PART TWO. CRUISERS CONTINUED. HAWKINS CLASS. Comprise three ships, HMS "Hawkins," Chatham Dockyard, 1919, HMS "Effingham," Portsmouth Dockyard, 1925, HMS "Frobisher," Devonport Dockyard, 1924.  H.M.S. "HAWKINS". By Oscar Parkes OBE. Displacement: "Effingham" 9,550 tons, "Frobisher" 9,860 tons and "Hawkins" 9,800 tons. Complement: 712-749. Dimensions: 605ft x 65ft x 20ft 6-inch draught. Guns: Nine 6-inch, Four 4-inch A.A. and Four 3 pounders. Torpedo Tubes: Four 21-inch. Aircraft: To be added. HP & speed: "Effingham," 58,000 at 29.5 knots, "Frobisher," 65,000 at 30.5 knots and "Hawkins," 55,000 at 29.5 knots. The "Vindictive," a fourth ship of this class, demilitarised for use as training ship.  H.M.S. "FROBISHER". Perkins. Recent reports speak of the "Hawkins" as serving as the flagship of Sir Henry Harwood in the South Atlantic (in succession to the now famous "Ajax"). She belonged to a group of cruisers named after famous Admirals-"Effingham," "Frobisher," "Hawkins" and "Raleigh"-built at the end of or just after the last war. "Raleigh" was wrecked off the coast of Labrador in 1922, mounting 7.5-inch guns, and having a wide radius of action, to fit them for hunting powerful German surface raiders on the High Seas. The other ships were due for scrapping in 1936, but under the "escalator" clause they were retained, though reduced to a six-inch armament. It was planned to reconstruct and re-arm all three. The photo of "Frobisher" shows her as a training ship.  H.M.S. "EFFINGHAM". By Oscar Parkes OBE. 'E' CLASS. Comprise two ships, HMS "Emerald," Armstrong, 1920, completed Chatham DY, 1926 and HMS "Enterprise," John Brown, 1919, comm. 1926. Displacement: 7,550 tons, over 9,000 tons full load. Dimensions: 570ft x 54ft 6-inch x 16ft 6-inch draught. Complement: 572. Guns: Seven 6-inch, Five 4-inch A.A. and Four three pounders. Torpedo Tubes: Sixteen 21-inch. Aircraft: One with catapult. HP & speed: 80,000 at 33 knots. Refitted in 1934-36.  H.M.S. "EMERALD". Perkins. The "E" type of cruiser is a development of the "D" class designed early in 1917. The long, high forecastle is a development of the trawler bow in the "D" class and makes theses cruisers very good sea-boats.  H.M.S. "ENTERPRISE". Wright & Logan. LEANDER CLASS. Comprise five ships, HMS "Leander," and HMS "Orion," both built at Devonport 1933-34 respectively, HMS "Neptune," Portsmouth Dockyard, 1934, HMS "Achilles," Cammell Laird, 1933 and HMS "Ajax," Vickers Armstrong, 1935.  H.M.S. "LEANDER". Wright & Logan. Displacement: "Leander," 7,270 tons, "Orion," 7,215 tons, "Neptune," 7,175 tons, "Achilles," 7,030 tons and "Ajax," 6,985 tons. Complement: 550. Dimensions: 554ft 6-inch x 55ft 2-inch x 16ft draught. HP & speed: 72,000 at 32.5 knots. Aircraft: One or two with one catapult. Guns: Eight 6-inch, Eight 4-inch A.A., and fourteen smaller. Torpedo Tubes: Eight 21-inch quadrupled.  H.M.S. "ORION". Wright & Logan. In the "Leander" class of five ships provided for in the 1929, 1930 and 1931 Programmes, states the Editor of "Ships of the Royal Navy," "after a lapse of thirty years the twin six inch turret-re-introduced in the "Enterprise"-was again adopted, and a new model gun, built on the auto-frettage system instead of being wire wound, allows for ranging up to the limits of effective shooting." The turrets are very roomy and the mountings permit for A.A. elevation, the guns being both hand and power worked." The designers of the armament of these ships were brilliantly vindicated in the Battle of the Plate, when their rapid rate of fire enabled the "Ajax" and "Achilles" to plaster the "Admiral Graf Spee" with intense bursts of shelling, and then slip away again under cover of smoke-screens before her slower salvoes could get home.  