HMS Uganda (66)

HMS Uganda, was a Second World War-era Crown Colony-class light cruiser launched in 1941. She served in the Royal Navy during 1943 and 1944, including operations in the Mediterranean, and was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Uganda in October 1944. She served in the Pacific theatre in 1945 and was put into reserve in 1947. When she was reactivated for the Korean War in 1952 she was renamed HMCS Quebec. She was decommissioned for the last time in 1956 and scrapped in Japan in 1961.

Construction
HMS Uganda was one of the Ceylon sub-class (the second group of three ships built in 1939) of the Crown Colony-class cruisers, and built by Vickers-Armstrong at their Walker yard. She was launched on 7 August 1941 and commissioned on 3 January 1943.

Home Fleet operations
In March 1943 after training at Scapa Flow, Uganda sailed as convoy escort to protect a Sierra Leone-bound convoy from the German Narvik-class destroyers operating out of the Bay of Biscay. After two such convoy duties, she was sent as escort for the RMS Queen Mary carrying Winston Churchill and his staff to Washington. The journey was made at 30 kn, and the ship sailed into Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland low on fuel. Upon return from that duty the Uganda returned to Plymouth for a refit.

Mediterranean Fleet operations
With her refit completed, she was sent to the Mediterranean as escort to one of the largest troop convoys of the war heading to Sicily.

Uganda was part of the bombardment fleet for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943. She was then assigned to close support for major bombardments throughout Sicily. On the opening of Operation Avalanche, 9 September 1943, she was part of the fleet bombardment covering the invasion of Italy at Salerno.

While serving in the Mediterranean Sea on 13 September 1943 she took a direct hit from a new German radio controlled 1.4 tonne Glide bomb. Damage control under Lieutenant Leslie Reed managed to get the ship moving with one engine. She was towed to Malta by USS Narragansett, where temporary repairs were made.

There being no dry dock available in the European Theatre that could handle the repairs, Uganda was sent to the United States Navy shipyard at Charleston, South Carolina. The heavily damaged ship, with only one of her four propellers working, proceeded across the Atlantic Ocean to Charleston, arriving on 27 November 1943.

During the repairs, Uganda had two hangars designed for carrying Supermarine Walrus reconnaissance aircraft removed. These hangars were used for radio and radar equipment as well as crew amenities.

Transfer to Canada
Whilst under repair the Canadian government negotiated with Britain to obtain Uganda for the Royal Canadian Navy.

The official transfer took place on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1944 and she was renamed HMCS Uganda (C66).

As the flagship for the RCN, Uganda served in the Pacific War with the British Pacific Fleet and the United States Third Fleet. She received battle honours for operations during the Battle of Okinawa and was involved in attacking Truk, Formosa and Sakishima Gunto. Controversially, her RCN crew were polled by the Canadian government on 7 May 1945 to determine whether they would volunteer for further duties in the Pacific War. Widespread discontent had grown amongst the crew, due to poor living conditions and the lack of a Canadian identity for the ship and the result saw 605 of her crew of 907 refuse to volunteer. Uganda withdrew to Esquimalt, arriving back in the Canadian port on 10 August 1945, the date of Japanese surrender.

On 1 August 1947, Uganda was paid off (decommissioned) into the RCN reserve.

She was reactivated on 14 January 1952 as a result of the Korean War and was recommissioned as HMCS Quebec, serving two tours in the Korean War theatre, as well as taking part in the RCN task force attending the review of the fleet at Spithead for the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was paid off in June 1956 and scrapped in Japan in 1961.