British battleship HMS Royal Sovereign returned home and Italian cruiser Duc d’Aosta handed over to Russia according to the Dutch newspaper De vrije pers dated 5 February 1949

HMS Royal Sovereign as the Russian Arkhangelsk

British Revenge-class

Italian light cruiser Emanuele Filiberto Duca d’Aosta 1932-1949 and Russian Z15-Stalingrad-Kerch 1949-1959

An item referred to a statement of the British Admiralty reporting that the British cruiser [=battleship] HMS Royal Sovereign (1) escorted by a destroyer left Bergen, Norway and arrived in the United Kingdom. She was during the Second World War lent to Russia and now returned just like a destroyer and 3 submarines. The Italian cruiser Duca d’Aosta was to handed over to Russia on short notice as war reparations.(2) She just left the dock at Spezia and was guarded by the police to prevent sabotage efforts.

Notes

1. Part of the Revenge-class although often referred to as the Royal Sovereign-class or even ‘R‘-class. There were totally 8 ships planned of which two the Renown and Repulse were built using another design as battle cruisers and the third one the Resistance was cancelled. The 5 sister ships were the Royal Oak, Royal Sovereign, Revenge, Ramillies and Resolution. Preceded by the Queen Elisabeth-class and to be succeeded by the planned but never realized N3 class and the realized Nelson-class. Laid down at the Navy Dockyard, Devonport, England on 15 January 1914, launched on 39 April 1915, commissioned on 18 April 1916, in Russian navy as the Arkhangelsk serving 30 May 1944-January 1949 and broken up at Inverkeiting, Scotland where she arrived on 18 May 1949. Pennant 05.

2. The light cruiser Emanuele Filiberto Duca d’Aosta of the Condottieri-class, laid down in 29 October 1932, launched on 22 April 1934, commissioned on 13 July 1935, ceded as war reparation to the Soviet Union as the Z 15 in March 1949 later renamed Stalingrad and then Kerch and commissioned in the Black Sea Fleet, stricken on 20 February 1959 and broken up in the 1960s.