County class heavy cruiser

A County-class heavy cruiser, specifically the HMS Thunderchild in happier days.

The County-class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy in the years between the First and Second World Wars. They were the first post-war cruiser construction for the Royal Navy and were designed within the limits of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Such ships, with a limit of 10,000 tons standard displacement and 8-inch caliber main guns may be referred to as "treaty cruisers" (the term "heavy cruiser" was not defined until the London Naval Treaty of 1930).

The fourteen County-class ships were built in three distinct sub-classes: the Kent, London and Norfolk-classes. They were the only 10,000-ton 8-inch gun, or "A", cruisers that the Royal Navy built. The Counties are remembered for their distinctive three-funnel layout and service in all the major naval theatres of World War II. Two ships were also built for the Royal Australian Navy in the mid-to-late 1920s.

Specifications

Kent Subclass

• Type: Heavy Cruiser
• Service Period: 1928-1959
• Characteristics
  • Length: 630 feet (192.02 meters)
  • Beam: 68 feet (20.73 meters)
  • Draught: Standard: 17.25 feet (5.26 meters); Full Load: 21.5 feet (6.55 meters)
  • Displacement: 10,400 tons (Standard); 14,150 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 685 (Standard); 710 (Flagship); 784 (Wartime)
• Propulsion: 8 × Admiralty three-drum boilers, Parsons (Brown-Curtis in Berwick) geared steam turbines on 4 shafts, 80,000 shp
• Range:
  • 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 kilometers) at 10 knots (18.52 km/h)
  • 2,300 nautical miles (4,260 km/h) at 30 knots (55.56 km/h)
• Speed: 31.5 knots (58.34 km/h)
• Armament
  • 8 x BL 8 inch (203.2 mm) L/50 Mk.VIII guns in twin mounts Mk.I*
  • 4-8 x QF 4 inches (101.6 mm) L/45 Mk.V guns in single mounts HA Mk.III
  • 4 x QF 2 pdr (40 mm) L/39 Mk.II guns in single mounts HA Mk.I
  • 8 x 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) L/50 Mk.III machine guns in quad mounts Mk.I
  • 8 x 21 inch (533.4 mm) torpedoes in quad mounts
• Armour Scheme:
  • Main Belt: 4.5-inch (114.3 mm) with 1-inch (25.4 mm) closing bulkheads
  • Lower Decks: 1.25-inch (31.75 mm) over machinery, 1.5-inch (38.1 mm) over steering gear
  • Main Box Citadels: 1 - 4-inch (25.4 - 101.6 mm) sides, 1 - 2.5-inch (25.4 to 63.5 mm) crowns
  • Turrets: 1-inch (25.4 mm) faces, sides, rears, crowns & barbettes

London Subclass

• Type: Heavy Cruiser
• Service Period: 1928-1959
• Characteristics
  • Length: 632 feet 9 inches (192.86 meters)
  • Beam: 66 feet (20.12 meters)
  • Draught: 17 feet (5.18 m) standard; 21 feet 6 inches (6.55 m)
  • Displacement: 10,400 tons (Standard), 13,775 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 700 standard, 852 wartime
• Propulsion: 8 × Admiralty three-drum boilers, Parsons (Brown-Curtis in Berwick) geared steam turbines on 4 shafts, 80,000 shp
• Range:
  • 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 kilometers) at 10 knots (18.52 km/h)
  • 2,300 nautical miles (4,260 kilometers) at 30 knots (55.56 km/h)
• Speed: 32.25 knots (59.73 km/h)
• Armament:
  • 8 x BL 8 inch (203 mm) L/50 Mk.VIII guns in twin mounts Mk.I*
  • 8 x QF 4 inch (102 mm) L/45 Mk.V guns in single mounts HA Mk.III
  • 4 x QF 2 pdr (40 mm) L/39 Mk.II guns in single mounts HA Mk.I
  • 8 x 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) L/50 Mk.III machine guns in quad mounts Mk.I
  • 8 x 21 inch (533 mm) torpedoes in quad mounts
• Armour Scheme:
  • Main Belt: 3.5-inch (89.9 mm) with 1-inch (25.4 mm) closing bulkheads
  • Lower Decks: 1.25-inch (31.75 mm) over machinery, 1.5-inch (38.1 mm) over steering gear
  • Main Box Citadels: 1 - 4-inch (25.4 - 101.6 mm) sides, 1 - 2.5-inch (25.4 to 63.5 mm) crowns
  • Turrets: 1-inch (25.4 mm) faces, sides, rears, crowns & barbettes

Norfolk Subclass

• Type: Heavy Cruiser
• Service Period: 1928-1959
• Characteristics
  • Length: 632 feet 9 inches (192.86 meters)
  • Beam: 66 feet (20.12 meters)
  • Draught: Standard: 18 feet (5.49 meters); Full Load: 21 feet 6 inches (6.55 meters)
  • Displacement: 10,400 tons (Standard); 13,775 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 710 (Standard); 819 (Wartime)
• Propulsion: 8 × Admiralty three-drum boilers, Parsons (Brown-Curtis in Berwick) geared steam turbines on 4 shafts, 80,000 shp
• Range:
  • 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 kilometers) at 10 knots (18.52 km/h)
  • 2,300 nautical miles (4,260 km/h) at 30 knots (55.56 km/h)
• Speed: 32.25 knots (59.73 km/h)
• Armament
  • 8 x BL 8"/50-caliber Mk.VIII guns in twin mounts Mk.II
  • 8 x QF 4"/45-caliber Mk.XVI guns in twin mounts HA/LA Mk.XIX (from 1937-)
  • 16 x QF 2 pdr (40 mm L/39) Mk.VIII guns in oct mounts HA Mk.VIII
  • 4 x QF 2 pdr (40 mm) L/39 Mk.II guns in single mounts HA Mk.I
  • 8 x 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) L/50 Mk.III machine guns in quad mounts Mk.I
  • 8 x 21 inch (533 mm) torpedoes in quad mounts
• Armour Scheme:
  • Main Belt: 3.5-inch (89.9 mm) with 1-inch (25.4 mm) closing bulkheads
  • Lower Decks: 1.25-inch (31.75 mm) over machinery, 1.5-inch (38.1 mm) over steering gear
  • Main Box Citadels: 1 - 4-inch (25.4 - 101.6 mm) sides, 1 - 2.5-inch (25.4 to 63.5 mm) crowns
  • Turrets: 1-inch (25.4 mm) faces, sides, rears, crowns & barbettes

Unit Run

Royal Navy

Kent subclass

• HMS Kent (C54)
• HMS Suffolk (C55)
• HMS Cornwall (C56)
• HMS Cumberland (C57)
• HMS Berwick (C65)

London subclass

• HMS London (C69)
• HMS Devonshire (C39)
• HMS Sussex (C96)
• HMS Shropshire (C73)

Norfolk subclass

• HMS Norfolk (C78)
• HMS Dorsetshire (C40)
• HMS Thunderchild (C60)

Royal Australian Navy

• HMAS Australia (I84)
• HMAS Canberra (I85)

See Also

Related Developments

• York-class heavy cruiser
• Surrey-class heavy cruiser
• Canarias-class heavy cruiser

Comparable Vesses

• Myoko-class
• / Northampton-class
• Suffren-class heavy cruiser
• Trento-class heavy cruiser