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H E A V
Y C R U I S E R S
K E N T C L A S S
County classes
HMS Kent (NavyPhotos)
G e n e r a l I n f o r m a t i o n
This Class
of ship displaced 10,000 tons and were designed by Sir Tennyson D'Eyncourt a
renowned Admiralty naval constructor. They proved superior in operational
conditions compared with foreign cruisers of similar build. Their
accommodation and habitability was superior to that of previous British
cruisers. More importantly they could sustain their designed speed
indefinitely in all weathers without exceeding designed power. During WW2
their high endurance made them ideal ships for patrol in distant waters at a
time when fuelling at sea was not practiced. In addition structural design
ensured good strength and protection of vital areas.
KENT Class
cruisers were armed with eight 8in guns in twin turrets for surface targets
and four single 4in mountings as well as smaller weapons for anti-aircraft
defence. Originally they were fitted with two quadruple Torpedo Tube
mountings but these were removed later. The 8in mountings had a very high rate
of fire and could be elevated to over 65 degrees. Facilities for carrying
aircraft with a hangar were added after build although removed during WW2 in
most ships when war experience showed them of limited value.
The overall
length of the Class varied at about 630 feet, a beam of and a minimum
draught of 16 feet and 3 inches Four
propellers driven by steam turbines with shaft horsepower of 80,000 produced
a speed of 32.5 knots in service. Deck armour protection was provided as
well as for the machinery compartments, steering gear, magazines and gunnery
equipment. Protection by external bulges was provided against torpedo
attack.. The original
Complement of 680 significantly increased after 1939 due to addition of new armament and
radar equipment.
The changes
made during pre-war refits included increasing the height of the funnels,
the provision of aircraft facilities (See above) and replacement of the 4in
single AA guns by twin mountings. Armour protection was added at water line
over the machinery spaces. Close range anti-aircraft armament was
progressively increased during refits after 1939. Radar outfits for aircraft
warning and fire-control of main armament was also fitted when it became
available.
Without
exception all
KENT Class cruisers
(including HMS
BERWICK), made notable contributions to winning the
war at sea. They were particularly effective in the trade defence role where
their long endurance qualities proved their value. HMS
CORNWALL was the only
ship of the Class not to survive the war. Of the remainder only one, HMS
CUMBERLAND, remained in service after 1948.
Royal
Australian Navy
Two ships of
this Class were ordered by the Australian Government in 1924 and a third was
transferred in 1943 to replace a War Loss. The pre-war changes made in the
first 2 ships were as for the RN builds. These included the provision of
aircraft facilities and the replacement of single 4in secondary armament by
twin mountings. Wartime changes were similar in the ships which survived the
war.
HMAS Australia (NavyPhotos)
HMAS
AUSTRALIA - Modernised 1938-39 and refitted in Liverpool in 1940 when
torpedo tubes were removed and AA armament increased. This ship survived WW2
and one of the after 8in mountings (X) was removed during a post war refit.
HMAS
CANBERRA - During a refit in 1941 additional AA armament was fitted. This
ships was lost in August 1942 (See Chronology).
HMAS
SHROPSHIRE - Transferred to replace HMAS CANBERRA. During wartime refits the
AA armament was improved and twin 4in mountings were fitted. Aircraft
facilities were removed prior to transfer and after 1945 torpedo torpedo
tubes were removed and twin 20mm and 40mm Bofor mountings fitted to
replace the single 20mn mountings.
L O N D O N C L A S S
County classes
HMS London (NP/Mark
Teadham)
General
Information
This Class
of ships -
DEVONSHIRE,
LONDON,
SHROPSHIRE,
SUSSEX -
displaced 9,850 tons and were designed by Sir William J Berry of the
Admiralty Naval
Construction Department. Like the KENT Class they proved to be superior
under operational conditions
compared with foreign cruisers of similar build. In particular their
accommodation arid habitability were much better than those found in
previous types of British cruisers. More importantly these ships
were able to sustain their designed speed indefinitely in all weathers
without exceeding their designed power.
During WW2
their high endurance made them ideal ships for patrol in distant waters at a
time when refuelling
at sea was not practised .In addition their structural design was very
strong and provided protection
for vital areas.
