Career (UK)
Class and type:	Armed merchant cruiser
Name:	HMS Hector
Builder:	Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Greenock, Scotland)
Launched:	18 June 1924
Commissioned:	20 December 1939
Fate:	Sunk in an air attack on 5 April 1942 Refloated and scrapped in 1946
General characteristics
Tonnage:	11,198 tons grt
Length:	498. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Armed Merchantmen has come to mean merchant ships equipped with guns usually for defensive purposes either by design or after the fact Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a British shipbuilding company based in Greenock Greenock ( Gaelic Grianaig g̊ɾʲiənɛg̊ʲ is a large town and former Burgh of barony in the Inverclyde Council area of western Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Gross Register Tonnage (abbreviated variously as GRT, grt, gr 5 ft (151. 9 m)
Beam:	62. 3 ft (19. 0 m)
Draught:	34. 9 ft (10. 6 m)
Propulsion:	Steam turbines
Speed:	15 knots
Armament:	6 x 152mm guns 2 x 76mm guns
Notes:	Yard number 521

HMS Hector was an armed merchant cruiser of the Royal Navy. Armed Merchantmen has come to mean merchant ships equipped with guns usually for defensive purposes either by design or after the fact The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Initially built as a passenger cargo vessel, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty during the Second World War. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including She was sunk in a Japanese air attack in 1942 and was later raised and scrapped. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku

Construction and civilian service

Hector was built in the interwar period by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, of Greenock, Scotland. Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a British shipbuilding company based in Greenock Greenock ( Gaelic Grianaig g̊ɾʲiənɛg̊ʲ is a large town and former Burgh of barony in the Inverclyde Council area of western Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ^[1] She was launched on 18 June 1924, and delivered to her owners, the Ocean Steamship Co Ltd (A. Holt & Co) on 23 September 1924. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Alfred Holt and Company, better known as the Blue Funnel Line, was founded by Alfred Holt on the 16 January 1866 Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[1] The company registered her in Liverpool, and she made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to the Far East on 24 September 1924. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[2] She served with the company for the next 15 years.

With the Royal Navy

Hector was requisitioned by the Admiralty on 27 August 1939, and they proceeded to refit her as an armed merchant cruiser. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This process was completed on 20 December 1939. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[3] In January 1940 she was assigned to the New Zealand station, where she served until July that year. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island In August she moved to the East Indies station, where she spent the next two years, until February 1942. The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term often used to refer to the islands of SE Asia, especially the Malay Archipelago She was then assigned to operate with the Eastern Fleet in March 1942. The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II ^[3]

She was drydocked in Colombo to prepare for decommissioning. Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. ^[2] Whilst in harbour with other ships, the port came under attack from Japanese carrier-based aircraft, as part of the Indian Ocean raid. The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March to 10 April 1942 Colombo was targeted on 5 April in the Easter Sunday Raid. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop The Easter Sunday Raid was an air raid carried out by the Empire of Japan on Easter Sunday, 5 April, 1942 on Colombo, The Japanese force, led by Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, had hoped to catch the remnants of the Eastern Fleet in harbour. However, most of the fleet had left several days earlier. Japanese aircraft found only three targets in the harbour, and so proceeded to attack them. The Hector was hit by bombs and set on fire. She was abandoned and later sank. The Japanese also sank the destroyer HMS Tenedos in the harbour, before locating and sinking the cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire out at sea. In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy HMS Tenedos was an Admiralty 'S' class destroyer Commissioned in 1919 she served throughout the period between the two World Wars. A cruiser is a large type of Warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. History Upon completion in 1928 Cornwall joined the China Station. Career Interwar Upon commissioning she became the Flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron The wreck of the Hector was nominally returned to the Ocean Steamship Company on 20 April 1942, but the ongoing war meant that she was not refloated until 1946. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[2] She was then beached five miles north of Colombo for assessment. ^[1] It was concluded that she was beyond economical repair, and she was sold for scrapping. ^[3]

References

• Ships of the Blue Funnel Line
• Hector at Clydebuilt
• Hector at Uboat.net