HMS Cheshire

Fairfield built Cheshire as yard number 620, launched her on 20 April 1927, and completed her that July. Her registered length was , her beam was , her depth was and her draught was . Her tonnages were and . She was completed with four masts, As built, her navigation equipment included submarine signalling and wireless direction finding. Bibby Line registered Cheshire at Liverpool. Her United Kingdom official number was 149601 and her code letters were 149625. By 1930 her call sign was GLXV. In 1934 this superseded her code letters. ==Auxiliary cruiser==

On 29 August 1939 the Admiralty requisitioned Cheshire for conversion into an AMC. Her primary armament was six guns, and her secondary armament was two guns. She was commissioned on 30 October, with the pennant number F18. Her first commander was Captain Montague Bernard. On 28 May 1940, she protected the French aviso , which was rescuing survivors from the torpedoed cargo liner . In June 1941, she took part in the escort of Convoy HX 131 from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Britain, and Convoy OB 335 from Liverpool out into the North Atlantic. In July 1941 she took part in the escort of Convoy BHX 137 from Bermuda to join Convoy HX 137 in mid-Atlantic to continue to Britain. In August 1942 Cheshire took part in the escort of Convoy SL 118 from Freetown to Britain. She returned to active service in 1941, commanded by Captain James Begg. At 18:52 hours on 18 August attacked the convoy at position , firing four single torpedoes. Two hit and sank Netherland Line's Balingkar, one damaged the British India Steam Navigation Company's , and one damaged Cheshire. ==Troopship==

On 9 June 1943 the Admiralty returned Cheshire to Bibby Line, for conversion into a troopship for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In the small hours of 24 December 1944 Cheshire and the Belgian troopship , escorted by four destroyers, left Southampton to cross the English Channel to Cherbourg. They carried the 262nd and 264th regiments, which were part of the United States Army's 66th Infantry Division. That afternoon, just off Cherbourg, sank Léopoldville with two torpedoes, killing 763 US soldiers and 56 crew. Between 28 and 31 December 1944 Cheshire took the US Army's 289th Engineer Combat Battalion from Southampton to Le Havre. Other US Army units that Cheshire carried during the war included the 263rd Regiment, which was part of the 66th Infantry Division, and the 329th Regiment, which was part of the 83rd Infantry Division. The MoWT later used Cheshire as a repatriation ship. ==Final years==

On 5 October 1948 the MoWT returned Cheshire to Bibby Line, which resumed its passenger service between Britain and Rangoon. By 1946 Cheshires navigation equipment included radar. By 1955 it also included a gyrocompass. Toward the end of her career she attended at least one of the UK's nuclear bomb tests on Christmas Island. On 11 July 1957 she arrived in Newport, Wales, where John Cashmore Ltd scrapped her. ==References==