The C class was a group of twenty-eight light cruisers of the Royal Navy, and were built in a sequence of seven groups known as the Caroline class (six ships), the Calliope class (two ships), the Cambrian class (four ships), the Centaur class (two ships), the Caledon class (four ships), the Ceres class (five ships) and the Carlisle class (five ships). They were built for the rough conditions of the North Sea, and proved to be rugged and capable vessels, despite being somewhat small and cramped.
The Caroline class were all ordered in July and August 1913, as the first six of eight "light armoured cruisers" under the 1913 programme. The ships were launched in 1914 or 1915 and commissioned in 1915. They had an armament of two single 6in aft, eight 4in and two 6-pounder guns. Their anti-aircraft (A/A) weaponry consisted of four 3-pounder. Their aft 6in guns were superfiring; the class had three funnels. During the First World War, the ships of the class underwent a variety of alterations, including the removal of the 4-inch (102mm) guns in Caroline, Carysfort and Comus, being replaced by two extra 6-inch (152mm) guns, while Cleopatra, Conquest and Cordelia retained one or two of the 4-inch (102mm) guns, with two 2-pounder guns being added to some of the ships.
Ships
Caroline was built by Cammell Laird and Company, Birkenhead. She was laid down on 28 January 1914, launched on 29 September 1914, and completed in December. She became a drill ship for the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in April 1924 and fulfilled that role in Alexandra Dock, Belfast until 31 March 2011, when she was decommissioned. In May 2013 the Heritage Lottery Fund announced an £845,600 grant to support her conversion to a museum.[2]
Carysfort was built by Pembroke Dockyard. Laid down on 25 February 1914, she was launched on 14 November 1914, and completed in June 1915. She was sold for breaking up in August 1931.
Cleopatra was built by Devonport Dockyard. Laid down on 26 February 1914, she was launched on 14 January 1915, and completed in June. She was sold for breaking up in June 1931.
Comus was built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson, Wallsend on Tyne. Laid down on 3 November 1913, she was launched on 16 December 1914, and completed in January 1915. She was sold for breaking up on 28 July 1934.
Conquest was built by Chatham Dockyard. She was laid down on 3 March 1914, launched on 20 January 1915, and completed in June. She was sold for breaking up on 29 August 1930.
Cordelia was built by Pembroke Dockyard. She was laid down on 21 July 1913, launched on 23 February 1914, and completed in June. She was sold for breaking up 31 July 1923.
The Calliope class
The two ships of the Calliope sub-class - HMS Calliope and Champion - were the last pair of the eight "light armoured cruisers" to be ordered in July and August 1914 under the 1913 Programme. They both had geared turbines, the first Royal Navy cruisers to be so fitted. They also had increased belt armour; Champion had just two screws. They were commissioned in mid to late 1915, as modifications to the Caroline subclass with higher speeds, a more efficient boiler layout and a reduction in the number of funnels to two. The two ships had different machinery types for comparative purposes. Calliope and Champion underwent similar gun armament modifications to the Caroline subclass. They also had underwater tubes rather than the deck mounted weapons of the Caroline subclass and were given two twin deck mounted torpedo tubes during the war but these were later removed to reduce top weight.
Ships
Calliope: Built by Chatham Dockyard, she was laid down on 1 January 1914, and launched on 17 December; she was completed in June 1915. She was sold for breaking up on 28 August 1931.
Champion: Built by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Hebburn on Tyne, she was laid on down 9 March 1914, launched on 29 May 1915, and completed in December 1915. She was sold for breaking up on 28 July 1934.
The Cambrian class
The Cambrian class were ordered in September 1914 under the 1914-15 Programme, and commissioned between 1915 and 1916. The ships had two funnels rather than the three of the Caroline subclass, following on from the developments in the Calliope subclass. The Cambrian subclass had similar armament to the previous sub-class, with their main armament being four 6-inch (152mm) guns in single mounts. Their secondary armament consisted of eight 4-inch (102mm) guns. They were later removed, with Canterbury and Champion retaining one single 4-inch (102mm) gun. The rest of the ships used either two or three 3-inch (76mm) guns.
Ships
Cambrian; she was built by Pembroke Dockyard, having been laid down on 8 December 1914, she was launched on 3 March 1916, and completed in May. She was sold for breaking up on 28 July 1934.
