World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseCommissioned as Danae in the Royal Navy as the lead ship of her class of light cruisers, she patrolled the North Sea with the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron in the final months of WW1. Between Oct and Nov 1919, she supported the White forces during the Russian Civil War. In Feb 1920, she was attached to the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet. On 27 Nov 1923, she left Devonport, Britain with the Special Service Squadron for a world cruise as a show of British naval power; she visited British possessions in Africa, India, South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South America. Between 1927 and 1929, she served with the 1st Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean Sea. After modernization, she served in the Caribbean Sea between 1930 and 1934. In 1935, she escorted convoys that evacuated British nationals from Shanghai, China to Hong Kong, and was fired upon by Japanese ships. She was placed in reserve in 1936.

ww2dbaseIn Jul 1939, Danae was reactivated as tension built up in Europe. She served the start of WW2 in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean with the 9th Cruiser Squadron, then on 23 Mar 1940 she was reassigned to Malaya Force and patrolled the waters near Dutch East Indies and Singapore. On 20 Jan 1941, she was attached to the China Force to escort convoys in the Yellow Sea and then between the Dutch East Indies and Ceylon. She was once again inactivated after her service in the east. In Jul 1943, Danae returned to active service after spending 11 months in the shipyards for modernization. With the 1st Cruiser Squadron, she supported the Sword Beach landing operations during the Normandy invasion, then supported ground troops in the area until Jul 1944. Between Aug and Oct, she served as a hulk in the port of Plymouth, Britain.

ww2dbaseOn 4 Oct 1944, Danae was leased to the Polish Navy. Recommissioned as Conrad, she was refurbished in Southampton and Chatham, Britain until 23 Jan 1945. On Feb, she entered service at Scapa Flow. On 2 Apr, Conrad was attached to the 10th Cruiser Squadron, though she entered the shipyard again on 9 Apr to repair turbine damage. She emerged from repairs on 30 May 1945, after the end of the European War. She served briefly at Wilhelmshaven, the main base of the Kriegsmarine, which was occupied by the Polish 1st Armored Division. Between Jul and Dec 1945, she transported Polish Red Cross personnel to Norway and Denmark.

ww2dbaseReturning to Britain in Jan 1946, Conrad performed training tasks with other Polish warships. On 8 Mar 1946, she was decommissioned by the Polish Navy, and on 28 Sep, she was returned to the Royal Navy. Returning to the name Danae, she was never recommissioned by the British. She was sold to T. W. Ward Company on 22 Jan 1948 and was scrapped by the Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Britain on 27 Mar.

Photographs

Danae Operational Timeline

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