The C-class cruisers were intended to escort the fleet and defend it against enemy destroyers attempting to close within torpedo range. Ordered as part of the 1914–15 Naval Programme,[1] the Cambrian sub-class were a slightly larger and improved version of the preceding Calliope sub-class; Cambrian, the last ship of her sub-class to be completed, differed from her sister ships as she had a more powerful armament. The ships were 446 feet (135.9 m) long overall, with a beam of 41 feet 6 inches (12.6 m) and a mean draught of 14 feet 10 inches (4.5 m). Displacement was 4,320 long tons (4,390 t) at normal and 4,799 long tons (4,876 t) at deep load.[2]Cambrian was powered by four direct-drive Parsonssteam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, which produced a total of 40,000 indicated horsepower (30,000 kW).[3] The turbines used steam generated by six Yarrow boilers which gave her a speed of 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph). She carried 841 long tons (854 t) tons of fuel oil. The ship had a crew of 368 officers and ratings.[2]
During 1917–18, her pole foremast was replaced by a tripod mast that was fitted with a gunnery director. In January 1919, Cambrian had her 4-inch guns removed and an additional 6-inch gun added abaft the funnels. At the same time, her AA gun was replaced by a pair of QF 3 in (76 mm) 20-cwt[Note 1]anti-aircraft guns. Sometime between 1919 and 1924 the ship received a pair of 2-pounder (40 mm) Mk II "pom-pom" guns on single mounts.[5]
Construction and career
Cambrian, the fourth ship of her name in the Royal Navy,[6] was laid down by Pembroke Dockyard in Pembroke Dock, Wales, on 8 December 1914, launched on 3 March 1916, and completed in May 1916. She was commissioned into service that same month and was assigned to the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet in which she served through the end of World War I and until 1919.[2] The squadron was generally tasked with screening the battleships of the Grand Fleet during the war. The ship did not participate in the inconclusive Action of 19 August 1916 with the rest of her squadron. The squadron was briefly detached from the Grand Fleet in March 1917 to fruitlessly patrol off the Norwegian coast when news of a blockade runner was received by the Admiralty.[7]
At the beginning of 1919, Cambrian was refitted in Rosyth before she sailed for Devonport where she was visited by the Edward, Prince of Wales on 13 June. The ship was assigned to the North American and West Indies Station the following month, where she served until 1922. Cambrian's crew spent several days in August trying to tow off the schoonerBella Scott after she had run aground near Kingston, Jamaica and received a brief refit in Bermuda in March–April 1920. The Prince of Wales again visited the ship on 26 September in Dominica. On 25 January 1921, she was inspected by Vice-Admiral Sir William Pakenham at Bermuda and again on 17 June. The ship arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts to participate in the Pilgrim Tercentenary celebrations on 31 July.[8]
She was part of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet from August 1922 until June 1924, and was detached to support British interests during the Chanak Crisis of 1922–23.[2] She escorted the seaplane carrierArk Royal from the UK to Turkey from 27 September to 8 October and was later guard ship at Smyrna in December.[9]
The ship was decommissioned in June 1924 and began a refit that lasted into 1926, during which her aft control tower and searchlight platform was removed, when she was recommissioned to serve in the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet[2] where she participated in a fleet exercise in March 1929.[10] After transporting troops to China in 1929, she was decommissioned in November 1929 and assigned to the NoreReserve. She was recommissioned as the flagship of the Nore Reserve in March 1931 and was then decommissioned in July 1933 at Sheerness and listed for sale.[2]Cambrian was sold for scrap on 28 July 1934.[11]
Notes
^"Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.
Halpern, Paul, ed. (2011). The Mediterranean Fleet 1920–1929. Navy Records Society Publications. Vol. 158. Farnham, Surrey, UK: Ashgate. ISBN978-1-4094-2756-8.
Newbolt, Henry (1996). Naval Operations. History of the Great War Based on Official Documents. Vol. IV (reprint of the 1928 ed.). Nashville, Tennessee: Battery Press. ISBN0-89839-253-5.
Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN0-85177-245-5.
Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980). British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-922-7.
"Transcript: HMS CAMBRIAN – January 1919 to April 1922, North America & West Indies Station". Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
External links
Ships of the Cambrian class
March 05, 2023
cambrian, 1916, other, ships, with, same, name, cambrian, cambrian, class, light, cruiser, built, royal, navy, during, world, name, ship, class, four, ships, assigned, grand, fleet, upon, completion, 1916, ship, played, only, small, role, during, cambrian, ass. For other ships with the same name see HMS Cambrian HMS Cambrian was a C class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy during World War I She was the name ship of her sub class of four ships Assigned to the Grand Fleet upon completion in 1916 the ship played only a small role during the war Cambrian was assigned to the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets during the 1920s and was sent to support British interests in Turkey during the Chanak Crisis of 1922 1923 The ship was placed in reserve in late 1929 She was sold for scrap in 1934 Cambrian at anchor during World War IHistoryUnited KingdomNameCambrianNamesakeCambrian MountainsOrderedSeptember 1914BuilderHM Dockyard PembrokeLaid down8 December 1914Launched3 March 1916CompletedMay 1916CommissionedMay 1916DecommissionedJune 1924Recommissioned1926DecommissionedNovember 1929RecommissionedMarch 1931DecommissionedJuly 1933FateSold for scrap 28 July 1934General characteristics as built Class and typeC class light cruiserDisplacement4 320 long tons 4 390 t Length446 ft 135 9 m o a Beam41 ft 6 in 12 6 m Draught14 ft 10 in 4 5 m Installed power6 Yarrow boilers 40 000 shp 30 000 kW Propulsion2 shafts 2 steam turbinesSpeed28 5 knots 52 8 km h 32 8 mph Complement368Armament3 single BL 6 in 152 mm Mk XII guns 6 single QF 4 in 102 mm Mk IV guns 1 single QF 4 in 102 mm Mk V anti aircraft gun 2 21 in 533 mm torpedo tubesArmourWaterline belt 1 5 3 in 38 76 mm Deck 1 in 25 mm Conning tower 6 in Contents 1 Design and description 1 1 Wartime modifications 2 Construction and career 3 Notes 4 Citations 5 Bibliography 6 External linksDesign and description EditThe C class cruisers were intended to escort the fleet and defend it against enemy destroyers attempting to close within torpedo range Ordered as part of the 1914 15 Naval Programme 1 the Cambrian sub class were a slightly larger and improved version of the preceding Calliope sub class Cambrian the last ship of her sub class to be completed differed from her sister ships as she had a more powerful armament The ships were 446 feet 135 9 m long overall with a beam of 41 feet 6 inches 12 6 m and a mean draught of 14 feet 10 inches 4 5 m Displacement was 4 320 long tons 4 390 t at normal and 4 799 long tons 4 876 t at deep load 2 Cambrian was powered by four direct drive Parsons steam turbines each driving one propeller shaft which produced a total of 40 000 indicated horsepower 30 000 kW 3 The turbines used steam generated by six Yarrow boilers which gave her a speed of 28 5 knots 52 8 km h 32 8 mph She carried 841 long tons 854 t tons of fuel oil The ship had a crew of 368 officers and ratings 2 Cambrian s main armament consisted of three BL 6 inch 152 mm Mk XII guns that were mounted on the centreline One gun was forward of the bridge and the last two were in the stern with one gun superfiring over the rearmost gun Her secondary armament consisted of six QF 4 in 102 mm Mk IV guns three on each side one pair abaft the bridge on the forecastle deck and the other two pairs one deck lower amidships 2 For anti aircraft defence she was fitted with one QF 4 in 102 mm Mk V gun 4 The ship also mounted two submerged 21 in 533 mm torpedo tubes one on each broadside The Cambrians were protected by a waterline belt amidships that ranged in thickness from 1 5 3 inches 38 76 mm with a 1 inch 25 mm deck The walls of their conning tower were 6 inches thick 2 Wartime modifications Edit During 1917 18 her pole foremast was replaced by a tripod mast that was fitted with a gunnery director In January 1919 Cambrian had her 4 inch guns removed and an additional 6 inch gun added abaft the funnels At the same time her AA gun was replaced by a pair of QF 3 in 76 mm 20 cwt