Dido-class cruiser

HMS Argonaut in wartime camouflage, November 1943 just after repairs at Philadelphia Navy yard
Class overview
Name:	Dido class
Operators:	Royal Navy  Royal New Zealand Navy  Pakistan Navy
Preceded by:	Town class
Succeeded by:	Crown Colony class
Subclasses:	Dido Bellona
In commission:	1940-1966
Completed:	16
Lost:	5
General characteristics
Type:	Light cruiser
Displacement:	Standard: 5,700 to 5,900 tons Full load: 6,900 to 7,600 tons
Length:	512 ft (156 m) overall
Beam:	50 ft 6 in (15.39 m)
Draught:	Dido class: 14 ft (4.3 m) Bellona class: 15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion:	Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers Four Parsons steam turbines Four shafts 62,000 shp (46 MW)
Speed:	32.25 knots (59.73 km/h; 37.11 mph)
Range:	1,100 tons fuel oil 2,414 km (1,500 mi) at 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) 6,824 (4,240 miles) at 16 knots
Complement:	Dido class: 480 Bellona class: 530
Armament:	Dido class as designed: Ten QF 5.25-inch (133 mm) guns in five dual mounts Two quadruple 0.5 inch Vickers machine gun mounts Two quadruple QF 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom mounts Two triple 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes Bellona class as designed: Eight QF 5.25-inch (133 mm) guns in four dual mounts Six twin 20 mm guns in power-operated mounts Three quad mount QF 2 pdr (40 mm) pom-poms Two triple mount 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

The Dido class was a class of sixteen (including five in the Bellona sub-class) 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 (six ships) and third group (two ships) were commissioned in 1941–1942. The Bellona subclass ships were commissioned between 1943 and 1944. Most members of the class were given names drawn from classical history and legend. They were designed as small trade protection cruisers and for action in the Mediterranean, where they were surprisingly effective in protecting crucial convoys as Malta was threatened and managed to see off far larger Italian battleships. The 5.25 was primarily a surface weapon but was intended to fire the heaviest shell suitable for AA and probably accounted for 23 aircraft and saw off far more. The Improved Dido's and 4 rebuilt of the originals were mainly intended as picket ships for AW and direction of the RN and USN carrier aircraft in the Pacific. HMS Royalist was somewhat different intended more as a command ship of carrier and cruiser groups, intended for action against German battlecruisers and later ordered rebuilt by Churchill for potential action alongside HMS Vanguard against new Sverdlov and Stalingrad cruisers. Although nominally transferred to RNZN Command (3/56), most of senior officers were RN, even during its last service in the Confrontation in 63-65 and it is best regarded not only as the last Dido but the last RN cruiser. 'Surtout Loyal'.

The class were intended to be armed with ten 5.25 inch (133 mm) guns in five twin turrets, which were of the same circular design as the secondary armament in the King George V-class battleships. A shortage of the guns, due to difficulties in manufacturing them, led to the first group being armed with only eight 5.25 inch guns in four twin turrets. The fifth twin turret was added later to Dido only. The first group was also armed with a 4 inch (102 mm) gun for firing star shell and two quadruple QF 2 pounder (40 mm) "pom-poms".