H.M.S. "NEPTUNE". Wright & Logan. A tribute to the way the "Ajax " and "Achilles" fought in this battle came from no less a person than the "Graf Spee's" commander, Captain Langsdorff. He gave unstinted praise to the "incredible audacity" of the cruisers; "taking an incredible risk they crossed through a smoke-screen which one of them had laid and got within a mile of the "Admiral Graf Spee," scoring effective hits on both sides of the ship.  H.M.S "ACHILLES". Cribb.  H.M.S. 'AJAX'. Wide World. 'D' CLASS. Comprise eight ships, HMS "Despatch," Fairfield but completed at Chatham Dockyard, 1922, "HMS "Diomede," Vickers, 1922, HMS "Delhi," 1919, "Danae" 1918 and "Dunedin" 1919 all at Armstrong, HMS "Dauntless," Palmer, 1918, HMS "Durban," 1921 and HMS "Dragon" 1918, both by Scotts.  H.M.S. "DANAE'. Perkins.  H.M.S. "DRAGON". Abrahams & Perkins.  H.M.S. "DAUNTLESS". Perkins.  H.M.S. "DUNEDIN". Wright & Logan. As, in the past, the place of the big cruiser was taken by the armoured cruiser and the battle cruiser, there came an ever increasing demand for fast light cruisers that did the effective scouting at Jutland. They went in and made contact with the High Seas Fleet, and reported its movements with a persistence and accuracy far beyond what any of the heavier squadrons managed to achieve. In the course of the last war this type became more numerous and produced a more or less standard of design of "fleet" cruiser-ships of 3,500 to 5,000 tons, armed with -inch guns. This type was chiefly intended for work in the North Sea. The "Arethusa" class were the first cruisers to be fitted for burning oil only as a fuel. Vessels similar to the "Arethusa" followed, namely: the "C" "D" and "E" class were steadily introduced.  H.M.S. "DESPATCH". Wright & Logan.  H.M.S. "DIOMEDE". Abrahams & Perkins.  H.M.S. "DELHI". Abrahams & Perkins.  H.M.S. "DURBAN". Wright & Logan. ANTI-AIRCRAFT CRUISERS. "C" CLASS. Comprise four ships, HMS "Cardiff" (ex "Caprice") Fairfield, 1917, HMS "Ceres," Clydebank, 1917, HMS "Colombo'" Fairfield, 1919 and HMS "Capetown," Cammell Laird, 1922.  H.M.S. "CARDIFF". Abrahams & Sons. Displacement: 4,290 tons. Complement: 400-437, "Capetown" and "Colombo" both fitted as flagships. Dimensions: 450ft x 43ft 6-ich x 16ft 3-inch draught. H.P. & speed: 40,000 at 29 knots. Guns: Five 6-inch, Two 3-inch A.A. Two four/three pounders and nine to eleven smaller. Torpedo Tubes: Eight 21-inch above water in two four double mountings. It was announced at the time of going to press that "Capetown" and "Colombo" were to be rearmed for their role as Anti-aircraft ships.  H.M.S. "CERES". Abrahams. In the "Champion" (launched in1915), geared turbines were adopted on a two shaft installation, each shaft transmitting 20,000 s.h.p., and in the later "C" class vessels, and the "D" and "E" classes, a uniform armament of 6-inch guns, all mounted on the middle line, gave these ships a powerful broadside. Because of this disposition of their armament the "Centaur" and "Concord," the immediate predecessor of the "C" class illustrated here, were nicknamed "Tyrwhitt's Dreadnoughts." The "D" class vessels were longer by twenty feet than the "C" class, enabling them to mount another six-inch gun between the bridge and the fore funnel.  H.M.S. "COLOMBO". Wright & Logan.  H.M.S. "CAPETOWN". Perkins. Three further ships of the "C" class for which no information was available in the magazine are shown below. HMS "Caledon," 4,120 tons, built by Cammell Laird in 1916 and was converted for use as an A.A. Light cruiser. HMS "Caradoc," built by Scotts 1916 and HMS "Calypso," built by Hawthorn Leslie, 1917, all converted as HMS "Caledon." The three ships measured 450ft x 43ft and were armed with 5 x 6-inch guns and 2 x 3-inch guns before conversion.  H.M.S. "CALEDON". Abrahams.  H.M.S. "CARADOC". Cribb.  H.M.S. "CALYPSO" Wright & Logan. "COVENTRY" CLASS. Comprise two ships, HMS "Coventry," Swan Hunter, 1918 and HMS "Curlew," Vickers, 1917. Displacement: 4,290 tons. Complement: 400. Dimensions: 450ft x 43ft 6-inch x 16ft 6-inch draught. HP & speed: 40,000 at 29 knots. Guns: Ten x 4-inch, A.A., one multiple Pom-pom and ten smaller, both ships underwent reconstruction and rearmament in 1935.  