HMS Naiad(Pennant number 93), the third British warship to bring this name, was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. It was set at construction sites Hawthorn Leslie and Company on August 26, 1937, launched on February 3, 1939, and entered service on July 24, 1940, in the middle of World War II.
HMS Naiad Service
Just entered into service Naiad, it was assigned to the 15th Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet with the task of protecting the convoys. In November 1940, it participated in the hunt by Admiral Scheer that sank the auxiliary cruiser.
Between December and January, it escorted convoys in Freetown, Sierra Leone, back in the North Sea at the end of January 1941, where he sighted the German battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau south of Iceland, losing them after a while because of bad weather. Between February and March, the Naiad was in the pipeline for repairs to damage caused by the violence of the sea in previous missions.
Back in service in April, it was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet based in Alexandria, Egypt, where he arrived escorting a convoy of tanks called Operation Tiger. He was then transferred to Force H, responsible for escorting convoys to Malta.
In May, he worked mainly in the area of Crete, escorting convoys on the island and siding north of the same to stop knocks and convoys of invasion. On May 21, it was slightly damaged by shrapnel during an air raid while he was in the north of Crete along with the cruisers and as well as the destroyer.
The following day, he attacked an Italian convoy south of Milo, sinking two ships. Later, he was made the subject of a massive air attack during which were launched against the Naiad 181 bombs that severely damaged the boat, putting out two turrets and reducing the speed to 16 knots.
At the end of repairs, it attended to an Exporter operation in support of military operations in Syria. On June 22, it faced together with the HMNZS Leander destroyers Guepard and Valmy of Vichy France. After being targeted by coastal batteries, vessels abandoned the pursuit. In November, he took part in operations to support Eighth Army bombing Italian and German positions in the area of HalfayaPass.
In December, the Naiad participated in operations to supply Malta, during which, on December 17, there was a clash with the Italian fleet called the First Battle of Sirte. During the entry into force of the C return from this mission in the port of Alexandria, Italian raiders of the X ª MAS took advantage of the lifting of barriers to enter the harbor. They hit the battleships, damaging them severely.
On 10 March 1942, he was with the cruisers with the task to intercept an Italian convoy directed in Tripoli. It was subsequently reported an Italian cruiser damaged the area, and the Naiad went to search. Revealed as false information the ship sailed to Alexandria but was hit on the way back from U-Boot U-565 off Sollum. The boat capsized and sank in 35 minutes, causing the loss of 86 sailors.