An item referred to a statement of the British Admiralty that the British 9.850 ton cruiser HMS Devonshire (1) the evening before departed with troops embarked from Jamaica towards Belize, British Honduras. (2) The HMS Sheffield (3) was to arrive on the 28th at Belize. The British department or foreign affairs stated officially that the Sheffield was sent to act against a possible attack by irresponsible elements from Guatemala. The Devonshire was to arrive within 24 hours.
Notes
1. Pennant 39. Of the County-class heavy cruisers London sub-class, preceded by Hawkins-class and succeeded by York-class. Laid down by the Devonport Dockyard on 16 March 1926, launched on 22 October 1927, commissioned on 18 March 1929, reclassified as training ship in 1947 and sold to be broken up on 16 June 1954.
2. Guatemala threatened in February 1948 to invade British Honduras and annex the territory which she was claiming since the 19th Century. There were however at the border no signs of such an invasion. Belize became on 21 September 1981 independent.
3. C24. Part of the Town-class Southampton sub-class light cruisers, preceded by Arethusa-class and succeeded by Crown Colony and Dido-classes, laid down by Vickers Armstrong, United Kingdom, on 31 January 1935, launched on 23 July 1936, commissioned on 25 August 1937 and broken up at Faslane, Scotland in 1967
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