[4620 Effingham - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 58,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 29.75 knots
.B Main armament: 9 x 6-inch (152mm), 4 x 4-inch (102mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 12,514 tons
.B Thickest armour: 3-inches (belt)
.P The cruisers of the Cavendish-class originally numbered six ships. They
were designed in 1915 specifically to meet the threat posed by German commerce
raiders.
.P Five ships were laid down between 1916 and 1918 - the sixth was never ordered
- but the ending of the First World War meant that completion was slower than
normal and indeed one of the ships - Cavendish - was to go through a number of
conversions during her life, was but never to be finished as a cruiser. The
remaining four ships - henceforth known as the Hawkins-class - were completed
between 1919 and 1925 and were finished to different specifications. The
technical details above are as Effingham appeared in September 1939.
.P World In Flames allows the Commonwealth player three of the ships - Effingham,
Frobisher and Hawkins - as the fourth, Raleigh, was wrecked in 1922 after running
aground.
.P When the first of the post-war naval treaties, designed to keep naval spending
in check, was held in 1922, the British were keen to retain these ships. It is
for this reason that the "treaty" or "heavy" cruiser upper limit was subsequently
set at 8-inch guns and 10,000 standard displacement.
.P The ships were originally fitted with seven, single 7.5-inch guns, two
forward, three aft and two amidships either side of the aft funnel. Secondary
armament consisted of four, single 3-inch guns. Both submerged and above-the-
waterline torpedo tubes were also mounted.
.P At the 1930 London Naval Conference, in a bid to stop the building of 8-inch
gunned cruisers, Britain agreed to demilitarise the Hawkins-class ships. Whilst
Hawkins and Frobisher had their armament removed by 1937, it was decided to
convert Effingham at the same time to a "light" cruiser i.e. she was given a
6-inch main armament. She was fitted with nine, single 6-inch guns. Her secondary
armament consisted of four twin 4-inch anti-aircraft (AA) guns. A catapult was
added at this time too.
.P Neither of her sisters received the same treatment. For Hawkins it was a case
of re-fitting her seven 7.5-inch guns and providing her with four, single 4-inch
AA guns. But Frobisher took longer to convert back due to other priorities, and
it was not until February 1942 that she was ready for service once more, armed
with five, single 7.5-inch guns and a similar number of 4-inch AA weapons. Note
that Frobisher starts the Global War scenario in the repair pool to reflect the
fact that she was not ready at the start of the war. Close-range AA weaponry
differed from ship to ship, but a variable number of 2-pdr pompoms and 20mm guns
were provided to the three vessels.
.P Both Effingham and Frobisher were oil-burning originally, but Hawkins had a
coal and oil mix for greater flexibility when operating overseas. She was
converted to oil only during her re-armament work.
.P The ships had two funnels, although during modernisation, Effingham had two
boilers removed and her stacks were trunked into one. The speed of each ship was
between 29 and 31 knots.
.P Defensive armour for the Hawkins-class was similar to their contemporaries,
with a belt of 3-inches at its maximum thickness, and a 1.5-inch armoured deck
covering the vital areas.
.P The class were named after famous Elizabethan-era sea captains.
P When the first of the post-war naval treaties, designed to keep naval spending
in check, was held in 1922, the British were keen to retain these ships. It is
for this reason that the "treaty" or "heavy" cruiser upper limit was subsequently
set at 8-inch guns and 10,000 standard displacement.
"10,000 standard displacement"
What kind of displacement BRT, GRT, Long tons, or Tons?
Here are couple of naval writeups.