Canterbury, built by John Brown and Company, Clydebank; she was laid down on 14 October 1914, and launched on 21 December 1915; she was completed in May 1916. She was sold for breaking up on 28 July 1934.
Castor; she was built by Cammell Laird, having been laid down on 28 October 1914; she was launched on 28 July 1915, and completed in November. She was sold for breaking up on 30 July 1936.
Constance, was built by Cammell Laird; she was laid down on 25 January 1915, launched 12 September, and completed in January 1916. She was sold for breaking up on 8 June 1936.
The Centaur class
HMS Centaur (1916)
The Centaur subclass were ordered in December 1914, and built using materials originally intended for two scout cruisers to be built for Turkey. These vessels were launched and commissioned in 1916. The class also had geared turbines as well as four screws. They retained the two funnels introduced to the C class by the Cambrians. Their main armament was five 6in guns in single mounts. Their 4-inch (102mm) guns were mostly replaced in a similar fashion to the previous sub-classes, with smaller calibre weapons.
Ships
Centaur; she was built by Sir W.G. Armstrong-Whitworth & Co., Ltd., Walker on Tyne; she was laid down on 24 January 1915, launched on 6 January 1916, and completed in August 1916. She was sold for breaking up in February 1934.
Concord; she was built by Armstrong-Whitworth having been laid down on 1 February 1915, launched on 1 April 1916, and completed in December. She was sold for breaking up in August 1935.
The Caledon class were all ordered in December 1915 and commissioned in 1917. The ships retained the two funnels of the previous two sub-classes. Their propulsion was slightly different from the previous sub-classes. Their superstructure was also slightly altered. They had a main armament of five 6-inch (152mm) guns and a secondary armament of two 3in guns, as well as an AA armament of four 3pounder guns. The surviving ships of the class saw World War II, undergoing a number of modifications along the way. Five Oerlikon 20 mm cannons were added to all ships. Caledon herself had a different armament, as she underwent an extensive rebuild to become an AA cruiser. She was armed with the effective 4-inch (102mm) gun, of which she had twelve, two 40mm Bofors and eight 20mm Oerlikons.
Ships
Caledon was built by Cammell Laird; she was laid down on 17 March 1916, launched on 25 November, and was completed in March 1917. She became an AA ship in December 1943; she was sold for breaking up on 22 January 1948.
Calypso was built by Hawthorn Leslie; she was laid down on 7 February 1916, launched on 24 January 1917, and completed in June. She was sunk by the Italian submarine Alpino Bagnolini south of Crete on 12 June 1940.
Cassandra was built by Vickers, Barrow in Furness; she was laid down March 1916, launched 25 November 1916, and completed in June 1917. She was sunk by a mine in the Baltic on 5 December 1918.
Caradoc was built by Scott's Shipuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock; she was laid down on 21 February 1916, launched 23 December, and was completed in June 1917. She became a base ship in April 1944, and was sold for breaking up in May 1946.
The Ceres class were ordered in March and April 1916 and commissioned in 1917 and 1918. These ships were very "wet" forward, which was remedied in the subsequent Carlisle sub-class with the addition of a "trawler bow". Their main armament consisted of five 6-inch (152mm) guns, while their secondary armament consisted of two 3-inch (76mm) weapons, of which a further one was later added to Ceres herself. Four 3-pounder guns were also fitted.
Three ships underwent extensive rebuilds during the 1930s, becoming anti-aircraft (AA) cruisers, resulting in all previous armament being removed. The ships were Coventry, Curacoa and Curlew, with Curacoa being the last of the three to be rebuilt in 1939; the other two ships having been converted in 1935. Coventry and Curlew were given ten QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun for their AA role, disposed in single mounts one forward, three on each beam and three aft. Sixteen QF 2-pounder naval gun Mark VIII as two 8-barelled Mark VI mountings ("multiple pom-poms") were fitted aft (one removed by 1939). Torpedo tubes were removed, and two High-Angle HACS gun directors and a Pom-Pom director added. Curacoa received similar gun directors but a slightly different armament, being equipped with eight QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun in twin mountings replacing 6 inch guns number 1,3,4 and 5; and four QF 2-pounder naval gun Mark VIII as a 4-barelled Mark VII mounting ("multiple pom-pom") replacing 6 inch gun number 2 forward of the bridge.[3] Later on in the Second World War, four 20mm Oerlikons were added. Cardiff and Ceres were to have undergone the same conversion, but this was prevented by the outbreak of war.
