NAVYPEDIA

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Dunedin	96, D93		Armstrong, Elswick, UK	5.11.1917	19.11.1918	9.1919 // 5.1924	to UK 3.1937
Diomede	92, D92		Vickers, Barrow / Portsmouth DYd, UK	3.6.1918	29.4.1919	10.1922 // 10.1925	to UK 3.1936

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	Dunedin: 2 sets Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, 6 Yarrow boilers 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	6 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 3 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

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By the end of 1930th all cruisers of D type were considered become outdated and were scheduled to conversion to AA ships as C type but with 114mm twin mounts.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

None.

Naval service

No significant events.