York class cruiser
Encyclopedia
The York class was the second and last class
of 8 inches (203 mm) gunned (heavy
) cruisers built for the Royal Navy
under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
of 1922. They were essentially a reduced version of the preceding County class
, scaled down in an effort to extract more, smaller ships from the treaty limits. They can be described as "treaty cruisers", the term "heavy cruiser" not being defined until the London Naval Conference
of 1930. Two ships were constructed (HMS York
and Exeter
), although three more were at one stage planned before the 8-inch–gunned cruiser fell out of favour with the Royal Navy.
, the largest design possible under the Washington limits, in order that more could be built under the strict defence economies of post-war, depression-era
Britain. The only way to afford such savings was to reduce either armament, armour or speed. As the latter two options were unacceptable, the former was chosen, and as a result the Yorks suppressed 'X' turret to ship six 8 inches (203 mm) guns, judged to be the minimum number required to allow fall of shot to be accurately spotted. The economies in size allowed for a 50 feet (15 m) reduction in length and 9 feet (3 m) in beam over the Countys, although installed power was unchanged to maintain speed. The Yorks saved 1,750 tons in net weight, but the reductions in cost of £250,000 and manpower of 50 was something of an uneconomical saving.
Compared to the County class, protection was much improved, with a 3 inches (76.2 mm), 8 feet (2 m) main belt and an armoured lower deck joining at its top edge. To shorten the belt length, the amidship magazine found on the Countys was removed (reduced armament required less magazine space anyway). The magazines were protected by fore and aft "box citadels" extending beyond the belt. As the amidship magazine had been removed, the secondary 4 inches (102 mm) guns were moved forwards to keep them closer to the supply of charge and shell provided from the forward magazine. It is believed that this additional armour was what saved the Exeter at the Battle of the River Plate
.
Armament was as per the Countys, excepting the suppression of 'X' turret, and owing to insufficient training space on the narrower beam, only triple torpedo tubes were carried. There was no provision in the original design for the then new QF 2 pdr "multiple pom-pom"
, leaving an inadequate anti-aircraft armament of only two quadruple 0.5-inch Vickers machine gun
s (fitted eventually in 1935, single 2-pounders being carried in lieu).
As a result of the magazine changes, and to keep the funnels distant from the bridge, only two funnels were required; the forward boiler room uptakes trunked up into a large fore-funnel. This was raked in York to clear the flue gasses from the bridge, but was straight in Exeter owing to an altered bridge design and more extensive trunking. To maintain homogeneity of appearance, York stepped raked masts and Exeter vertical ones. York had a tall "platform" style bridge as seen in the Countys, which was somewhat distant from 'B' turret. This was because it had been intended to fit a catapult and floatplane to the roof of the turret, which needed clearance distance and required a tall bridge to provide forward view. The roof of the turret, however, was not sufficiently strong to carry this catapult and it was never fitted. Exeter was ordered two years later and the bridge was redesigned in light of this, being lower, further forward and fully enclosed, as later seen in the Leander
and Arethusa
classes.
York eventually received a rotating catapult amidships behind the funnels, and Exeter had a fixed pair in the same location, firing forwards and angled out from the centreline. A crane for recovery was located to starboard and one aircraft could be carried, initially a Fairey Seafox and later, in Exeter, a Supermarine Walrus
.
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 8 inches (203 mm) gunned (heavy
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
) cruisers 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...
under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
of 1922. They were essentially a reduced version of the preceding County class
County class cruiser
The County class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the British Royal 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 Conference of 1922...
, scaled down in an effort to extract more, smaller ships from the treaty limits. They can be described as "treaty cruisers", the term "heavy cruiser" not being defined until the London Naval Conference
London Naval Conference
There were three major international naval conferences in London, the first in 1908-09, the second in 1930 and the third in 1935. The latter two, together with the Washington Naval Conference in 1921-22 and the Geneva Conferences , resulted in agreements between the major powers on navy vessel...
of 1930. Two ships were constructed (HMS York
HMS York (90)
HMS York, pennant number 90, was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy built in the late 1920s. She mostly served on the North America and West Indies Station before World War II. Early in the war the ship escorted convoys in the Atlantic and participated in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940...
and Exeter
HMS Exeter (68)
HMS Exeter was a York class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that served in World War II. She was laid down on 1 August 1928 at the Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. She was launched on 18 July 1929 and completed on 27 July 1931...
), although three more were at one stage planned before the 8-inch–gunned cruiser fell out of favour with the Royal Navy.
Design
The Royal Navy had a need for smaller cruisers than the County classCounty class cruiser
The County class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the British Royal 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 Conference of 1922...
