NAVYPEDIA

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Achilles	70- C70		Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, UK	11.6.1931	1.9.1932	6.10.1933 // 10.1941	to UK 9.1946
Leander	75		Devonport DYd, UK	8.9.1930	24.9.1931	24.3.1933 // 10.1941	to UK 5.1944

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	6985 - 7270
Displacement full, t	9460 - 9740
Length, m	159.1 pp 169.0 oa
Breadth, m	Achilles: 17.0 Leander: 16.8
Draught, m	6.07 - 6.22
No of shafts	4
Machinery	4 sets Parsons geared steam turbines, 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	72000
Max speed, kts	32.5
Fuel, t	oil 1680 - 1785
Endurance, nm(kts)	10300(14)
Armour, mm	box protection to magazines: 89 - 25, belt: 76 on 25mm plating, bulkheads: 38, barbettes: 25, turrets: 25, deck: 51 - 25
Armament	Achilles: 4 x 2 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V, 3 x 4 - 12.7/62, 2 х 4 - 533 TT, 1 aircraft (Walrus), 1 catapult E-II-H Leander: 4 x 2 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI, 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 3 x 4 - 12.7/62, 2 х 4 - 533 TT
Complement	570

Standard scale images

Project history

First British cruisers designed taking into account results of London conference of 1930, according to which Britain had the right to build till 1936 some cruisers of a category "B" (no more than 10 000t displacement , not above 155mm main guns) with the 91000t total displacement.

It was supposed to build 14 6500t ships designed on a basis of Exeter with similar protection but with 8 152mm guns and less powerful machinery. The last, together with some re-planning of boiler rooms, has allowed to deduce boiler uptakes to single funnel.

As well as on Kent class, basic thrust became not on achievement of a high speed or heavy armament, but on seaworthiness and endurance. Unlike cruisers with 203mm guns they not were so rigidly limited by limitations as a result their displacement was significant (almost on 1000t) exceeded the planed. It has compelled Admiralty to shrink number of ships of class to 8 (taking into account three "improved" ships of Amphion class).

Protection

Armoured belt protected machinery spaces (51mm armour on 25mm plating) and extended to upper deck abreast boiler rooms and to main deck abreast engine rooms. Machinery also was protected by 32mm armoured deck. Magazines were covered by 89mm longitudinal and 76mm transverse bulkheads and 51mm crowns. Steering gear was protected by 32mm deck with 38mm slopes.

Modernizations

late 1941, Leander: - 3 x 4 - 12.7/62; + 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 5 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 1 catapult E-II-H with 1 Walrus seaplane

1942, Achilles: - 4 x 1 - 102/45, 3 x 4 - 12.7/62; + 7 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV

mid-1942, Leander:+ type 284, type 291 radars

early 1943, Leander: - 1 catapult with seaplane; + 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 273 radar

5/1944, Achilles: - 1 x 2 - 152/50 ("X"), 3 x 1 - 20/70, 1 catapult with seaplane; + 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI, 4 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 7 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 277, type 281B, 4x type 282, 2x type 285, type 293 radars

4/1945, Achilles: - 2 x 2 - 20/70; + 4 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors Mk III, 1 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV

Naval service

Achilles was damaged by Japanese bomb at Guadalcanal 5.1.1943 and has failed almost on one and half year. Leander was damaged by Japanese 610mm torpedo 13.7.1943 in battle at Kolombangara (Solomon Islands) and was under repair till the end of war.