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fighting ships of the world

ROYAL NAVY - UNITED KINGDOM

CRUISERS

FIJI light cruisers

Gambia 1943

 

Displacement standard, t	8530
Displacement full, t	10450 (later 10830 - 11090)
Length, m	164.0 pp 169.3 oa
Breadth, m	18.9
Draught, m	6.04 deep load (later 6.20 - 6.32)
No of shafts	4
Machinery	Parsons steam geared turbines, 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	72500
Max speed, kn	31.5
Fuel, t	oil 1613 - 1700
Endurance, nm(kts)	10100(12)
Armour, mm	belt: 89 - 83, bulkheads: 51 - 38, turrets: 51 - 25, barbettes: up to 25,  deck: 51 - 32
Armament	Fiji, Nigeria, Mauritius: 4 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62, 2 x 3 - 533 TT, 2 aircraft (Walrus, Swordfish, Seafox), 1 catapult D-IV-H Kenya: 4 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62, 2 x 3 - 533 TT Trinidad: 4 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 4 - 12.7/62, 2 x 3 - 533 TT, 2 aircraft (Walrus, Swordfish, Seafox), 1 catapult D-IV-H Jamaica: 4 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2 x 3 - 533 TT, 2 aircraft (Walrus, Swordfish, Seafox), 1 catapult D-IV-H Gambia: 4 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 2 x 1 - 40/39 pompom, 2 x 3 - 533 TT, 2 aircraft (Walrus, Swordfish, Seafox, Kingfisher), 1 catapult D-IV-H Bermuda: 4 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 10 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2 x 3 - 533 TT, 2 aircraft (Walrus, Swordfish, Seafox, Kingfisher), 1 catapult D-IV-H Uganda: 3 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 3 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 10 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2 x 3 - 533 TT, 2 aircraft (Walrus, Seafox, Kingfisher, Sea Otter, Seamew), 1 catapult D-IV-H Newfoundland: 3 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 3 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 8 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2 x 3 - 533 TT, 2 aircraft (Walrus, Seafox, Kingfisher, Sea Otter, Seamew), 1 catapult D-IV-H Ceylon: 3 x 3 - 152/50 BL Mk XXIII, 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 3 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 8 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2 x 3 - 533 TT
Sensors	Fiji, Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius: type 279, 281 radars Bermuda, Gambia, Jamaica, Trinidad: type 272, 273, 281, 284, 285 radars Uganda: type 272, 281, 284, 285 radars Ceylon, Newfoundland: type 272, 281, 283, 284, 285 radars
Complement	730,  920 war

Ship project history: Occurrence of Colony class became one of consequences of London conference in 1936 limited displacement of newly designed cruisers by 8000t. Design of Southampton class was revised under these requirements and result was more compact Fiji in which  length of hull was more than to 10m shortened at the expense of cramped arrangement. Usage of less power machinery and easier armouring have allowed to store the same armament as at a prototype, and a transom stern has given the chance to avoid strong fall of speed (on 0.5kts). Waterline belt became a little thin but at the expense of a smaller length of the hull reached end barbettes, and thickness of an armour deck even has increased. Return to more simple vertical stacks and masts became characteristic kind of these ships.

Small metacentric height was main lack of design and it has created serious problems at wartime updates: it was necessary to land one of main turrets for placing of numerous AA guns and the electronic equipment on most of class in the end of war .

The last 3 ships of Fiji class (2nd group) were completed under some changed design considering experience of the first year of war: with the strengthened antiaircraft arms. Because of already mentioned very cramped arrangement one main turret had landed and catapult was removed (hangars have been left, but were used for other purposes).

Protection: Armoured belt extended from "A" to "Y" barbettes and to upper deck abreast boiler rooms and fore engine room and to main deck abreast aft engine room, CCC and magazines. Its thickness was 89 mm abreast magazines and 83 mm abreast machinery. Belt was closed by 51 - 38-mm bulkheads. Armoured deck was 51-mm thick (32-mm with 38-mm slopes over steering gear). Transom stern was 38-mm thick.