, the largest design possible under the Washington limits, in order that more could be built under the strict defence economies of post-war, depression-era
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
Britain. The only way to afford such savings was to reduce either armament, armour or speed. As the latter two options were unacceptable, the former was chosen, and as a result the Yorks suppressed 'X' turret to ship six 8 inches (203 mm) guns, judged to be the minimum number required to allow fall of shot to be accurately spotted. The economies in size allowed for a 50 feet (15 m) reduction in length and 9 feet (3 m) in beam over the Countys, although installed power was unchanged to maintain speed. The Yorks saved 1,750 tons in net weight, but the reductions in cost of £250,000 and manpower of 50 was something of an uneconomical saving.
Compared to the County class, protection was much improved, with a 3 inches (76.2 mm), 8 feet (2 m) main belt and an armoured lower deck joining at its top edge. To shorten the belt length, the amidship magazine found on the Countys was removed (reduced armament required less magazine space anyway). The magazines were protected by fore and aft "box citadels" extending beyond the belt. As the amidship magazine had been removed, the secondary 4 inches (102 mm) guns were moved forwards to keep them closer to the supply of charge and shell provided from the forward magazine. It is believed that this additional armour was what saved the Exeter at the Battle of the River Plate
Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate was the first naval battle in the Second World War. The German pocket battleship had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September 1939...
.
Armament was as per the Countys, excepting the suppression of 'X' turret, and owing to insufficient training space on the narrower beam, only triple torpedo tubes were carried. There was no provision in the original design for the then new QF 2 pdr "multiple pom-pom"
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...
, leaving an inadequate anti-aircraft armament of only two quadruple 0.5-inch Vickers machine gun
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...
s (fitted eventually in 1935, single 2-pounders being carried in lieu).
As a result of the magazine changes, and to keep the funnels distant from the bridge, only two funnels were required; the forward boiler room uptakes trunked up into a large fore-funnel. This was raked in York to clear the flue gasses from the bridge, but was straight in Exeter owing to an altered bridge design and more extensive trunking. To maintain homogeneity of appearance, York stepped raked masts and Exeter vertical ones. York had a tall "platform" style bridge as seen in the Countys, which was somewhat distant from 'B' turret. This was because it had been intended to fit a catapult and floatplane to the roof of the turret, which needed clearance distance and required a tall bridge to provide forward view. The roof of the turret, however, was not sufficiently strong to carry this catapult and it was never fitted. Exeter was ordered two years later and the bridge was redesigned in light of this, being lower, further forward and fully enclosed, as later seen in the Leander
Leander 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...
and Arethusa
Arethusa class cruiser
Two classes of cruiser of the Royal Navy are known as the Arethusa class:* The Arethusa class of eight light cruisers built in 1912–1914 that served in World War I....
classes.
York eventually received a rotating catapult amidships behind the funnels, and Exeter had a fixed pair in the same location, firing forwards and angled out from the centreline. A crane for recovery was located to starboard and one aircraft could be carried, initially a Fairey Seafox and later, in Exeter, a Supermarine Walrus
Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm . It also served with the Royal Air Force , Royal Australian Air Force , Royal Canadian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New...
.
Ships
| Name | Pennant Pennant number In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers... |
Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York HMS York (90) HMS York, pennant number 90, was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy built in the late 1920s. She mostly served on the North America and West Indies Station before World War II. Early in the war the ship escorted convoys in the Atlantic and participated in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940... |
90 | Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Company, Jarrow Jarrow Jarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied... |
1927-05-16 | 1928-02-17 | 1930-05-06 | Rammed and crippled by two Italian explosive motor boats at Suda Bay Sinking of HMS York The Raid on Souda Bay was an Italian Navy's small craft assault on Souda Bay, Crete, during the first hours of 26 March 1941. The Royal Navy heavy cruiser and the Norwegian tanker Pericles were disabled by Italian motor launches and eventually lost.... 1941-03-06, beached and bombed by German aircraft, abandoned 1941-05-22, salvaged and scrapped 1952 |
| Exeter HMS Exeter (68) HMS Exeter was a York class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that served in World War II. She was laid down on 1 August 1928 at the Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. She was launched on 18 July 1929 and completed on 27 July 1931... |
68 | HM Dockyard HMNB Devonport Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England... , Devonport Devonport, Devon Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889... |
1928-08-01 | 1929-07-13 | 1931-07-31 | Sunk by gunfire from Japanese cruisers Haguro and Nachi in Java Sea Java Sea The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east... 1942-02-28 |