NAVYPEDIA

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Danae 1918  

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate	Modification
Dragon	19, D46	484	Scotts, Greenock	24.1.1917	29.12.1917	8.1918	to Poland 15.1.1943 (Dragon)	group 1
Danae	32, D44	914	Armstrong, Elswick	11.12.1916	26.1.1918	6.1918	to Poland 4.10.1944 - 28.9.1946 (Conrad), sold for BU 1.1948	group 1
Dauntless	71, D45	875	Palmers, Jarrow	3.1.1917	10.4.1918	11.1918	sold for BU 2.1946	group 1
Delhi	6A, D47	937	Armstrong, Elswick	29.10.1917	23.8.1918	5/1919	sold for BU 1.1948	group 2
Dunedin (RNZN 5.1924-3/1937)	96, D93	938	Armstrong, Elswick	5.11.1917	19.11.1918	9.1919	sunk 24.11.1941	group 2
Diomede (RNZN 10.1925-3/1936)	92, D92	562	Vickers, Barrow / Portsmouth DYd	3.6.1918	29.4.1919	10.1922	sold for BU 4.1946	group 2
Durban	99, D99	496	Scotts, Greenock / Devonport DYd	1.1918	29.5.1919	11.1921	scuttled as breakwater 9.6.1944	group 2
Despatch	30, D30	589	Fairfield, Govan / Chatham DYd	8.7.1918	24.9.1919	6.1922	HQ landing ship 5.1944, sold for BU 4.1946	group 2
Daedalus		955	Armstrong, Elswick	1918	---	---	cancelled 26.11.1918	group 2
Daring			Beardmore, Dalmuir	1918	---	---	cancelled 26.11.1918	group 2
Desperate			Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn	1918	---	---	cancelled 26.11.1918	group 2
Dryad			Vickers, Barrow	1918	---	---	cancelled 26.11.1918	group 2

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	4970
Displacement full, t	5870
Length, m	143.6
Breadth, m	13.9
Draught, m	5.00
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 sets Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, 6 Yarrow boilers Dauntless, Diomede: 2 sets Parsons geared steam turbines, 6 Yarrow boilers
Power, h. p.	40000
Max speed, kts	29
Fuel, t	oil 1050
Endurance, nm(kts)	5000(15)
Armour, mm	belt: 76 - 38, deck: 25, CT: 76, gun shields: 25
Armament	Danae, Dauntless, Dragon: 6 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 2 x 1 - 76/45 20cwt QF Mk I, 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk II, 4 x 3 - 533 TT, flying-off platform, 1 aircraft (Camel) Delhi, Dunedin, Durban: 6 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 2 x 1 - 76/45 20cwt QF Mk I, 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk II, 4 x 3 - 533 TT Diomede, Despatch: 6 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 2 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V, 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk II, 4 x 3 - 533 TT
Complement	450 (469 as flagship)

Standard scale images

Graphics

Project history

In September 1916 three 'Improved Ceres' type were ordered, taking the original Arethusa concept to its limit. As before the hull was lengthened to enable an extra 152mm gun to be fitted in between the foremast and the fore funnel. The reason was an erroneous intelligence report which suggested that new powerful German light cruisers were planned. The result was effective but the long asymmetrical profile had nothing of the balance of the 'C classes. As beam was increased they were also able to accommodate triple TT, so gun-power was up by 20 per cent and torpedo armament by 50 per cent. In July 1917 a further three were ordered (2nd Group - Delhi, Dunedin and Durban), followed by six more in March 1918, but the last four were cancelled in November. All the second group were modified like the Capetown class, with 'trawler bows' for better seakeeping. In addition several had a conspicuous hangar abaft 'B' gun; this was later removed. Diomede had an experimental enclosed gunhouse for 'A' gun with 40° elevation. In 1920 it was proposed to complete Despatch as a royal yacht, with armament deleted and two boilers removed to reduce speed to 24kts. The forecastle deck would have been extended right aft, and the bow and stern would have been altered to resemble a yacht. Nothing came of this scheme.