LONDON Class
cruisers were armed with eight 8in guns in twin turrets for engagement of
surface targets. Four single 4in mountings and smaller weapons were fitted
to give anti-aircraft defence. The two
quadruple Torpedo Tube mountings also provided on build were not removed
later unlike those in the KENT
Class which were taken out. The 8in mountings had a very high rate of fire and
could be elevated
to over 65 degrees. An aircraft with a maintenance hangar were added after
build and were retained in HMS DEVONSHIRE although removed in other ships
when war experience had shown these facilities had only a limited value.
The overall
length of the Class varied at about 630 feet, a beam of 68 feet 3 inches
arid a minimum draught of
17 feet at standard displacement. Four
propellers driven by steam turbines with shaft horsepower of 80,000 produced
a speed of 32 knots in
service. Deck armour protection was provided as well as for machinery
compartments, steering gear and gunnery equipment. Internal bulges gave the
hull protection against torpedoes. The
original. Complement was 650 but this increased to over 800 after 1939.
The changes
made during Pre-war refits included the provision of aircraft facilities
(See above) and replacement of 4in single AA guns by twin mountings (Only
two in some ships. Extensive improvements to AA protection were
made progressively after 1941.
Without
exception all LONDON Class cruisers made notable contributions to winning
the war at sea. They were particularly effective in the trade defence role
where their long endurance qualities proved their value.
None of this Class was lost but only HMS DEVONSHIRE was retained in service
after 1950.
N O R F
O L
K C L A S S
County classes
HMS Norfolk (NavyPhotos)
General
Information
The fifth
Royal Navy ship to bear the name
NORFOLK and ordered under the 1926 - 27
Programme with HMS
DORSETSHIRE.
Two others to be named NORTHUMBERLAND and SURREY were also provided for but were
subsequently cancelled as an economy measure.
This ship
displaced 9,925 tons and was designed by Sir William Berry, an Admiralty
naval constructor. Like the earlier
KENT Class they proved superior in operational conditions compared with
foreign cruisers of similar
build. Their accommodation and habitability was of a good standard compared
with British cruisers built before
1925. Distinguishing features of the two ships are their Stern Walk, their
lower Bridge structure and the
positions of their AA armament abreast the funnels. During WW2
their high endurance made them ideal ships for patrol in distant waters at a
time when refuelling at sea was not
practiced. In addition the structural design ensured good strength and
protection of vital areas.
NORFOLK-Class cruisers were originally armed with eight 8in guns in twin turrets for
engaging surface targets and four 4in
single mountings as well as smaller weapons for anti-aircraft defence. The
AA armament was later
changed to four twin 4in mountings and one of the 8in turrets aft was removed.
On build two quadruple Torpedo Tube mountings were installed. but these also were
later removed. The 8in mountings had a very high rate of fire and could be
elevated to over 65 degrees. Facilities for carrying an aircraft remained
until war experience had shown these
had only a limited value.
The overall
.length of ships of this Class was 630 feet, a beam of 66 feet 3 and a mean
draught of 17 feet. Four
propellers driven by steam turbines with shaft horsepower of 80,000 produced
a speed of 33 knots in service.
Deck armour protection was provided for the machinery compartments, steering
gear and gunnery
equipment. The original
Complement was 650 but this increased to 710 after 1939.
HMS NORFOLK
was ordered from Faifields at Govan and was laid down in July 1927. She was
launched 12th
December 1928 and completed in June 1930.
During
wartime refits the AA armament was significantly increased as more modem
weapons became available.
Radar equipment including fire control units were also added as shown in
details of war service.
Both ships
of this Class gave notable service and were particularly effective in the
trade defence role in which their long
endurance proved their value. HMS DORSETSHIRE was lost in action against
Japanese aircraft in the
Indian Ocean on 5th April 1942. HMS NORFOLK survived the war and became
Flagship for CinC Far East Station
in December 1945 after a refit at Devonport Dockyard. She came back to UK to
pay-off in May 1949 and was
laid up in Reserve at Falmouth until 1950 when sold for breaking- up at
Newport.
