| Arethusa class Light
Cruisers |
| |
| Individual
Specification |
| Name |
Pennant |
Commisioned |
Builders |
Details |
| Arethusa |
C? |
23 May 1935 |
Chatham RDY |
Paid off 1945. Target ship 1948.
Broken up 1950. |
| Galatea |
C? |
4 Aug 1935 |
Scotts |
Sunk 15 December 1941 by a German U-boat
U557 |
| Penelope |
C? |
13 Nov. 1936 |
Harland & Wolff |
Sunk 18 February 1944 by German U-boat
U410 |
| Aurora |
C12 |
12 Nov. 1937 |
Portsmouth RDY |
Paid off April 1946. To China
1948. |
| |
 |
| 1:600 Arethusa as
completed, with SeaFox on catapult, twin 4" AA, quad
AA machine-guns and a single HA.DCT © Andrew Arthur |
 |
| 1:600 Arethusa in 1942. 6
single 20mm AA have been added, the catapult replaced by
two quad pom-poms and a second HA.DCT added aft. ©
Andrew Arthur |
Following the "Leander" Class, the RN
built a 3-ship derivative - the "Amphion" or Modified
"Leander" Class - all of which were purchased by
Australia and renamed Sydney (ex-Phaeton), Hobart
(ex-Apollo) and Perth (ex-Amphion). Their
main feature was that they adopted the "unit" machinery
layout, resulting in their having two widely-spaced funnels.
The Admiralty next experimented with a cut-down, 6-gun version of
the "Amphion" Class - the "Arethusa" Class.
In tonnage terms, four of these could be built for three of the
size of the "Leander" Class, but they were considered
too small and only four were built.
Their 6-gun armament was considered sufficient to deal with enemy
commerce raiders, but as it turned out they became very valuable
fleet units - especially in the Mediterranean. Aurora and Penelope
formed the core of Force "K" operating out of Malta,
and destroyed Italian shipping at a rate which caused acute
logistics problems for the Axis armies in North Africa. While
docked in Malta for repairs in April-may 1942, Penelope
was so riddled with bomb splinters that she earned the soubriquet
HMS Pepperpot.
| Pictures of
Arethusa class Light Cruisers |
 |
| Arethusa in Malta, 1935,
with a Fairey IIIF on catapult |
 |
| Arethusa in Malta, 1945,
in "dual ship confusion" camouflage |
 |
| Aurora, compare to Penelope
below, and note addition of HA.DCT on bridge |
 |
| Penelope pre-war |
 |
| HMS Penelope |
| |
| Dimensions |
Net displacement |
5220 tonnes |
Length |
506" |
| Gross
displacement |
6665 tonnes |
Beam |
51" |
| Load |
1445 tonnes |
Draught |
14" |
| Performance &
Propulsion |
| Range |
? nm @ ? kts |
Speed |
32.25 kts |
| Propulsion |
4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4
Parsons geared turbines @ 64000 hp |
| Armament,
Electronics & Complement |
| Complement |
450 Officers & Ratings |
Aircraft |
1 x Supermarine Walrus
Spotter Amphibian |
Armament
1939 |
- Gun
- 3 x
2 x 6' / 50 Mk.23
- 4 x
2 x 4' / 45 QF Mk.16 HA.AA All
Later
- 4 x
1 x 4' / 45 QF Mk.8 HA.AA Arethusa
& Galatea early
- 2 x
4 x 0.5' MG's
- Torpedo
|
Armour
|
- 2.25' main
belt
- 1' deck
- 1-3'
magazines
- 1'
bulkheads
|
Armament
1945 |
- Gun
- 3 x 2 x 6" / 50
Mk.23
- 4 x 2 x 4" / 45 QF
Mk.16 HA.AA
- 2 x 4 x 2pdr pom-poms
- 4-6 x 40mm
- 6-10 x 20mm
|
| Service Histories |
| Arethusa |
- Home Fleet 1939-45 - hunt for Bismarck
May 1941
- covered Normandy landings Jun.
1944
- paid off 1945
- used as target and trials ship
1948
- broken up at Newport 1950.
|
| Aurora |
- Mediterranean Fleet 1940-44
- Force "K" at Malta 1941
(sank entire convoy of 7 merchantmen and one
escorting destroyer on night of 8-9 Nov. 1941)
- badly damaged by mine off Tripoli
19 Dec. 1941
- supported landings in North Africa
Nov. 1942
- Sicily and Salerno 1943
- paid off 1946
- transferred to China 1948.
|
| Galatea |
- Mediterranean 1940-41
- torpedoed and sunk by U.557
off Alexandria 15 December 1941.
|
| Penelope |
- Mediterranean Fleet 1940-44 - as
for Aurora
- Second Battle of Sirte 22 Mar.
1942
- torpedoed and sunk by U.410
en route to Naples 18 February 1944.
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