HMS Swiftsure was one of three light cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was laid down by Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle upon Tyne on 22 September 1941, launched on 4 February 1943 by Lady Wake-Walker and commissioned on 22 June 1944. The first of a new Minotaur class, a development of the later Colony class with extra beam and a fifth twin 4 inch turret. Swiftsure was the last Royal Navy cruiser completed during World War II and was the first British cruiser designed around the concept of an operations room and modern radar, with sensor screens and communications positioned for efficient operation. During her service in the Pacific in 1945, she proved the most efficient anti-aircraft cruiser in the fleet and was the first Royal Navy cruiser with the Type 274 lock-and-follow radar targeting system for her main armament. Service history Second World War service Swiftsure joined the Home Fleet on commissioning and in 1944 was assigned to the Eastern Fleet where, in November 1944, she became a unit of the newly formed British Pacific Fleet. In the Pacific she participated in the Okinawa Campaign of March–May 1945 and in June took part in the carrier raid on Truk. Here the British Pacific Fleet were operating as part of Task Group 111.2, with the cruisers shelling the islands. On 30 August 1945 this group re-entered Hong Kong and accepted the Japanese surrender there. Swiftsure was at this time the flagship of the British Pacific Cruiser Squadron and was selected by Admiral Cecil Harcourt to hoist his flag for the Japanese surrender. Postwar service In 1946 she was the flagship of the 4th Cruiser Squadron and in 1951 she became the flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. Swiftsure was updated for commonality with with three 'Glasshouse' Directors with Type 275 radar for the 4-inch guns, Type 960M Long Range Air Warning and a more powerful 40 mm light anti-aircraft armament on "Boffin" and "Buster" mountings. In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. On 29 September 1953, she was involved in a collision with the destroyer leading to a fierce fire in the bridge cable trunk, which carries all the electrical cabling to the bridge, operations room, foremast and DCT. She remained inactive until beginning a major refit in February 1957 at Chatham Dockyard to