Heavy cruiser London. Heavy cruiser Canberra
Battlecruiser "Repulse"
The Renown class cruiser series consisted of 2 units (Renown, Repulse) and was built at the Fairfield shipyard. The ships were commissioned in 1916. The cruiser Repulse underwent its first modernization in 1918-1920. and in 1933-1936. second. The first modernization of Renown took place in 1923-1926, the second in 1936-1939. Repulse was lost in 1941 and Renown was scrapped in 1948.
TTX "Renown": standard displacement - 30.8 thousand tons, full displacement - 36.1 thousand tons; length – 229 m, width – 31 m; draft – 9.6 m; speed - 30.8 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 8 steam boilers; power – 120 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 4.6 thousand tons of oil; cruising range - 6.6 thousand miles; crew – 1,200 people. Reservation: side – 229 mm; traverses – 102 mm; towers - 229 mm; barbettes – 102 – 178 mm, deck – 25 – 127 mm; cutting – 76 mm. Armament: 3x2 – 381 mm guns, 10x2 – 114 mm guns; 3x8 - 40 mm anti-aircraft gun, 4x4 - 12.7 mm anti-aircraft gun; 8x1 - 533 mm torpedo tubes, catapult and 2 seaplanes.
TTX “Repulse”: standard displacement - 34 thousand tons, full displacement - 38.3 thousand tons; length – 229 m, width – 31 m; draft – 9.6 m; speed - 28.3 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 42 steam boilers; power – 112 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 4.2 thousand tons of oil; cruising range - 4.7 thousand miles; crew – 1,200 people. Reservation: side – 229 mm; traverses – 102 mm; towers - 229 mm; barbettes – 102 – 178 mm, deck – 13 – 146 mm; deckhouse – 254 mm. Armament: 3x2 - 381 mm guns, 4x3 and 6x1 - 102 mm anti-aircraft guns; 2x8 - 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, 4x4 - 12.7 mm anti-aircraft guns; 8x1 - 533 mm torpedo tubes, catapult and 2 seaplanes.
The cruiser was built at the John Brown shipyard and entered service in 1920 and for two decades was the largest ship in the world. During 1929-1939. During the repair process, the ship was modernized. The cruiser died in 1941. Performance characteristics of the ship: displacement - standard 43.4 thousand tons, full displacement - 48.4 thousand tons; length – 247 m, width – 32 m; draft – 10.2 m; speed - 31 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 32 steam boilers; power – 144 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 4.6 thousand tons of oil; cruising range - 4 thousand miles; crew – 1,400 people. Reservation: side – 305 mm; traverses - 127 - 152 mm, towers - 381 mm, barbettes - 305 mm, deck - 25 - 76 mm; cutting – 280 mm. Armament: 4x2 – 381 mm guns, 12x1 – 140 mm guns; 4x2 – 102 mm guns, 3x8 – 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, 4x4 – 12.7 mm anti-aircraft guns; 4x1 - 533 mm torpedo tubes.
Of the series of Hawkins-class cruisers, at the beginning of the war, 3 ships, the Hawkins, Frobisher and Effingham, were in service, which were commissioned in 1919, 1924 and 1925, respectively. Cruiser "Effingham" in 1937-1939. underwent modernization, and died in 1940. Hawkins was decommissioned in 1947, Frobisher in 1949.
TTX "Hawkins"/"Frobisher": standard displacement - 9.8 thousand tons, full displacement - 12.5 thousand tons; length – 172 m, width – 17.7 m; draft – 6.2 m; speed – 29.5/30.5 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 8/10 steam boilers; power – 65/55 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 2.2/2.7 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 5.4 thousand miles; crew - 690 people. Reservation: side – 76 mm; traverses – 25 mm; gun shields - 51 mm; deck – 37 mm; cellars - 25 mm. Armament: 7/5x1 - 190 mm guns; 4/5x1 - 102 mm guns; 4x1/4x2 – 40 mm anti-aircraft gun; 7x1 – 20-mm anti-aircraft guns (“Frobisher”), 4x1 – 533-mm torpedo tubes.
TTX "Effingham": standard displacement - 9.6 thousand tons, full displacement - 12.5 thousand tons; length – 172 m, width – 17.7 m; draft – 6.2 m; speed - 29.5 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 8 steam boilers; power – 58 thousand hp; fuel reserve – 2.6 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 5.4 thousand miles; crew - 690 people. Reservation: side – 76 mm; traverses – 25 mm; gun shields - 25 mm; deck – 37 mm; cellars - 25 mm. Armament: 9x1 - 152 mm guns; 4x2 - 102 mm guns; 2x8 – 40 mm anti-aircraft guns; 3x4 - 12.7 mm machine guns, 4x1 - 533 mm torpedo tubes, catapult and seaplane.
Heavy cruiser Canberra
The series of heavy cruisers of the "Kent" type consisted of 7 units ("Kent", "Bervick", "Cumberland", "Cornwall", "Suffolk", "Australia", "Canberra"). "Suffolk", "Canberra") and was built for Australia. The ships were put into operation in 1928. In 1935-1939. cruisers, except for Canberra, have undergone modernization. The cruisers Cornwall and Canberra were lost in 1942, Kent, Bervick and Suffolk were decommissioned in 1948. Australia was decommissioned in 1955, and Cumberland in 1959. Performance characteristics ship: standard displacement - 9.7 - 10.3 thousand tons, full displacement - 13.5 - 14.1 thousand tons; length – 180 m, width – 21 m; draft – 6.3 m; speed - 31.5 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 8 steam boilers; power – 80 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 3.4 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 13.3 thousand miles; crew - 685 - 710 people. Reservation: side – 127 mm; traverses – 25 mm; towers and barbettes – 25 mm; deck – 35 – 37 mm; cellar - 111 mm. Armament: 4x2 - 203 mm guns; 4x2 or 4x1 or 2x2 - 102 mm guns; 2x8 or 2x4 or 4x1 – 40 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x4 - 12.7 mm machine guns, 2x4 - 533 mm torpedo tubes ("Kent", "Australia", "Canberra"), a catapult and 2 seaplanes (1 "Kent"). Canberra had no aircraft.
The series of heavy cruisers of the "London" type consisted of 4 units ("London", "Devonshire", "Sussex", "Shropshire") and was commissioned in 1929. The cruiser "London" in 1939-1941. underwent modernization, and Shropshire was transferred to Australia in 1942. During the period of service on ships, anti-aircraft weapons were repeatedly improved. In 1950, the cruiser "London" was decommissioned, "Devonshire" in 1954, and "Sussex", "Shropshire" - in 1955. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 9.8 - 11.5 thousand tons, total - 11.1 – 14.6 thousand tons; length – 181 m, width – 20 m; draft – 6.3 m; speed - 32.3 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 8 steam boilers; power – 80 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 3.2 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 12.5 thousand miles; crew – 700 people. Reservations: side – 25 mm (“London” – 114 mm), traverses – 25 mm, towers and barbettes – 25 mm, deck – 35 – 37 mm; cellar - 111 mm. Armament: 4x2 - 203 mm guns; 4x2 (("London") or 8x1 - 102 mm guns; 2x8 or 2x4 or 4x4 - 40 mm anti-aircraft guns; 4x4 or 2x4 - 12.7 mm machine guns, 2x4 - 533 mm torpedo tubes, catapult and seaplane ( 2 "London").
The series of heavy cruisers of the Norfolk type consisted of 2 units (Norfolk, Dorsetshire) and were put into operation in 1930. During the period of service on the ships, anti-aircraft weapons were improved. In 1942, the cruiser Dorsetshire was lost, and Norfolk was decommissioned in 1950. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 10.4 thousand tons, total displacement - 14.1 thousand tons; length – 181 m, width – 20 m; draft – 6.3 m; speed - 32.3 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 8 steam boilers; power – 80 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 3.2 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 12.5 thousand miles; crew - 710 people. Reservation: side – 25 mm; traverses – 25 mm; towers and barbettes – 25 mm; deck – 35 – 37 mm; cellar - 111 mm. Armament: 4x2 - 203 mm guns; 4x2 - 102 mm guns; 2x8 – 40 mm anti-aircraft guns; 2x4 - 12.7 mm machine guns, 2x4 - 533 mm torpedo tubes, catapult and seaplane.
The York-class heavy cruiser series consisted of 2 units (York, Exeter) and was commissioned in 1930 and 1931. respectively. The cruiser "York" was sunk in 1941, and the "Exeter" was lost in 1942. Performance characteristics of the ship "York"/"Exeter": standard displacement - 8.2/8.4 thousand tons, total displacement - 10.4/ 10.5 thousand tons; length – 165 m, width – 17.4 m; draft – 6.2 m; speed - 32.3 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 8 steam boilers; power – 80 thousand hp; fuel reserve – 1.9 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 10 thousand miles; crew - 630 people. Reservation: side – 76 mm; traverses – 89 mm; towers and barbettes – 25 mm; deck – 35 – 37 mm; cellar - 111 mm. Armament: 3x2 - 203 mm guns; 4x1 - 102 mm guns; 2x4 - 12.7 mm machine guns, 2x3 - 533 mm torpedo tubes, catapult and seaplane.
The cruiser Adelaide was built in Australia and is a Chatham-class light cruiser. It entered service in 1922. In 1938-1939. underwent modernization during which it was transferred to oil fuel. Scrapped in 1949. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 4.6 thousand tons, full displacement - 6.2 thousand tons; length – 131 m, width – 15.2 m; draft - 4.9 m; speed - 24.3 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 10 steam boilers; power – 23.5 thousand hp; fuel reserve – 1.4 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 5.5 thousand miles; crew - 470 people. Reservation: side – 76 mm; traverses – 89 mm; towers and barbettes – 13 mm; deck – 40 – 15 mm; cutting – 102 mm. Armament: 8x1 - 152 mm guns; 3x1 - 102 mm guns; 6x1 - 20-mm anti-aircraft guns, 2x1 - 533-mm torpedo tubes.
The series of "C" type cruisers consisted of three groups. First: "Caledon" (entered into service in 1917, expelled in 1948), "Calypso" (accepted - 1917, died - 1940), "Caradoc" (accepted - 1917, expelled - 1946 G.). Second: "Cardiff" (accepted - 1917, expelled - 1946), "Ceres" (accepted - 1917, expelled - 1946), "Coventry" (accepted - 1918, died - 1942) , "Curacoa" (adopted - 1918, died - 1942), "Curlew" (adopted - 1917, died - 1940). Third: "Carlisle" (accepted - 1918, expelled - 1946), "Colombo" (accepted - 1918, expelled - 1948), "Calcutta" (accepted - 1918, died - 1941), "Cairo" (accepted - 1918, died - 1942), "Capetown" (accepted - 1922, expelled - 1946). In 1935-1943. Some cruisers were converted into air defense ships. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 4.1 - 5.2 thousand tons, full displacement - 4.2 - 5.4 thousand tons; length – 130 – 137 m, width – 15.2 m; draft – 4.5 – 4.7 m; speed - 29.5 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 6 steam boilers; power – 40 thousand hp; fuel reserve – 0.9 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 5.9 thousand miles; crew - 400 - 440 people. Reservations: side – 32 – 76 mm, gun shields – 25 mm, deck – 25 mm. Armament: 5x1 - 152 mm guns or 4x2 or 10x1 - 102 mm guns, 2x1 - 76 mm guns, 2-8x1 - 40 mm anti-aircraft guns or 6x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft guns. , 2x4 - 12.7 mm machine gun; 4×2 - 533 mm torpedo tubes.
The series of light cruisers of the “D” type consisted of 8 units (“Danae”, “Dauntless”, “Dragon”, “Delhi”, “Dunedin”, “Durban”, “Diomede”, “Despatch”) commissioned in 1919- 1922 During service on the ships, anti-aircraft weapons were improved, and torpedo tubes were removed in 1944. The cruiser Dunedin was lost in 1941, Durban and Dragon were sunk in 1941 and 1944, Dauntless, Diomede and Despatch were decommissioned in 1946. Ships Danae and Delhi were decommissioned in 1948. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 4.6 thousand tons, full displacement - 6 thousand tons; length – 136 m, width – 14 m; draft - 4.9 m; speed - 29 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 6 steam boilers; power – 40 thousand hp; fuel reserve – 1.1 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 5 thousand miles; crew - 450 - 470 people. Reservation: side – 25 – 76 mm; gun shields – 25 mm; deck – 25 mm; cutting – 75 mm. Armament: 6x1 - 152 mm guns; 3x1 - 102 mm guns; 2x1 – 40 mm anti-aircraft guns.
Light cruiser Enterprise
The “E” type cruiser series consisted of 2 units (“Emerald”, “Enterprise”) accepted into service in 1926. The cruisers were withdrawn from service in 1948 and 1946, respectively. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 7.6 thousand tons, full displacement - 9.4 thousand tons; length – 163 m; width – 16.6 m; draft – 5.6 m; speed - 33 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 8 steam boilers; power – 80 thousand hp; fuel reserve – 1.7 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 8 thousand miles; crew - 570 people. Reservations: side – 37 – 76 mm, gun shields – 25 mm; deck – 25 mm. Armament: 7x1 (“Emerald”) or 1x2 and 5x1 (“Enterprise”) - 152 mm guns; 3x1 - 102 mm guns; 2x1 - 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, 4x4 - 12.7 machine guns (on Emerald), 4x4 - 533 mm torpedo tubes, catapult and seaplane.
The series of light cruisers of the “Leander” type consisted of 5 units (“Leander”, “Achilles”, “Neptune”, “Orion”, “Ajax”) commissioned in 1933 - 1935. During the period of service on the ships, weapons were improved. The cruiser "Neptune" was lost in 1941, "Achilles" was transferred to India in 1948, the remaining ships were decommissioned in 1949. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 6.9 - 7.2 thousand tons, total displacement - 8.9 - 9.2 thousand tons; length – 169 m, width – 17 m; draft – 5.8 m; speed - 32.5 knots; power plants - 4 steam turbine units and 6 steam boilers; power – 72 thousand hp; fuel reserve – 1.7 – 1.8 thousand tons. oil; cruising range - 10.3 thousand miles; crew - 570 people. Armor: side – 102 mm, traverses – 37 mm, towers and barbettes – 25 mm, deck – 32 mm, cellars – 89 mm. Armament: 4x2 - 152 mm guns; 4x2 - 102 mm guns; 3x4 – 12.7 machine guns, 2x4 – 533 mm torpedo tubes, catapult and seaplane.
HMS London (69) (His Majesty's Ship London) was a British heavy cruiser from World War II. The lead ship of the 2nd series of County-class heavy cruisers. The 11th ship of the British Royal Navy to bear this name.
Laid down on February 23, 1926, launched on September 14, 1927, and commissioned on January 31, 1929. Sold for scrap on January 3, 1950.
Immediately after the transfer to the fleet, he was included in the 1st cruiser squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet, where he served for the first 10 years of service. After the completion of modernization in February 1941, it became part of the Metropolitan Fleet.
During 1941, he was engaged in convoy activities and intercepting German merchant ships (he forced 3 vehicles to self-sink).
