Town class cruiser (1910) Totally Explained

Everything about Town Class Cruiser 1910 totally explained

The Town class was a group of twenty-one light cruisers built for the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN). These vessels were long-range cruisers, suitable for patrolling the vast expanse covered by the British Empire. These ships, initially rated as Second Class Cruisers, were built to a series of designs, known as the Bristol (five ships), Weymouth (four ships), Chatham (three RN ships, plus three RAN ships), Birmingham (three ships, plus one similar RAN ship) and Birkenhead (two ships) classes - all having the names of British towns except for the RAN ships, the latter being known as the Sydney class, after the first RAN ship of the class, HMAS Sydney.

Classes of Town-class cruiser

The Bristol class

The Bristol class were all ordered under the 1909 Programme and commissioned in late 1910. They were 453 feet (138 m) long and had a full load displacement of 5,300 tons. They had a rather low freeboard which was rectified in the subsequent Weymouth-class. Their main armament was relatively light, with just two 6 inch (152 mm) single guns located fore and aft of the class. Their secondary armament was more potent, with ten 4 inch (102 mm) guns in single turrets. Their anti-air warfare weaponry (AA) consisted of four 3 pounder guns and four Maxim machine guns. In World War I, the class's AA armament was increased with the fitting of a single 3 inch (76 mm) gun. They were second class cruisers and designed for a variety of roles including both trade protection and fleet duties. Overall they were considered a success but there were some criticisms that the ships were cramped, they could be lively gun platforms and that the mixed calibre armament could cause problems for fire control and the 4 inch guns were mounted too near the sea.

Ships

HMS Bristol, built by John Brown and Company, Clydebank, laid down 23 March 1909, launched 23 February 1910, and completed December 1910. Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921.
HMS Glasgow, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, laid down 25 March 1909, launched 30 September 1909, and completed September 1910. Sold for breaking up 29 April 1927.

HMS Gloucester, built by William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir, laid down 15 April 1909, launched 28 October World War I and many of the ships left their mark on history. Ships of the class saw action at the Falkland Islands and Heligoland Bight in 1914. That same year, Sydney attacked Emden in an action that lasted over an hour and resulted in the German warship being beached by her captain to avoid his ship sinking. Also that year, Birmingham became the first ship to sink a submarine when she rammed U-15.
   In 1915, HMS Glasgow found Dresden which had escaped from the engagement at the Falkland Islands the previous year, in which Glasgow had helped in sinking Leipzig. Dresden was eventually scuttled by her own crew. Ships of the class also took part in the Battle of Dogger Bank (1915).
   In 1916, ships of the class also saw action at the Battle of Jutland, the largest surface engagement of World War I. In 1917, a Sopwith Pup from HMS Yarmouth became the first aircraft from a cruiser to shoot down an aircraft, specifically the Zeppelin L23. The ships of the class saw more service than mentioned above, including action against German merchant ships. During the course of the war, two ships of the class were sunk, these were HMS Falmouth and HMS Nottingham, both torpedoed by German submarines.
   After the end of World War I, the surviving ships performed a variety of duties, including service on foreign stations. All ships, except Adelaide, were scrapped by the 1930s. Adelaide saw an extensive refit between 1938-39. However, Adelaide was obsolete when World War II began, and she saw limited service, performing patrol and escort duties in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. She was decommissioned in 1945, but recommissioned to become a tender at Sydney. She was broken up in 1949.

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