Note 1 anti aircraft guns Sometime between 1919 and 1924 the ship received a pair of 2 pounder 40 mm Mk II pom pom guns on single mounts 5 Construction and career EditCambrian the fourth ship of her name in the Royal Navy 6 was laid down by Pembroke Dockyard in Pembroke Dock Wales on 8 December 1914 launched on 3 March 1916 and completed in May 1916 She was commissioned into service that same month and was assigned to the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet in which she served through the end of World War I and until 1919 2 The squadron was generally tasked with screening the battleships of the Grand Fleet during the war The ship did not participate in the inconclusive Action of 19 August 1916 with the rest of her squadron The squadron was briefly detached from the Grand Fleet in March 1917 to fruitlessly patrol off the Norwegian coast when news of a blockade runner was received by the Admiralty 7 At the beginning of 1919 Cambrian was refitted in Rosyth before she sailed for Devonport where she was visited by the Edward Prince of Wales on 13 June The ship was assigned to the North American and West Indies Station the following month where she served until 1922 Cambrian s crew spent several days in August trying to tow off the schooner Bella Scott after she had run aground near Kingston Jamaica and received a brief refit in Bermuda in March April 1920 The Prince of Wales again visited the ship on 26 September in Dominica On 25 January 1921 she was inspected by Vice Admiral Sir William Pakenham at Bermuda and again on 17 June The ship arrived at Plymouth Massachusetts to participate in the Pilgrim Tercentenary celebrations on 31 July 8 She was part of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet from August 1922 until June 1924 and was detached to support British interests during the Chanak Crisis of 1922 23 2 She escorted the seaplane carrier Ark Royal from the UK to Turkey from 27 September to 8 October and was later guard ship at Smyrna in December 9 The ship was decommissioned in June 1924 and began a refit that lasted into 1926 during which her aft control tower and searchlight platform was removed when she was recommissioned to serve in the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet 2 where she participated in a fleet exercise in March 1929 10 After transporting troops to China in 1929 she was decommissioned in November 1929 and assigned to the Nore Reserve She was recommissioned as the flagship of the Nore Reserve in March 1931 and was then decommissioned in July 1933 at Sheerness and listed for sale 2 Cambrian was sold for scrap on 28 July 1934 11 Notes Edit Cwt is the abbreviation for hundredweight 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun Citations Edit Friedman pp 38 42 48 a b c d e f g h Preston p 59 Raven amp Roberts p 44 Raven amp Roberts p 46 Raven amp Roberts p 49 Colledge p 58 Newbolt IV p 34 192 Transcript Halpern pp 401 423 Halpern p 541 Raven amp Roberts p 437Bibliography EditColledge J J Warlow Ben 2006 1969 Ships of the Royal Navy The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy Rev ed London Chatham Publishing ISBN 978 1 86176 281 8 Friedman Norman 2010 British Cruisers Two World Wars and After Barnsley UK Seaforth Publishing ISBN 978 1 59114 078 8 Halpern Paul ed 2011 The Mediterranean Fleet 1920 1929 Navy Records Society Publications Vol 158 Farnham Surrey UK Ashgate ISBN 978 1 4094 2756 8 Newbolt Henry 1996 Naval Operations History of the Great War Based on Official Documents Vol IV reprint of the 1928 ed Nashville Tennessee Battery Press ISBN 0 89839 253 5 Preston Antony 1985 Great Britain and Empire Forces In Gray Randal ed Conway s All the World s Fighting Ships 1906 1921 Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press pp 1 104 ISBN 0 85177 245 5 Raven Alan amp Roberts John 1980 British Cruisers of World War Two Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 922 7 Transcript HMS CAMBRIAN January 1919 to April 1922 North America amp West Indies Station Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era Naval History net Retrieved 10 March 2016 External links EditShips of the Cambrian class Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title HMS Cambrian 1916 amp oldid 1136851907, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