In September 1941, he delivered to Arkhangelsk the personal representatives of President F. Roosevelt - A. Harriman and G. Sturdy and the representative of the British government, Lord W. Beaverbrook.
In 1942-43, he participated in Arctic convoys, covering the passage of PQ-15, PQ-17, PQ-18. After repairs, at the beginning of 1944 it was sent to the Far East. Participated in the operations of the British fleet off the coast of Indonesia and Malaysia.
On April 21, 1949, while moving along the Yangtze River in an attempt to rescue the stranded British frigate Amethyst, he entered into a firefight with PLA field artillery. During the artillery duel, London received heavy damage and was forced to withdraw, losing 13 people killed and 30 wounded.
The events on the Yangtze symbolized the end of a long period of presence of significant foreign forces in Chinese inland waters. The doors to the Middle Empire, wide open to European states during the Opium Wars, suddenly slammed shut.
In the same year, London was put into reserve, and in 1950 it was sold for scrap.
Main characteristics:
Standard displacement is 9850 tons, full displacement is 13,315 tons.
Length 193 m.
Width 20 m.
Draft 5.18 m / 6.32 m.
Armor belt - 89 mm;
traverses - 25 mm;
deck - 35 - 37 mm;
cellars - up to 111 mm;
towers - 25 mm;
barbettes - 25 mm.
Engines 4 TZA Parsons, 8 Admiralty 3-manifold boilers.
Power 80,000 l. With.
Propulsion: 4 three-bladed propellers.
Speed 32 knots.
Cruising range 9120 miles at 12 knots.
Crew 784 people.
Weapons:
Artillery 4 × 2 - 203 mm/50, 4 × 2 - 102 mm/45.
Anti-aircraft artillery 2 × 8 - 40 mm/40, 4 × 4 - 12.7 mm machine guns.
Mine and torpedo armament 2 × 4 533 mm TA.
Aviation group 1 catapult, 2 seaplanes Supermarine Walrus.
17 months after the laying of the first ship of the Kent series, the lead cruiser of the next series was laid down in Portsmouth, the construction of which was provided for in the shipbuilding program of 1925-26. However, the start of construction was preceded by a revision of design decisions, which the British were prompted by the shortcomings of the original project.
At first, the program was supposed to build 5 more cruisers, but due to limited maritime budgets, the order volume was reduced to 4 units. However, in January 1925, Admiralty approval for placing orders was not received, and without this the program could not be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers in February. The delay, as it turned out, was caused by information received from abroad - some details of the shipbuilding programs of other powers became known and, in particular, the design characteristics of the treaty ships being built there (or supposed to be built). The Admiralty rightly decided that the Kent series cruisers, with their designed maximum speed of 31 knots, were not fast enough. The British admirals were faced with a dilemma - either to delay the implementation of the next cruising program until the necessary changes were made to the project and thereby cause some lag in fleet development plans, or to build ships according to the existing project, but obviously inferior to similar ships of other countries. After a short discussion, they decided to take the first path, in connection with which the Admiralty created a special commission that examined the options for modernizing the project of new cruisers prepared by the shipbuilding department.
The first option provided for an increase in speed without changing the main design solutions of the project. By abandoning the Boolean fittings, a narrowing of the ship's hull was achieved, which, with the same power of the machines, gave an increase in speed by 0.75 knots. In addition, it was proposed to abandon the armoring of universal-caliber artillery magazines, and to use the overall “savings” in weight to enhance the protection of the radio center, the premises of the main generators, the ship’s communications system and the reserve control post. The remaining “savings” made it possible in the future, with the contractual terms softened, to equip the ships with airborne aircraft.
According to the second modernization option, the propulsion system, armor and armament of the cruisers were radically changed. Increase in machine power from 80,000 to 110,000 hp. This was achieved by eliminating the already modest reservation of the MKO areas and the steering compartment, the magazines of universal and small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, as well as the abandonment of torpedo and aircraft weapons. The cruisers practically became armorless, since, in addition to partial armoring of the main artillery cellars, only light protection was provided for the same radio center, communication channels and steering compartment. In addition, in order to maintain the standard displacement at the level of 10,000 tons, it was planned to reduce the supply of 203-mm shells to 100 per gun, and in the event of war, when treaty restrictions were no longer valid, it was possible to increase their number to 150. The introduction of these measures guaranteed the achievement of a speed of 34 knots at standard displacement and 33 knots at full displacement.
No matter how tempting it was to achieve relatively high speeds, the Admiralty could not go for almost complete “undressing” of the cruisers and their partial disarmament. After much debate, the first option was accepted for implementation with the caveat of making some additional changes to the reservation system. The proposal to abandon the protection of the universal-caliber ammunition magazines located in the middle part of the hull was wisely rejected, but they did not burden the cruisers with additional local armor. Instead, the radio station and main generators were moved to the armored magazines of small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, and the ammunition of the latter was placed in the magazines of 102-mm shells and in unarmored rooms.
The laying of 4 new fleet units was carried out in 1926-27. at leading British shipyards, thanks to which the construction of ships proceeded at a relatively fast pace. In 1927-28 they came off the stocks in the same sequence as they were laid down. In 1929, the cruisers were fully equipped and, after carrying out the necessary tests, they entered service.
C69 London1929/1950"London" was laid down on February 23, 1926 at the Portsmouth Dockyard naval shipyard and launched on September 14, 1927. After completion of configuration and acceptance tests, the ship entered service on January 31, 1929, receiving the tactical number 69, supplemented in 1947 with the letter designation - C 69.
During the war, as part of the 22nd squadron, "London" was mainly engaged in convoy service.
At the beginning of September 1941, the cruiser returned from the Atlantic to England, and on September 15, Anglo-American negotiations on mutual assistance began, at which the need for urgent support for the Soviet Union was also discussed. On September 27, personal representatives of President F. Roosevelt A. Harriman and G. Sturdy and the representative of the British government, Minister of Supply Lord W. Beaverbrook, arrived in Arkhangelsk on board the cruiser London. The Allied mission was sent to Moscow to meet with Stalin and negotiate supplies to the USSR. The transition to Arkhangelsk passed without incident. The London set off on its return journey the next day, accompanying convoy QP1 along the way, which consisted of 7 allied and 8 Soviet ships. Sailing in polar conditions increased the deformation of the ship’s hull structures, which were already significant, and in October the cruiser was sent to a shipyard on the river. Tyne. Here in the period from 30.10. From 1941 to 01/25/1942 she underwent repairs, after which she returned to escorting northern convoys.
The first of these was PQ15, the largest convoy since the start of convoy operations in the USSR, which left Iceland on April 26. London took part in the escort operation of the famous convoy PQ17 as the flagship of the cruising group of Rear Admiral L.G.K. Hamilton, consisting of 4 heavy cruisers and 3 destroyers. The following episodes of the escort service of the cruiser "London" are its participation in escorting the September caravan PQ18.
In November, London arrived in the Mediterranean to deliver the British military delegation from Alexandria to England, which took part in the conference that ended on December 1 in Tehran, and upon arrival at home on December 27, it went to Rosyth for repairs, which lasted until February 2, 1944 .
The assignment to the 4th Cruiser Squadron, which immediately followed the completion of the repairs, sent the ship to the Eastern Fleet, which operated in the Indian Ocean.
From the beginning of 1946, "London" was engaged in the transportation of demobilized troops. In August, the cruiser arrived at the shipyard in Chetham for repairs, which lasted almost a year, then received a new assignment to the Far East. Here he had the opportunity to once again participate in a military action, which later became known as the “Yangtze Incident.”
After the end of World War II, the British Admiralty began the creation of a river flotilla on the river. Yangtze in China, where civil war resumed during this period. However, both Chinese sides, the Nationalists and the Communists, stated that they would not tolerate a foreign military presence on their territory. Despite this, it was still possible, with the consent of the Nationalist government, to introduce its ships into the Yangtze, which were the only instrument capable of ensuring the security of the British diplomatic mission in Nanjing, the then capital of China, in the conditions of the civil war. However, correctly assessing the capabilities of the Chiang Kai-shek government and taking into account the possible need for an immediate evacuation of their embassy, the British decided to strengthen its security with an ocean-going combat ship by sending the destroyer Consort into the Yangtze. The situation became sharply more complicated on April 9, 1949, when, due to the advance of the “Red Chinese,” the nationalists declared that they could not ensure the safety of navigation on the river. On April 20, the frigate Amethyst, which was on its way to replace the peacetime destroyer Consort, which was provided for in peacetime, 260 km above the mouth, was fired upon by a battery of field artillery of the “Reds,” who suspected it of transporting government troops. The frigate, which ran aground, received more than 50 hits from 37-105 mm shells in a short time, resulting in the death of 19 crew members, including the ship’s commander. A radio message for help from the frigate being shot was received by the local and regional RN command in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The frigate Black Swan was sent up the river, and the order to help was also given to the destroyer Consort in Nanjing and the heavy cruiser London, sailing from Hong Kong and just approaching Shanghai. At 13.00 the cruiser entered the Yangtze, and at 20.30. 80 miles from the mouth he linked up with the Black Swan and Consort who were waiting for him, the latter having already received significant damage while trying to rescue Amethyst and therefore could not take further part in the hostilities. At 6.00 on April 21, Consort left for Shanghai, and the remaining ships began moving up the river. The general management of the operation was carried out by Admiral Madden, who was on board the heavy cruiser. London was first, followed by Black Swan two miles behind. Both carried large state flags and additionally several white panels, a symbol of neutrality.
Forty miles upstream, the London was fired upon by a well-camouflaged Chinese battery and responded with fire from the main and middle artillery. However, the enemy brought several more field batteries into action, and the cruiser, unable to maneuver in the narrow river channel and bring all its artillery into action, received significant damage. During the 3 hours of battle, more than 20 shells hit it, both bow and one stern turrets were disabled Main caliber main caliber, and tower “B” was destroyed, the bow superstructure and the anti-aircraft fire control center were damaged, 13 people were killed and 30 were wounded. Therefore, Madden decided to leave the battle and, not reaching 15 miles from the frigate Amethyst, the cruiser made a counter-course turn, and at 14.30 left the range of the Chinese fire. On the way back, as a result of the hits received, a fire broke out on the ship, which was soon extinguished by emergency parties.
C39 Devonshire1929/1954The cruiser Devonshire was laid down on March 16, 1926 at the Devonport Dockyard. Launching took place on October 22, 1927, and commissioning on March 18, 1929. The cruiser received tactical number 39 (from 1947 - C39) and was soon assigned to the 1st cruiser squadron, based in Alexandria.
The beginning of the cruiser's career was marked by tragedy. On July 26, 1929, during practical firing, the main caliber turret exploded on it, killing 17 people and seriously injuring 9. Subsequently, the Admiralty explained the incident as a prolonged shot in one of the 203-mm guns of the turret. Zamochny, misled by the simultaneous firing of a neighboring gun and believing that his gun had also fired, proceeded to open the bolt for a new loading. Obviously, the mistake was discovered and they tried to close the breech, but the explosion of the charge knocked out the partially covered bolt and caused the detonation of the charges raised into the turret from the ammunition magazine for the next shots.
In early June 1940, the naval forces of the metropolis were involved in two evacuation operations at once - the British army and its allies were leaving the continent. "Devonshire" carried out a special mission; on June 7, it left Tromso, taking on board the King of Norway, Hakon VII, the royal family and the government of Norway, who were evacuated to England.
In 1941, the Admiralty was particularly concerned about the heavy losses in merchant ships suffered as a result of the actions of German raiders and submarines in the Freetown area. The Devonshire's commander, Captain Richard D. Oliver, was ordered to search for German auxiliary cruisers and submarine supply vessels. Almost two weeks of cruising initially did not produce any results. But on the morning of November 22, 1941, the ship's reconnaissance cruiser discovered 40 miles along the ship's course and 300 (350) miles northwest of the island. Ascension unknown vessel. It turned out to be the most successful auxiliary cruiser of the Kriegsmarine Atlantis (Schiff 16 - Raider C), which, operating in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans since April 2 (March 11), 1940, had 22 sunk or captured ships with a total displacement of 145,698 tons. At the time of discovery, Atlantis was refueling the submarine U126, undetected by the pilot. Having received a scout's report at 7.05, Captain Oliver increased the cruiser's speed to 25 knots. and at 8.09 made visual contact. At 8.15, the Germans finally noticed the Devonshire, stopped transferring fuel and began to leave the area at full speed. This aroused the suspicion of the cruiser commander and at 8.20 Walrus was launched again, which soon reported a motor boat abandoned at the parking lot, large stains of fuel and breakers on the surface of the ocean, which suggested a recent dive of the submarine being refueled. At 8.37, from a distance of 70 kbt, the cruiser fired two shots at the departing ship from universal-caliber guns, moving to the right and left, ordering her to stop. However, the raider gave a clear alarm signal on the radio (RRR - attack of a ship by an enemy warship), calling himself the Dutch Polyphemus, and continued to go south. Ignorance of the secret call sign of the Dutch ship and the correct structure of the signals in force at that time (in such situations the RRRR signal had long been used) increased the suspicions of the cruiser commander, who asked the command about the alleged location of Polyphemus. While waiting for a response from Freetown, the Devonshire, having a clear advantage in speed, did not approach the unknown vessel closer than 70 kbt, following it at a distance and continuing to “research” the imaginary Dutchman from the air. Soon, with the help of the ship's aircraft, the Germans' mistake was discovered when choosing the vessel that Atlantis was supposed to disguise itself as: Polyphemus had a valanced stern, and the raider had a cruising one. At the same time, Captain Oliver received information from the command of the South Atlantic naval forces that there could be no Dutch ships in the area where the cruiser was located. From that moment on, Atlantis was doomed. At 9.35, from a distance of 100 kbt, the Devonshire opened fire with its main caliber, and at 10.14, the burning ship sank after an internal explosion. Immediately after the sinking of the raider, the English cruiser, out of fear of an underwater attack (the on-board reconnaissance pilot repeatedly reported being in the submarine area), quickly left the battlefield without rescuing the German crew. This was done by U126, which throughout the pursuit and battle unsuccessfully tried to reach a position convenient for attacking the cruiser. Those rescued from Atlantis were transferred to the German submarine supply ship Python.
In January 1942, Devonshire arrived at the naval base in Norfolk (USA), where repairs were carried out on it from January 23 to March 7. Upon completion, the cruiser was assigned to the 4th squadron, which was part of the Eastern Fleet forces.
On June 5, 1945, the Devonshire took part in the final act of the Norwegian drama when the returning King Haakon VII of Norway and members of his family boarded the cruiser Norfolk at Rosyth, with the Devonshire flying the flag of Vice Admiral McGrigor leading the escort. The choice of "Devonshire" for this mission was not accidental, because it was she who delivered the king to England in May 1940.
Until the beginning of 1946, the cruiser served as a troop transport. In September he arrived at the shipyard in Devonport, where for about six months work was carried out on him to convert the cruiser into a training ship. He began performing his new function in April 1947 and over the next 6 years he made two training trips to the West Indies, and also visited a number of European ports. In October 1953, Devonshire was put into reserve and sold for scrap on June 16, 1954.
