This is a list of cruisers of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom from 1877 (when the category was created by amalgamating the two previous categories of frigate and corvette) until the last cruiser was deleted more than a century later. There are no longer any cruisers in the Royal Navy.
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| early English ships • early Scots ships |
Contents |
First class cruisers
Armoured cruisers were protected by a belt of side armour and an armoured deck. In the Royal Navy this classification was not actually used, the term first class cruiser being used instead for both armoured cruisers and large protected cruisers. Thus, the first class cruisers built between the Orlando class (1886) and the Cressy class (1897) were, strictly speaking, protected cruisers as they lacked an armoured belt. The first class cruiser was succeeded by the Battlecruiser.
- Shannon first class armoured cruiser, (1875) 5,670 tons, two 10-inch, seven 9-inch guns
- Nelson class first class armoured cruiser, 7,473 tons, four 10-in, six 9-in guns
- Nelson (1876) - Sold 1910
- Northampton (1876) - Sold 1905
- Imperieuse class first class armoured cruiser, 8,500 tons, four 9.2 in, ten 6 in guns
- Imperieuse (1883) - Sold 1913
- Warspite (1884) - Sold 1905
- Orlando class first class armoured cruiser, 5,600 tons, 2-9.2in, 10-6in
- Blake class first class protected cruiser, 9,150 tons, two 9.2-inch, ten 6-inch guns
- Edgar class first class protected cruiser, 7,700 tons, 2-9.2in, 10-6in
- Powerful class first class protected cruiser, 14,200 tons, 2-9.2in, 12-6in
- Diadem class first class protected cruiser, 11,000 tons, sixteen 6-inch
- Diadem (1896)
- Niobe (1897) - To Canada as HMCS Niobe, BU 1922
- Europa (1897)
- Andromeda (1897)
- Amphitrite (1898)
- Argonaut (1898)
- Ariadne (1898)
- Spartiate (1898)
- Cressy class first class armoured cruiser, 12,000 tons, two 9.2-inch, twelve 6-inch guns
- Drake class first class armoured cruiser, 14,150 tons, 2-9.2in, 16-6in
- Drake (1901) - Torpedoed 1917
- Good Hope (ex-Africa) (1901) - Sunk during the Battle of Coronel, 1914
- King Alfred (1901) - Sold 1920
- Leviathan (1901) - Sold 1920
- Monmouth class first class armoured cruiser, 9,800 tons, 14-6in
- Devonshire class first class armoured cruiser, 10,850 tons, four 7.5-inch, six 6-inch guns
- Duke of Edinburgh class first class armoured cruiser,
- Duke of Edinburgh group 13,550 tons, 6-9.2in, 10-6in
- Duke of Edinburgh (1904) - Sold 1920
- Black Prince (1904) - Sunk at the Battle of Jutland, 1916
- Warrior group 13,550 tons, 6-9.2in, 4-7.5in
- Warrior (1905) - Sunk at the Battle of Jutland, 1916
- Cochrane (1905) - Wrecked 1918
- Achilles (1905) - Sold 1921
- Natal (1905) - Explosion 1915
- Duke of Edinburgh group 13,550 tons, 6-9.2in, 10-6in
- Minotaur class first class armoured cruiser, 14,600 tons, four 9.2-inch, ten 7.5-inch guns
- Minotaur (1906) - Sold 1920
- Shannon (1906) - Sold 1922
- Defence (1907) - Sunk at the Battle of Jutland, 1916
Protected cruisers
Protected cruisers were so-called because their vital machinery spaces were protected by an armoured deck and the arrangement of coal bunkers. The ships below are all protected cruisers, but were rated as second and third class cruisers by the Royal Navy. The third class cruiser was not expected to operate with the fleet, was substantially smaller than the second class and lacked the watertight double-bottom of the latter. With the advent of turbine machinery, oil firing and better armour plate the protected cruiser became obsolete and was succeeded by the light cruiser.
- Iris class second class cruiser, 3,730 tons, 13-5in
- Comus class third class cruiser, 2,380 tons (Constance 2,590 tons), 2-7in + 12-64pdr (except Comus 4-6in + 8-64pdr; Canada & Cordelia 10-6in)
- Comus (1878) - Sold 1904
- Curacoa (1878) - Sold 1904
- Champion (1878) - Sold 1919
- Cleopatra (1878) - Sold 1931
- Carysfort (1878) - Sold 1899
- Conquest (1878) - Sold 1899
- Constance (1880) - Sold 1899
- Canada (1881) - Sold 1897
- Cordelia (1881) - Sold 1904
- Leander class second class cruiser, 4,300 tons, 10-6in
- Calypso class third class cruiser, 2,770 tons, 4-6in + 12-5in.
