PART ONE. CRUISERS. H.M.S. “Norfolk,” a sister ship of the “Dorsetshire,” was launched by the builders, Fairfield, on December 12th 1928, these two ships constituting the last group of the 10,000 ton “County” class cruisers, which are illustrated here. To save 1,600 tons, two 8-inch guns were sacrificed in the “York,” whose original design allowed for three funnels. Her horsepower is 80,000, giving a speed of 32.25 knots. Her radius of action and that of the “Exeter” is stated to be 10,000 miles (“Flotte de Combat”). The “Fiji” is the first of a new class of thirteen cruisers, which, it is stated, will be the last word in cruiser construction. Launched at Clydebank on May 31st, 1939, her displacement is 8,000 tons, and her speed 33 knots. Somewhat similar to the “Southampton” class, the armour protection of the “Fiji” cruisers is more extensive and their length less. They have twelve 6-inch and eight 4-inch A.A. guns. H.M.S. “YORK” 1930 & “EXETER” 1931. Displacement: “York” 8,250 tons, “Exeter” 8,390 tons. Compliment: 600. Dimensions: 540 x 57 x 17ft, “Exeter” had an extra foot to her width. HP & Speed: 80,000 at 32.5 knots, Exeter was a half a knot less. Aircraft: “York,” one with catapult; “Exeter,” two with catapults. Guns: Six 8-inch; Four 4-inch A.A., Four 3 pounders and fourteen smaller. Torpedo Tubes: Six 21-inch tripled. Builders: “Exeter”, Devonport, “York” Palmers.  H.M.S. “YORK”. W. Parry & Son.  H.M.S. “EXETER”. Cribb. In the Plate action “Exeter” hung on tenaciously to the “Admiral Graf Spee,” co-operating, in the best traditions of “frigate warfare,” with the cruisers “Ajax and Achilles.” This entailed heavy losses: five officers and fifty-six ratings were killed, and there were many wounded. She received some forty to fifty hits, many from shells three times as heavy as any she could fire back; but she continued to return shot for shot until only one 8-inch gun could be worked, and that by hand. Her steering gear was damaged; and Captain Bell (afterwards awarded the C.B.) conned the ship with a boats compass, giving his orders through a chain of some ten sailors. After the action the “Exeter” remained outside Montevideo, badly damaged, but ready for further battle, until relieved by the “Cumberland.” German propaganda attempted, of course, to make out that “Exeter” had been lost; but on February 15th she steamed into Plymouth, to receive a triumphant welcome. H.M.S. “DORSETSHIRE” 1930 & “NORFOLK” 1930. Displacement : 9,975 & 9,925 tons respectively. Compliment :650. Dimensions : 630 x 66 x 17ft draught. HP & Speed : 80,000 at 32.25 knots. Guns: Eight 8-inch, Eight 4-inch A.A.; Four 3 pounders and sixteen smaller. Torpedo Tubes: Eight 21-inch, quadrupled. Builders: Portsmouth Dockyard & Fairfield. Easily distinguished from “London” and “Kent” types because they have stern walks, lower bridges and their position of their Anti Aircraft guns.  H.M.S. “NORFOLK”. Perkins.  H.M.S. “DORSETSHIRE”. Perkins. LONDON CLASS. Comprise four ships, “Devonshire” Devonport D.Y., 1929, “London” Portsmouth D.Y., 1929, “Shropshire” Beardmore, 1929 and “Sussex” 1929, Hawthorn, Leslie. Displacement: “London” & “Devonshire” 9,850 tons, “Shropshire” & “Sussex” 9,830 tons. Compliment: 650. Dimensions: 633 x 66 x 17ft. HP & Speed : 80,000 at 32.25 knots. Guns: Eight 8-inch; Eight 4-inch; Four 3 pounders and fourteen smallerTorpedo Tubes: Eight 21-inch. Aircraft: One with catapult.  H.M.S. “DEVONSHIRE”. C. E. Brown.  H.M.S. “LONDON”. Wright & Logan. Some years after the last war, the British Admiralty laid down that, in future, there would only be two classes of cruiser, the “battle cruiser” and the “cruiser.” Then came the Washington Treaty, which limited the size of cruisers to 10,000 tons, and their armament to 8-inch guns. This produced a tendency amongst the sea-powers to design new ships up to these maximum dimensions and therefore, perhaps, to induce them to build bigger ships than they might have done. The product of this treaty in Great Britain was the “County” class of cruisers. The first group of the “County” class were the “Berwick,” “Cornwall,” “Cumberland,” “Kent,” and “Suffolk,” all launched in 1926. The second group being the “London,” “Devonshire,” “Shropshire” and Sussex”—launched in 1927 and 1928. All these cruisers are similar in appearance, being easily recognisable by their three raking funnels, raking masts and high freeboard (they were the last three funnelled ships built for the Royal Navy), but they differ outwardly in various ways. They are cruisers that have come in for a great deal of criticism in the past, epithets such as “tin-clads” and “liners” being coined by their detractors. But the performance of the “Exeter” (a modified type of “County” class cruiser, with two 8-inch guns less than the 10,000 tonners) at the Battle of the Plate made all this criticism seem slightly beside the point, and did much to justify the designers. Although the armour of these cruisers appears to be exiguous, a great deal of weight was in fact expended in structural strength and internal protection. Moreover, the “Kent” group have received increased armour protection in the course of reconstruction carried out from 1935 to 1938.  