C96 Sussex1929/1950The cruiser "Sussex" was laid down on 02/01/1927 at the R. & W. Hawthorn shipyard. The launch took place almost a year later, on February 22, 1928. The ship entered service on March 19, 1929, receiving tactical number 96 (since 1947 - S9b).
He began his service traditionally - in the First Cruiser Squadron. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the Sussex, together with the cruiser London, patrolled Spanish waters in the southern zone of British responsibility.
Shortly after the outbreak of war, Sussex was transferred to the South Atlantic, where she was involved in a large-scale operation carried out by the Allied fleets to search for the German “pocket” battleship Admiral Graf Spee.
On September 18, 1940, during one of the air raids, the docked cruiser was hit by a 250-kg bomb, which exploded in the area of the second engine room. The fire that broke out soon became uncontrollable and threatened to explode the charging cellars of the aft towers, to avoid which the commander decided to flood them. As a result, the cruiser landed with its stern on the bottom of the dock, receiving a significant list to starboard. Sussex remained in this position until October, when the ship was raised and in November she was towed to the York Hill Bassin shipyard on the Clyde. Repair work lasted almost two years and ended in August 1942. In September, Sussex was again assigned to the 1st Squadron.
Back in August 1942, the Germans began another campaign of blockade runners crossing from Germany to Japan and back. Military materials and equipment were delivered to Japan, and dry cargo ships, mainly rubber, were delivered from the Far East. In February 1943, when the breakers returning to Europe were expected to pass through the narrowest part of the Atlantic, the cruisers of the Home Fleet were sent to the Azores area. 23(26) February American plane Air Force Air Force Liberator discovered a suspicious tanker 500 miles from Cape Finisterre and reported it by radio. The Sussex, which was patrolling 190 miles away, accepted the report and went to intercept. In the evening of the same day, the tanker was sunk. It is noteworthy that Sussex found itself in the same position as Devonshire during the battle with Atlantis. Fearing the submarines operating in the area, the cruiser did not pick up the German crew and quickly left. The tanker was indeed accompanied by three submarines, one of which, U 264, fired a torpedo salvo at the Sussex. The same submarines saved the crew of the tanker.
Cruisers
Heavy cruisers of the "class"York" - 2 pieces
" York"Plm 5.1927 17.7.1928 5.1930 Scuttled 22.5.1941
" Exeter"Dev 1.8.1928 18.7.1929 7.1931 Died 1.3.1942
8250 (" York"), 8390 (" Exeter")/10 350 (" York"), 10,490 t (" Exeter"); 164.6/175.3x17.4 (" York") or 17.7 (" Exeter") x6.2 m; 4 TZA, 8 PK, 80,000 hp, 32.25 knots, 1900 tons of oil; 10,000 miles (14 knots). Armor: side 76 mm, deck 35 - 37 mm, traverses 25 mm, turrets and barbettes 25 mm, cellars up to 111 mm. Ek. 623 - 630 people 3 x 2 - 203 mm/50, 4x1 - 102 mm/45, 2 x 4 - 12.7 mm, 2 x 3 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 1 seaplane.
Built according to the programs of 1926 ("York") and 1927 (" Exeter"). The last "Washington" cruisers built for the English fleet. A smaller version of ships of the "Norfolk"with three main battery turrets and improved protection. Having almost identical performance characteristics,"York" And " Exeter", were noticeably different in appearance - the first with its tilted masts and pipes looked much more elegant than the angular one"Exeter".
In 1931, after they entered service, both were equipped with aircraft catapults.
" York"in 1941 he received 2 "Oerlikons". On "Exeter"In the same year, single 102-mm chargers were replaced by twin ones (4 x 2), 2x8 40-mm "pom-pom" were added. Places were prepared for the installation of two "Oerlikons", but the machines themselves did not have time to mount. Full displacement "Exeter"after modernization - about 11,000 tons.
" Exeter"in the battle of La Plata 12/13/1939 with the German Kyrgyz Republic"Admiral Graf Spee"damaged by 283 mm shells, repairs took about six months. Sunk by artillery fire from Japanese cruisers off Sumatra on 1 March 1942."York"damaged by an Italian boat exploding in Souda Bay (Crete), stranded, completely destroyed by bombs on May 22, 1941.
Heavy cruisers of the "class"Norfolk" - 2 pieces
" Norfolk"FF 8.7.1927 12.12.1928 4.1930 Expelled in 1950
" Dorsetshire" Port 9/21/1927 1/29/1929 9/1930 Died 4/5/1942
10,400/14,100 t; 181.4/192.9x20.1x6.3 m; 4 TZA, 8 PCs, 80,000 p.s., 32.25 knots, 3210 g of oil; 12,500 miles (12 knots). Armor: side 25 mm (only opposite the MO), deck 35 - 37 mm, traverses 25 mm, turrets and barbettes 25 mm, cellars up to 111 mm. Ek. 710 people 4x2 - 203 mm/50.4x2 - 102 mm/45.2x8 - 40 mm/40, 2x4 - 12.7 mm, 2x4 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 1 seaplane.
Ships of the 1926 program. Repetition of "class" cruisersLondon", but with new lightweight tower installations Mk. II.
In the early 1930s. An aviation catapult was installed. During the renovation in 1936 - 1937. single 102 mm and 40 mm machine guns were replaced by four twin 102 mm guns and 2 x 8 40 mm pom-poms.
" Dorsetshire"At the beginning of 1942, he received nine 20-mm Oerlikons.
" Norfolk" in 1940 equipped with 2 x 20 installationsU.P., removed the following year along with 12.7 mm machine guns. In 1943, the aviation equipment was removed, in 1944, the main gun turret was removed.X" and 2 x 8 40-mm "pom-pom", instead of which 6 x 4 chargers of the same caliber were mounted. In September 1945, 10x1 40-mm/56 "Bofors" were added.
The first 6 "Oerlikons" on "Norfolk" were established in 1941, by 1943 their number increased to 12, and in 1944 reached 32.
At the end of the war, the displacement "Norfolk" amounted to 10,900/14,600 tons.
" Dorsetshire"sunk by Japanese carrier-based aircraft on 5/4/1942 (received up to 10 bomb hits in 8 minutes)."Norfolk"participated in a battle with"Scharnhorst"December 26, 1943, received 2 hits from 283 mm shells, repairs took 10 months.
Heavy cruisers of the "class"London" - 4 units
" London" Port 23.2.1926 14.9.1927 1.1929 Excluded in 1950
" Devonshire"Dev 16.3.1926 22.10.1927 3.1929 Excluded in 1954
" Sussex"HL 1.2.1927 22.2.1928 3.1929 Excluded in 1955
" Shropshire"Brdm 24.2.1927 5.7.1928 9.1929 Excluded in 1955
11 015 (" London"), 9830 - 9850 (others)/13,315 tons; 181.4/192.9x20.1x6.3 m; 4 TZA, 8 PCs, 80,000 hp, 32.25 knots, 3210 tons of oil; 12,500 miles (12 knots). Armor: side 114 mm at "London", on the rest 25 mm (only opposite the MO), deck 35 - 37 mm, traverses 25 mm, towers and barbettes 25 mm, cellars up to 111 mm. Ek. 700 people 4x2 - 203 mm/50, 4x2 ("London") or 8x1 (others) - 102 mm/45, 2x8 (only "London") - 40 mm/40, 4x4 (" London") or 2x4 (others) - 12.7 mm, 2x4 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 1 (2 on "London") seaplane.
Built according to the 1925 program. Repetition of "class" cruisersKent", but with more traditional hull contours (without boules) and a bow superstructure shifted towards the stern by 7.5 m to improve the firing angles of the main battery "V" turret.
In the early 1930s. An aviation catapult was installed on all ships; in 1936 - 1937. the number of 102 mm single installations was increased from 4 to 8, and the 40 mm pom-poms were removed.
From March 1939 to February 1941"London"has undergone a modernization similar in scope to that which ships of the type have undergone"Kent". A narrow armor belt with a thickness of 114 mm was installed along the power plant. The bow superstructure was completely rebuilt, becoming similar to that found on battleships of the "King George V". The chimneys of the PC were now led out not into 3, but into 2 pipes. A longitudinal catapult and a large hangar were installed. Anti-aircraft weapons were changed to 4 x 2 102-mm chargers, 2 x 8 40-mm "pom-pom", 4x4 12.7 -mm machine gun Standard displacement increased to 11,015 tons.
In 1942 on " Devonshire", " Sussex" And " Shropshire"single 102-mm guns were replaced by 4 x 2 102-mm guns; in 1943, aviation equipment was removed from"London", " Sussex" And " Shropshire", in 1944 - from " Devonshire"GK Tower" X"dismantled in 1944"Devonshire", in 1945 - to " Sussex". In the same year on the last one, as on "Shropshire", filmed by TA. In 1941 on "Devonshire" And " Shropshire", and in 1942 - to " Sussex" placed 2 x 8 40 mm pom-pom. On "Devonshire"in 1943 they delivered another 2 x 8, and in 1944 - another 2x8 "pom-pom", bringing their total number on this ship to 6 x 8. By 1944 the same number was received"Sussex"and on" Shropshire" And " London"In 1945, 15 and 4 x 1 40-mm/56 Bofors installations were installed, respectively. Obsolete 12.7-mm machine guns were removed from ships in 1942 - 1943. The first 20-mm Oerlikons appeared on "Devonshire"in 1941, in 1943 there were from 20 to 28 Oerlikons on ships, by 1945 - from 14 ("Sussex") to 40 (" Devonshire").
At the end of the war, the displacement of cruisers of the "London" amounted to 10575-11 015/14280 -14580t.
" Sussex" 18.9.1940 sank in Clyde dock after being hit by a 250 kg bomb; raised and repaired in 21 months."Shropshire"transferred to the Australian Navy in September 1942.
Heavy cruisers of the "class"Kent" - 7 units
" Kent"Chat 11/15/1924 1 6.3.1926 6.1928 Excl. in 1948
" Berwick"Ff 15.9.1924 30.3.1926 2.1928 Excluded in 1948
" Cumberland"VicArm 10/18/1924 3/16/1926 2.1928 Excluded in 1959
" Cornwall" Dev 10/9/1924 3/11/1926 5/1928 Died 4/5/1942
" Suffolk" Port 30.9.1924 16.2.1926 5.1928 Excluded in 1948
" Australia" JBr 26.8.1925 17.3.1927 4.1928 Excluded in 1955
" Canberra"JBr 9.9.1925 31.5.1927 7.1928 Died 9.8.1942
10,300/14,100 t (English), 9,750/13,450 t (Australian); 179.8/192x20.9x6.3 m; 4 TZA, 8 PK, 80,000 hp, 31.5 knots, 3425 tons of oil; 13,300 miles (12 knots). Armor: side 127 mm (at "Canberra" - 25 mm only opposite MO), deck 35 - 37 mm, traverses 25 mm, towers and barbettes 25 mm, cellars up to 111 mm. Ec. 685 - 710 people 4x2 - 203 mm/50, 4x2 ("Cornwall" , "Cumberland", " Berwick" And " Kent") or 2 x 2 and 2x1 (" Suffolk") or 4 x 1 (Australian) - 102 mm/45, 2x8 ("Cornwall", " Berwick", " Kent" And " Australia") or 2x4 (" Cumberland" And " Suffolk") or 4x1 (" Canberra") - 40 mm/40, 2x4 - 12.7 mm, 2x4 - 533 mm TA (only "Kent"and Australian); 1 catapult and 2 (1 on "Kent") seaplane, "Canberra“had no aviation equipment.
The first British cruisers built in accordance with the restrictions established for cruisers by the Washington Conference (standard displacement - 10,000 tons, armament - guns with a caliber of no more than 203 mm). Compared to similar ships of the fleets of other countries, they were not so fast and had little armor, but they had a long cruising range and good seaworthiness. They were intended, first of all, to protect sea transport communications and hunt for raiders, and not to act as part of the main forces of the fleet. According to the 1924 program, five ships were built. Australia has ordered two more.
The plan form of the hull was similar to that adopted on the last battlecruisers of the English fleet ("Courageous" And " Hood") - above the waterline it was trapezoidal, below it turned into boules. Ships of the "Kent"were distinguished by their original "box-shaped" armor protection, which was concentrated around vital places. The ammunition magazines were protected along the perimeter by 25 - 111 mm, with 25 - 76 mm armor on top. The 203 mm guns had an elevation angle of 70°. Anti-aircraft weapons initially consisted of four 102-mm guns and the same number of 2-pound single-barreled “pom-poms.” The armament was supplemented by 2x4 TA, mounted sideways on the upper deck.
Soon after construction was completed, the ships' chimneys were lengthened by 4.5 m (even more on Australian ships). In 1931 - 1932 British cruisers each received one aircraft catapult; in 1935 similar work took place at "Australia".
In 1934, a plan was drawn up for the modernization of ships of the "Kent". In accordance with it, it was planned to equip them with a narrow armor belt along the waterline, install a new longitudinal catapult and an extensive hangar behind the third chimney, replace the single 102-mm chargers with twins of the same caliber and remove the TA.
In 1935 - 1939 All ships in the series underwent modernization, except "Canberra". Since at first there were not enough new 102 mm twins, "Suffolk" And " Australia"they didn't receive them, but on"Cumberland"only two were installed (just before the war"Cumberland" And " Suffolk"re-equipped - everyone got 2 x 2 instead of 2 x 1 102-mm charger). On "Cumberland" And " Suffolk"to reduce the load from the tower"Y"to the stern, the upper deck was lowered by one level. On "Kent" And " Australia"a longitudinal catapult and a hangar were not installed; they retained their TA. All ships were armed with two multi-barrel 40-mm pom-pom mounts:"Cumberland" And " Suffolk" - four-barrel, the rest - eight-barrel.
On " Australia"at the end of 1940, all single 102-mm chargers were replaced with twin ones, with"Suffolk"at the very beginning of 1941, instead of 2x1 102 mm, 2 x 2 appeared. In the same year, on"Canberra"an additional 4x1 102-mm charger was installed, single-barrel "pom-poms" were replaced by 2x8 "pom-poms". In 1941, all ships received 4 - 6 20-mm "Oerlikons" (later their number reached 12 - 16) In 1942 - 1943, aviation equipment and 12.7 mm machine guns were dismantled from the remaining cruisers of this type.Australia“All Oerlikons were replaced by 8 x 1 40-mm Bofors. By the end of the war, the displacement of the surviving ships reached 10,900/14,490 - 14,910 tons.
" Suffolk"damaged by a direct hit from a 1000 kg bomb on 4/17/1940, repairs took 10 months."Kent"September 17, 1940 damaged by an air torpedo; repairs took almost a year."Cornwall"sunk by Japanese carrier-based aircraft south of Ceylon 5/4/1942 (9 direct bomb hits). "Canberra"heavily damaged by artillery fire from Japanese cruisers in the battle of Savo Island on August 9, 1942, sank 7 hours later.