By the end of 1930th all cruisers of D type were considered become outdated and were scheduled to conversion to AA ships as C type but with 114mm twin mounts. War has broken these plans.

Ship protection

Armoured belt protected ship at full length, its thickness was 76mm abreast machinery spaces (51mm armour on 25mm plating), 51mm (38mm armour on 13mm plating) aft and 38mm (25mm armour on 13mm plating) fore. Belt was closed by aft 25mm bulkhead near stern. It extended to main deck (and to upper deck abreast machinery). Machinery and steering gear were covered by 25mm deck. Magazines had additional 25mm box-shaped protection.

Modernizations

1920s, Danae, Dragon, Dauntless: flying-off platform and hangar were removed

1920s, Diomede, Despatch: + 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V

1920s, Danae, Dauntless, Dragon, Delhi, Dunedin, Durban: - 2 x 1 - 76/45; + 3 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V

1938 - 1939, Despatch, Dunedin: - 2 x 1 - 40/39; + 2 x 4 - 12.7/62

10/1939, Danae: + 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII

(5 - 12.1941, New York N Yd, USA), Delhi: full new armament consisted of 5 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 12, 2 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV. Full displacement rose to 6500t including 200t of solid ballast.

3/1942, Delhi: + type 271, type 281, 2x type 282, 2x type 285 radars

1942, Danae: - 1 x 1 - 102/45; + 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII

2/1942, Dauntless; 7.1942, Despatch: + 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 271, type 286 radars

8/1942, Durban: + 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 273, type 286 radars

late 1942, Danae: - 1 x 4 - 40/39; + 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V

4/1943, Danae: - 1 x 1 - 152/45, 3 x 1 - 102/45, 4 x 1 - 40/39, 4 x 3 - 533 TT; + 1 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI, 2 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 271, type 282, type 283, type 291 radars

4/1943, Dauntless: - 2 x 1 - 102/45; + 2 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII

4/1943, Delhi: - 2 x 1 - 20/70; + 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV

6/1943, Diomede: - 1 x 1 - 102/45, 2 x 1 - 40/39; + 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 273, type 291 radars

9/1943, Diomede: - 2 x 1 - 20/70; + 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV

9/1943, Dauntless: + type 273 radar

3/1944, Delhi: + 2 x 2 -20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 650 ECM suite

4/1944, Dauntless; 1944, Diomede: - 4 x 3 - 533 TT

9.1946, Danae: 5 x 1 - 152/45 CP Mk XIV, 1 x 2 - 102/45 Mk XIX, 2 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 4 x 2 - 20/70 Mk V, type 271, type 282, type 283, type 291 radars

1.1946, Dauntless: 6 x 1 - 152/45 CP Mk XIV, 1 x 1 - 102/45 HA Mk III, 2 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 2 x 1 - 40/39 HA Mk II, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, type 271, type 273, type 286 radars

1.1946, Delhi: 5 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 30, 2 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 4 x 2 - 20/70 Mk V, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, type 271, type 281, 2x type 282, 2x type 285 radars, type 650 ECM suite

1.1946, Diomede: 6 x 1 - 152/45 CP Mk XIV, 2 x 1 - 102/45 HA Mk III, 1 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 2 x 2 - 20/70 Mk V, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, type 273, type 290 radars

1.1946, Despatch: 3 x 1 - 102/45 HA Mk III, 16 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 10 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, type 271, type 286 radars

Naval service

Dunedin was sunk 24.11.1941 by a torpedo from German submarine U124 off Brazilian coast. Delhi was damaged by German suicide boat 12.2.1945, temporarily repaired and laid up. Durban was badly damaged by Japanese aircraft at Singapore 11.2.1942, repair lasted more than a year, later she was scuttled as breakwater at Arromanche (Normandy) 9.6.1944. Despatch was reconstructed as HQ landing ship 5.1944. All 152mm guns and TTs were removed, 16 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors and 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon were added. She served in Normandy landing.

Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.