By 1944 the Royal Navy had newer Crown Colony and Dido cruisers, so another expensive overhaul of Durban no longer made sense. Her mobile-cruiser role had ended even though the hull still had wartime value. The Navy designated and sank her as a blockship for the Normandy invasion harbour. Durban became fixed protection within the Mulberry system after replacement cruisers released her from fleet service.
Notable Point · 27:48-28:31
Durban's final role as a Mulberry blockship
New Crown Colony and Dido cruisers ended the case for overhauling Durban, whose hull instead became a blockship in the Normandy harbour defences.