Emergency War
Programme designed for service in the North Sea. Protection only
allowed for surface action with practically non-existent deck
armour, and thus this class, along with Cairo, Ceres, Dauntless
and Cavendish, were very exposed to dive bombing, to be the main
threat 25 years after their initial design. All were very wet
forward, the focsle 6inch being almost unusable in a head sea.
Distiguished from the later Cairo class by the wide spacing of
funnels from mast and no 6inch gun on the forward shelter deck.
Displacement:
4,180 tons.
Dimensions: 425 feet pp 450 feet oa Beam: 42.75 feet Draught mean
14 ft. max 16 feet.
Propulsion: 2 shaft Parsons geared turbines. 6 Yarrow Boilers
40,000 SHP = 29 knots
Complement: 334.
Armament: 5--6 inch BL MKX11 (5x1), 50 cal. 2--3 inch AA. 4---3
pdr 11 smaller
Torpedo tube (21 inch) 8 above water, in 4 double mountings.
Armour: (H.T.) 3in Side (amidships) 2.25in - 1in Side (bow) 2.25in
- 2in Side (stern) 1" Deck
Modifications
Little altered
before 1939 owing to their age, they had spent a good deal of
the 1930s in reserve. Caledon may have had a few 20mm added in
1941, but it was not until 1942 that major changes were made,
when, between September and December the following year, she was
converted into an AA cruiser. All original guns and torpedo tubes
were removed. In lieu she received three twin 4in, two twin Hazemeyer
Bofors and six twin 20mm, with a full radar outfit. By April 1944
she was listed as having two further single 20mm. In September
and October 1944 she received six single 40mm Bofors Mk III, which
probably supplanted the twin 20mm and another 20mm single. However,
in April 1945 the ship was disarmed. Calypso, as a relatively
early war loss, received little attention and no changes are listed
for her. Caradoc had two single 2pdr and five single 20mm fitted
at New York in 1941/42, and radar 271 and 290.
Down
H.M.S.
Caledon at Grand Harbour in Malta.
H.M.S. Caledon, 1944.