Heavy cruisers of the "class"Hawkins" - 3 units
"Hawkins"Chat 4.1916 1.10.1917 7.1919 Excl.. V 1947
"Frobisher"Dev 2.8.1916 20.3.1920 9.1924 Excl.. V 1949
"Effingham" Port 2.4.1917 8.6.1921 7.1925 Died 21.5.1940
"Hawkins" And "Frobisher": 9800 - 9860/12 450 - 12 500 T ; 172.2/184.4x17.7 ( by boules - 19,8) X 6,2 m ; 4 TZA , 8 PC ( on "Frobisher - 10 PC ), 65 000 l . With . ("Frobisher"), 55,000 l . With . ("Hawkins"), 29.5 knot . (on " Frobisher" - 30.5 knots), 2186 t (" Frobisher"), 2740 t (" Hawkins") oil. Armor: side 76 mm, deck 37 mm, traverses 25 mm, main battery gun shields 51 mm, magazines 25 mm. Ec. 690 people 7 ("Hawkins") or 5 (" Frobisher") x 1 - 190 mm/45.5 (" Frobisher") or 4 (" Hawkins") x 1 - 102mm/45.4x4 (" Frobisher") or 4x1 (" Hawkins") - 40 mm/40, 7x1 - 20 mm/70 ("Frobisher"), 4x1 - 533 mm TA.
" Effingham": 9550/12,514 t; 172.2/184.4x17.7 (boules - 19.8)x6.2 m; 4 TZA, 8 PCs, 58,000 hp, 29.5 knots, 2620 tons of oil. Armor: side 76 mm, deck 37 mm, traverses 25 mm, main battery gun shields 25 mm, cellars 25 mm. Ec. 690 people 9 x 1 - 152 mm/50, 4 x 2 - 102 mm/ 45, 2 x 8 - 40 mm/40, 3x4 - 12.7 mm, 4x1 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 1 seaplane.
Cruisers "type" Hawkins"designed in 1915 to protect sea transport communications from German raiders. Especially for this, they were armed with heavy 190 mm guns, which theoretically made it possible to hit the enemy before he could respond with his 150 mm guns. Since the ships were intended for action in the ocean, the main requirements for them were high seaworthiness and cruising range. To facilitate fuel supply, mixed coal-oil heating was provided (8 PCs - oil, 4 PCs - coal). The absence of strict restrictions in the design led to an increase in displacement to almost 10,000 tons.
The construction of a series of 5 ships was carried out quite slowly, and before the end of the First World War, only the one converted into an aircraft carrier managed to enter service."Vindictive", the rest were handed over to the fleet in 1919 - 1925."Raleigh"died as a result of a navigation error in 1922.
Ships of this type became the progenitors of the "Washington" class of cruisers, because at the time of convening the conference of the same name, they were the largest in the world and therefore their parameters were chosen as boundary ones.
The last ones to enter service"Frobisher" And " Effingham"Even during construction, they were converted for pure oil heating. They were modified in a similar way in 1929"Hawkins"In accordance with the decisions of the London Conference of 1930, cruisers of this type were subject to disarmament by 1936, as they exceeded the limit allotted to England for heavy cruisers. In the mid-1930s."Vindictive"was converted into a training ship, and the other three ships were put into reserve, having their 190-mm guns removed.
To preserve the "class" cruisers in serviceHawkins"it was decided to rearm them with 152 mm guns. In 1937 - 1939."Effingham" underwent modernization, during which it received 9 152-mm guns, 4 102-mm guns and 2 x 8 40-mm "pom-pom". The number of PCs was reduced to 8, and their chimneys were placed in one wide pipe. The ship received catapult. In 1939 it was planned to put it on modernization "Hawkins", but the war got in the way. On "Hawkins" And " Frobisher“Their old weapons were returned, and they entered service in January 1940 and March 1942, respectively.
" Hawkins"In 1942, instead of the two removed "pom-poms" I received 2 x 4 of the same machine guns and 7 "Oerlikons". By 1944, the latter had reached 9 per"Hawkins" and 19 - on " Frobisher".
" Effingham"On 5/18/1940 he ran into an unmarked rock in Vestfjord (Norway), 3 days later his frame was blown up."Frobisher"damaged by a torpedo on August 9, 1944, repairs took 2 months.
Light cruisers "Swiftsure" - 2 pieces
" Swiftsure"VicArm 9/22/1941 2/4/1943 6/1944 Excluded in 1962
" Ontario" XB 11/20/1941 7/29/1943 5/1945 Excl. in 1960
8800/11 130 T ; 164/169.3x19.2x6.3 m ; 4 TZA , 4 PC , 72 500 l . With ., 31,5 knot ., 1850 tons of oil . Armor: side 83, deck 51 mm, traverses 51 mm, turrets 51 mm, barbettes 25 mm, magazines 83 mm. Ek. 855 - 960 people 3x3 - 152 mm/50, 5x2 - 102 mm/45, 4x4 (on "Ontario" additionally 8x1) - 40 mm/40, 8 x 2 and 6 x 1 - 20 mm/70, 2x3 - 533 mm TA.
The last of the British cruisers to enter service during the war. Reworked project of the "class" cruiserFiji"with better stability due to increased hull width, enhanced anti-aircraft weapons and a large fuel supply.
After the end of the war, the cruiser entered service"Superb", built according to a slightly modified design - with a larger hull width and an increased number of anti-aircraft guns.
In the summer of 1945 on " Swiftsure"all Oerlikons were removed and replaced with 13 x 1 40 mm/56 Bofors. At the same time with "Ontario"4 similar machine guns were installed instead of the same number of single-barrel pom-poms."
" Ontario"laid down and built as"Minotaur", shortly before entering service, was transferred to the Canadian Navy and renamed.
Light cruisers "Fiji" ("Colonies") - 11 units
1st group:
" Fiji"JBr 30.3.1938 31.5.1939 5.1940 Died 22.5.1941
" Kenya" Steph 1/18/1938 8/18/1939 9/1940 Excluded in 1962
" Nigeria"VicArm 8.2.1938 18.7.1939 9.1940 Transferred to India in 1954
" Mauritius" CX31.3.1938 19.7.1939 1.1941 Excl. in 1965
" Trinidad"Dev 4/21/1938 3/21/1940 11/1941 Died 5/15/1942
" Gambia" CX24.7.1939 30.11.1940 2.1942 Excl. in 1968
" Jamaica"VicArm 4/28/1939 11/16/1940 6.1942 Excl. in 1960
" Bermuda" JBR 11/30/1939 9/11/1941 8/1942 Excluded in 1965
2nd group:
" Uganda" Vic Arm 20.8.1939 7.8.1941 1.1943 Excluded in 1961
" Newfoundland" CX11/9/1939 12/19/1941 12/1942 Transferred to Peru in 1959
" Ceylon" Steph 4/27/1939 7/30/1942 7/1943 Transferred to Peru in 1959
8530 - 8735/10 450 - 11 086 T ; 164.0/169.4x18.9x6.1 m ; 4 TZA , 4 PC , 72 500 l . With ., 31,5 knot ., 1700 tons of oil ; 10 100 (12 knot .) miles . Armor: side 83, deck 51 mm, traverses 51 mm, turrets 51 mm, barbettes 25 mm, magazines 83 mm; Ek. 730 - 920 people
Armament :
1- I'm a group : 4x3 - 152- mm /50, 4x2 - 102- mm /45.2x4 - 40- mm /40, 2 ("Fiji", "Kenya", "Nigeria" And "Mauritius") or 4 ("Trinidad") x 4 - 12.7- mm , 2 X 1 - 40- mm /40 ( only "Gambia"), 10x1- 20- mm /70 ( only "Bermuda"), 2x3 - 533- mm TA ; 1 catapult and 2 seaplane ( on "Kenya" - No ).
2nd group: 3x3 - 152 mm/50, 4x2 - 102 mm/45, 3x4 - 40 mm/40, 10 ("Uganda") or 8 (" Newfoundland" And " Ceylon") x 2 - 20 mm/70, 2 x 3 - 533 mm TA.
The appearance of ships of the "Colony" type was one of the consequences of the London Conference of 1936, which limited the displacement of newly built cruisers to 8,000 tons. The design of the "class" cruiser was redesigned to meet these requirements.Southampton", the result was a compact "Fiji", in which, due to the dense layout, it was possible to reduce the length of the hull by more than 10 m. The use of lower power propulsion and lighter armor made it possible to retain the same weapons as the prototype, and the use of a transom stern made it possible to avoid a strong drop in speed (by only half a knot). The belt along the waterline, although it became somewhat thinner, due to the shorter length of the hull, reached the end towers of the main battery, and the thickness of the armor deck even increased. A characteristic feature of these ships was a return to simpler vertical pipes and masts.
Their main drawback - the low value of the metacentric height - created serious problems during wartime modernizations - to accommodate numerous anti-aircraft weapons and electronic equipment on the main part of cruisers of this type, one of the main battery turrets had to be removed at the end of the war.
The last 3 ships of the "type"Fiji"(2nd group) were completed according to a slightly modified project, taking into account the experience of the first year of the war - with reinforced anti-aircraft weapons. Due to the already mentioned very dense layout, one main battery tower was removed and the catapult was abandoned (the hangars were left, but were not used directly purpose).
In 1940 - 1941 on " Fiji" And " Kenya"additionally mounted 2x4 12.7 mm machine guns, and already in 1942 - 1943 on"Kenya", " Mauritius" And " Nigeria" (on " Gambia" - 40-mm single-barrel "pom-poms") they were replaced by 12 - 24 "er-likons", subsequently the number of the latter was increased. In 1943 - 1944 with "Mauritius", " Nigeria", " Gambia", " Jamaica" And " Bermuda"aircraft weapons were removed. In 1945 at"Kenya", " Mauritius" And " Jamaica"GK tower removed"X". In 1944 on " Uganda" added 2 x 4 and 4 x 1 40 mm "pom-pom", in 1945 on "Mauritius", " Jamaica" And " Bermuda" 3x4 40 mm "pom-pom" installed. In 1945 on "Jamaica" And " Bermuda"4 x 1 40-mm "pom-pom" also appeared, on the first one later replaced by 2 x 1 40-mm "Bofors". In the same year, "Nigeria", " Bermuda" And " Ceylon" 4 x 1 40 mm Bofors were installed. In 1944 on "Newfoundland"2x4 40mm Bofors were installed, at the beginning of 1945 on"Kenya" - 2x2 40-mm Bofors (instead of two four-barreled 40-mm pom-poms; subsequently the number of Bofors was increased).
By the end of the war, the light anti-aircraft weapons on the nine cruisers remaining in service totaled: "Kenya" - 18 barrels (5 x 2 and 8 x 1 40 mm / 56 "Bofors"), "Mauritius" - 44 barrels (5x4 40 mm / 40 "pom-poms" and 24 20 mm "Oerlikon"), "Nigeria" - 28 barrels (2x4 40 mm/40 "pom-pom", 4x1 40 mm/56 "Bofors" and 16 20 mm "Oerlikons"), "Gambia" - 28 barrels (2x4 40 mm/40 "pom-pom" and 20 20 mm "Oerlikons"), "Jamaica" - 42 barrels (5x4 40 mm/40 "pom-poms", 2x1 40 mm/56 "Bofors" and 20 20 mm "Oerlikons"), "Bermuda" - 38 barrels (5 x 4 and 4 x 1 40 mm/40 "pom-pom", 4 x 1 40 mm/56 "Bofors" and 10 20 mm "Oerlikons"), "Uganda" - 36 barrels (5 x 4 and 4 x 1 40 mm / 40 "pom-pom" and 12 20 mm "Oerlikons"), "Newfoundland" - 42 barrels (3x4 40 mm / 40 "pom-pom", 2x4 40 mm / 56 "Bofors" and 22 20 mm "Oerlikon") and "Ceylon" - 30 barrels (3x4 40 mm/40 Pom-Pom, 4x1 40 mm/56 Bofors and 14 20 mm Oerlikons).
" Fiji"1.9.1940 damaged by a torpedo from a German submarineU-32, out of service for 6 months; 5/22/1941 damaged by one direct and three close hits from German bombs near the island. Crete, sank after 5 hours. "KenyaAlagi"12.8.1942, repairs until January 1943"Nigeria"Italian submarine damaged by a torpedo"Axum"12.8.1942, repairs until June 1943"Trinidad"damaged by a torpedo in the Arctic on 3/29/1942, temporarily repaired in Murmansk, on the way to England damaged by a bomb on 5/15/1942 and scuttled by escort ships."Uganda"damaged by a gliding bombFX1400 13.9.1943, repair until October 1944 "Newfoundland"Italian submarine damaged by a torpedo"Ascianghi"July 23, 1943, repairs until November 1944.
" Gambia" And "Uganda"transferred in 1944 to New Zealand and Canada respectively, the latter renamed "Quebec".
Light cruisers of the "Improved" typeDido" - 5 units
"Spartan" VicArm 21.12.1939 27.8.1942 8.1943 Died 29.1.1944
"Royalist" Sk 21.3.1940 30.5.1942 9.1943 Excl.. V 1967
Bellona Ff 30.11.1939 29.9.1942 10.1943 Excl.. V 1959
"Black Prince" XB 1.12.1939 27.8.1942 11.1943Excl.. V 1962
" Diadem" HL 12/15/1939 8/26/1942 1/1944 Transferred to Pakistan in 1956
5950/7350 - 7420 T; 147.8/156.1x15.4x5.4 - 5.5m; 4 TZA, 4 PC, 62 000 l. With., 32 knot., 1100 tons of oil, 5100 (15 knot.) miles. Armor: side 76, deck 25 mm (above magazines 51 mm), crossbeams 25 mm, turrets 13 mm. Ek. 530 people 4x2 - 133 mm/50, 3 x 8 - 40 mm/40, 6 x 2 - 20 mm/70, 2 x 3 - 533 mm TA.
A slightly modified project of a "class" cruiserDido"with the number of 133 mm installations reduced to four and a third four-barrel 40 mm "pom-pom". It had vertical pipes and masts without tilt, as on the type "Dido".
" Royalist"immediately after entering service, it was converted into a headquarters ship. On"Black Prince"By 1944, 2 x 1 40-mm/56 Bofors were additionally installed; by the end of the war it had 8x1 Bofors and 24 Oerlikons. By this time, the other three units of the series had 20 - 22 Oerlikons each" .
" Spartan"sunk 29.1.1944 by Herm, gliding bomb Hs.293 at Anzio (Italy). "Diadem"damaged by a torpedo on August 12, 1944, repairs until the end of the war.