Y O R K C
L A S S
HMS York (NavyPhotos)
G e n e r a
l I n f o r m a t i o n
The eleventh
Royal Navy ship to bear the name YORK and ordered under the 1927-28
Programme as the first of Class. The
design was the first British attempt to break away from the heavier 10,000
ton type of cruiser. Bysacrificing
one twin 8in gun turret a saving of about 1,600 tons was achieved without
significantly reducing the overall
capability required. Although five ships of this type were originally
planned only two were built, the other being
cancelled for economic reasons.
Designed by
Sir William Berry, HMS
YORK displaced 8,250 tons but HMS
EXETER which was
ordered a year later had a
slightly wider beam of 1 foot (58 ft) which thereby increased the
displacement to 8,390 tons. Their
accommodation and habitability was not as good as that of the earlier
cruisers of the LONDON and KENT Classes.
When first designed the ships were to have had three funnels but in a
subsequent change one was eliminated
by trunking the boiler up-takes for the forward funnels. HMS YORK is easily
distinguished by her high funnels
necessary to keep fumes away from the bridge and which like the masts were
raked. She also had a larger
bridge structure compared with HMS EXETER which had straight funnels and a
smaller more compact bridge structure.
YORK Class
cruisers were armed with six 8in guns in twin turrets for engagement of
surface targets. Four single 4in
mountings and smaller weapons were fitted to provide anti-aircraft defence.
Two triple Torpedo Tube mountings
were installed instead of the quadruple type previously found in cruisers,
as the space needed to train the
quadruple mountings was restricted. The original design allowed for two
seaplanes to be carried, one of which was to
be launched from a forward turret. However the strength of the turret
structure proved to be inadequate
and the catapult was never fitted. As a result only one aircraft was carried
and launched from the midship
catapult abaft the after funnel. A crane was fitted for recovery of the
seaplane.
The overall
length of the Class was 575 feet, a beam of 57 and a mean draught of 17
feet. Four propellers driven by steam
turbines with shaft horsepower of 80,000 produced a speed of 32 knots in
service. Deck and side armour
protection was fitted as well as 3in armour for the Gunnery Director and 1
1/2
inches over steering gear . The designed
Complement was 600 but this increased after 1939 when more personnel were
required for additional AA armament
and other war requirements.
Some
improvements were made In HMS YORK during a refit in 1931 when the upper
deck plating was extended farther aft
to the forward funnel. This provided additional accommodation and also
improved habitability in rough
weather. There were no other major changes during war service.
Both ships
were lost during WW2. HMS YORK was sunk by air attacks at Suda Bay in
Crete after being seriously
damaged by an Italian explosive motor boat . HMS EXETER was
lost in a valiant action with
Japanese warships during the defence of the Dutch East Indies in 1941 . She
is also renowned for her part in the action with German battleship ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE off the Plate estuary in 1939.
L I G H T
C R U I S E R S
C - C L A S S E S
HMS Caledon (NP/Paul
Simpson)
G e n e r a
l I n f o r m a t i o n
In all
fourteen ships of this type were ordered under Emergency War Programmes
between 1915 and
1918. They were a development of the 1912 ARETHUSA Class. The first orders
for three were
followed by a second batch of five the next year. Orders for a third batch, also of five
ships were placed in 1917. One ship of the first batch, HMS CASSANDRA was
lost in 1918
after being mined in the Baltic Sea.
They were
built to reinforce the Royal Navy's strength in this type of warship. Ships in the
second and third batches were designed with a Trawler bow to reduce the
effect of the sea
in rough weather or when at high speed. An aircraft hangar was fitted in HMS CARLISLE and
HMS CAPETOWN during build but removed before 1938. Some of this Class were fitted for
use as Flagships and deployed before 1935 on foreign stations.
