| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Armed Merchant Cruiser |
| Class | [No specific class] |
| Pennant | F 17 |
| Built by | John Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd. (Clydebank, Scotland) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | |
| Launched | 7 Feb 1925 |
| Commissioned | Oct 1939 |
| End service | 8 Dec 1944 |
| History | On 25 August 1939 the passenger ship Alaunia of the Cunard White Star Ltd., Liverpool was requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to an armed merchant cruiser. Conversion was completed on 27 September 1939. Displacement: 14030 BRT Career: On 8 December 1944 sold to the Admiralty, converted to a repair ship until August 1945 and stationed at Devonport. In September 1957 sold for scrap at Blyth. |
Commands listed for HMS Alaunia (F 17)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Capt. (retired) Hugh Joseph Woodward, DSO, RN | 30 Aug 1939 | 1 Oct 1941 |
| 2 | Capt. (retired) Edward Neville Kershaw, RN | 1 Oct 1941 | Early 1943 |
| 3 | Capt. Robert Henry Campbell Crawford, OBE, RNR | Early 1943 | Early 1944 |
| 4 | A/Cdr. (retired) Alan Charles Graham Jolley, RN | Early 1944 | Ca. mid 44 |
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Notable events involving Alaunia include:
24 Apr 1942
Force A, made up of; battleship HMS Warspite (Capt. F.E.P. Hutton, RN, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral J.F. Somerville, KCB, KBE, DSO, RN), aircraft carriers HMS Indomitable (Capt. T.H. Troubridge, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral D.W. Boyd, CBE, DSC, RN), HMS Formidable (Capt. A.W.LaT. Bisset, RN), light cruisers HMS Newcastle (Capt. P.B.R.W. William-Powlett, DSO, RN), HMS Emerald (Capt. F.C. Flynn, RN), HMS Enterprise (Capt. J.C.A. Annesley, DSO, RN), AA cruiser HrMs Jacob van Heemskerck (Cdr. E.J. van Holte, RNN) and the destroyers
HMS Paladin (Cdr. A.D. Pugsley, RN),
HMS Panther (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Jocelyn, RN), HMAS Nestor (Cdr. A.S. Rosenthal, DSO and Bar, RAN), HMAS Norman (Cdr. H.M. Burrell, RAN), HMS Foxhound (Cdr. G.H. Peters, DSC, RN) and HMS Decoy (Lt.Cdr. G.I.M. Balfour, RN). The armed merchant cruiser HMS Alaunia (Capt.(Retd.) E.N. Kershaw, RN) also sailed with 'Force A'. She had on board many staff personnel that she was to take to Kilindini where the HQ of the Eastern Fleet was going to be based for the moment.
Aircraft of the carriers had to be flown on during the day but bad weather conditions prevented this and it had to be postponed. HMS Alaunia was therefore sent ahead escorted by HMS Emerald. They rejoined 'Force A' on 27 April.
At 1830/26 HMS Indomitable escorted by HMS Paladin and HMS Panther were detached to fuel in the Seychelles and then proceed on other duties. (1)
Sources
- ADM 199/426
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.