A long absence of a Norfolk in the Royal Navy was finally ended in the commissioning of County-class heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk (78), which displaced 10,035 tons. She was laid down in July 1927 at Govan by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd and launched on 12 December 1928. She was commissioned on 30 April 1930. In September 1931, Norfolk was part of a mutiny that later became known as the Invergordon Mutiny. She later served with the Home Fleet until she re-commissioned for service in the East Indies Station in 1937.

At the outbreak of war in 1939, Norfolk deployed with the Home Fleet, and was involved in the chase for the German battlecruisers (or light battleships) Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, along with the Admiral Scheer. She was soon receiving numerous repairs for damage that she had received, not to mention vital modifications to the ship. Her first repairs were carried out in Belfast, after a near-miss by a torpedo from the German submarine U-47, the submarine responsible for sinking the Royal Navy battleship Royal Oak.

Shortly afterwards, bomb damage that she had received from a heavy air raid, forced her into yet another repair, this time on the Clyde. After these repairs had been completed, Norfolk proceeded to the Tyne Shipyard for a new addition to her equipment - a radar set.

In May 1941, Norfolk was the first ship to sight the behemoth warship Soon afterwards, Norfolk, along with Rodney and King George V, clashed with Bismarck, helping to sink the German battleship. From September onwards, she was employed as an escort for the arduous Arctic Convoys. Norfolk was present with the Home Fleet, when it engaged Scharnhorst, on 26 December 1943.

She sustained damage in that confrontation, which was subsequently repaired on the Tyne, which prevented her from being involved in the historic D-day landings. When the war came to a close, Norfolk departed Plymouth for a much needed refit at Malta. This was followed by service in the East Indies as the flagship of the Commander-In-Chief East Indies Station.

In 1949, Norfolk returned to the UK and was placed in Reserve. On 14 February 1950, she proceeded to Newport to be broken up after a long and proud service of 22 years, in which she gained the Norfolk lineage the majority of its battle honours, including its last.

See HMS Norfolk for other ships of this name.

General characteristics

• Displacement: 10,035 tons standard/13,420 tons full load
• Length: 610 ft (186 m)
• Beam: 66 ft (20.1 m)
• Draught: 16 ft (4.9 m)
• Complement: 653
• Armament:
  • 8 x 8 inch (203 mm)guns
  • 8 x 4 inch (102 mm) guns
  • 24 x 2 pounder (907 g) guns
  • 8 x 24 inch (610 mm) torpedo tubes
  • Smaller anti-aircraft guns.
• Aircraft: 2 aircraft
• Speed: 31.5 knots (58 km/h)
• Range: 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
• Propulsion: Steam turbines, 4 shafts, 8 boilers, 80,000 shp (60 MW)

Battle honours

Atlantic 1941, Bismarck 1941, Arctic 1941–1943, North Africa 1942, North Cape 1943, Norway 1945