6 Aug 1910

United Kingdom
  • Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Lion was launched at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. Lion would later see action at Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and Jutland. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | AC]
20 Jun 1911

United Kingdom
21 Jul 1918

United Kingdom
1 Aug 1928

United Kingdom
  • The keel of HMS Exeter was laid down at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Exeter | Plymouth, England | AC]
18 Jul 1929

United Kingdom
  • HMS Exeter was launched at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Exeter | Plymouth, England | AC]
30 Aug 1932

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
29 Oct 1932

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
29 Apr 1935

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
3 Jul 1935

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
1 May 1937

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta arrived at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom and began a period of refitting. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
3 May 1937

United Kingdom
11 Apr 1938

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
3 Nov 1938

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
17 Jan 1939

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
20 Dec 1939

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
5 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
31 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta escorted HMS light cruiser Ajax into Plymouth, England, United Kingdom as Ajax returned from her engagement with German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
14 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • British armed merchant cruiser HMS Esperance Bay departed Plymouth, England, United Kingdom at 1250 hours with £10,000,000 in gold. She was intercepted and bombed by German aircraft 100 miles west of the port, killing 7, but she was able to return to Plymouth without losing her cargo. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | CPC]
10 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • British anti-submarine trawler HMS Kingston Alalite hit a mine and sank off Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, killing 6. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | CPC]
13 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • German aircraft dropped 106 high explosive bombs on Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, damaging the Sherwell Congregational Church on Tavistock Road, City Hospital at Freedom Fields, gas works at Coxside, and Corporation electricity works at Prince Rock (26 killed, 117 wounded). Electricity would be restored on the following day, but gas would not be restored for three weeks. Patrol Officer George Wright and Leading Fireman Cyril Lidstone of Auxiliary Fire Service would be awarded George Medals for putting out a fire on an oil tank that might otherwise have exploded. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Plymouth, England | TH]
20 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • King George and Queen Elizabeth visited Plymouth, England, United Kingdom where they took tea with Lady Nancy Astor, the first woman to take a seat in the commons. The local people took the Royal visit as a "gala day" with bands and dancing on the Hoe, but no sooner had the Royal party departed 125 German bombers appeared overhead causing great damage to the docks (sinking British tug HMS Sir Bevois (9 killed), tug HMS Elan, and transport Mari II) and city centre. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Plymouth, England | AC]
21 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • Starting after sundown and lasting until the next day, German bombers attacked Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, damaging cruiser HMS Kent, destroyer HMS Lewes, and destroyer HMS Leeds. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Plymouth, England | CPC]
13 Nov 1942

United Kingdom
  • A Sunderland Mk II flying boat (W 6054) crashed on landing in Plymouth Sound in southern England, United Kingdom in thick fog at approximately 2100 hours. The aircraft from No. 10 squadron Royal Australian Air Force was on a flight from Gibraltar to Plymouth piloted by Flight Lieutenant Wynton Thorpe with a crew of 11 and five passengers. With only 15 minutes of fuel left the pilot attempted a blind landing, but with the altimeter still reading 600 feet the Sunderland ploughed into the sea. The aircraft flipped on its back, split in half and the pilot was thrown into the sea. The eleven crew were left in the sea for 90 minutes before rescue, but none of the passengers survived. The remains of this Sunderland were found spread over a wide area on the north side of the breakwater between the Fort and the lighthouse. The propeller and reduction gear was recovered in 1985 and shipped to the RAAF Museum near Perth, Australia. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | HM]
25 Nov 1943

United Kingdom
  • USS Ancon arrived in Devonport, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Ancon | Plymouth, England | CPC]
2 Aug 1945

United Kingdom
  • King George VI met with President Harry Truman on board HMS Renown in Plymouth Sound. The US President had flown from Germany to an airport in Devon, England, United Kingdom, and had toured the city of Plymouth. ww2dbase [Renown | Plymouth, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 2 Aug 1945
USS Augusta flying the British King George VI returning the salute of American servicemen aboard USS Augusta, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, 2 Aug 1945; the monarch was visiting President Harry Truman aboard this shipUS President Harry Truman and King George VI of the United Kingdom aboard USS Augusta, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, 2 Aug 1945, photo 1 of 2US President Harry Truman and King George VI of the United Kingdom aboard USS Augusta, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, 2 Aug 1945, photo 2 of 2
See all photos dated 2 Aug 1945
17 Apr 1962

United Kingdom
  • Captain W. F. Brewer of USS Wasp presented Lord Mayor Alderman A. Goldberg of Plymouth, England, United Kingdom a large picture of Mayflower II from the people of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [Wasp (Essex-class) | Plymouth, England | CPC]
28 Aug 1970

United Kingdom
30 Aug 1970

United Kingdom

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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An SNJ-3 Texan of Marine Air Group 11 flying over Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, Oct 1943. Note the lack of a painted border around the National Insignia.


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