C-class cruiser
HMS Capetown circa 1922.
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | C class |
| Operators: |
 Royal Navy
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| Preceded by: | Arethusa class |
| Succeeded by: | Danae class |
| Subclasses: |
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| In service: | 1914-2011 |
| Completed: | 28 |
| Lost: | 7 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Light cruiser |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 450 ft (137.2 m) overall |
| Beam: | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Draught: | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion: | |
| Speed: | 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h) |
| Range: | 5,900 nautical miles (10,930 km) at 10 knots (18.5 km/h) |
| Complement: | 325 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Caledon subclass |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Lost: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 4,180 tons (standard), 4,950 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 450 ft (140 m) overall |
| Beam: | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Draught: | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 29 knots (54 km/h) |
| Range: | 5,900 nautical miles (10,930 km) at 10 knots (20 km/h) |
| Complement: | 334 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ceres subclass |
| Completed: | 5 |
| Lost: | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 452 ft (138 m) overall |
| Beam: | 43.5 ft (13.3 m) |
| Draught: | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 29.5 knots (55 km/h) |
| Range: |
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| Complement: | 334 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Carlisle subclass |
| Completed: | 5 |
| Lost: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 452 ft (138 m) overall |
| Beam: | 43.5 ft (13.3 m) |
| Draught: | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 29.5 knots (55 km/h) |
| Range: | 5,900 nautical miles (10,930 km) at 10 knots (20 km/h) |
| Complement: | 334 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: | |
The C class was a group of twenty-eight light cruisers of the Royal Navy, and were built in a sequence of seven groups known as the Caroline class (six ships), the Calliope class (two ships), the Cambrian class (four ships), the Centaur class (two ships), the Caledon class (four ships), the Ceres class (five ships) and the Carlisle class (five ships). They were built for the rough conditions of the North Sea, and proved to be rugged and capable vessels, despite their being somewhat small and cramped.
The Caroline class were all ordered in July and August 1913, as the first six of eight "light armoured cruisers" under the 1913 programme. The ships were launched in 1914 or 1915 and commissioned in 1915. They had an armament of two single 6 in aft, eight 4 in and two 6-pounder guns. Their anti-aircraft (A/A) weaponry consisted of four 3 pounders. Their aft 6 in guns were superfiring; the class had three funnels. During the First World War, the ships of the class underwent a variety of alterations, including the removal of the 4-inch (102 mm) guns in Caroline, Carysfort and Comus, being replaced by two extra 6-inch (152 mm) guns, while Cleopatra, Conquest and Cordelia retained one or two of the 4-inch (102 mm) guns, with two 2-pounder guns being added to some of the ships.
The two ships of the Calliope sub-class - HMS Calliope and Champion - were the last pair of the eight "light armoured cruisers" to be ordered in July and August 1914 under the 1913 Programme. They both had geared turbines, the first Royal Navy cruisers to be so fitted. They also had increased belt armour; Champion had just two screws. They were commissioned in mid to late 1915, as modifications to the Caroline subclass with higher speeds, a more efficient boiler layout and a reduction in the number of funnels to two. The two ships had different machinery types for comparative purposes. Calliope and Champion underwent similar gun armament modifications to the Caroline subclass. They also had underwater tubes rather than the deck mounted weapons of the Caroline subclass and were given two twin deck mounted torpedo tubes during the war but these were later removed to reduce top weight.
The Cambrian class were ordered in September 1914 under the 1914-15 Programme, and commissioned between 1915 and 1916. The ships had two funnels rather than the three of the Caroline subclass, following on from the developments in the Calliope subclass. The Cambrian subclass had similar armament to the previous sub-class, with their main armament being four 6-inch (152 mm) guns in single mounts. Their secondary armament consisted of eight 4-inch (102 mm) guns. They were later removed, with Canterbury and Champion retaining one single 4-inch (102 mm) gun. The rest of the ships used either two or three 3-inch (76 mm) guns.
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Wikipedia