Crown Colony class cruiser 466571 222465657 2008-06-29T14:05:37Z SpBot 7016748 robot Modifying: [[de:Crown-Colony-Klasse]] {{nofootnotes|date=June 2008}} {|{{Infobox Ship Begin}} {{Infobox Ship Image |Ship image=[[Image:HMS Nigeria.jpg|300px]] |Ship caption=[[HMS Nigeria (60)|HMS ''Nigeria'']] }} {{Infobox Ship Class Overview |Name='''Crown Colony''' |Builders= |Operators=[[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|30px|RN Ensign]] [[Royal Navy]]<br>[[Image:Canadian Blue Ensign 1921.svg|30px]] [[Royal Canadian Navy]]<br>[[Image:Naval Ensign of India.svg|30px]] [[Indian Navy]]<br>[[Image:Naval Jack of Peru.svg|30px]] [[Peruvian Navy]] |Class before=[[Dido class cruiser|''Dido'' class]] |Class after=[[Minotaur class cruiser (1943)|''Minotaur'' class]] |Subclasses=''Fiji''<br>''Ceylon'' |Cost= |Built range= |In service range= |In commission range= |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=Eleven |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost=Two |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox Ship Characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class=[[light cruiser]] |Ship type= |Ship tonnage= |Ship displacement=10,725 tons full load <br>(''Ceylon'' class: 10,840 tons full load) |Ship tons burthen= |Ship length={{convert|555|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} overall |Ship beam={{convert|62|ft|m|abbr=on}} |Ship height= |Ship draught={{convert|16|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} |Ship draft= |Ship depth= |Ship hold depth= |Ship decks= |Ship deck clearance= |Ship ramps= |Ship ice class= |Ship power= |Ship propulsion=Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers<br>Four Parsons geared [[steam turbines]]<br>Four shafts<br>72,500 shp (54 MW)<br>(''Ceylon'' group; 80,000 shp (60 MW)) |Ship sail plan= |Ship speed=31.5 [[Knot (speed)|knots]]<br>(''Ceylon'' group; 32 knots) |Ship range=10,100 nm (18,700 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |Ship endurance= |Ship test depth= |Ship boats= |Ship capacity= |Ship troops= |Ship complement=730 |Ship crew= |Ship time to activate= |Ship sensors= |Ship EW= |Ship armament=<table> ''Fiji'' group: * '''12''' x BL 6&nbsp;in /50 (152&nbsp;mm) Mark XXIII guns in '''4 triple''' mountings Mark XXI * '''8''' x QF 4&nbsp;in /45 (102&nbsp;mm) Mark XVI guns in '''4 twin''' mountings Mark XIX * '''8''' x [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2&nbsp;pdr (40&nbsp;mm) pom-pom Mark VIII]] in '''2 quad''' mountings Mark VII * '''2 '''x''' triple''' 21&nbsp;in (533&nbsp;mm) tubes for torpedoes Mark IX ''Ceylon'' group: * '''9''' x BL 6&nbsp;in /50 (152&nbsp;mm) Mark XXIII guns in '''3 triple''' mountings Mark XXI * '''8''' x QF 4&nbsp;in /45 (102&nbsp;mm) Mark XVI guns in '''4 twin''' mountings Mark XIX * '''12''' x [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2&nbsp;pdr (40&nbsp;mm) pom-pom Mark VIII]] in '''3 quad''' mountings Mark VII * '''2 '''x''' triple''' 21&nbsp;in (533&nbsp;mm) tubes for torpedoes Mark IX </table> |Ship armour= |Ship armor= |Ship aircraft=Two [[Supermarine Walrus]] aircraft (removed by 1944, never fitted in ''Fiji'' or ''Kenya'') |Ship aircraft facilities= |Ship notes= }} |} The '''Crown Colony-class''' [[light cruiser]]s of the [[Royal Navy]] were named after [[Crown Colony|Crown Colonies]] of the [[British Empire]]. The first eight are known as the ''Fiji'' class, while the last three to be built are commonly referred to as the ''Ceylon'' class and were built to a slightly modified design. ==Design== They were built due to the limitations that the [[Second London Naval Treaty]] imposed on cruisers, which lowered the [[Washington Naval Treaty|Washington]] limit of 10,000&nbsp;tons to 8,000&nbsp;tons, and were basically smaller derivatives of the [[Town class cruiser (1936)|Town-class]] cruiser. The armour scheme was revised from that of the Towns, in that the main belt now protected the 6&nbsp;inch ammunition spaces, although the belt itself was reduced to 3.5&nbsp;inches here and 3.25&nbsp;inches at the machinery spaces. The 6&nbsp;inch turrets and ammunition spaces were laid out as per the ''Edinburgh'' group