The Town class was a group of twenty-one light cruiser

Light cruiser

A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...

s built for the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 (RN) and Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 (RAN). These vessels were long-range cruisers, suitable for patrolling the vast expanse covered by the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

. 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) class

Ship class

A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....

es - all having the names of British town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

s except for the RAN ships, which were named after Australian cities.

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

Freeboard (nautical)

In sailing and boating, freeboardmeans the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship...

 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. Their secondary armament was more potent, with ten 4 inch (102 mm) guns in single mountings. Their anti-air warfare weaponry (AA) consisted of four 3 pounder gun

3 pounder gun

3 pounder gun, 3 pounder, 3-pdr or QF 3-pdr is an abbreviation typically referring to a gun which fired a projectile weighing approximately 3 pounds...

s and four Maxim machine guns. In World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the class's AA armament was increased with the fitting of a single QF 3 inch (76 mm) 20 cwt gun

QF 3 inch 20 cwt

The QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II...

. 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

, built by John Brown and Company, Clydebank, laid down March 1909, launched February 1910, and commissioned December 1910. Sold for breaking up May 1921., built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, laid down March 1909, launched September 1909, and commissioned September 1910. Sold for breaking up April 1927., built by William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir, laid down 15 April 1909, launched 28 October 1909, and and commissioned October 1910. Sold for breaking up May 1921., built by Vickers, Barrow in Furness, laid down February 1909, launched October 1909, and completed October 1910. Sold for breaking up November 1921., built by Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company, Walker on Tyne, laid down April 1909, launched November 1909, and completed September 1910. Sold for breaking up in May 1921.

Weymouth class

The Weymouth class were ordered under the 1910 Programme and commissioned between 1911-12. They differed from the Bristols in only a few aspects. They were fitted with a potent main armament, having eight 6 in (152 mm) guns in single mountings with shields. Their secondary armament consisted of four 3 pounder guns

3 pounder gun

3 pounder gun, 3 pounder, 3-pdr or QF 3-pdr is an abbreviation typically referring to a gun which fired a projectile weighing approximately 3 pounds...

. The class saw a number of alterations during the war, including the addition of one QF 3 in (76 mm) AA gun. They were also the first cruisers to be fitted with an aircraft, the Sopwith Pup

Sopwith Pup

The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...

, though the aircraft could only launch from the ship and not land on it and the pilot would have to ditch into the sea if it was not possible to reach land. Overall they were enlarged and improved versions of the Bristol class with a uniform 6-inch gun armament that were mounted in more weather resistant positions. They also mounted the more powerful 21 inch torpedoes. In 1915, a single 3-inch anti-aircraft gun was added.

Ships

, built by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, laid down 19 January 1910, launched 18 November 1910, and completed October 1911. Sold for breaking up 2 October 1928., built by London and Glasgow Company, Glasgow, laid down 27 January 1910, launched 12 April 1911, and completed April 1912. Sold for breaking up 2 July 1929., built by Vickers, laid down 19 February 1910, launched 14 December 1910, and completed October 1911. Sold for breaking up 13 December 1930., built by Beardmore, laid down 21 February 1910, launched 20 September 1910, and completed September 1911. Torpedoed by German submarine U-66

SM U-66

SM U-66 was the lead ship of the Type U 66 submarines or U-boats for the German Imperial Navy during the First World War. The submarine had been laid down in November 1913 as U-7, the lead ship of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy but was sold to Germany, along with the others in her...

 in the North Sea and damaged 19 August 1916, then torpedoed by German submarine U-52

SM U-52

|SM U-52 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-52 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic....

 off Flamborough Head

Flamborough Head

Flamborough Head is a promontory of on the Yorkshire coast of England, between the Filey and Bridlington bays of the North Sea. It is a chalk headland, and the resistance it offers to coastal erosion may be contrasted with the low coast of Holderness to the south...

 the next day and sunk.

Chatham class

The Chatham class were ordered under the 1911 Programme and commissioned between 1912-1916. Three ships were built to the same design for the new Royal Australian Navy. The Chathams differed from the two previous sub-classes only slightly. Deck armour was reduced in order to allow the introduction of belt armour, and they had eight 6 in guns in single mountings with shields. They had no secondary armament but did have AA weaponry that consisted of four 3 pounder guns. Their AA armament was further increased during the First World War, with the addition of four 3 in guns. 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. The class also had aircraft fitted during the war. Chatham was briefly part of the New Zealand Naval Forces

New Zealand Naval Forces

New Zealand Naval Forces was the name given to a division of the Royal Navy. The division was formed in 1913 and it operated under this name until 1921, when it became the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy....

 in 1920, subsequently the New Zealand Division

New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy

The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy was formed in 1921 and remained in existence until 1941. It was the precursor to the Royal New Zealand Navy .Originally the British Royal Navy provided total security for the colony of New Zealand...

