Leander-class cruiser (1931)

HMS Apollo
Class overview
Name	Leander
Operators	Royal Navy Royal Australian Navy Royal New Zealand Navy Indian Navy
Preceded by	Emerald class
Succeeded by	Arethusa class
Subclasses	Leander Amphion
Completed	8
Lost	3
General characteristics (as built)
Type	light cruiser
Displacement	9,740 tons full load (9,000 tons in Amphions)
Length	554.9 ft (169.1 m)
Beam	56 ft (17 m)
Draught	19.1 ft (5.8 m)
Propulsion	6 x (Leander) / 4 x (Amphion) Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers, Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines, Template:Auto shp on 4 shafts
Speed	32.5 kn (60 km/h)
Range	5,730 nmi (10,610 km) at 13 knots (24 km/h)
Complement	570
Armament	8 × BL 6 in Mk.XXIII (152 mm L/50) guns, twin turrets Mk.XXI 4 × QF 4 in Mk.V (102 mm L/45) guns, single mounts HA Mk.IV 12 × QF 0.5 in Mk.III Vickers (12.7 mm) machine guns, quad mounts Mk.I 8 (2x4) tubes for 21 inch torpedoes Mk.IX
Armour	3 in (76 mm) magazine box 1 in (25.4 mm) main deck 1 in (25.4 mm) turrets
Aircraft carried	1 x Fairey Seafox, later Fairey Swordfish, later Supermarine Walrus
Aviation facilities	Rotating catapult & crane

See Leander class frigate for the later frigate class of the same name.

The Leander class was a class of eight light cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s that saw service in World War II. They were named after mythological figures, and all ships were commissioned between 1933 and 1936. The three ships of the second group were later transferred to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and renamed after Australian cities.

Design

The Leander class was influenced by the York class heavy cruiser, and was an attempt to better provide for the role of commerce protection. The 7,000-7,200 ton Leanders were armed with eight 6-inch (152 mm) guns in twin turrets, two forward and two aft. Their secondary armament consisted of four 4-inch (102 mm) guns which were later replaced by twin mountings, for eight guns. Their anti-aircraft weaponry consisted of twelve 0.5 inch Vickers machine guns in three quadruple mounts. They also shipped a bank of four 21" torpedo tubes on each beam and provision was made in the design for carriage of two catapult-launched Fairey Seafox aircraft. Speed was 32 knots (59 km/h), and 845 tons of armor was provided, making the design susceptible to damage, but still superior to many other vessels of similar displacement. This was added to by the fact that the first five vessels did not contain dispersed machinery; the boiler rooms were arranged together and exhausted into a single funnel, a unique feature amongst British cruisers. This meant that damage amidships was liable to disable all the boiler rooms.

The three vessels of the second group, later transferred to the RAN, were modified slightly, primarily in having the machinery dispersed with the "unit principle" (alternating , self-contained boiler and engine rooms). This resulted in a second funnel being added.

Modifications

During the war, significant modifications were made to the vessels. Various additional anti-aircraft armaments were added, and the two New Zealand vessels landed a turret to carry heavier 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns. Changes to the aircraft launching capability were reported, although use is unclear. Both Fairey Swordfish and Supermarine Walrus aircraft are reported to have been used by the class.

Ships in class

Leander group

• HMS/HMNZS Leander

Named after the character from Greek mythology. Loaned to New Zealand, commissioned as HMNZS Leander in September 1941. At the Battle of Kolombagara, Leander was heavily damaged by a Long Lance torpedo, causing many casualties, and sending the ship to repairs for two years.

• HMS/HMNZS Achilles, later HMIS/INS Delhi.

The Achilles was the second vessel loaned to New Zealand, commissioned as HMNZS Achilles in September 1941. She had earlier participated in the Battle of the River Plate. Achilles was sold to India in 1948, and was known as HMIS Delhi for a few years, then served as INS Delhi, until 1978.

• HMS Ajax

The Ajax participated in the Battle of the River Plate. The town of Ajax, Ontario was named after the ship, with street names in the town named after members of the crew. Ajax also participated in the Battle of Cape Matapan. Ajax also took part in shelling the mainland of Normandy during the beach landings.

• HMS Neptune

Manned by New Zealand crew, although not part of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Neptune was sunk by an Italian mine off the coast of Tripoli.

• HMS Orion

Orion participated in the evacuation of Crete in 1941 and was heavily damaged.

"Perth class"

The three ships acquired by the RAN were known to it as the Modified Leander Class. They are often referred to informally as the "Perth class". All of them played a prominent role during World War II.

• HMAS Perth (ex-HMS Amphion)

Completed 1936 and transferred to the RAN in 1939. She operated with British ships in the Battle of the Mediterranean, participating in the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941. Lost in the Battle of Sunda Strait in early 1942.

• HMAS Hobart (ex-HMS Apollo)

Completed 1936 and transferred to the RAN in 1938, she took part in the East African Campaign, the Battle of the Coral Sea and provided fire support at Guadalcanal. After being badly damaged by a torpedo strike in 1943, she returned to action in the Philippines landings (1944), followed by the Borneo and Aitape-Wewak campaigns. She was put into reserve after the war and was not decommissioned until 1962.

• HMAS Sydney (ex-HMS Phaeton)

Also involved in the Mediterranean campaign. Sydney sank the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni at the Battle of Cape Spada in 1940. Later that year, Sydney took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan and Battle of Calabria, sinking two Italian destroyers, the Espero and Zeffiro. In 1941, off Western Australia, Sydney encountered the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran; the two ships destroyed each other and Sydney was lost with all hands; the wrecks of both ships were located in 2008.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.