Ships
Cardiff was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, in Govan; she was laid down on 22 July 1916, and launched on 12 April; she was completed in June 1917. She was sold for breaking up on 23 January 1946.
Ceres built by John Brown; she was laid down on 11 July 1916, launched on 24 March 1917, and completed in June. She was sold for breaking up on 5 April 1946.
Coventry was built by Swan Hunter; she was laid down on 4 August 1916, launched on 6 July 1917, and completed in February 1918. She became an AA ship in 1937; but was sunk by aircraft off Tobruk in the Mediterranean on 14 September 1942.
Curacoa was built by Pembroke Dockyard; she was laid down in July 1916, launched on 5 May 1917, and completed in February 1918. She became an AA ship in 1939; she was sunk in a collision with RMS Queen Mary north of Ireland on 2 October 1942.
Curlew was built by Vickers; she was laid down on 21 August 1916, launched on 5 July 1917, and was completed in December 1917. She became an AA ship in 1938; but was sunk by aircraft in Ofotfjord, Norway, on 26 May 1940.
The Carlisle class were ordered in June and July 1917 under the War Emergency Programme, and commissioned between 1918 and 1922. They differed from the previous sub-class, with the addition of a "trawler bow" which raised the bow higher, as well as having no conning tower. They had an armament of five 6-inch (152mm) guns in single mounts, while their secondary armament consisted of two 3-inch (76mm) guns, four 3-pounders and two 2-pounder guns.
Ships
Cairo was built by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead; she was laid down on 28 November 1917, launched on 19 November 1918, and completed on 23 September 1919. She became an AA ship in 1939; she was sunk by the Italian submarine Axum in the Mediterranean on 12 August 1942.
Calcutta was built by Vickers, Barrow in Furness; she was laid down on 18 October 1917, launched on 9 July 1918, and completed in August 1919. She became an AA ship in 1939; she was sunk by air attack during the evacuation of Crete on 1 June 1941.
Capetown was built by Cammell Laird; she was laid down 23 February 1918, launched on 28 June 1919 and then towed to Pembroke Dockyard where she was completed in April 1922. She was sold for breaking up on 5 April 1946.
Carlisle (ex-Cawnpore), was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan; she was laid down on 2 October 1917 and launched on 9 July 1918; she was completed in November 1918. She became an AA ship in 1939; she then became a base ship in 1944; she was sold for breaking up at Alexandria in 1948.
Colombo was built by Fairfield; she was laid down on 8 December 1917, launched 18 December 1918, and completed in July 1919. She became an AA ship in 1943; she was sold for breaking up on 22 January 1948.
All ships of the class except Colombo and Capetown were converted into AA cruisers in 1939, although Capetown received six 20mm guns and radar. The ships' main armament consisted of eight 4-inch (102mm) guns in four twin turrets with varying numbers of 20mm Oerlikons being added. Colombo was finally converted to an AA cruiser in 1942, with her armament consisting of eight 4-inch (102mm) guns and six 20mm Oerlikons. All the AA cruiser conversions followed a similar pattern to that of HMS Curacoa (D41).[4]
First World War service
In March 1916, Cleopatra rammed and sank the German destroyer G 194 while she covered a raid at Tondern. Ships of the C class were extensively involved later that year in the Battle of Jutland. In 1917, Centaur hit mines that blew her bow and stern off. Despite the extensive damage, Centaur survived and was repaired. The year also saw ships of the class involved in action at the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight.
Cardiff leading German battle-cruisers into the Firth of Forth at the end of the First World War
In 1918, Cardiff had the honour of leading the German High Seas Fleet to the River Forth, where the ships were held before being moved to various other ports.
No C-class ships were lost during the First World War; however, in December 1918, Cassandra hit a mine and subsequently sank.
Ships of the C class performed a variety of duties after World War I, including service on overseas stations. In 1919, Curacoa hit a mine that badly damaged her, but she survived and was repaired. The Caroline, Cambrian and Centaur classes were all scrapped or consigned to minor roles, such as training ships, by the 1930s.
Conversion
In the mid-1930s it was decided to modernize and refit the C class cruisers for anti-aircraft work. The aim was to convert all 13 cruisers of the late C (Caledon, Ceres and Carlisle) classes. The conversions between 1935 and 1936 of HMS Coventry and Curlew served as prototypes.
