Blonde-class cruiser
 Blonde at anchor
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Blonde |
| Builders | Pembroke Dockyard |
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Boadicea class |
| Succeeded by | Active class |
| Built | 1909–11 |
| In commission | 1910–21 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Scout cruiser |
| Displacement | 3,350 long tons (3,400 t) |
| Length | 406 ft (123.7 m) (o/a) |
| Beam | 41 ft 6 in (12.6 m) |
| Draught | 15 ft 6 in (4.7 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph) |
| Range | 4,100 nautical miles (7,600 km; 4,700 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 314 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
The Blonde-class cruisers were a pair of scout cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. Upon completion in 1910–11, they served as flotilla leaders for destroyer flotillas of the First Fleet until 1913 when they were assigned to battleship squadrons. When the First World War began in August 1914, they remained with their squadrons as the First Fleet was incorporated into the Grand Fleet, although they changed squadrons over the course of the war. Blonde did not participate in the Battle of Jutland in mid-1916, unlike her sister ship, Blanche, which did, but never fired a shot. They were converted into minelayers the following year, but only Blanche actually laid mines. The sisters were reduced to reserve in 1919 and sold for scrap in 1920–21.
Design and description
These scout cruisers were too slow to lead destroyers in battle or to defend the fleet against enemy destroyer attacks, but they were still used as flotilla leaders. The Blonde class was essentially a repeat of the preceding Boadicea class, albeit with a more powerful armament and less fuel.[1] Displacing 3,350 long tons (3,400 t), the ships had an overall length of 405 feet (123.4 m), a beam of 41 feet 6 inches (12.6 m) and a deep draught of 15 feet 6 inches (4.7 m). They were powered by four sets of Parsons steam turbines, each driving two shafts. The turbines produced a total of 18,000 indicated horsepower (13,000 kW), using steam produced by 12 Yarrow boilers that burned both fuel oil and coal, and gave a maximum speed of 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph). They carried a maximum of 780 long tons (790 t) of coal and 190 long tons (190 t) of fuel oil[2] that gave them a range of 4,100 nautical miles (7,600 km; 4,700 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). Their crew consisted of 314 officers and ratings.[3]
The main armament of the Blonde class consisted of ten breech-loading (BL) 4-inch (102 mm) Mk VII guns. The forward pair of guns were mounted side by side on a platform on the forecastle, six were amidships, three on each broadside, and the two remaining guns were on the centreline of the quarterdeck, one ahead of the other.[2] The guns fired their 31-pound (14 kg) shells to a range of about 11,400 yards (10,400 m).[4] Their secondary armament was four quick-firing (QF) three-pounder (1.9-inch (47 mm)) Vickers Mk I guns and two submerged 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes.[2]
As scout cruisers, the ships were only lightly protected to maximise their speed. They had a curved protective deck that was one inch (25 mm) thick on the slope and 0.5 inches (13 mm) on the flat.[3] Their conning tower was protected by four inches of armour.[2]
Ships
| Ship | Builder[5] | Laid down[2] | Launched[2] | Completed[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Blonde | Pembroke Dockyard | 6 December 1909 | 22 July 1910 | May 1911 |
| HMS Blanche | 12 April 1909 | 25 November 1909 | November 1910 |
Service
Both HMS Blonde and HMS Blanche began their service careers with destroyer flotillas, Blonde as senior officers' ship for the 7th Flotilla and Blanche with the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, but for much of the war they were attached to specific Battle Squadrons to provide a close-in screen as the Battle Fleet operated. Both ships saw service in the First World War but were both converted to minelayers before its end and sold for scrapping after the end of hostilities.[2]
Notes
Footnotes
Bibliography
- Campbell, N. J. M. (1986). Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-324-5.
- Corbett, Julian. Naval Operations to the Battle of the Falklands. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. I (2nd, reprint of the 1938 ed.). London and Nashville, Tennessee: Imperial War Museum and Battery Press. ISBN 0-89839-256-X.
- Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-081-8.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1984). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - Goldrick, James (2015). Before Jutland: The Naval War in Northern European Waters, August 1914–February 1915. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-349-9.
- Jellicoe, John (1919). The Grand Fleet, 1914–1916: Its Creation, Development, and Work. New York: George H. Doran. OCLC 13614571.
- Newbolt, Henry (1996). Naval Operations. History of the Great War Based on Official Documents. Vol. IV (reprint of the 1928 ed.). Nashville, Tennessee: Battery Press. ISBN 0-89839-253-5.
- Phillips, Lawrie; Lieutenant Commander (2014). Pembroke Dockyard and the Old Navy: A Bicentennial History. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5214-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Tarrant, V. E. (1999). Jutland: The German Perspective: A New View of the Great Battle, 31 May 1916 (reprint of the 1995 ed.). London: Brockhampton Press. ISBN 1-86019-917-8.
External links
