Royalist 1919
| Name | No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Arethusa | Chatham DYd | 28/10/1912 | 25/10/1913 | 8/1914 | sunk 11/2/1916 | |
| Aurora (RCN 11/1920) | Devonport DYd | 24/10/1912 | 30/9/1913 | 9/1914 | sold for BU 8/1927 | |
| Galatea | Beardmore, Dalmuir | 9/1/1913 | 14/5/1914 | 12/1914 | sold for BU 10/1921 | |
| Inconstant | Beardmore, Dalmuir | 3/4/1914 | 6/7/1914 | 1/1915 | sold for BU 6/1922 | |
| Penelope | Vickers, Barrow | 1/2/1913 | 25/8/1914 | 12/1914 | sold for BU 10/1924 | |
| Phaeton | Vickers, Barrow | 12/3/1913 | 21/10/1914 | 2/1915 | sold for BU 1/1923 | |
| Royalist | Beardmore, Dalmuir | 3/6/1913 | 14/1/1915 | 3/1915 | sold for BU 8/1922 | |
| Undaunted | Fairfield, Govan | 21/12/1912 | 28/4/1914 | 8/1914 | sold for BU 4/1923 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
3750 |
|
Displacement full, t |
4400 |
|
Length, m |
132.9 |
|
Breadth, m |
11.9 |
|
Draught, m |
4.10 |
|
No of shafts |
4 |
|
Machinery |
Parsons steam turbines, 8 boilers Arethusa, Undaunted: Brown-Curtis steam turbines, 8 boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
40000 |
|
Max speed, kts |
28.5 |
|
Fuel, t |
oil 875 |
| Armour, mm |
belt: 76 - 25, deck: 25, CT: 76, gun shields: 102 |
|
Armament |
2 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 6 x 1 - 102/40 QF Mk IV, 1 x 1 - 47/50 Vickers AA, 2 x 2 - 533 TT |
|
Complement |
276 - 282 |
Ship project history: Fast turbine-driven cruisers with purely oil-firing boilers, become a prototype of all subsequent series of the ships of the given class of WWI. They as the first of British fleet have received experimental seaplanes in 1915. Strongly suffered from splashing of a fore end.
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.
Modernizations: 1915, all: - 1 x 1 - 47/50; + 1 x 1 - 76/45 QF Mk I HA
1915, 4 ships: + flying-off platform and 1 French monoplane aircraft (it was removed from all in August)
1917, Aurora, Galatea, Inconstant, Phaeton, Royalist: + 1 x 1 - 76/45 QF Mk I HA
1917, Penelope, Undaunted: + 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA
1917, all: + 2 x 2 - 533 TT
1917, all but Undaunted: mine rails were fitted (70 - 74 mines).
1917 - 1918, Galatea, Phaeton, Royalist, Undaunted: + winch for towing of kite baloon
1918, Galatea, Inconstant, Penelope, Phaeton, Royalist: - 2 x 1 - 102/40; + 1 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII
1918, all: + flying-off platform and 1 aircraft
Naval service: Arethusa was badly damaged by gunfire of German ships in action in the Heligoland Bight 28/8/1914. She was badly damaged by mine 11/2/1916 off Felixstowe, taken in tow but ran aground on the Cutler Shoal, stern was broken. Penelope was damaged by torpedo from German submarine UB29 off Norfolk 25/4/1916 (rudder and steering gear wrecked), repaired. Undaunted was seriously damaged in collision with destroyer Landrail in April 1915, she was severely damaged again in collision with cruiser Cleopatra 24/3/1916.
Phaeton 1915
© Ivan Gogin, 2008-09