Coventry and Curlew first had all armament removed. This was replaced with 10 single mount 4inch high angle (HA) guns and two eight-barreled 2-pounder "pom-pom" mounts. The previous gun directors were removed and replaced with two suitable for anti-aircraft gun control. To keep costs down, only limited structural work was carried out, but the masts were altered. In 1938, because of a shortage of this weapon, the aft pom-pom was removed and fitted on another ship, being replaced by two quadruple 0.5-inch (13mm)Vickers machine gun mounts.
The modifications were considered successful and plans for the conversion of the other eleven ships were drawn up. However, these conversions were delayed; the conversions of Cairo and Calcutta did not start until 1938. Instead of single 4 inch guns, they were to receive twin HA mounts, except that one mount was given over to a quadruple pom-pom. In mid-1939, Carlisle and Curacoa went in for their conversions, but the work ceased on the outbreak of war.
Second World War service
The Caledon, Ceres and Carlisle-class ships served in the Second World War, despite their age.
Calypso caught the German blockade-runner Konsul Hendrik Fisser in 1939. That same year, Caradoc intercepted the German tanker Emmy Friedrich, whose crew subsequently scuttled her. A number of ships took part in the Norwegian campaign in 1940.
The C class were also extensively used in the Mediterranean Sea; the first notable engagement by a ship of the class being Coventry's participation in the Battle of Cape Spartivento in 1940.
Six ships of the C class were lost during the war: Curlew was sunk by German aircraft off Narvik during the Norwegian campaign on 26 May 1940; Calypso was sunk by the Italian submarine Alpino Bagnolini on 12 June 1940; Calcutta was attacked and sunk by German aircraft during the evacuation of Crete on 1 June 1941; Cairo was sunk on 12 August 1942 by the Axum during Operation Pedestal (the pivotal resupply of Malta); Coventry was badly damaged by German aircraft while covering a raid on Tobruk on 14 September 1942, forcing the destroyer HMSZulu to scuttle her; and Curacoa was sunk after colliding with the ocean liner RMSQueen Mary on 2 October 1942.
The survivor
HMSCaroline remained the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve drill ship in Alexandra Dock, Belfast until 31 March 2011, when she was decommissioned. Despite ongoing alterations throughout her lifetime, many parts of the ship still date to when she was originally commissioned in 1914. In 2016 she was opened to the public as a museum ship.
The Arethusa-class cruisers were a class of eight oil-fired light cruisers of the Royal Navy all ordered in September 1912, primarily for service in the North Sea. They had three funnels with the middle one somewhat larger in diameter than the others. All served in the First World War. They were found to be very cramped internally.
The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the 9th, 10th, 13th and 14th of fourteen War Emergency Programmes during the First World War and generally treated as one class. For their time they were among the most powerful and advanced ships of their type in the world, and set the trend for future British designs.
HMS Vindictive was a warship built during the First World War for the Royal Navy (RN). Originally designed as a Hawkins-class heavy cruiser and laid down under the name Cavendish, she was converted into an aircraft carrier while still being built. Renamed in 1918, she was completed a few weeks before the end of the war and saw no active service with the Grand Fleet. The following year she participated in the British campaign in the Baltic against the Bolsheviks, during which her aircraft made numerous attacks against the naval base at Kronstadt. Vindictive returned home at the end of the year and was placed in reserve for several years before her flight decks were removed and she was reconverted back into a cruiser. The ship retained her aircraft hangar and conducted trials with an aircraft catapult before she was sent to the China Station in 1926. A year after her return in 1928, she was again placed in reserve.
HMS Curacoa was a C-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. She was one of the five ships of the Ceres sub-class and spent much of her career as a flagship. The ship was assigned to the Harwich Force during the war, but saw little action as she was completed less than a year before the war ended. Briefly assigned to the Atlantic Fleet in early 1919, Curacoa was deployed to the Baltic in May to support anti-Bolshevik forces during the British campaign in the Baltic during the Russian Civil War. Shortly thereafter the ship struck a naval mine and had to return home for repairs.
HMS Caradoc was a C-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was one of the four ships of the Caledon sub-class. Assigned to the Grand Fleet during the war, the ship participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in late 1917. Caradoc was briefly deployed to the Baltic in late 1918 supporting anti-Bolshevik forces during the British campaign in the Baltic and then was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in early 1919 and spent the next year and a half doing the same thing in the Black Sea during the Russian Civil War. The ship was withdrawn from the Black Sea in mid-1920 to observe the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–22 and the Chanak Crisis of late 1922. Caradoc spent most of the rest of her time between the World Wars overseas or in reserve with deployments to the Far East and the North America and West Indies Station.