, until it returned to the RN in 1924.

Ships

, built by Chatham Dockyard, laid down 3 January 1911, launched 19 November 1911, and completed December 1912. Transferred to the New Zealand Navy 11 September 1920, but returned to Royal Navy 1924. Sold for breaking up 13 July 1926., built by Beardmore, laid down 3 January 1911, launched 30 April 1912, and completed March 1913. Sold for breaking up July 1926., built by John Brown, laid down 6 April 1911, launched 16 May 1912, and completed November 1912. Sold for breaking up 13 July 1926., built by London & Glasgow, laid down 11 February 1911, launched 29 August 1912, and completed June 1913. Broken up at Cockatoo Dockyard in April 1929., built by Cammell Laird, laid down 14 April 1911, launched 30 May 1912, and completed January 1913. Sold for breaking up 8 December 1928., built by Cockatoo Dockyard, laid down 25 January 1913, launched 30 September 1915, and completed November 1916. Sold for breaking up 13 June 1936.

Birmingham class

The Birmingham class were all ordered under the 1912 Programme and was commissioned in 1914. They featured slight differences in appearance and armament. Their main armament were nine 6 in guns in single turrets, with an additional 6 inch gun mounted on the forecastle in order to improve forward fire. Their AA armament was exactly the same as the Chatham sub-class and a 3 in (76 mm) gun was also added during the First World War. The class did not have an aircraft fitted during the war. Also more flare was added to the bow to improve sea keeping. Further improvement to the Birmingham class resulted in five ships of the Hawkins class

Hawkins class cruiser

The Hawkins class was a class of five heavy cruisers of the Royal Navy designed in 1915 and constructed throughout the First World War. All ships were named after Elizabethan sea captains...

. The similar Adelaide was built for the Royal Australian Navy. She had one of her funnels removed in the late 1930s.

Ships

, built by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, laid down 10 June 1912, launched 7 May 1913, and completed February 1914. Sold for breaking up 5 February 1931., built by Chatham Dockyard, laid down 29 July 1912, launched 23 April 1913, and completed April 1914. Sold for breaking up 8 January 1931., built by Pembroke Dockyard, laid down 13 June 1912, launched 18 April 1913, and completed April 1914. Torpedoed three times by German submarine U-52

SM U-52

|SM U-52 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-52 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic....

 in the North Sea 19 August 1916 and sunk with 38 dead., built by Cockatoo Dockyard, laid down January 1915, launched 27 July 1918, and completed August 1922. Sold for breaking up in Australia in January 1949.

Birkenhead class

The Birkenhead class were ordered in early 1914 for the Greek Navy as Antinavarchos Kountouriotis and Lambros Katsonis respectively. In early 1915 the contracts were taken over by the British Admiralty, the ships were renamed and were commissioned in 1915. They were modified versions of the previous sub-class. Their main armament was ten 5.5 in (140 mm) guns, a first for an RN class. Although firing a lighter shell the gun was easier to handle in rough weather and indeed the gun proved so successful that it was introduced properly into the RN, being fitted to a small number of warships, including the battlecruiser . One weakness of the gun was the gun shields which didn't reach the deck leaving the gun crews vulnerable to splinters. Their AA armament was exactly the same as the previous sub-classes. After the war, they were offered for sale back to the Greeks but this offer was not taken up.

Ships

, built by Cammell Laird, laid down 27 March 1914, launched 18 January 1915, and completed May 1915. Sold for breaking up 26 October 1921., built by Cammell Laird, laid down 7 October 1914, launched 8 December 1915, and completed May 1916. Sold for breaking up 9 November 1921.

Operational Service

The class saw much service in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and many of the ships left their mark on history. Ships of the class saw action at the Battle of the Falkland Islands

Battle of the Falkland Islands

The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a British naval victory over the Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 during the First World War in the South Atlantic...

 and the Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1914. That same year, Sydney attacked 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 which had escaped from the engagement at the Falkland Islands the previous year, in which Glasgow had helped in sinking . Dresden was eventually scuttled by her own crew after a short engagement

Battle of Más a Tierra

The Battle of Más a Tierra was a First World War battle fought on 14 March 1915, near the Chilean island of Más a Tierra, between a British squadron and a German light cruiser...

. Ships of the class also took part in the Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)

Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)

The Battle of Dogger Bank was a naval battle fought near the Dogger Bank in the North Sea on 24 January 1915, during the First World War, between squadrons of the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet....

.

In 1916, ships of the class also saw action at the Battle of Jutland

Battle of Jutland

The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...

, the largest surface engagement of World War I. In 1917, a Sopwith Pup

Sopwith Pup

The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...

 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

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 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

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

. She was broken up in 1949.

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