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Chatham Class. Improved Weymouth class. Deck armour was reduced in order to allow the introduction of belt armour. They also had a new model of 6 inch gun that was 2 tons lighter than the previous version. As was common at the time the guns only had shields to protect them from splinters and so were spaced well apart to reduce the chance of a single hit knocking out several at once. |
HMS Chatham
Built Chatham Dockyard, laid down January 1911, completed December 1912.
HMS Dublin
Built Beardmore, laid down April 1911, completed March 1913.
HMS Southampton
Built John Brown, laid down April 1911, completed November 1912.
HMAS Sydney (RAN)
Built London and Glasgow Co., laid down February 1911, completed June 1913.
HMAS Melbourne (RAN)
Built Cammell Laird, laid down April 1911, completed January 1913.
HMAS Brisbane (RAN)
Built Cockatoo Dockyard, laid down January 1911, completed November 1916.
Average cost £334,053.
Size:
Length 430 feet pp 458 feet overall, beam 49 feet, draught 16 feet, displacement 5,400 tons normal 6,000 tons deep load.
Propulsion:
4 shaft Parsons turbines (Southampton 2 shaft Brown-Curtis turbines), 25,000 shp, 25.5 knots
Trials:
Chatham 25,901 shp = 25.7 knots
Dublin 26,041 shp = 25.7 knots
Southampton 26,006 shp = 25.7 knots
Armour:
2in belt, 1.5-0.5in decks
Armament:
8 x 6in 45cal Mk XII (8 x 1), 4 x 3 pounder (4 x 1), 2 x 21in TT
Comments:
HMAS Brisbane was slow in completing owing to much of the equipment being supplied from the UK which was delayed by the
outbreak of war. Crew 475.
World War 1 Service:
Chatham
2nd Light Cruiser Squadron Mediterranean.
1914 detached to Red Sea.
November 1914 Involved in operations against SMS Konigsberg.
May 1915 Dardanelles.
1916 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
26 May 1916 Damaged by mine.
1926 Sold for scrap.
Dublin
2nd Light Cruiser Squadron Mediterranean.
February 1915 Dardanelles.
9 June 1915 Damaged by torpedo from Austro-Hungarian submarine.
1916 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
31 May-1st June 1916 Took part in the Battle of Jutland.
1926 sold for scrap.
Southampton
Flagship 1st Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
28 August 1914 Took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight.
24 January 1915 took part in Battle of Dogger Bank.
February 1915 Flagship 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
31 May-1st June 1916 Took part in the Battle of Jutland.
1917 8th Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
1926 sold for scrap.
Sydney (RAN)
1914 Pacific.
September 1914 New Guinea.
November 1914 Escorted Anzac convoy.
9 August 1914 Sank German cruiser SMS Emden.
1914 West Indies and North America.
1916 2nd Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
1929 Scrapped.
Melbourne (RAN)
1914 Pacific.
1914 West Indies and North America.
1916 2nd Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
1928 Sold for scrap.
Brisbane (RAN)
1916 Pacific.
1917 East Indies.
1918 Escorted convoys from Australia to the UK.
1936 Sold for scrap.
| HMS Southampton was best known for being Commodore Goodenough's flagship at Jutland. As well as being the first to sight the German battle fleet she was also heavily hit in the night fighting but survived and managed to torpedo and sink the German cruiser SMS Frauenlob. |
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