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Arethusa class cruiser (1934)
Encyclopedia
The Arethusa class was a class
of four light cruiser
s built for the Royal Navy
between 1933 and 1937 and that served in World War II
. It had been intended to construct six ships, but the last pair, Polyphemus and Minotaur were ordered in 1934 as the 9,100 ton Town class
Southampton
and Newcastle
, having the unit machinery layout and two funnels of the former. The design was judged to be the minimum required for a "trade route cruiser" to counter the threat of the auxiliary cruiser over which, even with their reduced armament, they would enjoy a comfortable superiority. They were also to be capable of acting as a fleet cruiser (which was fortunate because, in the end, they were used almost exclusively with the fleet). Therefore, no reduction in speed (i.e. machinery) could be accepted and savings had to be found in armament, size and protection; the Arethusas suppressed 'X' 6-inch gun turret and were 50 feet (15.2 m) shorter and displaced 1,250 tons less than the Leanders. The protection scheme was the same as the Leanders but was generally thinner to save weight. As such, within the constraints of tonnage allowed under treaties then in force, six Arethusas could be built for every five Leanders. Welded construction was widely used for the first time to save weight, over 250 tons being cut off the original specification.
They were armed with six BL 6 inch Mark XXIII in three twin mountings Mark XXI in 'A', 'B' and 'Y' positions. Triple 21 inches (533.4 mm) Torpedo
tubes were carried abreast the after funnel, the reduction in beam had reduced training space resulting in the omission of one tube vis-à-vis the Leanders. The secondary armament was four QF 4 inch Mark V on single mountings HA Mark III, controlled by a HACS
director on the bridge. The 4-inch magazine was retained in the position of the Leander class well forward, but the guns themselves were moved well aft. As a result, the 4-inch shell and charge had to be transported 200 feet (61 m) along the ship to reach the guns. In Penelope and Aurora eight QF 4 inch Mark XVI on four twin mountings HA/LA Mark XIX replaced the single mounts, and a second HACS director was added aft. A shelter was added for the gun crews between each pair of guns as it was recognised that in wartime the crews would spend a lot of time closed up at action stations and would rapidly fatigue in the open gun mountings. Galatea received similar alteration before the outbreak of war. The light armament consisted of an eight 0.5 inch Vickers machine guns
in two quaduple mountings.
A rotating catapult for a float plane and a derrick were fitted between the funnels. It had been intended to carry a second aircraft aft, but in the end this never happened. Aurora completed without aircraft facilities, and had a deckhouse for accommodation in lieu for service as Commodore
.
(UP) mounting and eight QF 2 pounder Mark VIII
in two quadruple mountings Mark VII in the summer of 1940. Radar Type 284 was added to the main armament director for taking ranges and bearings and Type 280 air warning at the mastheads was added in April 1941. In August of the same year she received six single 20 mm Oerlikons
and two quadruple 0.5 inch machine guns. In 1943 she received Radar Type 282 on the 2 pounder "pom-pom directors".
Galatea had extra plating added amidships after completion to reduce wetness and to protect the boats. She landed her catapult during a refit between October 1940 and January 1941, when she received two quadruple 2 pounders and eight single 20 mm Oerlikons, as well as Radar Type 279 air warning added at the mastheads.
Arethusa had received two quadruple 2 pounders and radar by April 1941, and landed the catapult. Later the same year, two UP mountings and four single 20 mm Oerlikons were added. The former were removed in the spring of 1942, as were the single 4 in mountings (replaced by twins as per her sisters) and a further four 20 mm Oerlikons added. Radar Type 286 air warning was landed and radars Type 273 centimetric target indication, Type 281 air warning, Type 282 on the 2-pounder directors, Type 284 on the main armament director and Type 285 on the HACS directors were fitted. Three additional 20 mm Oerlikons were added by October 1942. Between March and December 1943, while under repair in the USA, the 2 pdr were supplanted by quadruple 40 mm Bofors
mountings Mark II, three single Oerlikons by four twin power operated mounts Mark V and had the radar fit modernised.
Penelope also lost her catapult and had two quadruple 2 pounders fitted between August 1940 and July 1941. Four single Oerlikons were added at the end of 1941, and four more in the summer of 1942.
