Capetown Class Cruiser (1918)
The five light cruisers of the Capetown Class (or, sometimes, Cairo Class) were completed between 1919 and 1922. They were follow-on units of the Ceres class, and generally completed after their design successors, the Danae class.
Armament
The ships were armed as follows.[1]
Guns
- Five 6-in 45cal BL Mark XII guns on the centre-line with a maximum elevation of 30 degrees.[2]
- Two 3-in 20cwt QF on HA mountings
- Four 3-pdr
- Two 2-pdr pom-poms
Torpedoes
- Eight 21-in above water tubes on four twin mountings disposed in pairs abreast, bearing 60-120 degrees.
As the 6-in guns fired over these, they proved untenable for manned firing as the 6-in guns would have necessitated a blast shield projecting fully 18 feet from the muzzle. The ugly expedient taken was to train the tubes to a pre-arranged bearing on coming to action stations and to use remote firing from the primary and secondary control positions.[3]
Fire Control
Rangefinders
They were to be supplied an additional 9-foot rangefinder aft, specifically to augment torpedo control.[4]
Evershed Bearing Indicators
These ships almost certainly had Evershed gear for gun control from delivery, and would also feature Evershed installations for searchlight control after orders for such installations from February 1917.[5]
Gunnery Control
Control Positions
Control Groups
Directors
All ships were completed with gunnery directors in place.[6]
The director was in a tower on a pedestal mounting and was probably augmented by use of their 'X' gun as a directing gun. [7][Inference]
Transmitting Stations
Dreyer Table
Fire Control Instruments
Torpedo Control
In 1916, it was decided that all light cruisers of Bristol class and later should have torpedo firing keys (Pattern 2333) fitted on the fore bridge, in parallel with those in the CT, and that a flexible voice pipe be fitted between these positions.[8]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906-1921, pp. 60-61.
- ↑ Progress in Naval Gunnery, 1914-1918", p. 10.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 35. I am inferring that the faults in Caledon carried through to this class.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1917, p. 199. (possibly pertinent: C.I.O. 481/17) I am presuming this is the "repeat C" class.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships, 1919, p. 29.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships, 1919, p. 11.
- ↑ Handbook of Captain F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, 1918., p. 142 and plate opposite.
It is most likely that the details were similar to those of the most recent light cruisers. - ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1916, p. 146.
Bibliography
- Template:BibUKDirectorFiringHandbook1917
- Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1910). Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909. Copy No. 173 is Ja 345a at Admiralty Library, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
- Template:BibUKDreyerTableHandbook1918
- Template:BibUKFireControlInHMShips1919
- Template:BibUKProgressInNavalGunnery1914-1918