Light cruisers "Dido" - 11 units
1st group:
" Dido" Kml 10.1937 18.7.19399.1940 Excl. in 1957
" Bonaventure" Sk 30.8.1937 19.4.19395.1940 Died 31.3.1941
" Phoebe" Ff 9.1937 25.3.19399.1940 Excl. in 1956
" Hermione" Steph 10/6/1937 5/18/1939 3/1941 Died 7/16/1942
" Euryalus"Chat 8/21/1937 6/6/1939 6/1941 Excluded in 1959
" Naiad" HL 26.8.1937 3.2.1939 12.1941 Died 11.3.1942
" Cleopatra" HL 18.8.1938 27.3.1940 12.1941 Excl. in 1958
" Sirius" Port 21.8.1937 18.9.19405.1942 Excluded in 1956
" Argonaut" Kml 18.8.1938 6.9.1941 8.1942 Excl. in 1956
2nd group:
" Charybdis" Kml 9.11.1938 17.9.1940 12.1941 Died 23.10.1943
" Scylla" Sk 18.8.1938 24.7.19406.1942 Excl. in 1950
5600/6850 - 7170 (1st group) or 6975 (2nd group) t; 147.8/156.1x15.4x5.1 m; 4 TZA, 4 PCs, 62,000 hp, 32.25 knots, 1100 tons of oil, 5560 (15 knots) miles. Armor: side 76, deck 25 mm (above magazines 51 mm), crossbeams 25 mm, turrets 13 mm. Ek. 480 - 530 people Weapons:
1st group:
4 ("Dido", "Bonaventure" And "Phoebe") or5 ("Hermione", "Euryalus", "Naiad", "Cleopatra", "Sirius" And "Argonaut") x 2 - 133-MM/50, 1x1 - 102-MM/45 ( only "Dido", "Bonaventure" And "Phoebe"), 2x8 ( on "Cleopatra" additionally 2x1) - 40-MM/40.5 ( on "Sirius") or4 ("Argonaut") x 1 - 20-MM/70, 2x4 - 12.7-mm (no on "Cleopatra", "Sirius" And "Argonaut"), 2x3 - 533- mm TA.
2nd group:
4 x2 - 114 mm/45.1x1 - 102 mm/45 (only "Charybdis"), 2 x 8 (on "Charybdis" additional 2x1) - 40 mm/40.4 ("Charybdis") or 8 ("Scylla") x 1 - 20 mm/70.2x4 - 12.7 mm, 2x3 - 533 mm TA.
Ships of the "Dido"were intended for squadron service as an air defense cruiser to accompany new battleships of the type"King George V"and aircraft carriers of the type"Illustrious". The project was based on previously built cruisers of the "Arethusa"with a new armament of ten 133-mm guns in five universal installations (3 in the bow and 2 in the stern), unified with those on battleships of the "King George V", and two quadruple "pom-poms". Since the new cruisers were not intended for independent operations on transport communications (for cruisers of the "Arethusa", in addition to service with the squadron, this task was also set) the fuel supply, in comparison with the prototype, was slightly reduced and the on-board seaplane was abandoned.
The project turned out to be successful, and according to the programs of 1936, 1937 and 1938. 10 ships were laid down. Another 6 (5 of them according to a modified project) were laid down under the “Emergency” military program.
Since the production of twin 133-mm mounts lagged behind the construction of hulls, some cruisers entered service with the number of guns reduced to 8 ("Dido", " Bonaventure" And "Phoebe") or with 4 x 2 114 mm installations ("Charybdis" And "Scylla"). On the latter, the bow superstructure had increased dimensions due to the use of non-standard artillery - 114-mm installations required additional reloading space. The use of a heavy unitary 114-mm shot made the artillery service "Charybdis" And "Scylla"especially heavy.
In 1941 - 1942 With "Phoebe", " Dido", " Euryalus" And "Hermione"12.7 mm machine guns were removed; in 1942 from"Cleopatra", and in 1943 with "Charybdis" - single-barrel 40-mm "pom-poms", replaced by 5 - 11 "Oerlikons", later their number increased further. 102-mm guns were removed in 1941 from "Dido" And "Phoebe", and in 1943 - with "Charybdis". In 1941 on "Dido"The fifth standard 133 mm turret has been installed"Q", and with "Euryalus", " Cleopatra" And "Argonaut"This tower, on the contrary, was removed. In 1942 at"Phoebe", in 1944 to "Euryalus" And "Argonaut"a third four-barrel pom-pom has been added to "Phoebe" And "Cleopatra"in 1943 - 1944, quadruple "pom-poms" (3 and 2, respectively) were replaced by 3 x 4 40-mm/56 "Bofors". In 1944 - 1945, single-barrel "Bofors" appeared on "Sirius" And "Argonaut" - 4 and 7 respectively.
By the end of the war, the light anti-aircraft weapons on the six cruisers remaining in service totaled: "Phoebe" - 28 barrels (3x4 40 mm / 56 Bofors and 16 20 mm Oerlikons), "Dido" - 18 barrels (2x4 40 mm/40 "pom-pom" and 10 20 mm "Oerlikons"), "Euryalus" - 29 barrels (3x4 40 mm/40 "pom-pom" and 17 20-mm "Oerlikons"), "Sirius"- 19 barrels (2 x 4 40 mm/40 "pom-pom", 4 x 1 40 mm/56 "Bofors" and 7 20 mm "Oerlikons"), "Cleopatra" - 25 barrels (3x4 40 mm / 56 Bofors and 13 20 mm Oerlikons) and "Argonaut" - 35 barrels (3x4 40-mm/40 "pom-pom", 7x1 40-mm/bb "bo-fors" and 16 20-mm "erlikons"). By the end of the war, the total displacement reached 7210 - 7515 tons.
" Bonaventure"sunk by two torpedoes from an Italian submarine"Ambra"31.3.1941 southeast of the island of Crete."Argonaut"damaged by two torpedoes 14.2.1943, repairs - until December 1943"Naiad"sunk by a torpedo from a German submarineU-565 off the coast of Egypt 11.3.1942. "Hermione"sunk by a torpedo from a German submarineU-205 15.6.1942 southeast of the island. Crete. "Charybdis"sunk by two German mm torpedoes T-23 and T-27 in the English Channel on 10/23/1943."Scylla"heavily damaged when exploded by a bottom mine on June 23, 1944 and was not restored."Phoebe"damaged by an aircraft torpedo on August 27, 1941, repaired until April 1942, again damaged by a submarine torpedo on October 23, 1942, repaired until July 1943."Cleopatra"Italian submarine damaged by a torpedo"Dandolo"16.7.1943, repairs - until March 1945"Sirius"damaged by German aircraft (bombs) 10/7/1943, repairs - until February 1944"Dido"heavily damaged by German aircraft (bombs) on 5/29/1941, repairs by the end of the year.
Light cruisers "Belfast" (" Town" 3rd series) - 2 units
" Edinburgh" CX12/29/1936 31/3/1938 7/1939 Died 2/5/1942
" Belfast" XB12/10/1936 3/17/1938 8.1939 Museum ship
10,550/13,175 t; 176.5/187x19.3x6.5 m; 4 TZA, 4 PCs, 80,000 hp, 32.5 knots, 2250 tons of oil; 12,200 (12 knots) miles. Armor: side 114, deck 51 mm, traverses 63 mm, turrets and barbettes 102 - 51 mm, magazines 114 mm. Ek. 850 people 4x3 - 152 mm/50, 6x2 - 102 mm/45, 2x8 - 40 mm/40, 2x4 - 12.7 mm, 2x3 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 2 seaplanes.
Gloucester". At the early design stage, it was planned to arm these ships with 16 152-mm guns in four-gun turrets. While working on the installations, the designers encountered a number of intractable problems and therefore the ships began to be built with already proven three-gun turrets, but with reinforced armor and anti-aircraft weapons.
The armor belt was extended forward and aft to the end towers of the main battery (on its predecessors it did not even reach the internal towers), the armor deck became thicker. The number of 102-mm twin mounts was increased to six (the largest number on English cruisers), and instead of four-barrel ones, eight-barrel pom-poms were mounted. Otherwise, the new cruisers differed little from their earlier counterparts, although due to the transfer of the transverse catapult from the space between the chimneys forward (between the first chimney and the superstructure), they acquired a rather unique silhouette.
One of the disadvantages of these cruisers was the unfortunate location of the anti-aircraft artillery ammunition magazines, which were located too far from the installations themselves, so when at the end of the war one pair of ammunition was removed, this practically did not weaken the ship’s armament.
" Edinburgh"In the summer of 1941, I received 6 20-mm Oerlikon assault rifles.
On "Belfast"during repairs in 1940 - 1942, boules were installed, increasing its width to 20.2 m, and its total displacement to 14,900 tons. The speed decreased to approximately 30.5 knots. At the same time, the ship received, instead of 12.7 mm machine guns 14 20-mm "Oerlikons". By the middle of 1944, their number increased to 22. In 1944 - 1945, another repair took place, during which 2x2 102-mm chargers, aircraft weapons were removed and 4 x 4 and 4 x 1 were added 40-mm "pom-pom", the number of "Oerlikons" was reduced to 14. In August 1945, 2 more "Oerlikons" were removed and 5x1 40-mm/56 "Bofors" were added.
" Edinburgh"in the Arctic on April 30, 1942, damaged by two torpedoes from a German submarine U-456, 2.5.1942 in a battle with German destroyers, received a third torpedo hit, lost speed and was sunk by escort ships. "Belfast"heavily damaged by a magnetic mine on November 21, 1939, repairs took place until October 1942. Currently preserved as a museum ship in London.
Light cruiser types"Southampton" (" Town"1st series) and "Gloucester" (" Town" 2nd series) - 8 units
1st group:
" Southampton" JBr 21.11.193410.3.1936 3.1937 Died 11.1.1941
" Newcastle" VicArm 10/4/1934 1/23/1936 3/1937 Excl. in 1959
" Sheffield" VicArm 31.1.1935 23.7.1936 8.1937 Excl. in 1967
" Glasgow" Sk 16.4.1935 20.6.1936 9.1937 Excl. in 1958
" Birmingham"Dev 18.7.1935 1.9.1936 11.1937 Excluded in 1960
2nd group:
" Liverpool" Ff 17.2.1936 24.3.1937 11.1938 Excl. in 1958
"Manchester"HL 28.3.1936 12.4.1937 8.1938 Died 13.8.1942
"Gloucester" Dev 22.9.1936 19.10.19371.1939 Died 22.5.1941
9100/11 350 t (1st group) or 9400/11 650 t (2nd group); 170.1/180.3x18.8 (1st group) or 19.0 (2nd group)x6.2 - 6.3 m; 4 TZA, 4 PCs, 75,000 hp. (1st group), 82,500 hp (2nd group), 32 knots. (1st group), 32.3 knots. (2nd group), 2075 tons of oil; 12,100 (12 knots) miles. Armor: side 114, deck 37 mm, traverses 63 mm, towers and barbettes 25 mm (1st group) or 102 - 51 mm (2nd group), magazines 114 mm. Ek. 748 - 800 people 4 x 3 - 152 mm/50, 4x2 - 102 mm/45, 2x4 - 40 mm/40, 2 x 4 - 12.7 mm, 2 x 3 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 2 seaplanes.
Cruisers "type"Southampton"created as a response to Japanese"Mogami"with 15 155-mm guns. The starting point was the project of a cruiser of the "Phaeton", enlarged to accommodate three-gun turrets instead of two-gun ones. During the design, a transverse catapult appeared between the chimneys and 2 hangars on the sides of the first pipe. Anti-aircraft weapons were strengthened - initially it was planned to place twin 102 mm guns and four-barreled 40 mm pom-pom machine guns .
The new three-gun turrets had a greater degree of automation and theoretically provided a rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute (in reality, almost 2 times less).
The armor, compared to its predecessors, has been increased - both the length of the belt along the waterline and its thickness. At the same time, the symbolic 25-mm armor of the main battery towers became a clear dissonance. This drawback was eliminated on three ships of the 2nd group, which received turrets with 102 mm armor. The increase in displacement was 300 tons, with all the additional weight located above the waterline. To maintain stability, the width of the hull was increased, but the speed even increased due to the more powerful propulsion.
" Newcastle", " Glasgow" And "Birmingham"in 1940 they received two (the latter - one) installations for service U.P.; they were removed from the ships in 1941 -1942. On "Newcastle", " Sheffield", " Glasgow", " Birmingham", " Liverpool" And "Manchester"in 1941 - 1942, 12.7 mm machine guns were replaced with 20 mm Oerlikons, initially with 6 - 9, by 1943 - with 14 - 20. On "Manchester"In 1941, 1 x 1 40 mm/56 Bofors was installed. In 1944 -1945 on "Birmingham" And "Sheffield"additionally installed quad 40-mm/56 Bofors", and on "Liverpool" And "Glasgow" - quadruple and single-barrel 40 mm/40 "pom-pom". Aviation equipment removed from "Newcastle" in 1942, from "Birmingham" - in 1943, from "Sheffield" And "Liverpool" - in 1944, from "Glasgow" - in 1945 GK Tower "X"filmed in 1944 - 1945 from"Birmingham", " Sheffield", " Liverpool" And "Glasgow"The total displacement increased to 12,190 -12,330 tons.
By the end of the war, the light anti-aircraft weapons on the five remaining cruisers totaled: "Newcastle" - 29 barrels (2x4 40 mm / 40 "pom-pom" and 21 20 mm "Oerlikon"), "Sheffield" And "Birmingham" - 51 barrels each (2x4 40 mm/40 Pom-Pom, 4x4 40 mm/56 Bofors and 27 20 mm Oerlikons), "Glasgow" - 36 barrels (4 x 4 and 4 x 1 40 mm / 40 "pom-pom" and 16 20 mm "Oerlikons"), "Liverpool" - 47 barrels (6 x 4 and 4 x 1 40 mm/40 "pom-pom" and 19 20 mm "Oerlikons").
" Southampton"11.1.1941 damaged by two or three 250 kg bombs off Malta; finished off by escort ships."Glasgow"damaged by two aircraft torpedoes on December 3, 1940, temporarily repaired in January 1941; complete repairs from May to October 1942"Newcastle"damaged by a torpedo on June 15, 1942, under repair until March 1943"Birmingham"damaged 11/28/1943 by a torpedo, under repair - until January 1945"Sheffield"damaged by a mine on March 4, 1942, repaired for 4 months."Gloucester"sunk by four direct and three close-in bomb hits off Crete 5/22/1941."Manchester"7/23/1941 damaged by an aircraft torpedo, repairs until April 1942. 8/13/1942 damaged by a torpedo from an Italian TKA in the Central Mediterranean, sunk by escort ships."Liverpool"10/11/1940 damaged by an aircraft torpedo, repairs - until March 1942, 6/14/1942 damaged again by an aircraft torpedo, repairs - until August 1945.
Light cruisers "Arethusa" - 4 units
"Arethusa"Chat 25.1.1933 3.1934 5.1935 Excl.. V 1950
"Galatea"Sk 2.6.1933 9.8.1934 8.1935 Died 15.12.1941
" Penelope" XB30.5.1934 15.10.1935 11.1936 Died 18.2.1944
" Aurora"Port 7/23/1935 8/20/1936 11/1937 Sold to China in 1948
5220 ("Arethusa") or5270 ("Penelope", "Aurora"And"Galatea")/6665 ("Arethusa")or6715 ("Penelope", "Aurora"And"Galatea")T; 146.3/154.2x15.5x5.6 - 5m; 4 TZA, 4 PC, 64 000 l. With., 32,3 knot., 1300 tons of oil. Armor: side 70 mm (only opposite MO and KO), deck 25 mm, traverses 25 mm, turrets and barbettes 25 mm, magazines 76 mm. Ek. 500 people 3x2 - 152 mm/50, 4x2 ("Arethusa" - 4 x 1) - 102 mm/45, 2x4 - 12.7 mm, 2x3 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 1 seaplane (all except "Aurora").