HMS Cambrian was a C-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was the name ship of her sub-class of four ships. Assigned to the Grand Fleet upon completion in 1916, the ship played only a small role during the war. Cambrian was assigned to the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets during the 1920s and was sent to support British interests in Turkey during the Chanak Crisis of 1922–1923. The ship was placed in reserve in late 1929. She was sold for scrap in 1934.
HMS Carysfort was a C-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was one of six ships of the Caroline sub-class and was completed in 1915. Assigned to the Grand Fleet, the Harwich Force, and the Dover Patrol during the war, the ship served as a flagship for part of the war. Her only known combat was a short battle against German torpedo boats in the English Channel, although she was very active patrolling the North Sea and unsuccessfully searching for German ships. Carysfort was assigned to the Home and Atlantic Fleets after the war and was sent to the Mediterranean Fleet during the Chanak Crisis of 1922–23 to support British interests in Turkey. In 1922, she patrolled off the Irish coast during the Irish Civil War. The ship was placed in reserve after returning home in 1923 and, aside from ferrying troops overseas, remained in reserve until she was sold for scrap in 1931.
HMS Conquest was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy that saw service during World War I. She was part of the Caroline group of the C class.
HMS Cordelia was a C-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was one of six ships of the Caroline sub-class and was completed at the beginning of 1915. The ship was assigned to the 1st and 4th Light Cruiser Squadrons (LCS) of the Grand Fleet for the entire war and played a minor role in the Battle of Jutland in mid-1916. Cordelia spent most of her time on uneventful patrols of the North Sea. She served as a training ship for most of 1919 before she was recommissioned for service with the Atlantic Fleet in 1920. The ship was placed in reserve at the end of 1922 and was sold for scrap in mid-1923.
HMS Starfish was an R-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy. She was launched on 27 September 1916 and sold to be broken up on 21 April 1928. She was built by Hawthorn Leslie of Hebburn Tyne.
HMS Marksman was a Marksman-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. Construction at Hawthorn Leslie's Newcastle upon Tyne shipyard began in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, and the ship was launched and completed in 1915. She took part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and survived the war. She was sold for scrap in 1921.
HMS Nimrod was a Marksman-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. She was built by the Scottish shipbuilder Denny, with construction starting in 1914 and completed in August 1915. She served through the remainder of the First World War. She was sold for scrap in 1921.
HMS Lightfoot was a Marksman-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. Construction by J. Samuel White began in June 1914, shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, and the ship was launched and completed in 1915. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1921.
HMS Manly was a Yarrow M-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. Built by the Scottish shipbuilder Yarrow between 1913 and 1914, Manly served during the First World War. She formed part of the Harwich Force in the early years of the war, and then later in the English Channel as part of the Dover Patrol taking part in the Zeebrugge Raid in 1918. She survived the war, and was sold for scrap in 1920.
HMS Parker was a Parker-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy, and the lead ship of her class. She was built by Cammell Laird during the First World War, being launched on 16 August 1916 and completing on 13 December that year. Parker served with the Grand Fleet for the rest of the war, which she survived. The ship was sold for scrap in November 1921.
HMS Seymour was a Parker-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird during the First World War, being launched on 31 August 1916 and completing on 30 November that year. Seymour served with the Grand Fleet for the rest of the war, which she survived. The ship was sold for scrap in January 1931.
HMS Peregrine was a Admiralty M-class destroyer that served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. Launched on 29 May 1916, the vessel served with the Grand Fleet, focusing on anti-submarine warfare. In 1917, the destroyer was involved in the search for UC-65 after the submarine had sunk the protected cruiser Ariadne. In 1918, the ship participated in one of the final sorties of the war, although this did not lead to a confrontation with the German High Seas Fleet. After the Armistice that ended the war, the destroyer was placed in reserve and subsequently sold to be broken up on 9 May 1921.
References
Brown, David K. (1999). The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906–1922. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-315-X.
Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN978-1-84832-100-7.
Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-048-7.
Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp.1–104. ISBN0-85177-245-5.
Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980). British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-922-7.
Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Reviseded.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-59114-119-2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Royal Navy 
