HMS Euryalus was a Dido class cruiser built at Chatham Dockyard, with the keel being laid down on 21 October 1937. She was launched on 6 June 1939, and commissioned 30 June 1941.
After working up at Scapa Flow, Euryalus joined Force H in September to help escort a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta. She then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, arriving at Alexandria on 1 November 1941 to join the 15th Cruiser Squadron. When the 8th Army began its advance in Libya on 18 November 1941, Euryalus and sister ship Naiad bombarded enemy positions in the Halfaya area that night in support.
In January and February 1942, Euryalus and other warships escorted no less than four fast small convoys to Malta and back. In mid-March, Euryalus, with three other light cruisers and eleven destroyers, escorted another convoy to Malta. This was intercepted by a strong Italian force - the battleship Littorio, two heavy and three light cruisers and seven destroyers. There followed the brilliant action of the second Battle of Sirte on 22 March 1942. The enemy force was driven off without damaging the convoy
On 27 August 1943, Euryalus hoisted the flag of Rear-Admiral Vian, in command of Force V, consisting of five escort carriers and three cruisers. Force V provided co-ordinated air cover for the assault on Salerno on 9 September 1943. By 12 September 1943, an airfield had been established ashore and the force withdrew. A powerful German counter-offensive was mounted on 14 September 1943 and Euryalus, Cleopatra and Dido were ordered to Tripoli, to embark troops and transport them at high speed to Salerno, arriving on the afternoon of 16 September 1943.
Italy having now dropped out of the war, Euryalus took Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, the Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief, to Taranto on 23 September 1943 for a meeting onboard with the Italian Minister of Marine to settle the surrender of the Italian Fleet. Euryalus left on 29 September 1943, for the United Kingdom and arrived in the Clyde on 6 October 1943 to begin a major refit.
On 15 December 1944, Euryalus went to Liverpool and left the next day with two destroyers, escorting SS Rimutaka which had on board the then Duke of Gloucester (and his family, which included Prince Richard, now HRH the Duke of Gloucester and Patron of the HMS Euryalus Association) to take up his appointment as Governor-General of Australia. The Royal Australian Navy took over the escort duties at Colombo, Euryalus joining the 4th Cruiser Squadron in the East Indies Fleet.
Leaving Sydney on 28 February 1945, with the battleship King George V and other units of the BPF, she arrived at Manus in the Admiralty Islands. Leaving on 8 March 1945, the fleet sailed for Ulithi, Caroline Islands, to join the huge US Fleet and take part in the assault on the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. For the next 32 days Euryalus remained at sea, escorting British fleet carriers engaged in preliminary strikes on Formosa (now Taiwan) and adjoining islands, and subject to kamikaze attacks. The task assigned to the BPF in the assault on Okinawa was to neutralise the Japanese airfields in the Sakishima Gunto islands at the southern end of the Ryukyus. The fleet returned to Leyte in the Philippines to replenish on 23 April 1945, and sailed again on 1 May 1945, for the final operation which resulted in the capture of Okinawa, returning to Manus on 30 May 1945. During this period, Euryalus bombarded Miyako in the Sakishima group.
On 19 August 1954, Euryalus arrived in Plymouth to pay off and reduce to reserve