HMS Ceres (NP/Mark Teadham)
As part of
the re-armament programme in 1935 two C Class Cruisers were selected for conversion
into Anti-Aircraft Cruisers and were known as COVENTRY Class. Before the outbreak of
WW2 conversion of the others was planned but only five more were completed.
|
Name |
Builder |
Launch date |
Remarks |
|
CALEDON Class - 1915 Emergency War Programme |
|
CALEDON |
Cammell Laird |
25.11.16 |
Converted 1942 - 1943 |
|
CASSANDRA |
Vickers |
25-11.16 |
Lost in Baltic 12.1918. |
|
CARADOC |
Scotts |
23.12.16 |
Not converted. |
|
CALYPSO |
Hawthorn Leslie |
24. 1.18 |
Not converted. |
|
CERES Class - 1916 Emergency War Programme |
|
CERES |
John Brown |
24. 3-17 |
Conversion cancelled 1939 |
|
CARDIFF |
Fairfields |
12. 1.17 |
Conversion cancelled 1939. |
|
CURACOA |
Harland & Wolff |
5.5 17 |
Converted 1939 - 1940. |
|
CURLEW |
Vickers |
5.7.17 |
Converted 1936 - 1937 |
|
COVENTRY |
Swan Hunter |
6.7.17 |
Converted 1935- |
|
CARLISLE Class -1917 Emergency War Programme |
|
CARLISLE |
Fairfields |
9. 7-18 |
Converted 1939 - 1940. |
|
CALCUTTA |
Vickers |
9. 7.18 |
Converted 1939 - 1940. |
|
CAIRO |
Cammell Laird |
19.11.18 |
Converted 1939 - 1940 |
|
COLOMBO |
Fairfields |
18.12.19 |
Converted 1942 - 1943 |
|
CAPETOWN |
Cammell Laird |
28. 6.19 |
Not converted. |
HMS
Carlisle (NavyPhotos)
Particulars
(CALEDON Class as designed). Others similar
|
Displacement |
4,180 tons on build. |
|
Armament |
5 -
6in; 2 - 3in; smaller AA weapons; 1 Twin 21in Torpedo Tubes. |
|
Dimensions |
Length 150 feet: Beam : 12 feet 9 inches. Draught : 11 feet 3
inches. |
|
Machinery |
2
Shafts : Steam turbines 10,000 SHP : Speed 29 knots. |
|
Endurance |
6,000 miles at 12 knots; 1,300 miles at maximum continuous speed. |
|
Armour |
Protection was provided on the decks and for the gunnery Director. |
|
Complement |
437
(Increased to 500 in converted ships during WW2) |
The ships
converted proved invaluable during WW2 and they served with great
distinction during the
Norwegian operations and later in the Mediterranean. Six ships were lost and
one damaged beyond repair.
|
Name |
Date |
Details |
|
CURLEW |
26.
5.40 |
By
aircraft bombs off Norway. |
|
CALYPSO |
12.
6.40 |
By
submarine torpedo off Crete. |
|
CALCUTTA |
1.
6.11 |
By
aircraft bombs off Crete. |
|
CAIRO |
12.
8.12 |
By
submarine torpedo off Bizerta. |
|
COVENTRY |
14.
9-42 |
By
aircraft bombs off Tobruk. |
|
CURACOA |
2.10.12 |
In
collision with rms QUEEN MARY. |
|
CARLISLE |
11.43 |
Declared Constructive Total Loss after damage. |
I M P R
O V
E D B I R M I N G H A M o r
H A W K I N S C L A S S
HMS
Frobisher (NP/Paul Simpson)
G e n e r a
l I n f o r m a t i o n
Five Light
Cruisers of this Class were built. Later, after WW1, they became known as
HAWKINS Class. They were ordered under War Emergency Programmes but were not
ready for service until after November 1918
|
Name |
Builder |
Launched |
Remarks |
|
EFFINGHAM |
HM
Dockyard Portsmouth |
8th
June 1921 |
Ran
aground off Norway and wrecked May 1940 |
|
FROBISHER |
HM
Dockyard Devonport |
20th
March 1920 |
Broken-up at Newport 1949 |
|
HAWKINS |
HM
Dockyard Chatham |
3rd
June 1916 |
Broken up at Dalmuir, 1947. |
|
RALEIGH |
Beardmore |
28th
August 1919 |
Ran
aground off Labrador, August 1922. |
|
VINDICTIVE
(Ex
CAVENDISH) |
Harland and Wolff |
17th
January 1918 |
Launched as CAVENDISH. Completed as an Aircraft Carrier and renamed.