H.M.S. “SHROPSHIRE”. Wright & Logan.  H.M.S. “SUSSEX”. Cribb. But their main protection is a 3-inch water-line deck, and this, and the fact that their internal subdivision is very well planned, and that they have a low centre of gravity, means that they could ship a great deal of water without capsizing. (The “London” group of these cruisers, however, have neither side armour nor bulges.) Another important point about these ships, the advantage of which was borne out by the action against the “Admiral Graf Spee,” is the high rate of fire of their guns. Although these are of 8-inch calibre, and fire a shell weighing 256lb., (over two hundredweight), a fire of four rounds per gun per minute can be maintained under director control, chiefly as the result of improved ammunition supply. KENT CLASS. Comprise five ships, “Kent” Chatham Dockyard, 1928, “Cornwall” Devonport Dockyard, 1928, “Cumberland” Vickers, 1928, “Berwick” Fairfield, 1928 and “Suffolk” Portsmouth Dockyard, 1928.  H.M.S. “KENT”. Wright & Logan.  H.M.S. “CORNWALL”. Perkins. In the course of reconstruction, the ships of the “Kent” were given additional aircraft and a large hangar amidships—a very well judged provision, for the aeroplane plays an important part in modern cruiser work, and it is vital that the machines should be protected from the weather. The later “London” and “Dorsetshire” groups are not equipped with hangars. Taking these ships all round, and having regards to the lessons of the Battle of the River Plate, it may be said that they represent a design which compares very favourably with their foreign opposite numbers, the Italian “Trento” class, the Japanese “Atago” or the French “Tourville” cruisers. As regards habitability and sea keeping qualities, these cruisers are supreme, and this makes them particularly well suited for operation on distant stations. They have a wide radius of action. The “Berwick” group carry 3,400 tons of oil fuel, giving them a radius of 2,300 miles at full speed, or over 10,000 miles at an economical speed (not exceeding 14 knots); and the other groups, with slightly less oil fuel, are believed to have virtually the same range.  H.M.S. “CUMBERLAND”. Cribb.  H.M.S. “BERWICK”. Wright & Logan.  H.M.S. “SUFFOLK”. Wright & Logan. EDINBURGH CLASS. Two ships, HMS “Edinburgh”, Swan Hunter, 1939 and HMS “Belfast”, Harland & Wolff, 1939. Displacement: 10,000 tons. Compliment: 450. Dimensions: 613 ft 6-inch x 63ft 4-inch x 17ft 3-inch. HP & Speed: 80,000 at 32.5. Guns: Twelve 6-inch, Twelve 4-inch A.A., 2 x Multiple Pom-Poms and 2 x Multi Machine gun. Torpedo Tubes: Six x 21-inch, tripled. The “Edinburgh” and “Belfast,” both constructed under the 1936 programme, are improved versions of the “Southampton” cruisers with increased displacement, protection and secondary armament. They displace 900 tons more than the “Southampton’s” and the extra space has been used to full advantage. The effectiveness of their protection and their toughness were shown last November, when the “Belfast” was damaged by a torpedo, or mine in the Firth of Forth. The ship was able to return to the harbour, where repairs were immediately put in hand. The “Edinburgh” has also been in the news since the outbreak of war, being slightly damaged on October 16th during the bombing raid by German aircraft, which also attacked the “Southampton.” This also occurred in the Firth of Forth.  H.M.S. “BELFAST”. Wright & Logan. ARETHUSA CLASS. Comprise four ships, HMS “Arethusa”, Chatham Dockyard, 1935, HMS “Galatea”, Scotts, 1935, HMS “Penelope”, Harland & Wolff, 1936, and HMS “Aurora”, Portsmouth Dockyard, 1937.  H.M.S. “ARETHUSA”. Wright & Logan. The four cruisers of the “Arethusa” class—“Arethusa,” “Galatea,” “Penelope,” and “Aurora”—were respectively provided for in the 1931-2-3-4 naval building programme. Their euphonious names carry on the tradition of eighteenth-century frigates—when the Admiralty authorities inspired by the classical traditions of the day, christened their graceful small ships after the nymphs and goddesses of antiquity. The “Arethusa” is the eighth British ship to bear the name, the first having been a frigate launched in1759. The seventh “Arethusa” distinguished herself leading destroyers in the battle of Heligoland Bight in 1914. The “Aurora” in the ninth ship of her name, her first ancestor being launched in 1758.  