Allied Warships

Armed Merchant Cruisers

No specific class

54 ships


The armed merchant cruiser HMS Dunvegan Castle of the Royal Navy. She was lost on 27 Aug 1940.

Technical information

TypeArmed Merchant Cruiser
Displacement 
Length 
Complement 
Armament 
Notes on classThese were a series of merchant vessels, ranging in size from 6000 tons to about 22,000 tons, taken over by the British Admiralty when the war broke out.

Armament was very different but often they had 6 x 6inch guns as primary armament and 3inch guns as secondary.

Many served as troopships from 1941 onwards. 


All ships of the class


Royal Australian Navy Royal Australian Navy (more on Royal Australian Navy)

HMAS Manoora (F 48)
HMAS Westralia (F 95)


Royal New Zealand Navy Royal New Zealand Navy (more on Royal New Zealand Navy)

HMNZS Monowai (F 59)


Royal Navy Royal Navy (more on Royal Navy)

HMS Alaunia (F 17)
HMS Alcantara (F 88)
HMS Andania Lost on 16 Jun 1940
HMS Antenor (F 21)
HMS Antonia
HMS Arawa (F 12)
HMS Ascania (F 68)
HMS Asturias (F 71)
HMS Aurania (F 28)
HMS Ausonia (F 53)
HMS Bulolo (F 82)
HMS California (F 55)
HMS Canton (F 97)
HMS Carinthia Lost on 6 Jun 1940
HMS Carnarvon Castle (F 25)
HMS Carthage (F 99)
HMS Cathay (F 05)
HMS Cheshire (F 18)
HMS Chitral (F 57)
HMS Cilicia (F 54)
HMS Circassia (F 91)
HMS Comorin (F 49) Lost on 6 Apr 1941
HMS Corfu (F 86)
HMS Derbyshire (F 78)
HMS Dunnottar Castle (F 34)
HMS Dunvegan Castle Lost on 27 Aug 1940
HMS Esperance Bay (F 67)
HMS Forfar (F 30) Lost on 2 Dec 1940
HMS Hector (F 45) Lost on 5 Apr 1942
HMS Jervis Bay (F 40) Lost on 5 Nov 1940
HMS Kanimbla (F 23)
HMS Laconia (F 42)
HMS Laurentic (F 51) Lost on 3 Nov 1940
HMS Letitia (F 16)
HMS Maloja (F 26)
HMS Montclare (F 85)
HMS Mooltan (F 75)
HMS Moreton Bay (F 11)
HMS Patroclus Lost on 4 Nov 1940
HMS Pretoria Castle (F 61) (converted to the escort carrier HMS Pretoria Castle)
HMS Queen of Bermuda (F 73)
HMS Rajputana (F 35) Lost on 13 Apr 1941
HMS Ranchi (F 15)
HMS Ranpura (F 93)
HMS Rawalpindi Lost on 23 Nov 1939
HMS Salopian (F 94) Lost on 13 May 1941
HMS Scotstoun Lost on 13 Jun 1940
HMS Transylvania (F 56) Lost on 10 Aug 1940
HMS Voltaire (F 47) Lost on 4 Apr 1941
HMS Wolfe (F 37)
HMS Worcestershire (F 29)


54 Armed Merchant Cruisers of the class. 15 of them were lost.

Full wartime service history on this vessel.

See all Armed Merchant Cruiser classes.


class ships hit by U-boats (14)

16 Jun 1940HMS AndaniaSunkUA
21 Oct 1941HMS AuraniaDamagedU-123
6 Jun 1940HMS CarinthiaSunkU-46
18 Aug 1942HMS CheshireDamagedU-214
27 Aug 1940HMS Dunvegan CastleSunkU-46
2 Dec 1940HMS ForfarSunkU-99
12 Sep 1942HMS LaconiaSunkU-156
3 Nov 1940HMS LaurenticSunkU-99
4 Nov 1940HMS PatroclusSunkU-99
13 Apr 1941HMS RajputanaSunkU-108
13 May 1941HMS SalopianSunkU-98
13 Jun 1940HMS ScotstounSunkU-25
10 Aug 1940HMS TransylvaniaSunkU-56
3 Apr 1941HMS WorcestershireDamagedU-74


Convoy Will Scatter

Bernard Edwards

Books dealing with this subject include:

Convoy Will Scatter, Bernard Edwards, 2013
Liners in Battledress, Williams, David, 1997



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