BFI

The H.M.S. Lowestoft commenced construction in Chatham Dockyard in July 1912, and was formally launched on 23 April the following year, with a Topical Budget camera on hand to capture the ceremony. It was one of the so-called Birmingham Class Light Cruisers, named after its sister ship H.M.S. Birmingham - the others being H.M.S. Nottingham and H.M.S. Adelaide.

All would see service in World War I. In August 1914, just over a year after this film was made, Lowestoft would sink a German merchant ship and take part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, which saw three German cruisers and a torpedo boat sank in the vicinity of Germany's main naval base. In January 1915, Lowestoft would be involved in the Battle of the Dogger Bank, when the British Battle Cruiser Fleet intercepted their German counterparts and successfully sank the Blucher.

Apart from H.M.S. Nottingham, which was sunk by a German U-boat in 1916, the Birmingham Class cruisers were kept in naval service throughout the 1920s. Following decommissioning, H.M.S. Lowestoft was sold for scrap and broken up at Milford Haven on 8 January 1931.

Michael Brooke

*This film is included in the BFI DVD compilation 'Tales from the Shipyard', with piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne.

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