanks Skynea! Very informative vid on the York, its good she is getting some spotlight vs her famous sistership Exeter
My grandfather worked in the design office of that shipyard.
The Italian capital ships (battleships & cruisers) didn’t exactly have illustrious careers in WW I and WW II. However, Italian small craft and combat swimmers (“frogmen”) did have their moments. I recall they sunk Austro-Hungarian battleships, Brit QE class battleships in Alexandria harbor and HMS YORK.
The “motor boat” looks like a forerunner of the concepts Ukraine is using in the Black Sea. Only Italy used near suicide mariners.
A well told story, Thank You. After the planned County Class was built there was enough tonnage left for one more County or 2 smaller and cheaper ships, Exeter and York. Being a less valuable asset the York was not fitted with radar so could not spot the destroyers that launched the MAS boats. Once beached she received power from submarine HMS Rover (sunk 10 Japanese ships) which allowed her to use her guns and keep fighting. She could probably have been saved but for the German bombing which inflicted more damage and put her beyond repair.
A post-WWI analysis by the RN determined that they needed 70 cruisers to meet all of its wide variety of commitments. These included fleet escort, colonial service, convoy escort and so on. The navy was also on a tight budget; not as tight as the army and the air forces, but tight enough. Figuring out how to get numbers mattered, especially since many older cruisers also needed to be replaced. Smaller more cost-effective ships was seen as one answer.
Nice to see the cruiser that was stationed in Bermuda.
Greay video highlighting a forgotten sister of Exeter
Having called at Hamilton with the german navy, Bermuda station must have been nice :)
Thanks for that one.
Greetings and salutations! Thank you for an intresting history of a rather neglected ship. Also I applaud your choice of photographs. All the best, Billi.
Hearty thanks for this very informative account. I always wanted to know more about HMS York.
It would also be interesting to know more about the proposed aircraft catapult and how it influenced the bridge design.
And then there is the heroic tale of the MAS boats. The Regina Marina is often treated slightingly in popular accounts of the Mediterranean conflict. As you are distinguished both by the thoroughness of your research and for fairness of judgment, you might be the man to present a better assessment of the RM’s performance.
Brilliant as always my mate. 🇬🇧🙏🇺🇸📚
Given what Ukraine is doing in the Black Sea right now, this story has strong parallels. Thanks!
i read somewhere that these 2 ships where named after cities that had a Cathedral, and hence where originally listed as "Cathedral class"
6 guns when the us cruisers have 9 or 10 and the Japanese have 6 to 10 guns each makes them rather "light".
The mere fact of having 8 inch guns put her & Exeter into the 'heavy' category.
Id be interested in a video on Enterprise scrapping. Theres plenty out their on her career but i havnt heard much on her scrapping operations. Such an unfortunate point of history, quite a disservice to scrap her
Thank you for this information, I found it very interesting thank you , 👍🇬🇧
Great report as usual 👍
For Al Gore's Rhythm 🕺
Missed out using HMS Rover as a glorified battery to power her AA guns.
The British Navy got motorboated by the Italian Navy
15:13 just as the US Pacific fleet got Pearl Harboured by the Japanese seeing if the Taranto raid could work a second tim
All those portholes...
Boats at port are very vulnerable
Sure that is HMS York, sister of HMS Exeter ?
With English place names such as Berwick, the W is usually silent if it follows an R. The R is barely sounded, like it is in the work 'barely' (ber-ick is about right). Find a UK channel touring the town to hear how it sounds. It's the same with places like Warwick, but you do pronounce the W in cases like Ipswich. There's no system to it. You just grow up knowing how to say the place names.
👍🏻🏴
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