HMS Birmingham (1913)
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Birmingham in 1916
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Birmingham |
| Namesake: | Birmingham |
| Ordered: | under 1911 Naval Estimates |
| Builder: | Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick |
| Laid down: | 10 June 1912 |
| Launched: | 7 May 1913 |
| Commissioned: | February 1914 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping February 1931 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Town-class light cruiser |
| Displacement: | 5,440 long tons (5,530 t) |
| Length: | 457 ft (139.3 m) o/a |
| Beam: | 50 ft (15.2 m) |
| Draught: | 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m) |
| Installed power: | 25,000 shp (18,642.5 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 25.5 kn (29.3 mph; 47.2 km/h) |
| Range: | 4,680 nmi (5,390 mi; 8,670 km) at 10 kn (11.5 mph; 18.5 km/h)1 |
| Capacity: | |
| Complement: | 433 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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HMS Birmingham was lead ship of the Birmingham group of three ships of the Town-class of light cruisers built by the Royal Navy. Her sister ships were Lowestoft and Nottingham. The three ships were virtually identical to the third group of Town-class ships, but with an additional 6 in (150 mm) gun worked in on the forecastle.
Birmingham, a two-screw ship, was built at Elswick, launched on 7 May 1913 and completed in January 1914. She joined the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet in 1914, visiting Kiel in June that year.
On 9 August 1914, she spotted the German submarine U-15, whose engines had failed as she lay stopped on the surface in heavy fog, off Fair Isle. The crew of Birmingham could hear hammering from inside the boat from attempted repairs, and so fired on her but missed. As the U-boat began to dive, she rammed her, cutting her in two. U-15 went down with all hands, the first U-boat loss to an enemy warship.[1] Birmingham also sank two German merchant ships that year and took part in the Battle of Heligoland on the 28 August, and the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915.
In February, she joined the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, attacking a u-boat on 18 June 1915 without success.
She also took part in the Battle of Jutland as a member of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, during which she sustained damage caused by splintering during the night of the battle.
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