Converted to Cruiser 1923-5. Demilitarised for use as Cadet Training
Ship 1936-7. Converted to Repair Ship 1940. Broken up at Blyth.1946. |
These ships
displaced 9,750 tons as designed and were 605 feet long overall with a beam
of 65 feet and a draught of 17 feet 3 inches. By 1945 the two ships still in
an operational use had an increased displacement due to changes of equipment
fitted. Their main
armament as designed comprised seven 7-5in single mountings with twelve 2
Pdr guns. In addition they carried six. 21in torpedo tubes, two being
submerged and 4 deck mounted. HMS HAWKINS was the only ship in the Class
completed with the designed armament. Some armour protection was fitted for
sides, upper deck and over machinery and steering gear. These ships also had
external bulges to give protection against torpedo hits.
Extensive
changes in the armament were made in all ships and in 1939 after re-arming
HMS HAWKINS had seven 7.5in for surface engagements with four 4in single
mountings and four 2Pdr pom-pom guns for anti- aircraft defence. Six 21in
torpedo tubes were fitted. During refits later in WW2 additional close range
AA guns and radar were installed.
The
propulsion machinery as designed provided 65,000 shaft horse power driving
four shafts. It included 6 oil fired and two coal fired boilers. However HMS
HAWKINS was converted to full oil firing in 1929 when two boilers were
removed. This reduced, the shaft horsepower to 55,000 and speed from 30
knots to 29 knots. Her endurance at full speed after this change was 2,900
miles and at 10 knots 10,600 miles.
All ships in
this Class were designed to be used as Flagships having a complement of over
700 but this increased during WW2 in the two ships in service after 1940 due
to addition of radar and close range AA guns.
HAWKINS
Class cruisers, being of WW1 design were unsuited to the demands placed on
the Royal Navy in WW2 except in the trade defence role. The modernisation
and refit carried out during the 1930's did not include the addition of
adequate AA armament and their main contribution was in trade defence,
particularly in the Indian Ocean.
It is worth
recording that two of this Class were wrecked after running aground and that
three were specially altered for use as Cadet training ships.
L E A N D E R C L A S S
HMS Leander (NP/Mark
Teadham)
D e t a i l
s o f C l a s
s
|
Estimates |
Name |
Remarks |
|
First Group (single funnel) |
|
1929 |
LEANDER |
Lead ship. Scrapped at Blyth 13/1/50 |
|
1930 |
ORION |
Scrapped at Troon 19/7/49. |
|
|
NEPTUNE |
Lost in Mediterranean 19/12/41. |
|
|
ACHILLES |
At Battle of River Plate.
Transferred to India as DELHI on 1948 (Note : Serving with tine
New Zealand Division as HMS ACHILLES at the outbreak of WW2 and
integrated into the Royal New Zealand Navy when it was
established by Order in Council in July 1941. She was formally
transferred on 1st October 1941 and then became HMNZS ACHILLES.) |
|
1931 |
AJAX |
At Battle of River Plate. Scrapped at Newport 11/49. |
|
Second Group (two funnels |
|
|
AMPHION |
Built for Royal Australian Navy. Renamed HMAS
PERTH. Lost in action 1/3/42. |
|
1932 |
HOBART |
Built for Royal Australian Navy. (Ex APOLLO) . Scrapped in Japan
1962 |
|
|
SYDNEY |
Built for Royal Australian Navy. Lost in action 19/11/41. |
HMS Perth (NP/Bruce Constable)
This Class
of ship displaced about 7,000 and represented a return to a moderate size
compared with the earlier 10,000 ton
heavy cruisers. Their main armament of 6 inch guns was of a new design using
the Auto-frettage system of
barrel rifling instead of being wire wound. These guns were mounted in twin
turrets which were believed to to be
superior in performance compared with the triple mountings used in the
German KOLN Class cruisers. The roomy
turrets allowed guns to elevate to 60 degrees.
In addition
to the four twin 6in mountings used for engaging surface targets, LEANDER
Class cruisers had four single 4in
guns and smaller weapons for anti-aircraft defence. These ships were also
fitted with two quadruple 21 inch torpedo tube
mountings.
