HMS Chester (1915)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Greece
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| Name: | Lambros Katsonis |
| Namesake: | Lambros Katsonis |
| Builder: | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, England |
| Laid down: | 7 October 1914 |
| Launched: | 8 December 1915 |
| Fate: | Sold to United Kingdom, 1915 |
 United Kingdom
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| Namesake: | Chester |
| Launched: | 8 December 1915 |
| Acquired: | 1915 |
| Commissioned: | May 1916 |
| Renamed: | HMS Chester |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap, 9 November 1921 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type: | Town-class light cruiser |
| Displacement: | 5,185 long tons (5,268 t) |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 49 ft 10 in (15.2 m) |
| Draught: | 15 ft 3 in (4.65 m) (mean) |
| Installed power: |
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| Propulsion: | 4 × shafts; 3 × Parsons steam turbines |
| Speed: | 26.5 kn (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph) |
| Complement: | about 500 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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HMS Chester was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, and one of two ships forming the Birkenhead subtype. Along with her sister ship, Birkenhead, she was originally ordered for the Greek Navy in 1914 and was to be named Lambros Katsonis. The order was placed with Cammell Laird and production continued for the Greek account after the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. In 1915, however, the two cruisers were purchased by the British government.
Based on the Birmingham sub-class of the Towns, the two Greek ships primarily differed from their British half-sisters in their armament. The Greeks specified that they would use the new BL 5.5-inch (140 mm) Mk I gun built by the Coventry Ordnance Works. This weapon was significantly lighter than the standard 6-inch (152 mm) gun, which allowed the ships to mount ten guns, rather than the nine of the Birminghams, and fired an 85-pound (39 kg) shell rather than the 100-pound (45 kg) shell of the 6-inch weapon. It therefore had a higher rate of fire with little loss in hitting power. The Greeks also specified a secondary armament of two 12-pounder anti-aircraft guns, but these were still under development in 1915 and a pair of 3-pounder guns on high-angle mounts were substituted instead. In addition, Chester had a requirement for 26.5 knots (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph) and only used oil-fired boilers to save weight and increase her power to meet the specification.
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Wikipedia