HMS Mauritius recovers from corrosion for wartime service

An early internal degaussing system caused severe corrosion in Mauritius's fire main and left the cruiser unfit for action until repairs at Simon's Town, Singapore, and Plymouth corrected the problem. The protective equipment had created a serious readiness failure elsewhere in the ship. Henry Leach, later Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord, served aboard as a midshipman during the early repair period. Once operational, Mauritius supported Operation Husky in Sicily, the Salerno landings, Operation Shingle at Anzio, and Sword Beach on D-Day, then patrolled the Bay of Biscay against blockade runners. With destroyers, she sank Sperrbrecher 157 in the Battle of Audierne Bay on 14 August 1944 and five Vorpostenboote on the night of 22-23 August. Mauritius and Diadem badly damaged Z31 off Norway on 28 January 1945. She passed through the Corfu Channel during the 1946 incident, then served in the Mediterranean, training squadron, and East Indies before entering reserve.