Although the
design was criticised as being underarmed for its size and considered
vulnerable because of adjacent boiler rooms
their service in WW2 belied these misgivings since they survived shell,
torpedo and bomb damage. The initial
design also included facilities for a seaplane and a catapult used for its
launch. A crane was provided for recovery of
the aircraft. During a refit in 1937, the single 4in AA mountings were
replaced by four twin mountings of a modem
design. Later during WW2 the aircraft facilities were removed to enable the
fitting of more close-range anti-aircraft
guns. Extensive additions were made to the number of Close Range AA weapons
and several radar sets were fitted for
aircraft warning and surface warning as well as for fire control of main and
AA armament. Two ships of the Class, HMS
LEANDER and HMS ACHILLES, had one of the after 6in turrets removed so as to
save top-weight when the additional AA weapons were fitted.
The overall
length of this Class was about 554 feet with a beam of 55 feet 8 inches and
a draught of 16 feet at standard
displacement. Four propellers driven by turbines with shaft horsepower of
72,000 produced a speed of 32 knots in service. Design arrangements for
propulsion machinery in ships of Group 2 were significantly changed by
adoption of the Unit
System in which Boiler and Engine Rooms were separately associated with
drive for Inner or Outer propeller shafts. This
arrangement introduced use of two funnels and enables these ships to be
easily identified. Four boilers were used as
opposed to six in Group 1 and layout of machinery compartments differed.
Upper deck layout differed with
aircraft catapult sited between the funnels, secondary armament and torpedo
tubes were re-position further aft. The armour
protection was provided for decks and side as well as for the machinery
compartments and gunnery equipment.
Complement as designed was 550 in peace and 715 in war, but it increased in
WW2 due to fitting of additional
equipment.
Three of the
Class had been broken-up by 1951 and the fourth which survived WW2 was transferred
to India. She served with the Indian Navy until the mid 1970's.
A R E T H U
S A C L A S S
HMS Arethusa (NP/Mark
Teadham)
G e n e r a
l I n f o r m a t i o n
This Class
was designed within Treaty limits and were intended primarily for the
defence of ocean trade and to be easily
produced in large numbers. Costs were kept low by extensive use of welding
and provision of aluminium covered
plywood for the bulkheads of accommodation spaces. The cost of building each
ship was over £1.2M excluding
items supplied by Admiralty such as weapons and communication equipment.
Four ships
were built to this basic design but the last two (HMS PENELOPE and HMS
AURORA) were fitted with four twin 4
inch High Angle guns instead of single 4 inch mountings. These ships
also had a gunnery control director
fitted for these anti-aircraft mountings which was sited abaft the mainmast.
The searchlight in that position was placed
aft of the second funnel.
D e t a i l
s o f C l a s s
|
Estimates |
Name |
Remarks |
|
1931 |
ARETHUSA |
Lead
ship. Broken up in 1950 |
|
1932 |
GALATEA |
Sunk
off Alexandria on 11/12/41 |
|
1933 |
PENELOPE |
Sunk
off Anzio 8/2/44. |
|
1934 |
AURORA |
Sold
to China as CHUNGKING in 1948. |
This Class
of ship displaced about 5,270 tons and were smaller than the earlier
7,000tons LEANDER Class. Their main
armament comprised six 6 inch guns mounted in twin turrets for engaging
surface targets. As described above the AA
defence was improved in the last two ships which had 4 twin mountings. Close
range AA defence was further
implemented during WW2 following bitter experience in Norway by the addition
of 20mm Oerlikon guns. All four
ships carried two triple 21 inch torpedo tube mountings fitted on the upper
deck.
The initial
design also included aircraft facilities with hangar and a catapult, except
in HMS AURORA which had additional
superstructure amidships. A crane was provided for recovery of the aircraft
and handling boats. The aircraft
facilities were removed during WW2 to allow the installation of acre
close-range AA guns.
The overall
length of this Class was 506 feet with a beam of 51 feet and a draught of
about 14 feet at standard
displacement. Four propellers driven by turbines of 64,000 shaft horsepower
produced a speed of 32 knots in service.
Armour protection was provided for decks and sides including the machinery
compartments and turrets. The
arrangements of machinery compartments in the ARETHUSA Class differed from
the earlier LEANDER Class design.
These four ships had two sets of turbines and boilers fitted in two separate
compartments to prevent total flooding of
the boiler rooms In the event of damage in action or in collision. As a
result they had two funnels, unlike the
single funnelled LEANDERS. Another engineering feature was the use of fluid
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