A smaller version of the "class" cruisersLeander", but with an echelon arrangement of power plants (as on ships of the type "Phaeton"), three main battery turrets and slightly thinner armor. The smaller dimensions compared to its predecessor are explained by the fact that for squadron service, for which the new ships were mainly intended, "Leander" turned out to be too large. In order to more rationally manage the limit of 91,000 tons allocated by the London Conference (see KRL type "Leander"), it was decided to build instead of the next ships of the "Leander"several smaller cruisers. The tonnage saved in this way was supposed to be used for the last two ships (future type "Southampton"), from those permitted for construction in the period before 1936.
Already during construction, anti-aircraft weapons of cruisers of the "Arethusa"they decided to strengthen it by replacing single-barreled 102-mm guns with twin-barrel installations, but since their production was just beginning, the first two ships entered service with single-barreled 102-mm guns, and twin-barrel guns appeared already on"Penelope" And "Aurora"The latter was completed as a flagship for the destroyers of the Home Fleet and did not have a catapult; in its place was a superstructure for the headquarters."Galatea"during repairs in 1938 - 1939, it received twin 102-mm chargers instead of single-barreled ones.
In 1940 on "Aurora", and in 1941 to "Arethusa"one and two 20-barrel installations were installed U.P.respectively, on both ships they were filmed in the second half of 1941. In 1940 - 1941. on "Aurora", " Arethusa", " Galatea" And "Penelope" 2x4 40 mm "pom-pom" were installed and the catapult was dismantled (except "Aurora", which did not have a catapult initially). In 1941 with "Arethusa" And "Galatea", and in 1942 - with "Aurora" And "Penelope"12.7 mm machine guns were removed and from 4 to 8 20 mm Oerlikon machine guns were installed, by 1944 on "Aurora"their number has increased to 9, by"Arethusa" - until 11. On "Arethusa"at the beginning of 1942, the single-barrel 102-mm chargers were replaced with twin ones of the same caliber; by April 1944, both "pom-poms" were replaced by 2 x 4 40-mm/56 "Bofors".
At the end of the war, the full displacement"Aurora" And "Arethusa"was 7180 - 7400 tons.
" Galatea"sunk by three torpedoes from German submarinesU-557 near Alexandria, sank in 3 minutes. "Penelope"damaged by German aircraft (bombs) 10.4.1940, repairs - 2 months. Damaged by German aircraft again, by bombs in early April 1941, repairs - until the end of the year. Sunk by two German torpedoes. SubmarineU-410 at Anzio 18.2.1944. "Arethusa"damaged by German aircraft (bombs) 11/27/1941, repairs - 3 months. 11/18/1942 damaged by aircraft torpedo and out of service for more than a year. 24 and 25.6.1944 damaged by German aircraft (bombs), repairs - 6 months. "Aurora"12/19/1941 damaged by a nearby mine explosion, repairs - until July 1942. 10/20/1943 damaged by a 500-kg bomb, out of service for 5 months.
Light cruisers "Perth" - 3 units
"Perth"Port 26.6.1933 27.7.1934 7.1936 Died 1.3.1942
" Hobart"Dev 15.8.1933 9.10.1934 1.1936 Excluded in 1961
" Sydney" CX8.7.1933 22.9.1934 9.1935 Died 19.11.1941
6830 - 7105/9000 - 9275 t; 161.5/171.4x17.3x5.6 - 5.8 m; 4 TZA, 4 PK, 72,000 hp, 32.5 knots, 1765 - 1837 tons of oil; 7000 miles (14 knots). Armor: side 102 mm (only opposite MO and KO), deck 32 mm, traverses 37 mm, turrets and barbettes 25 mm, magazines up to 89 mm. Ek. 570 people 4x2 - 152 mm/50, 4x2 ("Sydney" - 4x1) - 102 mm/45, 3x4 - 12.7 mm, 2x4 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 1 seaplane.
The last three cruisers of the "class"Leander" were built according to a modified design. Their main difference from the prototype was the transition to an echelon arrangement of the power plant. Due to the slightly increased length of the armor belt covering the power plant, it was necessary to increase the width of the hull to maintain stability. Ordered for the English fleet as "Apollo", " Amphion" And "Phaeton". The first two were transferred to Australia in September 1938 and July 1939 and renamed "Hobart" And "Perth"respectively, and"Phaeton"entered service as an Australian"Sydney".
In 1938 - 1939 (immediately before handover to Australia) to "Perth" And "Hobart"Single 102mm mounts have been replaced with twins of the same caliber.
WITH "Perth"at the beginning of 1941, the catapult was dismantled and 1 x 4 40-mm pom-pom was installed; in the summer of the same year it was removed and the catapult was returned to its place.
At the end of 1942 with "Hobart"The catapult was removed and 2x4 40-mm "pom-pom" and 11 "Oerlikons" were installed. During the renovation of 1943 - 1945, 3 x 2 and 5x1 40-mm/56 "Bofors" were added, the number of "Oerlikons" was reduced to 4 .
" Sydney"11/19/1941 in the Indian Ocean in battle with a German raider"Kormoran"received heavy damage (a torpedo and many hits from 150-mm shells), exploded a few hours later and sank with the entire crew (the raider also died). "Perth"5/30/1941 damaged by bombs off Crete, repairs - 3 months. Sunk by Japanese KR and EM 1/3/1942 during the battle in the Sunda Strait (3 torpedoes and a large number of 200-mm shells). "Hobart"heavily damaged by a Japanese torpedo. Submarine 1-11 on July 20, 1943 off New Georgia Island (Pacific Ocean) and was out of action for 17 months.
Light cruisers "Leander" - 5 units
" Leander"Dev 8.9.1930 24.9.1931 3.1933 Excluded in 1949
" Achilles" Kml 11.7.1931 1.9.1932 10.1933 Transferred to India in 1948
" Neptune"Port 9/24/1931 1/31/1933 2/1934 Died 12/19/1941
" Orion"Dev 26.9.1931 24.11.1932 1.1934 Excluded in 1949
" Ajax"VicArm 7.2.1933 1.3.1934 6.1935 Excl. in 1949
6985 - 7270/8950 - 9200 T; 159.1/169x17 ("Leander" - 16.8)X5,8 - 6 m; 4 TZA, 6 PC, 72 000 l. With., 32,5 knot., 1680 - 1785 tons of oil; 10 300 miles (14 knot.). Armor: side 102 mm (only opposite MO and KO), deck 32 mm, traverses 37 mm, turrets and barbettes 25 mm, magazines up to 89 mm. Ek. 570 people 4x2 - 152 mm/50, 4x2 ("Achilles" - 4 x 1) - 102 mm/45, 3x4 - 12.7 mm, 2x4 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 1 seaplane.
The first English cruisers, built taking into account the results of the London Conference of 1930, according to which England had the right until 1936 to build several cruisers of category "B" (displacement - no more than 10,000 tons, caliber of main gun artillery - no higher than 155 mm ) with a total displacement of 91,000 tons.
It was planned to lay down 14 ships of 6500 tons each, designed on the basis of "Exeter"with similar protection, but with 8 152-mm guns and a less powerful propulsion unit. The latter, together with some redevelopment of the KO, made it possible to bring the chimneys of all PCs into a common chimney.
As on type "Kent", in the design of the new cruisers, the main emphasis was not on achieving high speed or armament, but on increasing seaworthiness and cruising range. Unlike cruisers with 203 mm artillery, they were not so strictly bound by contractual restrictions; as a result, their displacement is significantly (almost 1000 tons) exceeded what was planned. This forced the Admiralty to reduce the number of ships of the "Leander"up to 8 (including three "improved" ships of the "Amphion").
In 1936 - 1938 on all ships except "Achilles", single 102 mm guns were replaced with 4 twin guns.
" Neptune"in 1941 received 3x1 40 mm "pom-pom."Leander"In 1941, for a short time he carried 2x4 40-mm "pom-pom", in 1944 he received 2x4 40-mm/56 "Bofors."Ajax" And "Orion"in 1941 and 1942, respectively, they were armed with 2x4 40-mm "pom-poms", at the first in 1943 they were replaced by 2 x 4 40-mm/56 "Bofors". On "Achilles"In 1942, single 102-mm guns were removed, but 4 twin guns of the same caliber appeared on the ship only in 1944. At the same time, 2x4 40-mm "pom-pom" guns were installed. In 1945, 4x1 40-mm/ 56 Bofors.
Aviation equipment removed from "Ajax", " Orion" And "Leander" in 1941. On the last one, restored in the same year, finally removed in 1943, on "Achilles" - in 1944. In 1944 with "Leander" And "Achilles"dismantled the main battery tower"X".
The 12.7 mm machine guns were removed from all five ships in 1941 - 1942. and besides "Neptune", replaced by 20-mm "Oerlikons" - in 1942 there were from 5 to 7 of them, by 1944 - from 7 ("Orion") to 16 ("Achilles").
By the end of the war, the total displacement of the KRL type "Leander" ranged from 9460 to 9740 tons.
" Achilles" And "Leander"were part of the New Zealand fleet."Achilles" And "Ajax"12/13/1939 in battle with"Admiral Graf Spee"received damage, repair - 2 and 6 months, respectively."Achilles"Damaged by a Japanese bomb near Guadalcanal on January 5, 1943, out of service for almost a year and a half."Ajax"1/1/1943 damaged by a 500 kg bomb near Beaune (Mediterranean Sea), out of service for a year."Leander"On July 13, 1943, in the battle of Kolombang (Solomon Islands), it was damaged by a 610-mm Japanese torpedo and was under repair until the end of the war."Orion"damaged by German aircraft near Crete (2 bomb hits) 5/29/1941, out of service for 9 months."Neptune"died after being blown up by three or four Italian mines near Tripoli on 12/19/1941.
Light cruisers of type "E" - 2 units
" Emerald"Arm + Chat 9/23/1918 5/29/1920 1.1926 Excluded in 1948
" Enterprise" JBr + Dev 6/28/1918 12/23/19193.1926 Excluded in 1946
7550/9350 T("Emerald"), 7580/9500T("Enterprise"); 163.1/173.7x16.6x5.6m; 4 TZA, 8 PC, 80 000 l. With., 33 knot., 1746 tons of oil; 8000 miles (15 knot.). Armor: side 76 - 37mm, deck 25mm, gun shields for 152mm guns 25mm. Ek. 572 people 7 x 1 ("Emerald") or 1 x 2 and 5 x 1 ("Enterprise") - 152 mm/50, 3x1 - 102 mm/45, 2 x 1 - 40 mm/40, 4 x 4 - 12.7 mm (only "Emerald"), 4x4 - 533 mm TA; 1 catapult and 1 seaplane.
Laid down shortly before the end of the First World War, "Emerald" And "Enterprise"they almost fell under the post-war reduction, but after some hesitation the Admiralty decided to complete their construction - however, they entered service with a long delay. Even during the completion period"Enterprise"instead of two bow single 152-mm installations, it received an experimental two-gun turret - a prototype of the turret installations of cruiser types"Leander", " Perth" And "Arethusa".
In 1929, three-pipe TAs were replaced by four-pipe ones. In 1934 - 1936 a catapult was installed and the chimneys were extended by 1.5 m.
In March 1941 at "Enterprise"2 152 mm guns were removed and 1 x 4 40 mm pom-pom guns were installed. At the end of 1942, 4 20 mm Oerlikon guns were added. By the end of 1943, single-barrel pom-pom guns were removed from the ship, The previously removed 152-mm guns were returned to their places and a second four-barreled "pom-pom" was added. The number of "Oerlikons" increased to 12 (in 1944 - to 16). With "Emerald"during repairs in August 1942 - June 1943, one 152 mm gun, single-barrel pom-pom guns, 12.7 mm machine guns were removed and 2x4 40 mm pom-pom guns and 12 Oerlikons were added (to In 1944, their number increased to 18. On both cruisers in 1941 - 1942, 2 x 4 TAs were removed, and in 1944, catapults were removed.
Light cruisers "D" - 8 units
1st group:
" Danae" Arm 1.9.1916 26.1.1918 6.1919 Excluded in 1948
" Dauntless"Plm 3.1.1917 10.4.1918 12.1918 Excluded in 1946
" Dragon"Sk 24.1.1917 29.12.1917 8.1918 Scuttled 8.07.1944
2nd group:
" Delhi"Arm 10.29.1917 8.23.1918 6.1919 Excluded in 1948
" Dunedin"Arm + Dev 11/5/1917 11/19/1918 10/1919 Died 11/24/1941
" Durban"Sk + Dev 6/22/1918 5/29/1919 10/1921 Scuttled 06/9/1944
" Diomede"Vic + Port 3.6.1918 24.4.1919 10.1922 Excluded in 1946
" Despatch"Ff + Chat 8.7.1918 24.9.1919 6.1922 Excluded in 1946
4575/5719 - 6040 t; 135.6/143.7x14x4.9 (1st group) or 135.6/144x14.2x4.9 (2nd group) m; 4 TZA, 6 PCs, 40,000 hp, 29 knots, 1060 tons of oil, 5000 (15) miles. Armor: side 25 - 76 mm, deck 25 mm, wheelhouse 76 mm, shields of 152 mm guns 25 mm. Ek. 450 - 470 people 6x1 - 152 mm/50, 3 x 1 - 102 mm/45.2 x 1 - 40 mm/40 (on all except "Despatch" And "Dunedin", on which 2 x 4 - 12.7 mm), 4x3 - 533 mm TA.
Enlarged version of "class" cruisersCaledon", by lengthening the hull by 6 m, the bow superstructure was moved 2.4 m aft and a sixth 152-mm gun was placed on its lower tier, capable of firing above the main battery "A" gun. In addition, instead of two-tube TAs, three-tube ones were installed. Increased the upper weight required expanding the hull by about 0.8 m. The displacement increased by 430 tons. The first three ships (1st group) had a conventional smooth forecastle, the subsequent ones (2nd group) received the so-called “trawler” bow, which reduced flooding of the nasal extremity.
At the end of the 1920s. anti-aircraft weapons were strengthened - 2 76 mm guns were replaced by 3 102 mm guns (to "Diomede" And "Despatch", which entered service last, instead of 76-mm guns there were 102-mm guns from the very beginning). No other changes were made before the start of the war. By the end of the 1930s, they were considered obsolete and were scheduled for conversion into anti-aircraft defense ships similar to cruisers of the " C", but with 114-mm sparks. The war disrupted these plans.
