Editing Cruiser (section)

===Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean operations 1942–1944===
Twenty-three British cruisers were [[List of Royal Navy losses in World War II#Cruisers|lost to enemy action]], mostly to air attack and submarines, in operations in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean. Sixteen of these losses were in the Mediterranean.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW2aBritishLosses10tables.htm|title=1945|website=www.naval-history.net}}</ref> The British included cruisers and anti-aircraft cruisers among convoy escorts in the Mediterranean and to northern Russia due to the threat of surface and air attack. Almost all cruisers in World War II were vulnerable to submarine attack due to a lack of anti-submarine [[sonar]] and weapons. Also, until 1943–44 the light anti-aircraft armament of most cruisers was weak.

In July 1942 an attempt to intercept [[Convoy PQ 17]] with surface ships, including the heavy cruiser ''Admiral Scheer'', failed due to multiple German warships grounding, but air and submarine attacks sank 2/3 of the convoy's ships.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 175–176</ref> In August 1942 ''Admiral Scheer'' conducted [[Operation Wunderland]], a solo raid into northern Russia's [[Kara Sea]]. She bombarded [[Dikson Island]] but otherwise had little success.<ref>Zetterling and Tamelander, pp. 150–152</ref>

On 31 December 1942 the [[Battle of the Barents Sea]] was fought, a rare action for a [[Murmansk]] run because it involved cruisers on both sides. Four British destroyers and five other vessels were escorting [[Convoy JW 51B]] from the UK to the Murmansk area. Another British force of two cruisers ({{HMS|Sheffield|C24|6}} and {{HMS|Jamaica|44|6}}) and two destroyers were in the area. Two heavy cruisers (one the "pocket battleship" ''[[German cruiser Deutschland|Lützow]]''), accompanied by six destroyers, attempted to intercept the convoy near [[North Cape (Norway)|North Cape]] after it was spotted by a U-boat. Although the Germans sank a British destroyer and a minesweeper (also damaging another destroyer), they failed to damage any of the convoy's merchant ships. A German destroyer was lost and a heavy cruiser damaged. Both sides withdrew from the action for fear of the other side's torpedoes.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kappes |first=Irwin J. |date=23 February 2010|title=Battle of the Barents Sea |publisher=German-Navy.De |url=http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/articles/feature5.html |access-date=29 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607120149/http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/articles/feature5.html |url-status=live |archive-date=7 June 2011}}</ref>

On 26 December 1943 the German capital ship ''Scharnhorst'' was sunk while attempting to intercept a convoy in the [[Battle of the North Cape]]. The British force that sank her was led by Vice Admiral [[Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape|Bruce Fraser]] in the battleship {{HMS|Duke of York|17|6}}, accompanied by four cruisers and nine destroyers. One of the cruisers was the preserved {{HMS|Belfast|C35|6}}.<ref>Garzke and Dulin, pp. 167–175</ref>

''Scharnhorst''{{'}}s sister ''Gneisenau'', damaged by a mine and a submerged wreck in the [[Channel Dash]] of 13 February 1942 and repaired, was further damaged by a British air attack on 27 February 1942. She began a conversion process to mount six {{convert|38|cm|abbr=on}} guns instead of nine {{convert|28|cm|abbr=on}} guns, but in early 1943 Hitler (angered by the recent failure at the Battle of the Barents Sea) ordered her disarmed and her armament used as [[coastal defence and fortification|coast defence]] weapons. One 28&nbsp;cm triple turret survives near [[Trondheim]], Norway.<ref>Garzke and Dulin, pp. 148–150</ref>