- Calliope (1884) - Sold 1951 (drill ship from 1907)
- Calypso (1885) - Sold 1922
- Mersey class second class cruiser, 4,050 tons, 2-8in, 10-6in
- Medea class third class cruiser, 2,850 tons, 6-6in
- Medea (1888) - Sold 1914
- Marathon (1888)
- Magicienne (1888)
- Medusa (1888) - Sold 1920
- Melpomene (1888)
- Apollo class second class cruiser, 3,400 tons, 2-6in, 6-4.7in
- Apollo (1891)
- Aeolus (1891)
- Andromache (1890)
- Brilliant (1891)
- Indefatigable (1891)
- Intrepid (1891) - Scuttled 1918
- Iphigenia (1891) - Scuttled 1918
- Latona (1890) - Sold 1920
- Melampus (1890) - Sold 1910
- Naiad (1890) - Sold 1922
- Pique (1890) - Sold 1911
- Rainbow (1891) - To Canada as HMCS Rainbow 1910
- Retribution (1891) - Sold 1911
- Sappho (1891) - Sold 1921
- Scylla (1891) - Sold 1914
- Sirius (1890) - Scuttled 1918
- Spartan (1891) - Renamed Defiance 1921, sold 1931
- Sybille (1890) - Wrecked 1901
- Terpsichore (1890) - Sold 1914
- Thetis (1890) - Scuttled 1918
- Tribune (1891) - Sold 1911
- Astraea class second class cruiser, 4,360 tons, 2-6in, 8-4.7in
- Eclipse class second class cruiser, 5,600 tons, 5-6in, 6-4.7in
- Pearl class third class cruiser, 2,575 tons, 8-4.7in
- Pallas (1890)
- Pandora (1889)
- Pearl (1890)
- Pelorus (1889)
- Persian (1890)
- Philomel (1890)
- Phoebe (1890)
- Phoenix (1889)
- Psyche (1889)
- Arrogant class second class cruiser, 5,750 tons, 4-6in, 6-4.7in
- Arrogant (1896) - Sold 1923
- Furious (1896) - Renamed Forte 1915, sold 1923
- Gladiator (1896) - Collision 1908, refloated, sold 1909
- Vindictive (1897) - Scuttled 1918
- Pelorus class third class cruiser, 2,135 tons, 8-4in
- Highflyer class second class cruiser, 5,650 tons, 11-6in
- Challenger class second class cruiser, 5,880 tons, 11-6in
- Challenger (1902) - Sold 1920
- Encounter (1902) - To Australia 1912, renamed Penguin 1923, scuttled 1932
- Topaze class third class cruiser, class 3,000 tons
- Topaze (1903) - Sold 1921
- Amethyst (1903) - Sold 1920
- Diamond (1904) - Sold 1921
- Sapphire (1904) - Sold 1921
Scout cruisers
The scout cruiser was a smaller, faster, more lightly armed and armoured cruiser than the protected cruiser, intended for fleet scouting duties and acting as a flotilla leader. Essentially there were two distinct groups - the eight vessels all ordered under the 1903 Programme, and the seven later vessels ordered under the 1907-1910 Programmes. The advent of better machinery and larger, faster destroyers and light cruisers effectively made them obsolete.
- Adventure class 2,640 tons, 10-12pdr
- Forward class 2,860 tons, 10-12pdr
- Pathfinder class 2,900 tons, 10-12pdr
- Pathfinder (1904) - Torpedoed 1914
- Patrol (1904) - Sold 1920
- Sentinel class 2,880 tons, 10-12pdr
- Sentinel (1904) - Sold 1923
- Skirmisher (1905) - Sold 1920
- Boadicea class 3,300 tons, 6-4in
- Blonde class 3,350 tons, 10-4in
- Active class 3,440 tons, 10-4in
Light cruisers
The light armoured cruiser - light cruiser - succeeded the protected cruiser; improvements in machinery and armour rendering the latter obsolete. The Town class of 1910 were rated as second class protected cruisers, but were effectively light armoured cruisers with mixed coal and oil firing. The Arethusa class of 1913 were the first oil-only fired class. This meant that the arrangement of coal bunkers in the hull could no longer be relied upon as protection and the adoption of destroyer-type machinery resulted in a higher speed. This makes the Arethusas the first "true example" of the warship that came to be recognised as the light cruiser. In the London Naval Treaty of 1930, light cruisers were officially defined as cruisers having guns of 6.1 inch (155 mm) calibre or less, with a displacement not exceeding 10,000 tons.