of the Town class, except the after turrets were a deck lower as in the ''Southampton'' and ''Gloucester'' groups. The supply of ammunition to the {{convert|4|in|mm|0|sing=on}} guns was also improved, dispensing with the complicated conveyor system. The Crown Colonys were instantly recognisable as they had a [[transom]] stern and straight funnels and masts; those of the Towns being raked. Due to the size of the Crown Colony class, a number of the ships had their 'X' turret removed to allow the shipping of additional light [[anti-aircraft]] guns. ==Modifications== The addition of [[radar]] sets meant that the aircraft were now surplus to requirements, allowing the removal of the aircraft and catapult. Not only did this provide additional accommodation spaces for enlarged wartime crews, but there was no longer the need to carry large quantities of volatile aviation fuel; in 1940, [[HMS Liverpool (C11)|''Liverpool'']] had her bows blown off when a torpedo detonated the 5,700 gallons of aviation fuel stored forwards and was out of action for a year. ''Fiji'' and ''Kenya'' never received the catapult, ''Nigeria'' had hers removed in 1941 and the other ships had theirs removed between 1942 and 1944. The ''Ceylon'' group were completed without 'X' 6&nbsp;inch turret, and between 1944 and 1945, those of ''Bermuda'', ''Jamaica'', ''Mauritius'' and ''Kenya'' were also removed. This allowed the carriage of additional light A/A weapons, a quadruple [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2&nbsp;pdr pom-pom]] mounting Mark VII generally being carried in 'X' position. ''Bermuda'', ''Jamaica'' and ''Mauritius'' had 2 additional quadruple pom-poms added (for a total of five) and between 2 and 4 single pom-poms in powered mountings Mark XV. In ''Kenya'', all pom-poms were removed, and were replaced with 5 twin and 8 single [[Bofors 40 mm gun|40&nbsp;mm /60 Bofors A/A]]. By the end of the war, ''Newfoundland'' had one and ''Uganda'' had 2 American pattern quadruple 40&nbsp;mm /60 Bofors mounts Mark III and ''Nigeria'' had 4 single mounts Mark III. Generally, 6 to 24 [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm Oerlikon]] guns were also added in a mixture of single mounts Mark IIIA and twin powered mounts Mark V. ==Service== They served with distinction during [[World War II]], losing [[HMS Fiji (C58)|''Fiji'']] in 1941, and [[HMS Trinidad (C46)|''Trinidad'']] the following year. They continued in service after the war, taking part in further actions, such as the [[Korean War]]. [[HMS Ceylon (C30)|''Ceylon'']] was later sold to [[Peru]], being renamed ''Coronel Bolognesi'', along with [[HMS Newfoundland (C59)|''Newfoundland'']], which was renamed ''Almirante Grau''. The ship was decommissioned in 1982. [[HMS Nigeria (60)|''Nigeria'']] was also sold, to [[India]], being renamed ''[[INS Mysore]]''. The ship was scrapped in 1985, an astonishingly long time since her launch in the late 1930s. All ships of the Crown Colony-class were decommissioned from the Royal Navy by the late 1960s, though none of them were the last cruisers of the Royal Navy. That honour went to [[HMS Blake (C99)|''Blake'']], a modified [[Tiger class cruiser|''Tiger''-class]] cruiser, which was decommissioned in 1979, seemingly the last ever cruiser to be in the Royal Navy. ==Ships of the class== [[Image:HMS Jamaica (Crown Colony-class cruiser).jpg|thumb|left|200px|HMS ''Jamaica'']] ===''Fiji'' group=== *''[[HMS Bermuda (C52)|Bermuda]]'' - Took part in [[Operation Torch]], the landings in [[North Africa]], during WWII, as well as other operations. After the war, the ship continued in service, seeing much of the world, and receiving a number of refits which helped her last until her decommissioning in 1962. She was scrapped in 1965. *''[[HMS Fiji (C58)|Fiji]]'' - In 1940, ''Fiji'' was torpedoed by a German U-boat, though fortunately the ship survived this brush with Germany's submarines. In 1941, during the [[Battle of Crete]], ''Fiji'' was hit by a bomb from a German [[Me 109]] aircraft, after having survived 20 bomb hits, this one caused her to list heavily, though three further bombs proved fatal for the cruiser. 