Adelaide 1942
| Name | No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Birmingham | Armstrong, Elswick | 10/6/1912 | 7/5/1913 | 2/1914 | sold for BU 1931 | |
| Lowestoft | Chatham DYd | 29/7/1912 | 28/4/1913 | 4/1914 | sold for BU 1931 | |
| Nottingham | Pembroke DYd | 13/6/1912 | 18/4/1913 | 4/1914 | sunk 19/8/1916 | |
| Adelaide (RAN) | Cockatoo DYd, Australia | 20/11/1915 | 27/7/1922 | 31/7/1922 | depot ship 5/1945, sold for BU 2/1949 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
British: 5530 Adelaide: 5550 |
|
Displacement full, t |
British: 5920 - 6100 Adelaide: 6160 |
|
Length, m |
British: 139.3 Adelaide: 141.0 |
|
Breadth, m |
15.2 |
|
Draught, m |
4.90 |
|
No of shafts |
4 Adelaide: 2 |
|
Machinery |
Parsons steam turbines, 12 Yarrow boilers Adelaide: Parsons geared steam turbines, 12 Yarrow boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
25000 Adelaide: 25500 |
|
Max speed, kn |
25.5 |
|
Fuel, t |
coal 1165 + oil 235 Adelaide: coal 860 + oil 550 |
| Armour, mm |
belt: 51 on 25mm plating, deck: 38 - 10, CT: 102, gun shields: 102 |
|
Armament |
British: 9 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 4 x 1 - 47/40 Hotchkiss, 2 - 533 TT (beam) Adelaide: 9 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 1 x 1 - 76/50 QF Mk I, 1 x 1 - 76/45 QF Mk I HA, 4 x 1 - 47/40 Hotchkiss, 2 - 533 TT (beam) |
|
Complement |
480 |
Ship project history: Improved Chatham class. These cruisers had increased breadth (15.2m, at 40t greater displacement, a little smaller fuel stowage and 9 152mm guns. Adelaide was the oldest cruiser (considering from the moment of the design approval and laid down date) of British Empire served in the Second World War. She was built in Australia for fleet of this dominion under the design of cruiser Birmingham, made in 1910 and become obsolete in days of the First World War, because of last circumstance completion was conducted very slowly.
Protection: Armoured belt protected ship at full length, its thickness was 76mm abreast machinery spaces and 51mm at ship ends. It extended to main deck (and to upper deck abreast machinery). Protective deck was 19mm thick over machinery and 38mm over steering gear. Its thickness over other ship parts was 10 mm.
Modernizations: 1915, all: + 1 x 1 - 76/45 QF Mk I HA
1937, Adelaide: - 1 x 1 - 76/50
(Cockatoo, 1938 - 3/1939), Adelaide: Two boilers with their funnel were removed, other boilers were only oil-fired. Fuel stowage was 1420t of oil, engines power felt to 23500hp and maximal speed to 24.3kts; - 1 x 1 - 152/45, 2 - 533 TT; + 3 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA
7/1942, Adelaide: + 6 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 271 radar
9/1943, Adelaide: - 1 x 1 - 152/45, 1 x 1 - 102/45; + 4 DCT, type 285, SC radars. Gun shields were changed to new more light ones.
Naval service: Birmingham rammed and sank German submarine U15 9/8/1914. Nottingham was torpedoed three times by German submarine U52 19/8/1916 in 120nm SE of Firth of Forth (38 dead).
Birmingham early 1920s
© Ivan Gogin, 2008-09