HMS Weymouth (1910)
| Company type | Light cruiser |
|---|---|
| Industry | Naval shipbuilding |
| Founded | 19 January 1910 |
| Headquarters | Elswick , United Kingdom |
| Products | Warship |
HMS Weymouth was a Town-class light cruiser constructed for the Royal Navy in the early 1910s. As the lead vessel of the Weymouth sub-class within the Town class, she remained operational through the First World War before being sold for dismantling in 1928.
Design and description
The Weymouth sub-class represented a modest enlargement and enhancement over the earlier Bristol sub-class, featuring a more formidable armament.[1] Measuring 453 feet (138.1 m) in overall length, these ships had a beam of 47 feet 6 inches (14.5 m) and a draught of 15 feet 6 inches (4.7 m). Their normal displacement was 5,275 long tons (5,360 t), increasing to 5,800 long tons (5,900 t) when fully loaded.[2] Propulsion was provided by twelve Yarrow boilers supplying steam to two Parsons steam turbines,[1] which turned a pair of shafts and generated 22,000 shaft horsepower (16,000 kW) enabling a design speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph). During sea trials, Weymouth achieved 25.95 knots (48.06 km/h; 29.86 mph) powered by 23,380 shp (17,430 kW).[3] The boilers operated on both coal and fuel oil; the ship carried 1,290 long tons (1,310 t) of coal alongside 269 long tons (273 t) of oil, granting a cruising range of 5,610 nautical miles (10,390 km; 6,460 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[2]
In contrast to the ten 4 inches (100 mm) guns mounted on the Bristol sub-class, the Weymouth replaced these with six additional BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk XI guns. Two were positioned on the centreline, one each fore and aft of the superstructure, while another pair was installed on the forecastle deck adjacent to the bridge. The final four guns were located on the upper deck in waist mountings. Each gun was equipped with protective gun shields.[1] Additionally, four Vickers 3-pounder (47 mm) saluting guns were part of the armament suite. Torpedo armament consisted of two submerged 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes.[4]
Classified as protected cruisers, vessels in the Weymouth group featured an armoured deck safeguarding critical areas such as magazines and machinery spaces. This deck was 2 inches (51 mm) thick over vital compartments, reduced to 1 inch (25 mm) above the steering gear, and measured 0.75 inches (19 mm) elsewhere. The conning tower boasted 4 inches of armour protection, while gun shields and ammunition hoists carried armour plating approximately 3 inches (76 mm) thick.[5] The protective deck was located at waterline level, necessitating a high metacentric height to maintain stability if flooding occurred above it; however, this design choice resulted in excessive rolling that compromised gunnery accuracy.[6] A notable design flaw shared with other Town-class ships was a significant gap between the lower edge of the gun shields and the deck surface, permitting shell fragments to pass through and causing leg injuries among gun crews.[7]
Construction and career
The vessel was constructed by Armstrong Whitworth at their Elswick shipyard, with the keel laid on 19 January 1910, and was subsequently launched on 18 November of the same year. After its completion in October 1911, Weymouth joined the 3rd Battle Squadron within the Atlantic Fleet. In June 1913, she was reassigned to the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron operating in the Mediterranean. By August 1914, Weymouth had been dispatched to the Indian Ocean with the mission to pursue the German light cruiser SMS Emden, which was actively disrupting Allied maritime traffic in that region. During February 1915, she took part in operations along the East African coastline targeting another German commerce raider, SMS Königsberg, ultimately confining it within the Rufiji River until its destruction.
In December 1915, Weymouth was redeployed to the Adriatic Sea. The following year, she returned to British waters and was assigned to the 6th Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet. In 1917, her service brought her back to the Mediterranean as a component of the 8th Cruiser Squadron, based at Brindisi. On 2 October 1918, she sustained damage from a torpedo launched by the Austro-Hungarian submarine SM U-31. After undergoing repairs, Weymouth survived through the end of World War I. Eventually, on 2 October 1928, she was sold to Hughes Bolckow located in Blyth.
External links
Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons- Information on the Weymouth class vessels
