Source: Conway's All The World's WarshipsĪt the beginning of the 1935 London Conference, the Tactical Division laid out a Staff Requirement for a new 8in cruiser based on Surrey. There would have been two catapults.Īrmour: Box protection to ammunition spaces 5.75in, belt and bulkheads 5.5in, turrets trunks and ring bulkheads 1in.Īrmament: 8 8in/50 Mk VIII (4x2), 4x 4in/45 HA (4x1), 2x octuple pom pom, 8x 21in torpedo (2x 4), 2 aircraft Most of the defects in the protection of previous 8in cruisers were remedied at the price of 30kts speed, but though 1in trunks were added to the turrets,the armour remained entirely inadequate. Ther was 1.5in protection to steering gear, and the platformdeck over the ammunition spaces was to have 3in armour. The belt covering the machinery spaces would have extended 9ft belowthe lower deck wich here had 2.25in armour on 0.5in plating, while the closing bulkheads extended fora further 5ft. With the same protection as in the 1929 cruiser, a ship with three triple turrets would displace 10,450 tons. That would restore the deck over the machinery or add ½ in to the belt armour over the machinery. Substituting triples for twins would save 144 tons on the 80,000shp ship, leaving 60 tons in hand. In response to an NID paper describing US cruisers, DNC asked for the effect on Surrey of substituting three triples for four twins… On 80,000shp the ship would make 31.5kts at standard displacement and 30.5kts when deep,
#Valiant class super heavy cruiser full
(Norman Friedman)Įarly in July 1929 DNC asked Lillicrap to investigate restoring the full 80,000shp of the earlier heavy cruisers. Magazines and shell rooms were comparable in the two designs: 5 ½ in on ½ in sides with 3in on ⅜ in decks and 3in on ½ in bulkheads. The most striking improvement over Surrey was in protection to the boiler room fans (necessary for speed): 4 rather than 2in sides, 3in rather than 1in ends, and 2in rather than 1in deck.
She would have 5 ½ in armour on her ½ in shell over her machinery, closed by bulkheads of similar thickness and covered by a 2 ½ in deck on a 1 Véin deck. Armament was the usual four twin 8in (100 rounds per gun), four 4in HA (200 rounds each), two quadruple 0.5in machine guns, and two quadruple torpedo tubes. Her 60,000shp plant was expected to drive her at 30kts at Legend (standard: 10,000 tons) displacement and at 29kts at deep load. A Legend dated 2 July 1928 showed a ship the same size as HMS Surrey (also cancelled: 570ft pp, 600ft loa x 64ft x 14ft fwd and 19ft aft), with a freeboard forward of 30ft 6in, 24ft amidships, and 14ft 6in aft. The A-type Cruiser of 1929, which was aborted by the 1930 London Naval Treaty, introduced important later features which were then incorporated in the modified design of HMS Exeter, the new streamlined bridge, perpendicular masts and funnels, and fixed catapults. British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After (Kindle Locations 3688-3692). ** Arrangements looked similar to Exeter, which benefited from Surrey design process, except she had four twins. Legend and drawings were approved by the Board on 22 November 1928. Controller liked the added protection and the improved arrangement… The reduction in power eliminated one funnel, clearing the deck for catapults and HA directors.
The weight saved in machinery and hull could provide protection for the entire machinery space. Hull weight was cut by reducing hull depth…
Speed would fall to 30kts or perhaps 30.25kts. The other ship, Design Y, cut power to 60,000shp (six boilers, four shafts). The protected part of the machinery would be protected against 8in fire between 7,000 and 20,000yds, and against 6in fire at all ranges up to 20,000yds. Magazines would be protected against 8in fire at all ranges below 20,000yds, and against 6in fire at all ranges. The new (10,000 ton) sketch design showed 1,620 tons of armour, compared to 1,100 tons for the most recent A Cruiser Dorsetshire.