Modernizations: late 1940, Fiji: + 2 x 4 - 12.7/62, type 284 radar

8/1941, Kenya: + 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62

9/1941, Nigeria: + 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 273, 284 radars

12/1941, Kenya: + type 273, 284 radars

2/1942, Gambia: + 6 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

3/1942, Mauritius: + 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 273, 284, 285 radars

5/1942, Trinidad: + 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

12/1942, Kenya: - 2 x 1 - 20/70, 4 x 4 - 12.7/62, type 273 radar; + 6 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 272, 282, 283, 285 radars

6/1943, Mauritius: - catapult with seaplanes, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62; + 20 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

7/1943, Nigeria: - 4 x 1 - 20/70, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62, type 273 radar; + 8 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 272, 282 radars

9/1943, Gambia: - catapult with seaplanes, 2 x 1 - 40/39, 6 x 1 - 20/70, type 273 radar; + 10 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 272, 283 radars

9/1943, Jamaica: - catapult with seaplanes; + 6 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

9/1943, Bermuda: + 6 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

11/1943, Newfoundland: - catapult with seaplane, type 272, 281, 284 radars; + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 274, 277, 281B, 293 radars

12/1943, Kenya: + 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon

1/1944, Nigeria: - catapult with seaplanes; + type 283 radar

4/1944, Ceylon: + 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

5/1944, Bermuda: - catapult with seaplanes, 12 x 1 - 20/70; + 8 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon

10/1944, Uganda: - 6 x 2 - 20/70, catapult with seaplanes; + 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 1 - 40/39 pompom, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 283 radar

4/1945, Kenya: - 1 x 3 - 152/50 ("X"); + 2 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors

4/1945, Bermuda: - 1 x 3 - 152/50 ("X"), 4 x 2 - 20/70, type 272, 281 radars; + 3 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 1 - 40/39 pompom, type 277, 281B, 293 radars

6/1945, Jamaica: - 1 x 3 - 152/50 ("X"), 4 x 2 - 20/70; + 3 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 1 - 40/39 pompom

6/1945, Uganda: - 4 x 2 - 20/70, type 272, 281, 283, 284 radars; + 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 274, 277, 281B, 293 radars

8/1945, Kenya: - 8 x 2 - 20/70; + 3 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors, 8 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors

8/1945, Bermuda: - 2 x 2 - 20/70, 2 x 1 - 20/70; + 4 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors

9/1945, Ceylon: - 4 x 2 - 20/70, 6 x 1 - 20/70; + 4 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors

late 1945, Mauritius: - 1 x 3 - 152/50 ("X"); + 3 x 4 - 40/39 pompom

late 1945, Jamaica: - 4 x 1 - 40/39; + 2 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors

10/1945, Nigeria: + 4 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors

1954, Nigeria: - 1 x 3 - 152/50 ("X"); + 2x type 275 radars

1956, Newfoundland: + 2x type 275 radars

1956, Ceylon: + 2x type 262 radars

Naval service: Fiji was damaged 1/9/1940 by torpedo from German submarine U32 and was repaired for 6 months, she was again damaged 22/5/1941 off Crete coast by 3 direct hits and 1 near-miss of German air bombs (1 Bf 109 fghter and 1 Ju 88 bomber), abandoned, torpedoed by destroyer Matchless and sunk in 5 hours. Kenya was damaged by torpedo of Italian submarine Alagi 12/8/1942 and repaired till January, 1943. Nigeria was damaged by torpedo from talian submarine Axum 12/8/1942 and repaired till June, 1943. Trinidad was damaged by German air torpedo in Arctic 29/3/1942, temporarily repaired in Murmansk, again damaged by German bomb 15/5/1942 on way to Britain and is sunk by escort. Uganda was damaged by German FX1400 gliding bomb 13/9/1943 and repaired till October, 1944. Newfoundland was damaged by torpedo of Italian submarine Ascianghi 23/7/1943 and repair till November, 1944.

       Kenya 1949

       Ceylon 1946

 

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© Ivan Gogin, 2008-09