" Danae"in October 1939 received an additional 2 x 1 40-mm "pom-pom". In 1942 - 1943 with "Danae", " Dragon" And "Durban"One 152-mm gun was removed. At the same time, the first two lost all single-barreled 102-mm guns and single-barrel pom-poms, replaced by one 102-mm twin gun and 2 x 4 40-mm pom-poms. In 1943 on "Dauntless"also, instead of onboard 102 mm guns, 2x4 40 mm pom-pom guns were mounted, and next year on "Diomede"The stern 102-mm gun was replaced by 1 x 4 40-mm "pom-pom". Since 1942, from 8 to 10 "Oerlikons" have appeared on cruisers, as a rule, instead of single-barreled 40-mm "pom-pom". 1942 TA removed from "Delhi", in 1943 - from "Danae", and in 1944 - with "Dauntless", " Despatch", " Diomede" And "Dragon".
The modernization of the ships was completely different from that of other ships."Delhi"in the USA in May 1941 - March 1942: instead of all the old weapons, 5x1 American 127-mm universal installations Mk.30, 2x4 40-mm "pom-pom" and 8 "Oerlikons" (later - 14) were deployed. By 1945 the total displacement reached 6400 tons.
" Despatch"in 1944, converted into an auxiliary ship: all 152-mm main battery and TA guns were removed, 16x1 40-mm Bofors were added.
" Danae"in October 1944 transferred to the Polish Navy and renamed "Conrad", returned in 1946"Dunedin"sunk on 11/24/1941 by a torpedo from a German submarineU-124 off the coast of Brazil. "Delhi"On 12/2/1945 the germanium was damaged by an exploding boat, temporarily repaired and put into reserve."Durban"11.2.1942 damaged by Japanese aircraft in Singapore, repaired in just over a year, scuttled as a fence for an artificial harbor in Arromanches (Normandy) 9.6.1944."Dragon"in 1943 transferred to the Polish Navy, in 1944 it was damaged by the midget submarine "Marder" during the landing in Normandy and scuttled as a fence for an artificial harbor in Arromanches on 8/7/1944.
Light cruisers type "C" - 13 units
1st group (type "Caledon"):
" Caledon" Kml 17.3.1916 25.11.1916 3.1917 Excluded in 1948
" Calypso"HL 7.2.1916 24.1.1917 1.1917 Died 12.6.1940
" Caradoc"Sk 21.2.1916 23.12.1916 6.1917 Excl. in 1946
2nd group (type "Ceres"):
" Cardiff"Ff 7.1916 12.4.1917 7.1917 Excluded in 1946
" Ceres"JBr 26.4.1916 24.3.1917 6.1917 Excluded in 1946
" Coventry" CX8.1916 6.7.1917 2.1918 Died 14.9.1942
" Curacoa"PMB 7.1916 5.5.1917 2.1918 Died 10/2/1942
" Curlew"Vic 8.1916 5.7.1917 12.1917 Died 26.5.1940
3rd group (type "Capetown"):
" Carlisle"Ff 10.1917 9.7.1918 11.1918 Excluded in 1946
" Colombo"Ff 8.12.1917 18.12.1918 7.1919 Excluded in 1948
" Calcutta"Vic 10.1917 9.7.1918 8.1919 Died 1.6.1941
" Cairo" Kml 11/28/1917 11/19/1918 9/1919 Died 8/12/1942
" Capetown"Kml 23.2.1918 18.6.1919 2.1922 Excluded in 1946
4180 - 4290/5150 - 5290 (unmodernized) or 5215 - 5403 (air defense cruisers) t; 129.5/137.2 (1st and 2nd groups) or 137.6 (3rd group)x13 (1st group) or 13.3 (2nd and 3rd groups)x4.5 - 4.7 m; 4 TZA, 6 PCs, 40,000 hp, 29.5 knots, 935 tons of oil, 5900 (10) miles. Armor: side 32 - 76 mm, deck 25 mm, main battery gun shields 25 mm (only on non-modernized ships). Ek. 400 - 437 people
Weapons:
"Caledon", "Calypso", "Caradoc", "Cardiff", "Ceres", "Colombo"And"Capetown": 5x1 - 152-mm/50, 2 x 1 - 76-mm, 2x1- 40-mm/40, 4x2 - 533-mm TA.
"Coventry"And"Curlew": 10x1 - 102-mm/45, 1x8 - 40-mm/40, 2x4 - 12.7-mm.
"Cairo", "Calcutta", "Curacoa" And"Carlisle": 4x2 - 102-mm/45.1 x 4 (on"Curacoa"additionally2 x 1) - 40-mm/40, 2x4 - 12.7-mm.
" Colombo" And "Caledon"after conversion to air defense ships: 3x2 - 102 mm/45, 2 x 2 - 40 mm/56, 6 x 2 (on "Colombo" additional 2x1) - 20 mm/70.
Direct descendants of the famous "class" cruisersArethusa"during the First World War. They differed from them in the transition from mixed weapons of 152-mm and 102-mm guns and power plants with turbines with direct transmission to a single caliber and power plants with TZA. Type "C" was divided into 3 groups. In the 1st included ships of the "Caledon", with the artillery arrangement usual for that time on the same level (except for two stern main battery guns). In the 2nd - ships of the "Ceres"on which, following cruisers of the "D"(and not vice versa!) the bow guns of the main battery were installed elevated one above the other. Moreover, this was done not so much to enhance the bow salvo, but to move the navigation bridge and fire control devices away from the stem, reducing their flooding (all ships of the "Arethusa" and "early C" suffered greatly from splashing at the bow end). Due to the increased "upper" weight on the ships of the 2nd group, the width of the hull was slightly increased. Despite the redevelopment undertaken, they turned out to be only slightly less wet "than their predecessors . On cruisers of the 3rd group (type "Capetown") it was necessary to change the shape of the bow end. The height of the stem was increased by 1.5 m, due to which the forecastle deck forward of the main gun "A" had a fairly steep rise.
Created for operations in the North Sea according to a project developed back in 1915, by the early 1930s. The "C" type cruisers had become obsolete, and in 1935 it was decided to convert them into air defense ships. In 1935 - 1936 on "Coventry" And "Curlew"all the old weapons were replaced with 10 single-gun 102-mm guns and 2 x 8 40-mm pom-poms. To maintain stability, about 100 tons of ballast had to be loaded onto the ships. In 1939, due to a shortage of pom-poms “To arm the newly built ships, one such installation was removed from both cruisers, replacing it with 2 x 4 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine guns.
The modernization was successful, and between 1936 and 1940 it was planned to re-equip the remaining 11 C-class ships in a similar manner. However, the program was postponed, and only in 1938 did work begin on "Cairo" And "Calcutta"Unlike the first two ships, they were equipped with not single, but twin 102-mm guns and only one four-barrel pom-pom. They entered service in May and July 1939, respectively. In the middle of the same year, work on "Curacoa" And "Carlisle"It was planned that they would be followed by the rest of the C-type ships, but the outbreak of war forced us to limit ourselves to completing work on this pair, which entered service in 1940.
The program for converting "C" type cruisers into air defense ships was returned only in 1942, when modernization was completed "Colombo" (from June 1942 to March 1943) and "Caledon"(from September 1942 to December 1943).
The composition of the weapons on them was significantly different from the others - the number of 102-mm installations was reduced to three, but short-range air defense systems were significantly strengthened. On "Caledon", belonging to the 1st group, the volume of work turned out to be significantly greater than for "Columbo", because to accommodate new weapons it was necessary to rebuild the bow superstructure according to the type of ships of the 2nd and 3rd groups.
After perestroika"Colombo" And "Caledon“The program was finally canceled - there was no point in spending money on outdated ships.
On cruisers that did not undergo modernization into air defense ships, changes in the composition of weapons during the war were kept to a minimum. On "Caradoc"in 1941 - 1942, the 40-mm "pom-poms" were replaced by 5 "Oerlikons". On "Cardiff" And "Ceres"In 1942, 6 Oerlikons were installed. On the last one, in 1944, the 76-mm guns and 40-mm pom-poms were removed, bringing the number of Oerlikons to 14. From the air defense ships to "Curlew" And "Coventry"In 1939 - 1940, two 102-mm guns were dismantled; on the last one, 5 20-mm Oerlikons were added in 1942."Carlisle"in 1941 it received an additional 2x1 40-mm "pom-pom", at the beginning of 1942 7 "Oerlikons" were installed, by the end of the year their number was increased to 10. In 1942 "Curacoa"and perhaps on"Cairo", 5 Oerlikons installed."Caledon"in 1944,a " Colombo"in 1945, they additionally received 6 and 4 single-barrel 40-mm Bofors, respectively, the number of Oerlikons increased to 13 ("Caledon") and 10 ("Colombo").
" Curlew"sunk by German aircraft (close bomb explosions) off the coast of Norway 5/26/1940."Calypso"sunk by a torpedo from an Italian submarine"Bagnolini"12.6.1940 near Tobruk."Calcutta"sunk by German aircraft northwest of Alexandria 1.6.1941."Cairo"sunk off Bizerta, Italian submarine"Axum" 12.8.1942. " Coventry"sunk by German aircraft 9/14/1942 off the coast of Egypt."Curacoa"damaged by bombs 4/24/1940, repaired until December 1940, sunk 10/2/1942 by VTR ramming attack"Queen Mary"(cut in half) in the Atlantic."Carlisle"heavily damaged by aircraft on 10/9/1943, was not restored and was used as a PB of escort forces in Alexandria."Capetown"8.4.1941 damaged by an Italian torpedo. TKAM.A.S.-213, repairs - until July 1942.
Light cruiser"Adelaide" - 1 unit
" Adelaide" Cook 1.1915 27.7.1918 8.1922 Excluded in 1949
About 4650/6160 t; 131.1/141.1x15.2x4.9 m; 4 TZA, 10 PK, 23,500 hp, 24.3 knots, 1420 tons of oil. Armor: side-76, deck 40 - 15 mm, deckhouse 102 mm. Ek. 470 people 8x1 - 152 mm/45. 3 x 1 - 102 mm/45.
The oldest cruiser (counting from the moment the project was approved and laid down) of the British Empire, which took part in the Second World War. Built in Australia for the fleet of this dominion according to the design of the cruiser of the English fleet"Birmingham", compiled in 1910 and outdated during the First World War, apparently due to the latter circumstance, completion was carried out very slowly.
In 1938 - 1939 underwent modernization, during which it was switched to oil heating, CO No. 1 with two PCs was eliminated, but the power of the power plant, due to some boosting of the ten remaining PCs, and the speed (from 25.5 to 23.4 knots) did not decrease so significantly. The number of chimneys has been reduced to three. One tank-mounted 152-mm/45 gun was dismantled, and the second was moved to the center plane. Also shot in 76mm zen. and underwater TA and mounted 3x1 102-mm/45 chargers.
In the first half of 1942, 6 20-mm Oerlikons were installed, the following year one 152-mm and 102-mm gun were removed, and 4 infantry fighting vehicles were added.
Cruisers - minelayers of the "type"Abdiel" - 6 units
1st group:
" Abdiel"U 29.3.1939 23.4.1940 4.1941 Died 10.9.1943
" Latona" Top4.4.1939 20.8.1940 5.1941 Died 25.10.1941
" Manxman"Steph 24.3.1939 5.9.1940 6.1941 Excluded in 1971
" Welshman"HL 8.6.1939 4.9.1940 8.1941 Died 1.2.1943
2nd group:
" Apollo"HL 10.10.1941 5.4.1943 2.1944 Excluded in 1962
" Ariadne"Steph 11/15/1941 2/16/1943 10/1943 Excluded in 1965
2650/3415 (1st group) or 3475 (2nd group) t; 122.1/127.4x12.2x4.5 m; 2 TZA, 4 PCs, 72,000 hp, 39.75 knots, 690 - 750 (1st group) or 825 (2nd group) tons of oil, 1000 (38) miles. Ek. 242 - 246 people
Weapons:
1st group: 3x2 - 102 mm/45.1 x4 -40 mm/40, 2x4 - 12.7 mm, 100 -156 min.
2nd group: 2x2 - 102 mm/45.2 ("Apollo") or 3 ("Ariadne") x 2 - 40 mm/56, 2 x 2 - 20 mm/70, 100 - 156 min.
Very successful ships, which became the fastest in the English fleet during the Second World War (at partial load their speed exceeded 41 knots). They were intended for laying active minefields, therefore, on them, as in the case of the "E" type KRL, everything was sacrificed for speed - a case, in general, not typical for England.
In the early stages of design, the ships were supposed to be armed with 120-mm non-universal guns, but this was later abandoned, considering that the record speed would serve them better protection against surface enemies. Instead of 120 mm guns, the project featured lighter 102 mm guns, which made it possible to slightly reduce the top weight.
Mine capacity "Abdiel" turned out to be clearly insufficient for its displacement, but this was the price to pay for high speed.
The first three ships were built according to the 1938 program, "Welshman" - according to the 1939 program, two more (2nd group), with slightly modified weapons and an increased fuel supply - according to the 1941 program.
Soon after entering service, the ships of the 1st group received an additional 4 Oerlikons, later their number was increased to 8, and the 12.7 mm machine guns were removed.
On the ships of the 2nd group, the number of "Oerlikons" reached 10 by the beginning of 1945 ("Ariadne") and 14 ("Apollo"). In the summer of the same year, all Oerlikons were replaced by 5 and 6 single-gun 40-mm Bofors, respectively.
Minzagi type "Abdiel"became famous during the war in the Mediterranean, not so much for mine laying, but for the delivery of supplies to besieged Tobruk and Malta - sometimes, except for them, only submarines could break through to the island. Here, the ships' high speed and their closed mine deck brought invaluable benefits , which could transport up to several hundred tons of cargo.
All losses occurred in the Mediterranean Sea: "Latona"On October 25, 1941, off the coast of Libya, it was hit by one medium-caliber bomb, the fire it caused led to the explosion of the ammunition being transported and the ship sank."Welshman"sunk by a torpedo from a German submarineU-617 1.2.1943 off the coast of Libya. "Abdiel"died on September 10, 1943 near Taranto, by a mine."Manxman" was damaged in 1941 by a torpedo and was out of action for more than 2 years.
Cruiser - minzag type "Adventure" - 1 unit
" Adventure"Dev 11/29/192218.6.1924 5.1927 Excluded in 1947
6740/8370 t; 152.4/164.3x18x5.2 m; 2 TZA, 6 PCs, 40,000 hp/4 diesel generators and electric. engine, 8000 hp, 28/17 knots, 1500 tons of oil, 4500 (15) miles. Armor: belt and deck 25 mm (only charger). Ek. 395 people 4x1 - 120mm/40, 1x8 - 40mm/40, 2x4 - 12.7mm, 280 min.
Built according to the 1922 program to replace the minzag "Princess Margaret". The first large ship built in England after the end of the First World War. Many innovations were introduced into the project - for example, an experimental power plant consisting of a two-shaft TZA (similar to those used on cruisers of types "C" and "D"), on the shafts of which there were 2 electric motors with a power of 4000 hp each. Electricity for them was generated by 4 diesel generators with a total power of 6600 kW. The combustion products from diesel engines were discharged into its own thin pipe, standing close to the second chimney. In 1941. The diesel-electric installation was removed (as was the thin pipe), and the room was adapted for other needs.
