http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/ncc.nsf/a/councilchamber

At the head of the Grand Stair is the silver bell of the 10 000-ton cruiser H M S Newcastle, presented to the ship by the Lord Mayor and citizens of Newcastle upon Tyne to mark her commissioning in 1937. Launched by the Duchess of Northumberland on 23rd January 1936 at the Walker Naval Yard, Newcastle upon Tyne, she was the seventh ship to bear the name in the history of the Royal Navy, a succession started by Oliver Cromwell in 1653. In the Second World War H M S Newcastle served in the North and South Atlantic Oceans, the East Indies and the Malta convoys, following which she took part in the campaign against the Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. After being extensively modernised H M S Newcastle commenced duties in the Far East in 1952, serving continuously in Korean waters during that war, and in August 1959 she was towed from Portsmouth to Newport, Monmouthshire, to be broken up. The bell is now used as the Council Division Bell.

http://www.hms-newcastle.co.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Newcastle_(1937)

On 23 November 1940, Newcastle encountered the German battlecruisers (or light battleships) Scharnhorst and Gneisenau but they escaped in bad weather before other ships could come up.

She was involved in an abortive action under Vice-Admiral James Somerville against the Italians at Cape Spartivento, which gave Newcastle her only World War II battle honour. After operating against blockade-runners in the South Atlantic, Newcastle was sent to the East and then re-deployed to the Mediterranean.

Shortly after returning to active service after the completion of repairs to the ship in the USA, she was attacked by an E-Boat in the Mediterranean. After this, Newcastle joined the Eastern Fleet at Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), acting as the lead ship of the 4th Cruiser Squadron. During her time with the Eastern Fleet, Newcastle participated in the bombardment of numerous Japanese-held islands and supported the British Fourteenth Army in their campaigns in Burma.

After the war WCDU Onboard HMS Howe
http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/howe.htm