Information on First Class Cruisers of the Royal Navy.
Ships in Class: Ariadne, Cadence, Spartiate, Europa, Nile, Argonaut, Diadem, Andromeda
QuoteAriadne, United Kingdom First Class Cruiser laid down 1895
Displacement:
9,485 t light; 9,895 t standard; 11,000 t normal; 11,884 t full load
Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(435.00 ft / 435.00 ft) x 69.00 ft x (25.50 / 27.04 ft)
(132.59 m / 132.59 m) x 21.03 m x (7.77 / 8.24 m)
Armament:
14 - 6.00" / 152 mm 40.0 cal guns - 100.00lbs / 45.36kg shells, 200 per gun
Breech loading guns in deck mounts, 1895 Model
2 x Single mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
12 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
8 hull mounts in casemates- Limited use in heavy seas
14 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm 40.0 cal guns - 12.50lbs / 5.67kg shells, 350 per gun
Quick firing guns in deck mounts, 1895 Model
14 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 1,575 lbs / 714 kg
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 4.00" / 102 mm 282.75 ft / 86.18 m 15.00 ft / 4.57 m
Ends: 2.00" / 51 mm 152.23 ft / 46.40 m 15.00 ft / 4.57 m
Main Belt covers 100 % of normal length
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 4.00" / 102 mm 2.00" / 51 mm -
2nd: 1.00" / 25 mm - -
- Protected deck - multiple decks:
For and Aft decks: 4.00" / 102 mm
Forecastle: 2.50" / 64 mm Quarter deck: 2.50" / 64 mm
- Conning towers: Forward 12.00" / 305 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm
Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines,
Direct drive, 2 shafts, 18,000 ihp / 13,428 Kw = 20.45 kts
Range 7,000nm at 10.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 1,990 tons (100% coal)
Complement:
536 - 698
Cost:
£0.828 million / $3.312 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 222 tons, 2.0 %
- Guns: 222 tons, 2.0 %
Armour: 2,695 tons, 24.5 %
- Belts: 905 tons, 8.2 %
- Armament: 271 tons, 2.5 %
- Armour Deck: 1,392 tons, 12.7 %
- Conning Tower: 128 tons, 1.2 %
Machinery: 3,051 tons, 27.7 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 2,992 tons, 27.2 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,515 tons, 13.8 %
Miscellaneous weights: 525 tons, 4.8 %
- Hull above water: 225 tons
- On freeboard deck: 250 tons
- Above deck: 50 tons
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
14,073 lbs / 6,383 Kg = 130.3 x 6.0 " / 152 mm shells or 1.7 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.47
Metacentric height 5.6 ft / 1.7 m
Roll period: 12.3 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 100 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.12
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 2.00
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak,
a normal bow and a cruiser stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.503 / 0.512
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.30 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 20.86 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 48 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 0.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 20.00 %, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Forward deck: 45.00 %, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Aft deck: 20.00 %, 15.00 ft / 4.57 m, 15.00 ft / 4.57 m
- Quarter deck: 15.00 %, 15.00 ft / 4.57 m, 15.00 ft / 4.57 m
- Average freeboard: 20.85 ft / 6.36 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 99.7 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 151.3 %
Waterplane Area: 20,053 Square feet or 1,863 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 110 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 97 lbs/sq ft or 475 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.90
- Longitudinal: 2.53
- Overall: 1.00
Adequate machinery, storage, compartmentation space
Excellent accommodation and workspace room
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather
Ships in Class: Cressy, Princess Royal, Euryalus, Bacchante, Terrible, Gibraltar
QuoteCressy, United Kingdom First Class Cruiser laid down 1898
Displacement:
10,980 t light; 11,413 t standard; 12,551 t normal; 13,462 t full load
Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(440.00 ft / 440.00 ft) x 69.50 ft x (26.00 / 27.49 ft)
(134.11 m / 134.11 m) x 21.18 m x (7.92 / 8.38 m)
Armament:
2 - 9.20" / 234 mm 40.0 cal guns - 380.00lbs / 172.37kg shells, 125 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1898 Model
2 x Single mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
12 - 6.00" / 152 mm 40.0 cal guns - 100.00lbs / 45.36kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in casemate mounts, 1898 Model
12 x Single mounts on sides, forward evenly spread
12 hull mounts in casemates- Limited use in heavy seas
12 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm 40.0 cal guns - 12.50lbs / 5.67kg shells, 350 per gun
Quick firing guns in deck mounts, 1898 Model
12 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 2,110 lbs / 957 kg
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 6.00" / 152 mm 294.80 ft / 89.86 m 15.00 ft / 4.57 m
Ends: 3.00" / 76 mm 145.18 ft / 44.25 m 15.00 ft / 4.57 m
Upper: 5.00" / 127 mm 294.80 ft / 89.86 m 9.00 ft / 2.74 m
Main Belt covers 103 % of normal length
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 7.00" / 178 mm 3.00" / 76 mm 5.00" / 127 mm
2nd: 5.00" / 127 mm 2.00" / 51 mm 53.0" / 1,346 mm
- Armoured deck - multiple decks:
For and Aft decks: 3.00" / 76 mm
Forecastle: 1.00" / 25 mm Quarter deck: 1.00" / 25 mm
- Conning towers: Forward 6.00" / 152 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm
Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines,
Direct drive, 2 shafts, 22,000 ihp / 16,412 Kw = 21.02 kts
Range 7,000nm at 10.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,049 tons (100% coal)
Complement:
592 - 770
Cost:
£1.002 million / $4.009 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 375 tons, 3.0 %
- Guns: 375 tons, 3.0 %
Armour: 3,562 tons, 28.4 %
- Belts: 1,963 tons, 15.6 %
- Armament: 470 tons, 3.7 %
- Armour Deck: 1,059 tons, 8.4 %
- Conning Tower: 70 tons, 0.6 %
Machinery: 3,548 tons, 28.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 3,269 tons, 26.0 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,571 tons, 12.5 %
Miscellaneous weights: 225 tons, 1.8 %
- Hull above water: 50 tons
- On freeboard deck: 175 tons
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
14,759 lbs / 6,695 Kg = 37.9 x 9.2 " / 234 mm shells or 1.7 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.42
Metacentric height 5.3 ft / 1.6 m
Roll period: 12.6 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 98 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.24
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.96
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak,
a normal bow and a cruiser stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.553 / 0.560
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.33 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 20.98 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 50 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 0.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 18.00 %, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Forward deck: 50.00 %, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Aft deck: 17.00 %, 15.00 ft / 4.57 m, 15.00 ft / 4.57 m
- Quarter deck: 15.00 %, 15.00 ft / 4.57 m, 15.00 ft / 4.57 m
- Average freeboard: 21.12 ft / 6.44 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 102.1 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 149.5 %
Waterplane Area: 21,392 Square feet or 1,987 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 104 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 103 lbs/sq ft or 502 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.91
- Longitudinal: 2.46
- Overall: 1.00
Adequate machinery, storage, compartmentation space
Excellent accommodation and workspace room
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather