Birkenhead Class Light Cruiser

Birkenhead Class.  Essentially modified Chatham class cruisers for export to Greece.  The ships were taken over by the the British in 1915 and although offered back to the Greeks post war but this offer was not taken up.

HMS Birkenhead (ex Antinavarhos Kontouriotis)
Built Cammell Laird, laid down April 1914, completed May 1915.

HMS Chester (ex Lambros Katsonis)
Built Cammell Laird, laid down October 1914, completed May 1916.

Size:
Length 430 feet pp 446 feet overall, beam 50 feet, draught 16 feet, displacement 5,185 tons normal 5,795 tons deep load.

Propulsion:
4 shaft Parsons turbines, 25,000 shp, 25.5 knots
Chester 31,000 shp, 26.5 knots

Armour:
2in belt, 1.5-0.5in decks

Armament:
10 x 5.5in 50cal Mk I (10 x 1), 1 x 3in, 2 x 21in TT

Comments:
Chester was slightly larger than Birkenhead and modified to burn all oil before completion.  Crew 500.

World War 1 Service:
Birkenhead
3rd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
31 May-1 June 1916 Battle of Jutland.
Sold for scrap 1921.

Chester
3rd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
31 May-1 June 1916 Battle of Jutland.
Sold for scrap 1921.

HMS Chester.  The main difference from similar British cruisers was the substitution of 5.5 inch guns for the 6 inch guns used in the British ships.  Although firing a lighter shell the gun was easier to handle in rough weather.  One weakness of the gun was the gun shields which didn't reach the deck leaving the gun crews vulnerable to splinters.