May 31, 1939 Lady Spencer christened the cruiser Fiji just before she slipped down the ways at John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. One of the guests, Lady Hutson, whose husband had once been the Governor of Fiji, brought a whale's tooth to be presented to the cruiser upon her commissioning. The symbol was given to her by the people of Fiji in appreciation of the honour of having a ship named after their country. To the people of Fiji the tooth represents loyalty and peace and is a cherished symbol.

However even during the launch the clouds of war were gathering and before her commissioning the British Empire and Europe had been engulfed in a conflagration that would change the course of the world. HMS Fiji herself would be swallowed by the war, she was sunk during the Battle of Crete on May 22, 1942 by German aircraft while coming to the aid of HMS Greyhound.