H.M.S. "COVENTRY". Wright & Logan. The "Coventry" and the "Curlew" initiated a new development in naval architecture-the specialised anti-aircraft ship. The Royal Navy was the first to equip itself with such vessels, and so far no other navy has followed suit. The Navy has been remarkably successful in beating off air attacks-completely giving the lie to those who prophesised that air power would eliminate sea power-and perhaps part of their success may be attributed to their possession of specialised vessels which can deliver a concentrated volume of aerial fire. These ships were old cruisers. When they were converted, their 6-inch guns were removed and replaced by 4-inch and machineguns. The foremast was cut down and the large control-top (nicknamed the "bird bath") was fitted.  H.M.S. "CURLEW". Perkins. FURTHER "C" CLASS" CRUISERS FITTED FOR ANTI-AIRCRAFT DUTIES. Three of the cruisers had been in the reserve fleet at the outbreak of war in 1939.  H.M.S. "CURACOA". Wright & Logan. Displacement : 4,200 tons, 'Curacoa' 4,290 tons. Complement : 400-437. Dimensions: 450ft x 43ft 6-inch x 16ft 3-inch draught. HP & speed: 40,000 at 29 knots. Guns: Eight 4-inch A.A., One multiple Pom-pom and several smaller guns.  H.M.S. "CALCUTTA". Drawn by Oscar Parkes, OBE. Amplifying Mr. Churchill's argument, in his Navy Estimates speech on February 27th, that "we are fighting this war with battleships of the last war," it might be said that many of the Navy's cruisers have also survived from the last war; and the illustrations here show four warships, all of which were launched before the end of 1918. They have recently been converted into anti-aircraft ships, armed with eight 4-inch A.A. guns one multiple pom-pom and several smaller guns. It is understood that further reconstruction is to take place in the near future. No other navy at the moment posses special anti-aircraft ships. Our success in beating off German air attacks may be in part to these vessels. With the exception of HMS "Curacoa," of 4,290 tons, all the ex cruisers are of 4,200 tons displacement, carrying a complement of from 400 to 437. In appearance they are distinguishable by the shelter-deck and raised gun forward, and short tripod mast; while the bridge is taken back nearer to the funnels, and there is a trawler bow in the "Cairo," "Calcutta" and "Carlisle." With the exception of HMS " Cairo," which then accommodated the Commodore (D) of the Home Fleet (and was refitted in 1937-38), all the converted cruisers were in the Reserve Fleet in 1939.  H.M.S. "CAIRO". Wright & Logan.  H.M.S. "CARLISLE". Wright & Logan. SPECIAL CRUISER MINELAYER TYPE. One only. Displacement: 6,740 tons. Complement: 400. Dimensions: 520ft x 59ft x 19ft 3-inch draught. HP & speed: 40,000 at 28 knots. Guns: Four 4.7-inch A.A.; Four three pounders and eighteen smaller. Mines carried: 340. Refitted in 1939.  H.M.S. "ADVENTURER". Perkins. The "Adventurer" launched at Devonport in 1924, is officially designated a "cruiser-minelayer," although her armament precludes her employment on cruiser duties, gun power and ammunition weight having been sacrificed for mine-laying capacity. Mr. Francis McMurtrie, in his "Ships of the Royal Navy," says that her special purpose is minelaying at a long distance from her base, this demanding three paramount qualities-speed to perform the operation quickly and avoid capture, gun power to ward off air attack, and ample capacity for carrying mines, of which 340, of a large and improved pattern, are carried. These can be dropped through ports on either side of the stern. She formally had a square stern. FOUR FURTHER MINELAYERS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. "LATONA" CLASS. HMS "ABDIEL," "LATONA," "MANXMAN" and "WELSHMAN." Displacement: 2,650 tons. Length: 410ft. Guns: Probably 4-inch. Go to Chapter Five |