" Adventure"became the first English ship with a transom stern - it was assumed that this would increase the propulsive coefficient, but during tests it turned out that when laid, mines could be drawn to the transom due to the resulting low pressure zone. This forced the stern end to be rebuilt in 1932, giving it has more traditional “cruising” shapes, which increased the maximum length of the ship by almost 6 m.
Frame "Adventure"in plan it had the same shape as that of the cruisers of the type laid down a little later"Kent" - a trapezoid that turns into boules below the waterline. A short 25 mm belt covered only MO and KO.
In 1938, four single-barrel 40-mm installations were replaced by one eight-barrel one.
Approximately in 1942, 7 20-mm Oerlikons were added, and 12.7-mm machine guns were removed. As already mentioned, diesel generators were removed in 1941. In 1944, on the eve of the Normandy landings, the ship was converted into a floating workshop for the repair of landing craft. During the war, he was blown up by mines twice.
HMS London
Historical data
Total information
EU
real
doc
Booking
Armament
Main caliber artillery
- 4 × 2 - 203 mm/50 guns;
- 4 × 2 - 102 mm/45 guns.
Flak
- 2 × 8 - 40 mm/40;
- 4 × 4 - 12.7 mm machine guns.
Air group
- 1 catapult, 2 seaplane.
Same type ships
Devonshire, Sussex, Shropshire.
Prerequisites for creation.
The appearance of this type of ship was due to the “Washington” agreement of 1922, also called the Treaty of Five Powers. This treaty was signed by the United States, the British Empire, the French Republic, the Kingdom of Italy, the Empire of Japan ( Treaty Between the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy, and Japan, Signed at Washington, February 6, 1922), and provided for limiting the growing arms race.
Thus, agreements were reached to limit the tonnage and main caliber of ships. which were divided into 2 groups:
1st group:
Battleships and battlecruisers, standard displacement 36,000 tons. and main artillery caliber 16 inches (406 mm)
2nd group:
A- light surface ships (cruisers and destroyers);
B- submarines;
C- aircraft carrier ships (aircraft carriers and seaplane bases), 27000t and 8 inches (203 mm).
For cruisers, the maximum standard displacement is 10000 t And main artillery caliber 203 mm. It was from this moment that the path of the cruisers began, which received the common name “Washington”. The main task in their creation was to fill, to some extent, the gap left by the limitation of the tonnage of battleships. Thus, a whole series of fast, strong and well-armed ships were created, but at the same time they were lightly armored and quite expensive, which was also a significant drawback.
London Conference 1930
In the original version of the classification, there was no clear distinction between "heavy" or "easy" cruiser, this concept was introduced in 1930, after a naval conference held in London from January 21 to April 22. The main objective of the conference was to establish new limits on the tonnage of the fleets of the participating powers. It was also decided to divide the cruisers into classes:
- Class "A"- heavy cruisers, which included ships with main caliber artillery over 155 mm, while maintaining, however, the upper limit of 203 mm;
- Class "B"
Light cruisers are ships with guns of 155mm caliber and smaller.
History of creation.
The lead ship of the 2nd series County, received the name of the county of South-East England, as well as the capital of Great Britain and was the 11th ship bearing this name. It was laid down 17 months later (after the laying of the first ship of the Kent class), on February 23, 1926 at the state-owned Portsmouth Dockyard. According to the shipbuilding program of 1925-1926. Initially, the program provided for the construction of 5 ships of this series, but due to restrictions on the maritime budget, an order was placed for only 4 units of this series.
But the construction order was placed with a long delay. Since the Admiralty received new data on the shipbuilding programs of other participating powers, and in particular the technical characteristics (or expected characteristics) of the treaty ships being built there. From which it turned out that the ships of the “Kent” type had the lowest speed among the treaty ships. Therefore, at the order stage, the design of the ship was largely modernized.
Thus, two options for solving the problem that arose were considered. In the first case, it was proposed to abandon the Boolean extensions, thereby achieving a narrowing of the hull without changing the main engines, resulting in an increase in speed of 0.75 knots. In addition, it was planned to abandon the reservation of universal-caliber artillery, the resulting “saving” of weight would be used to strengthen the protection of the radio center, the premises of the main generators, the ship’s communications system and the reserve control post.
The second option was more radical. Thus, it was proposed to replace the propulsion system, revise the armor and armament of the cruiser. Increase in machine power from 80,000 to 110,000 hp. was achieved by eliminating the already modest reservation of the MKO areas and the steering compartment, the magazines of universal and small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, as well as the abandonment of torpedo and aircraft weapons.
But the Admiralty did not agree to completely “undress” the ships, so the first option was accepted with some reservations. The main battery ammunition capacity was reduced from 150 to 100 shells per barrel. The radio station and main generators were moved to the armored cellars of small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, the latter were transferred to the cellars of 102-mm shells (40-mm shells of pom-pom machine guns) and to unarmored rooms (cartridges for 7.62 mm machine guns). The final design was developed by the Admiralty's Chief of Shipbuilding, Sir William J. Berry. Submitted for consideration in the summer 1925 modified project was approved on July 25 and in the same year, an order for cruisers of a new series took place, named after the lead ship - "London".
Armament
Main caliber
The main battery artillery consisted of eight 203 mm Vickers Mk VIII guns of the 1923 model, housed in four hydraulically driven two-gun Mk I turrets. The turrets were located fore and aft in positions “A” and “B” and “X” and “Y”. And they had an elevation angle of up to 70°. This made it possible to conduct anti-aircraft fire from the main caliber. The weight of the side salvo was 940 kg, with a rate of fire of 4 rounds per minute.
Flak
Main anti-aircraft artillery platform with four 102 mm Mk V Vickers guns on Mk III mounts. With 200 rounds of ammunition per gun.
- main artillery 3.66-meter MkII rangefinder installed in the conning tower;
- 2.44-meter artillery rangefinder (Fig. 5) in the aft deckhouse;
- 3.66-meter anti-aircraft artillery rangefinder on the roof of the aft deckhouse;
- two 3.66-meter rangefinders on the wings of the bridge.
- The rangefinder on the roof of the aft deckhouse was soon replaced by a 3.66 meter MkI rangefinder
Modernization plans
Since the construction of the cruiser type County, were constantly criticized for their weak armor, imperfect air defense systems, and relative slowness. All this prompted the Admiralty to begin intensive work to modernize this class of ships. So, as a result of these works in 1935-38, the Kent-class cruisers were modernized. And in 1936, the whole range of issues related to the modernization of “Londons” was considered. The development of documentation and specifications was entrusted to the head of the Shipbuilding Department Sir Arthur William Jones
Provided the following requirements for modernization:
- - modernization of power plants;
- - strengthening of the hull structure;
- - reconstruction of the bow superstructure from a tiered one to a tower-like one;
- - reconstruction of the protection system and especially on-board reservations;
- - strengthening anti-aircraft artillery and aviation weapons by equipping ships with more modern equipment.
- Design work continued for 2 years, as a result of which 3 options were presented for consideration:
- - replacement of the entire power plant;
- - partial internal reconstruction of the MKO - it was proposed to swap the second boiler room and the first engine room, which, among other benefits, increased the survivability of the ships' power plants and made it possible to reduce the number of chimneys to two;
- - preservation of the old power plant with strengthening of its passive protection.
As a result of the discussion, the final version of the modernization of the ships was adopted. The final version of the side protection is a 76-mm armor belt with a length of 76 m and a height of 5.5 m, reconstruction of the bow superstructure of the light cruisers built at that time Fiji type. As well as replacing air defense systems and naval aviation.
The modernization plan of 1938 assumed the following order of work, on a specially selected Chatham Dockyard:
London - December 1938 - January 1940; But in fact, modernization heavy cruiser London began only in March 1939. And the beginning of the 2nd World War extended the work for another year and a half. As a result, only the heavy cruiser London underwent full modernization.
Modernization
Booking
Installation of an 89 mm (3.5 in) armored belt of uncemented steel, extending 2/5 the length of the ship and descending 2.44 m below the waterline. Starting in the bow at the level of the anti-aircraft directors and ending immediately behind the aft artillery director, it covered the MKO area.
Power plant (PP)
Partial replacement of the main power plant (PP), which made it possible to install much more efficient boilers and update some turbogenerators. The reduction in fuel supply to 2800 tons entailed a decrease in the cruising range, which was now only 8000 nm. at 12 knots speed. After the reconstruction of the chimneys, London acquired 2 straight pipes of different heights, installed in place of the previous end chimneys.
Appearance
The “architecture” of all superstructures on the main deck, between towers “B” and “X”, has been completely changed. Of which the tower-like bow superstructure with adjacent aircraft hangars should be noted. It was similar to similar designs of light cruisers of the Fiji type, but was still different in appearance (in size, design and arrangement of platforms and levels).
Flak.
Anti-aircraft artillery was updated, instead of single-barreled 102 mm MkV guns, replaced by 4 x MkXVI/MkXIX twin mounts, which were placed side by side in pairs, on the shelter deck above the torpedo tubes.
On the roofs of the hangars near the 1st pipe, 2 were mounted 8-barrel pom-pom MkVIII/MkVI.
On the elevated towers of the Civil Code “B” and “X” 2 were installed 12.7 mm quad Vickers Mk III/Mk I.
Artillery fire control system (AFCS)
Installation on the upper platform of the bow superstructure, a new chief gunnery director, and on its wings - 2 Mk II anti-aircraft directors.
Radar
At the time of modernization, a Type 279 airborne detection radar, a Type 284 main artillery fire control radar and a Type 285 anti-aircraft radar were installed.
Service history
After launching, completing and carrying out all necessary acceptance tests, the ship entered service on January 31, 1929. Having received tactical number 69, was enlisted in the 1st Cruiser Squadron, which was part of the British Mediterranean Fleet, and then departed for duty.
1931- Marine landing in the capital of the island. Madeira, Funchal.
1935- participated in a “demonstrative show of force” of the Royal Navy off the coast of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), in connection with the Italian attack on Abyssinia.
1936- alternating patrols off the coast of Barcelona, in connection with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
1936- sending to the shipyard for repairs
Participation in the grand fleet parade in Spithead on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V. - receiving assignment to the 1st Squadron and arrived in the Mediterranean Sea, where (now with Sussex), he patrolled the coast of Spain
March 1939- sending to the shipyard for modernization
February 22, 1941- enrollment in the 22nd squadron of cruisers from the Home Fleet. As part of which he was engaged in patrolling convoys.
26 May 1941- at the latitude of the Azores, he was recalled from the escort of convoy SL.75, en route Sierra Leone - England. To participate in the search operation for the German battleship Bismarck, which sank a battle cruiser 2 days earlier Hood.
4 and 5 June 1941- heavy cruiser "London" paired with destroyer "Brilliant", sank 2 German tankers tankers Esso Hamburg (9849 t) And Egerland (9798 t), and after 2 weeks, 21st of June flooded blockade runner Babitonga (4422 t).
September 27, 1941- personal representatives of President F. Roosevelt A. Harriman and G. Sturdy and the representative of the British government, Minister of Supply Lord W. Beaverbrook, arrived in Arkhangelsk on board the cruiser “London”.
28.09. - 2.10.1941 - convoy QP1, consisting of 7 allied and 8 Soviet ships
From 10/30/1941 to 01/25/1942- undergone repairs, shipyard on the river. Tyne
April 26, 1941- escort of convoy PQ15. It consisted of 26 transports and a reinforced escort, which, in addition to 6 destroyers, 4 minesweepers and 4 armed trawlers, included the air defense ship Ulster Queen and, for the first time, the air ejection merchant ship Empire Morn, equipped with a catapult and expendable fighters.
June 30, 1942- escort of convoy PQ17, as the flagship of the cruiser group of Rear Admiral L. G. K. Hamilton.
September 1942- escort of the P018 caravan as part of the cruising group of Vice Admiral S.S. Bonham-Carter (heavy cruisers Suffolk, London and the flagship Norfolk).
November 1942- carrying out, together with Suffolk and 3 (5) destroyers, close cover for the return convoy QP15 December 21 to May 17, 1943- put into reserve and sent for scheduled repairs at the r. shipyard. Tyne
In the second half of 1943 Together with the heavy cruisers Kent and Norfolk and the light Belfast, he made several patrol trips to the North and Norwegian Seas, operating from Gvalfiord and Scapa Flow.
In November, London arrived in the Mediterranean to deliver the British military delegation from Alexandria to England, which took part in the conference that ended on December 1 in Tehran.
After the repairs were completed, he was assigned to the 4th Cruiser Squadron and sent the ship to the Eastern Fleet, which operated in the Indian Ocean.
April 16, 1944 Operation Cockpit - the goal of which was the destruction of the Japanese naval base at Sabang, on the northeast coast of Sumatra, which protected the entrance to the Strait of Malacca.
October 17-18, 1944- The heavy cruiser London, together with the County 1st series Cumberland and Suffolk and 3 destroyers, formed battle group TG.63.2, which bombarded Nicobar.
April 8, 1945- London, as part of the TF.63 formation of Vice Admiral G. T. K. Walker, left Trincomalee and headed for the northern coast of Sumatra
April 27, 1945- scheduled repairs at the South African shipyard in Simonstad, which lasted 2 months.
July 2, 1945- the heavy cruiser London became part of the British Pacific Fleet
Since early 1946- the heavy cruiser London was transporting demobilized troops.
The Last Stand, "Yangtze Incident"
With the consent of the Nationalist government, bring its ships into the Yangtze, which were the only instrument capable of ensuring the security of the British diplomatic mission in Nanjing, the then capital of China, in the conditions of the civil war.
However, correctly assessing the capabilities of the Chiang Kai-shek government and taking into account the possible need for an immediate evacuation of their embassy, the British decided to strengthen its security with an ocean-going combat ship by sending the destroyer Consort into the Yangtze.
The situation changed dramatically on April 9, 1949, due to the advance of the “Red Chinese”. On April 20, the frigate Amethyst, which was replacing the destroyer Consort, 260 km above the mouth, was fired upon by a battery of field artillery of the “reds”.
The frigate, which ran aground, received more than 50 hits from 37-105 mm shells in a short time, resulting in the death of 19 crew members, including the ship’s commander. A radio message for assistance was received by the local and regional RN command in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
The frigate Black Swan was sent up the river, and the destroyer Consort in Nanjing and the heavy cruiser London were also ordered to go to the rescue. The general management of the operation was carried out by Admiral Madden, who was on board the heavy cruiser.
The heavy cruiser London led the way, followed two miles behind by the Black Swan. 40 miles upstream, the ships fell into a well-camouflaged ambush and were fired upon by field batteries.
Unable to maneuver in the narrow channel of the river to bring in all of his artillery, he received significant damage. During the 3 hours of battle, the cruiser received more than 20 hits, both bow and one stern main gun turrets were disabled, turret “B” was destroyed, the bow superstructure and the anti-aircraft fire control point were damaged, 13 people were killed and 30 were wounded.
Sources
- Patyanin S.B. Dashyan A.V. Balakin K.S. - All cruisers of the Second World War. Unique encyclopedia 2012