244 of her crew were lost. *''[[HMS Gambia (C48)|Gambia]]'' - Was transferred to the [[Royal New Zealand Navy]] from 1943, seeing active service in the [[British Pacific Fleet]]. She was returned to the Royal Navy in 1946. The ship was scrapped in 1968. *''[[HMS Jamaica (C44)|Jamaica]]'' - Served in WWII, taking part in a number of operations during that war. In the Korean War, ''Jamaica'' was known as 'The Galloping Ghost of the Korean Coast', due to the North Koreans claiming that she had been sunk three times. She was scrapped in 1960. *''[[HMS Kenya (C14)|Kenya]]'' - Was heavily involved in both WWII, being deployed to the Far East for some time. ''Kenya'' was also involved in the Korean War. She was scrapped in 1962. *''[[HMS Mauritius (C80)|Mauritius]]'' - She was involved in the [[Battle of Normandy|Normandy Landings]], and other actions during WWII. She was scrapped in 1965. *''[[HMS Nigeria (60)|Nigeria]]'' - Was involved in [[Operation Pedestal]] (when she was damaged by [[Italian submarine Axum|Italian submarine ''Axum'']]), the largest attempt to assist the besieged island of Malta in 1942. She participated in raids on [[Sumatra]] as part of the [[Eastern Fleet]] in 1945, as well as a number of other deployments. She was sold to India in 1958, being renamed ''[[INS Mysore]]''. She was scrapped in 1985. *''[[HMS Trinidad (C46)|Trinidad]]'' - She was involved in an astonishing incident in 1942. While engaged three German destroyers she was hit by her own torpedo, which had a faulty [[gyroscope]] causing it to run in circles, though she did destroy one of the German warships. The same year, ''Trinidad'' was hit by ''Luftwaffe'' [[Ju 88]] bombers, damaging her to an extent that her crew were forced to scuttle her in the [[Barents Sea]] the following day. ===''Ceylon'' group=== *''[[HMS Ceylon (C30)|Ceylon]]'' - Was deployed to the Far East for much of World War II, taking part in a number of actions there. She took part in the Korean War, being involved heavily during that war. She was decommissioned in 1960, and subsequently sold to Peru, being renamed ''Coronel Bolognesi''. She was decommissioned in 1982. *''[[HMS Newfoundland (C59)|Newfoundland]]'' - She was torpedoed by [[Italian submarine Ascianghi|Italian submarine ''Ascianghi'']], receiving temporary repairs at [[Malta]], and full repairs at [[Boston Navy Yard]]. In 1944, the ship suffered an explosion at [[Alexandria]] while docked there. She sustaining heavy damage, also suffering a number of casualties. She was in the Far East from 1945, supporting a number of operations there. She sank the Egyptian frigate ''Domiat'', during the Suez operations, after the latter ship fired on her. She was sold to Peru in 1959, being renamed ''Almirante Grau'' and then ''Capitan Quinones'' in 1973. She was decommissioned in 1979. She was ironically broken up in [[Japan]], the country that she and her crew fought against in World War II. *''[[HMS Uganda (C66)|Uganda]]'' - Escorted the [[RMS Queen Mary|RMS ''Queen Mary'']] to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] with [[Winston Churchill]] embarked. Covered the invasion of [[Sicily]] in 1943. She was then hit by a German [[glide bomb]] that same year, causing significant damage and killing sixteen of her crew and wounding seven. Following repairs carried out in 1944 in the [[USA]] she was recommissioned in the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] as HMCS ''Uganda''. She joined the [[British Pacific Fleet]] in 1945 taking part in a number of actions in the Far East. She was put in reserve in 1947 but recommissioned as HMCS ''Quebec'' for service in the [[Korean War]]. The ship was scrapped in 1961. == See also == {{Commonscat}} [[Town class cruiser (1936)|Town class cruiser]] ==References== *{{Colledge}} *[http://uboat.net/allies/warships/class.html?ID=73 Crown Colony class at Uboat.net] *[http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3 WWII cruisers] {{Crown Colony class cruiser}} {{WWIIBritishShips}} [[Category:Cruiser classes]] [[Category:Crown Colony class cruisers| ]] [[de:Crown-Colony-Klasse]] [[it:Classe Crown Colony (incrociatore)]] [[ja:クラウン・コロニー級軽巡洋艦]]