Town class cruiser (1910)

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Town-class	Image:RN-White-Ensign.svg
Image:HMS Liverpool (Bristol-class cruiser).jpg HMS Liverpool
General Characteristics
Displacement:	4,800–5,440 tons
Length:	430 feet (131 m)
Beam:	50 feet (15 m)
Draught:	16 feet (5 m)
Propulsion:	4 shaft Parsons turbines, 22,000–31,000 shp (16–23 MW)
Speed:	25–30 knots (46–56 km/h)
Range:
Complement:	475–500
Armament:	Two 6-inch 50-caliber Mk XI guns, ten 4-inch 50-caliber Mk VIII, four 3-pounder guns (Bristol subclass) Eight to nine 6-inch 50/45-caliber Mk XI/XII, four 3-pounder guns (Birmingham, Weymouth, Chatham subclasses) Ten 5.5-inch 50-caliber Mk I, one 3-inch guns (Birkenhead subclass) Two 18-inch (Bristol subclass) or 21-inch torpedo tubes
Aircraft:

The Town class was a class of light cruisers built for the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and were good long-range cruisers, perfect for the vast Empire that the RN had to patrol . The class were built in a number of sub-classes known as the Bristol (five ships), Weymouth (four ships), Chatham (three RN ships, four RAN ships), Birmingham (three ships) and Birkenhead (two ships) classes. The RAN ships were known as the Sydney class.

The Bristol class were all commissioned in 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 in (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 (AAW) consisted of four 3-pounder guns and four Maxim machine guns. In WWI, the class's AA armament was increased with the fitting of a single 3 in (76 mm) gun.

The Weymouth class were ordered in the 1910 Naval Estimates and commissioned between 1911-12 and differed from the Bristol-class in only a few aspects. They were fitted with a potent main armament, having eight 6 in (152 mm) guns in single turrets. Their secondary armament consisted of four 3 pounder guns. The class saw a number of alterations during the war, including the addition of one 3 in (76 mm) gun for the AAW role. They were also the first cruisers to be fitted with an aircraft, the Sopwith Pup, 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.

The Chatham class were commissioned between 1912-16 (including RAN ships), though HMAS Adelaide was not commissioned until 1922 and was improved during the delay. The RAN ships were known as the Sydney class. The Chathams/Sydneys differed from the two previous sub-classes only slightly. They had increased armour protection, and had eight 6 in (152 mm) guns in single turrets. They had no secondary armament but did have AAW weaponry that consisted of four 3 pounder guns. Their AAW armament was further increased during the First World War, with the addition of four 3-in guns. The class also had aircraft fitted during the war. Chatham was briefly part of the New Zealand Naval Forces in 1920, subsequently the New Zealand Division, until it returned to the RN in 1924. Adelaide had one of her funnels removed in the late 1930s.

The Birmingham class were all commissioned in 1914. They featured slight differences in appearance and armament. Their main armament were nine 6 in (152 mm) guns in single turrets. Their AAW 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. Further improvement to the Birmingham class resulted in five ships of the Hawkins class.

The Birkenhead class were commissioned in 1915. They were originally intended for the Greek Navy but were acquired by the Royal Navy under the Emergency War Programme. 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, indeed the gun proved so successful that it was introduced properly into the RN, being fitted to a number of warships, including HMS Hood. Their AAW armament was exactly the same as the previous sub-classes.

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Operational Service

The class saw much service in 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 sameyear, 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 the Second World War 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.