By the end of the war, the surviving ships had around 700 tons of extra equipment added.
of 1937. All had a very active war especially in the Mediterranean
and the two that were lost were torpedoed while working close inshore. Arethusa had a narrow escape in November 1942 when she was hit by an air-dropped torpedo. She caught fire, had two of her three turrets out of action and was badly flooded. However she survived to be repaired at Charleston
in the USA.
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of four light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s built for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
between 1933 and 1937 and that served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It had been intended to construct six ships, but the last pair, Polyphemus and Minotaur were ordered in 1934 as the 9,100 ton Town class
Town class cruiser (1936)
The Town-class was a 10-ship class of light cruisers of the Royal Navy. The Towns were designed to the constraints imposed by the London Naval Treaty of 1930....
Southampton
HMS Southampton (C83)
HMS Southampton was a member of the first group of five ships of the "Town" class of light cruisers. She was built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland and launched on 10 March 1936....
and Newcastle
HMS Newcastle (C76)
The seventh HMS Newcastle was a Town-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She belonged to the Southampton subclass. In the Second World War following extensive battle damage sustained in the Mediterranean, she spent some time being repaired in New York.She also saw action in the Korean...
Design
The Arethusas were a smaller version of the Amphion group of the earlier Leander classLeander class cruiser (1931)
The Leander class was a class of eight light cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s that saw service in World War II. They were named after mythological figures, and all ships were commissioned between 1933 and 1936...
, having the unit machinery layout and two funnels of the former. The design was judged to be the minimum required for a "trade route cruiser" to counter the threat of the auxiliary cruiser over which, even with their reduced armament, they would enjoy a comfortable superiority. They were also to be capable of acting as a fleet cruiser (which was fortunate because, in the end, they were used almost exclusively with the fleet). Therefore, no reduction in speed (i.e. machinery) could be accepted and savings had to be found in armament, size and protection; the Arethusas suppressed 'X' 6-inch gun turret and were 50 feet (15.2 m) shorter and displaced 1,250 tons less than the Leanders. The protection scheme was the same as the Leanders but was generally thinner to save weight. As such, within the constraints of tonnage allowed under treaties then in force, six Arethusas could be built for every five Leanders. Welded construction was widely used for the first time to save weight, over 250 tons being cut off the original specification.
They were armed with six BL 6 inch Mark XXIII in three twin mountings Mark XXI in 'A', 'B' and 'Y' positions. Triple 21 inches (533.4 mm) Torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
tubes were carried abreast the after funnel, the reduction in beam had reduced training space resulting in the omission of one tube vis-à-vis the Leanders. The secondary armament was four QF 4 inch Mark V on single mountings HA Mark III, controlled by a HACS
HACS
HACS, an acronym of High Angle Control System, was a British anti-aircraft fire-control system employed by the Royal Navy from 1931 onwards and used widely during World War II...
director on the bridge. The 4-inch magazine was retained in the position of the Leander class well forward, but the guns themselves were moved well aft. As a result, the 4-inch shell and charge had to be transported 200 feet (61 m) along the ship to reach the guns. In Penelope and Aurora eight QF 4 inch Mark XVI on four twin mountings HA/LA Mark XIX replaced the single mounts, and a second HACS director was added aft. A shelter was added for the gun crews between each pair of guns as it was recognised that in wartime the crews would spend a lot of time closed up at action stations and would rapidly fatigue in the open gun mountings. Galatea received similar alteration before the outbreak of war. The light armament consisted of an eight 0.5 inch Vickers machine guns
Vickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
in two quaduple mountings.
A rotating catapult for a float plane and a derrick were fitted between the funnels. It had been intended to carry a second aircraft aft, but in the end this never happened. Aurora completed without aircraft facilities, and had a deckhouse for accommodation in lieu for service as Commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
.
Modifications
Aurora received a Unrotated ProjectileUnrotated Projectile
The Unrotated Projectile, or UP, was a short range rocket-firing anti-aircraft weapon developed for the Royal Navy to supplement the 2 pounder Pom-Pom gun due to a critical lack of close-range anti-aircraft weapons. It was used extensively by British ships during the early days of World War II...
