The class's wartime employment ranged across Force H and the Eastern Fleet before ending in severe losses and unusual final roles. U-124 sank HMS Dunedin in November 1941, and only 67 of the 486 people aboard survived. The Polish Navy operated the former Dragon and later the former Danae as ORP Conrad, extending the class's service across allied fleets. Dragon and Durban were ultimately used as breakwaters for the Normandy invasion. Their histories show ships built during the First World War remaining militarily useful in the next conflict, while Dunedin's loss exposes the human cost of keeping older cruisers in harm's way.
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D-class cruisers in war and at D-Day
The D-class record runs from Eastern Fleet service and Force H to severe losses and the use of former cruisers as D-Day breakwaters.