Description
Royalist was a modernised sister ship of Bellona and Black Prince that the British Exchequer had strongly criticised. So the Admiralty orchestrated a plan to get rid of this orphan ship.
Royalist had been poorly maintained while in Reserve after 1945. While the bridge superstructure, radars and fire control systems had been modernised to a high standard, little had been done to improve the hull, machinery and accommodation. The cruiser required 550 men to crew her with accommodation for only 500 maximum, with an outdated messing system and little air conditioning. No other British warship had her type of guns.
At great cost New Zealand kept Royalist operational until a fortnight before the end of her final commission, when on 1 November, 1965, when she suffered condenseritise.
Number of Pages 457
Paperback Dimensions
Width: 300mm
Height: 210mm
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