(UP) mounting and eight QF 2 pounder Mark VIII
QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
in two quadruple mountings Mark VII in the summer of 1940. Radar Type 284 was added to the main armament director for taking ranges and bearings and Type 280 air warning at the mastheads was added in April 1941. In August of the same year she received six single 20 mm Oerlikons
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
and two quadruple 0.5 inch machine guns. In 1943 she received Radar Type 282 on the 2 pounder "pom-pom directors".
Galatea had extra plating added amidships after completion to reduce wetness and to protect the boats. She landed her catapult during a refit between October 1940 and January 1941, when she received two quadruple 2 pounders and eight single 20 mm Oerlikons, as well as Radar Type 279 air warning added at the mastheads.
Arethusa had received two quadruple 2 pounders and radar by April 1941, and landed the catapult. Later the same year, two UP mountings and four single 20 mm Oerlikons were added. The former were removed in the spring of 1942, as were the single 4 in mountings (replaced by twins as per her sisters) and a further four 20 mm Oerlikons added. Radar Type 286 air warning was landed and radars Type 273 centimetric target indication, Type 281 air warning, Type 282 on the 2-pounder directors, Type 284 on the main armament director and Type 285 on the HACS directors were fitted. Three additional 20 mm Oerlikons were added by October 1942. Between March and December 1943, while under repair in the USA, the 2 pdr were supplanted by quadruple 40 mm Bofors
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
mountings Mark II, three single Oerlikons by four twin power operated mounts Mark V and had the radar fit modernised.
Penelope also lost her catapult and had two quadruple 2 pounders fitted between August 1940 and July 1941. Four single Oerlikons were added at the end of 1941, and four more in the summer of 1942.
By the end of the war, the surviving ships had around 700 tons of extra equipment added.
Service
The Arethusas proved to be very satisfactory in service and their hull was adapted for the Dido classDido class cruiser
The Dido class was a class of sixteen light cruisers built for the Royal Navy. The design was influenced by the Arethusa class light cruisers. The first group of three ships was commissioned in 1940, the second group and third group were commissioned in 1941–1942...
of 1937. All had a very active war especially in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Theatre of World War II
The African, Mediterranean and Middle East theatres encompassed the naval, land, and air campaigns fought between the Allied and Axis forces in the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and Africa...
and the two that were lost were torpedoed while working close inshore. Arethusa had a narrow escape in November 1942 when she was hit by an air-dropped torpedo. She caught fire, had two of her three turrets out of action and was badly flooded. However she survived to be repaired at Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
in the USA.
Ships
| Ship | Pennant Number | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arethusa HMS Arethusa (26) HMS Arethusa was the name ship of her class of light cruisers built for the Royal Navy. She was built by Chatham Dockyard , with the keel being laid down on 25 January 1933... |
26 | Chatham Royal Dockyard Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional... |
25 January 1933 | 6 March 1934 | 21 May 1935 | sold for scrapping 1950 |
| Galatea HMS Galatea (71) HMS Galatea was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. , with the keel being laid down on the 2 June 1933... |
71 | Scotts Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde.- History :... , Greenock Greenock Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland... |
2 June 1933 | 9 August 1934 | 3 September 1935 | Torpedoed by German Nazi Germany Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by... U-boat U-boat U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II... U-557 off Alexandria Alexandria Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving... , 15 December 1941 |
| Penelope HMS Penelope (97) HMS Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Harland & Wolff , with the keel being laid down on 30 May 1934... |
97 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
30 May 1934 | 15 October 1935 | 12 November 1936 | Torpedoed by German U-boat U-410 German submarine U-410 German submarine U-410 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II operating mainly in the Mediterranean. Her Insignia was a Sword & Shield... off Anzio Anzio Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene... 18 February 1944 |
| Aurora HMS Aurora (12) HMS Aurora was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard , with the keel being laid down on the 27 July 1935. She was launched on the 20 August 1936, and commissioned 12 November 1937.... |
12 | Portsmouth Royal Dockyard HMNB Portsmouth Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy... |
23 July 1935 | 20 August 1936 | 8 November 1937 | Transferred to Nationalist China as Chungkinh 1950, captured by Communist China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... as Tchoungking 1949, Hsuang Ho 1951, Pei Ching 1951, Kuang Chou 1958, later hulked |