Town class light cruiser

HMS Liverpool (C11) at sea on February 28th 1942.

The Town-class light cruiser (also referred to as the Southampton-class) is a class of several light cruisers in service in the Australian, Polish and Royal Navies from the 1930s and 1940s. The Town-class cruiser were designed to the constraints imposed by the London Naval Treaty of 1930. The ships were built in three distinct sub-classes, the Southampton, Gloucester and Edinburgh classes respectively, each sub-class adding on further weaponry.

The Town-class cruisers were also the first British cruisers to not be armed with torpedo tubes despite the Admiralty wanting to keep them due to their utility.

Before the war, Australia would build six of the Edinburgh-subclass for the RAN. Two Town-class cruisers were also built in the 1940s for the Polish Navy in exile.

Specifications

Southampton-subclass

• Type: Light Cruiser
• Service Period: 1937-1959
• Characteristics:
  • Length: 591 feet 7.2 inches (180.32 meters)
  • Beam: 62 feet 3.6 inches (18.99 meters)
  • Draught: 20 feet 7.2 inches (6.28 meters)
  • Displacement: 9,100 tons (Standard); 11,350 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 748
• Propulsion: 4 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 x Parsons shaft geared turbines, 75,000 shp
• Range: 5,300 nautical miles (9,816 kilometers) at 13 knots (24.08 km/h)
• Speed: 32 knots (59.26 km/h)
• Armament:
  • 12 x BL 6"/50-caliber Mk.XXIII naval guns
  • 8 x QF 4"/45-caliber Mk.XVI dual purpose naval guns
  • 32 x QF 2pdr Mk.VIII anti-aircraft guns - replaced by Bofors 40mm/60-caliber anti-aircraft guns
• Armour:
  • Main belt: 4.5 inches (114 mm)
  • Main turrets: 4 inches (102 mm)
  • Decks over magazines: 3 inches (76 mm)
  • Decks over machinery: 2 inches (51 mm)
  • Bulkheads: 2.5 inches (63.5 mm)
• Aircraft Carried: 2 x Supermarine Walrus flying boats
• Aviation Facilities: 1 x catapult

Gloucester-subclass

• Type: Light Cruiser
• Service Period: 1937-1959
• Characteristics:
  • Length: 591 feet 7.2 inches (180.32 meters)
  • Beam: 64 feet 10.inches (19.76 meters)
  • Draught: 20 feet 7.2 inches (6.28 meters)
  • Displacement: 9,400 tons (Full Load); 11,930 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 800
• Propulsion: 4 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 x Parsons shaft geared turbines, 82,500 shp
• Range: 5,300 nautical miles (9,816 kilometers) at 13 knots (24.08 km/h)
• Speed: 32.25 knots (59.73 km/h)
• Armament:
  • 12 x BL 6"/50-caliber Mk.XXIII naval guns
  • 8 x QF 4"/45-caliber Mk.XVI dual purpose naval guns
  • 32 x QF 2pdr Mk.VIII anti-aircraft guns - replaced by Bofors 40mm/60-caliber anti-aircraft guns
• Armour:
  • Main belt: 4.5 inches (114 mm)
  • Main turrets: 4 inches (102 mm)
  • Decks over magazines: 3 inches (76 mm)
  • Decks over machinery: 2 inches (51 mm)
  • Bulkheads: 2.5 inches (63.5 mm)
• Aircraft Carried: 2 x Supermarine Walrus flying boats
• Aviation Facilities: 1 x catapult

Edinburgh-subclass

• Type: Light Cruiser
• Service Period: 1937-1959
• Characteristics:
  • Length: 613 feet 7.2 inches (187.03 meters)
  • Beam: 64 feet 10.8 inches (19.78 meters)
  • Draught: 22 feet 7.2 inches (6.89 meters)
  • Displacement: 10,420 tons (Standard); 13,175 tons (Standard)
• Crew: 831
• Propulsion: 4 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 x Parsons shaft geared turbines, 82,500 shp
• Range: 8,664 nautical miles (16,046 kilometers) at 13 knots (24.08 km/h)
• Speed: 32.25 knots (59.73 km/h)
• Armament:
  • 12 x BL 6"/50-caliber Mk.XXIII naval guns
  • 12 x QF 4"/45-caliber Mk.XVI dual purpose naval guns
  • 32 x QF 2pdr Mk.VIII anti-aircraft guns - replaced by Bofors 40mm/60-caliber anti-aircraft guns
• Armour:
  • Main belt: 4.5 inches (114 mm)
  • Main turrets: 4 inches (102 mm)
  • Decks over magazines: 3 inches (76 mm)
  • Decks over machinery: 2 inches (51 mm)
  • Bulkheads: 2.5 inches (63.5 mm)
• Aircraft Carried: 2 x Supermarine Walrus flying boats
• Aviation Facilities: 1 x catapult

Unit Run

Royal Navy

Southampton-subclass

• HMS Southampton (C83)
• HMS Newcastle (C76)
• HMS Sheffield (C24)
• HMS Glasgow (C21)
• HMS Birmingham (C19)

Gloucester-subclass

• HMS Gloucester (C62)
• HMS Liverpool (C11)
• HMS Manchester (C15)

Edinburgh-subclass

• HMS Edinburgh (C16)
• HMS Belfast (C35)

Royal Australian Navy

• HMAS Hamilton (D86)
• HMAS Brisbane (D87)
• HMAS Newcastle (D88)
• HMAS Darwin (D89)
• HMAS Alice Springs (D90)
• HMAS Cooktown (D91)

Polish Navy

• ORP Conrad
• ORP Dragon