H.M.S. “AURORA”. Perkins. The modern ”Arethusas” are little cruisers designed for guarding trade routes. Their tonnage is the minimum consistent with ocean-going efficiency, and they are reported to have a radius of action of no less than 12,000 miles at an economical speed. This is 2,000 miles more than the radius usually credited to the German “professional” commerce raiders of the “Deutschland” class. Moreover, the “Arethusas” have special cruising turbines, stated to give an economical speed of 21 knots (according to the French manual “Flottes de Combat”), whereas the economical cruising speed of the “Deutschlands” is only fifteen. A fluid fly-wheel enables the drive in the “Arethusas” to be instantaneously switched over from the main engines to the cruising turbines.  H.M.S. “PENELOPE”. Wright & Logan. DIDO CLASS. At the time of going to press there were to be ten in the class “Dido,” ” Euryalus,” “Niad,” “Phoebe,” “Sirius,” “Bonaventure,” “Hermione,” Charybdis,’ “Cleopatra” and “Scylla.” To be completed at Cammell Laird, Chatham DY, Hawthorn Leslie, Portsmouth DY, Scotts and Stephens. Displacement: 5,450 tons. Speed: 33 knots. Guns: Ten x 5.25-inch. Aircraft: One, with catapult. H.M.S. “Dido,” the sixth warship to bear the name in the British Navy, is one of a new type of ten small cruisers of 5,450 tons which carry 5.25-inch guns in five twin turrets, with the forward three stepped to allow for wide arcs on uninterrupted fire. The first “Dido”—named perhaps by an Admiralty admirer of Virgil—was a twenty eight-gun frigate launched at Sandgate in 1784. She was 120ft long and her tonnage was 594, just over a tenth of her modern namesake! Another of the class is named the “Bonaventure” (from the Spanish for “good venture” or “good luck”), this being the tenth English man-of-war to be so named. The first was acquired with the crown by Henry VII in 1489, and in 1588 the fourth, the “Elizabeth Bonaventure,” fought against the Armada. The other ships of the class completed or building have been previously named above but there’s no disputing their names evoke memories of frigates of old. The 5.25 gun is a new calibre for cruisers. It forms the secondary battery in the battleships now building. SOUTHAMPTON CLASS. Comprise eight ships, HMS “Southampton, Clydebank, 1937,” HMS “Newcastle,” Vickers & Armstrong, Tyne, 1937, HMS “Sheffield,” Vickers & Armstrong, Tyne, 1937, HMS “Glasgow,” Scotts, 1937, HMS “Birmingham,” Devonport DY, 1937, HMS “Gloucester,” Devonport DY, 1939, HMS “Liverpool,” Fairfield, 1938 and HMS “Manchester,” Hawthorn Leslie, 1938.  H.M.S. “SOUTHAMPTON”. Photographer unknown.  H.M.S. “NEWCASTLE”. Photographer unknown. Displacement: 9,100 tons, “Gloucester,” “Liverpool” and “Manchester”: 9,400 tons. Complement: 700. Dimensions: 591ft 6-inch x 61ft 8-inch x 20ft draught. HP & speed: 75,000 at 32 knots, final three built 82,500 at 32.3 knots. Guns: Twelve x 6-inch, Eight 4-inch A.A. and twenty smaller. Torpedo Tubes: 6 x 21-inch, tripled. Aircraft: Three, with one catapult.  H.M.S. “SHEFFIELD”. Wright & Logan.  H.M.S.”GLASGOW”. Wright & Logan. In 1931 Japan started to lay down the first of six cruisers of the “Mogami” class (8,500 tons), which mounted fifteen 6-inch guns. In May 1934 the United States replied with the first on nine ships of the “Brooklyn” class (9-10,000 tons) mounting the same number of 6-inch gun; and a month later Britain countered with the “Southampton,” the first of her class of eight. These ships (of about 9,000 tons) mount three less 6-inch guns than do those of the “Brooklyn” or “Mogami” class. The “Southampton” class is thus an interesting sidelight of the international race to “keep even” approximately, in tonnage and armament. These ships also mark a considerable increase in size over that of cruisers constructed of recent years Displacement began with a figure of 10,000 tons—the County” class. Then with the “York” and “Exeter” (completed in 1930 and 1931, respectively), it dropped to 8,000 tons; the “Leander” class brought it down to 7,000 tons, while the “Arethusa” class had a displacement of just over 5,000 tons.  H.M.S. “LIVERPOOL”. Wright & Logan.  H.M.S. “BIRMINGHAM”. Stephen Cribb. The upward curve, however, initiated by the “Southampton” class, going up to 10,000 tons with the ‘”Edinburgh” class, is broken by the “Dido” class, seven ships of which were due for completion in 1939-40, and the remaining three in 1941. Before the last war it could be roughly said that cruisers were divided into two classes of large and small vessels: one class ranging between 3,000 and 5,000 tons; and the other going through various graduations of size up to Armoured and Battle Cruisers. It would appear that recently, as suggested in “Brassey’s Naval Annual” (1939), cruisers have been once more separating off into two classes, one of about 5,000 tons and another “larger class whose size was mainly determined by foreign competition.”  H.M.S. “GLOUCESTER”. Perkins.  H.M.S. “MANCHESTER”. Wright & Logan. Go to Chapter Four |
