Arethusa-class cruiser (1913)

Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship class overviewTemplate:Infobox ship characteristics

The Arethusa-class cruisers were a class of eight oil-fired light cruisers of the Royal Navy all ordered in September 1912, primarily for service in the North Sea. They had three funnels with the middle one somewhat larger in diameter than the others. All served in the First World War. They were found to be very cramped internally.

Design and description

The earlier scout cruisers were too slow to accomplish their intended duties of working with destroyer flotillas and defending the fleet against attacks by enemy destroyers. The primary emphasis of the Arethusa-class cruisers was a design speed of Template:Convert, to allow them to lead destroyers in combat. In support of this goal, they were the first cruisers to use destroyer-type high-speed steam turbines and oil-fired boilers were chosen to save weight and increase their power to meet the specification. They retained the side protection introduced in the later ships of the previous Template:Sclass2, but reverted to a mixed main armament that was a feature of the earlier ships of that class.<ref>Pearsall, Part I, pp. 204–206</ref>

The ships were Template:Convert long overall, with a beam of Template:Convert and a deep draught of Template:Convert. Displacement was Template:Convert at normal<ref name=f3>Friedman 2010, p. 384</ref> and Template:Convert at full load. The Arethusa class were powered by four direct-drive steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, which produced a total of Template:Convert and gave a speed of about Template:Convert.<ref name=gg8>Preston, p. 55</ref> The six ships that used Parsons turbines were equipped with cruising turbines on the outer shafts, but the two ships that used Brown-Curtis turbines were not so fitted. The turbines used steam generated by eight Yarrow boilers at a working pressure of Template:Convert.<ref>Pearsall, Part I, p. 206</ref> They carried Template:Convert tons of fuel oil<ref name=f3/> that gave the ships with cruising turbines a range of Template:Convert and Template:Convert for those without, both at Template:Convert.<ref>Pearsall, Part I, p. 210</ref>

The main armament of the Arethusa-class ships was two BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk XII guns that were mounted on the centreline fore and aft of the superstructure and six QF 4-inch Mk V guns in waist mountings. They were also fitted with a single [[Ordnance QF 3 pounder Vickers|QF 3-pounder Template:Convert]] anti-aircraft gun and four [[British 21-inch torpedo|Template:Convert]] torpedo tubes in two twin mounts.<ref name=gg8/>

Ships

• Template:HMS, built by Chatham Dockyard, laid down 28 October 1912, launched 25 October 1913, and completed August 1914. She was sunk by mine off Felixstowe on 11 February 1916.
• Template:HMS, built by Devonport Dockyard, laid down 24 October 1912, launched 30 September 1913, and completed September 1914. She took part in the sinking of the German raider Template:SMS on 9 August 1915, was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in November 1920, and for sold for breaking up in August 1927.
• Template:HMS, built by William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir, laid down 9 January 1913, launched 14 May 1914, and completed December 1914. She also took part in the sinking of the German raider Meteor on 9 August 1915, and was sold for breaking up 25 October 1921.
• Template:HMS, built by William Beardmore and Company, laid down 3 April 1913, launched 6 July 1914, and completed January 1915. She was sold for breaking up 9 June 1922.

File:HMS Royalist forward 6-inch gun NAC PA-006533.jpg

View from the bow of Royalist

• Template:HMS, built by Vickers Limited, Barrow in Furness, laid down 1 February 1913, launched 25 August 1914, and completed December 1914. She was damaged by a torpedo from the German submarine UB-29 on 25 April 1916, but repaired, and was sold for breaking up in October 1924.
• Template:HMS, built by Vickers Limited, laid down 12 March 1913, launched 21 October 1914, and completed February 1915. She fought at the Dardanelles in 1915, and was sold for breaking up 16 January 1923.
• Template:HMS, built by William Beardmore and Company, laid down 3 June 1913, launched 14 January 1915, and completed March 1915. She was sold for breaking up 24 August 1922.
• Template:HMS, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, laid down 21 December 1912, launched 28 April 1914, and completed August 1914. She took part in the Battle off Texel on 17 October 1914, and was sold for breaking up 9 April 1923.

Galatea, Inconstant, Phaeton and Royalist fought in the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916.

Bibliography

• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite book
• {{#invoke:template wrapper|{{#if:|list|wrap}}|_template=cite book

|_exclude=case, year, _debug
| last1 = Colledge
| first1 = J. J. 
| author-link1= J. J. Colledge
| last2 = Warlow
| first2 = Ben
| date = 2006
| orig-date = 1969
| title = Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present
| edition = Rev.
| location = London
| publisher = Chatham Publishing
| isbn = 978-1-86176-281-8
| OCLC = 67375475

}}

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite book

External links

• WWI British light cruisers