- Town class
- Bristol group 4,800 tons, 2-6in, 10-4in
- Bristol (1910)
- Glasgow (1910)
- Gloucester (1910)
- Liverpool (1910)
- Newcastle (1910)
- Weymouth group 5,250 tons, 8-6in
- Chatham group 5,400 tons, 8-6in
- Birmingham group 5,440 tons, 9-6in
- Birmingham (1914)
- Lowestoft (1914)
- Nottingham (1914)
- Adelaide (1922)
- Birkenhead group 5,185 tons, 10-5.5in
- Birkenhead (1915)
- Chester (1916)
- Bristol group 4,800 tons, 2-6in, 10-4in
- Arethusa class, 3,750 tons, 6-in, 6-4in
- C class
- Caroline group 4,219 tons, 2-6in, 8-4in
- Calliope group 4,228 tons, 2-6in, 8-4in
- Cambrian group 4,320 tons, 2-6in, 8-4in
- Cambrian (1916)
- Canterbury (1915)
- Castor (1915)
- Constance (1915)
- Centaur group 4,165 tons, 5-6in
- Caledon group 4,180 tons, 5-6in
- Ceres group 4,190 tons, 5-6in
- Carlisle group 4,290 tons, 5-6in
- Danae class 4,850 tons, 6-6in
- Emerald class 7,580 tons, 7-6in
- Emerald (1926)
- Enterprise (1926)
- Leander class
- Leander group 7,200 tons, 8-6in
- Amphion group 6,900 tons, 8-6in
- Arethusa class 5,220 tons, 6-6in
- Town class
- Southampton group 9,100 tons, 12-6in
- Southampton (1937)
- Birmingham (1937)
- Glasgow (1937)
- Newcastle (1937)
- Sheffield (1937)
- Gloucester group 9,400 tons, 12-6in
- Gloucester (1939)
- Liverpool (1938)
- Manchester (1938)
- Edinburgh group 10,565 tons, 12-6-in
- Southampton group 9,100 tons, 12-6in
- Dido class
- Dido group 5,600 tons, 10-5.25in
- Bellona group 5,770 tons, 8-5.25in
- Bellona (1943) - to Royal New Zealand Navy 1956
- Black Prince (1943) - to RNZN 1948
- Diadem (1943) - to Pakistan 1956 as Babur
- Royalist (1943) - to RNZN 1956
- Spartan (1943) - bombed 1944
- Crown Colony class
- Fiji group 8,525 tons, 12-6in
- Ceylon group 8,875 tons, 9-6in
- Ceylon (1943)
- Newfoundland (1943)
- Uganda (1943) - to Royal Canadian Navy as Quebec 1944
- Minotaur class 8,800 tons, 9-6in
- Tiger class 11,700 tons, 4-6in, 6-3in
Heavy cruisers
The heavy cruiser was defined in the London Naval Treaty of 1930 as a cruiser with a main gun calibre not exceeding 8 inches. The earlier Hawkins class were therefore retrospectively classified as such, although they had been initially built as "improved light cruisers".
- Cavendish or Hawkins class 9,860 tons, 7-7.5in
- County class, 8-8in
- Kent group 10,570 tons
- Cumberland (57) (1928) - scrapped 1959
- Berwick (65) (1928) - scrapped 1948
- Cornwall (56) (1928) - bombed 1942
- Suffolk (55) (1928) - scrapped 1948
- Kent (54) (1928) - scrapped 1948
- Australia (1928) - Royal Australian Navy, scrapped 1955
- Canberra (1928) - Royal Australian Navy, torpedoed 1942
- London group 9,830 tons
- London (69) (1929) - scrapped 1950
- Devonshire (39) (1929) - scrapped 1954
- Shropshire (73) (1929) - to Royal Australian Navy 1943, scrapped 1955
- Sussex (96) (1929) - scrapped 1950
- Norfolk group 10,300 tons
- Norfolk (78) (1930) - scrapped 1950
- Dorsetshire (40) (1930) - bombed 1942
- Kent group 10,570 tons
- York class 8,250 tons, 6-8in
- York (90) (1930) - abandoned 1941, scrapped 1952
- Exeter (68) (1931) - sunk 1942
Large light cruisers
The "large light cruisers" were a pet project of Admiral Fisher to operate in shallow Baltic Sea waters and they are often classed as a form of battlecruiser.
- Glorious class
- Glorious group 19,320 tons, four 15-inch, eighteen 4-inch
- Glorious (77) (1916) - converted to aircraft carrier 1924-1930
- Courageous (50) (1916) - converted to aircraft carrier 1924-1928
- Furious 19,513 tons, two 18-inch, eleven 5.5-inch
- Furious (47) (1917) - completed as aircraft carrier
- Glorious group 19,320 tons, four 15-inch, eighteen 4-inch
