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Weymouth Class. Enlarged and improved Bristol class with a uniform 6 inch gun armament that were mounted in more weather resistant positions. They also mounted the more powerful 21 inch torpedo. In 1915 a single 3 inch anti-aircraft gun was added. |
HMS Weymouth
Built Elswick, laid down January 1910, completed October 1911.
HMS Dartmouth
Built Vickers, laid down February 1910, completed October 1911.
HMS Falmouth
Built Beardmore, laid down November 1909, completed September 1911.
HMS Yarmouth
Built London and Glasgow Co., laid down January 1910, completed April 1912.
Average cost £396,363.
Size:
Length 430 feet pp 453 feet overall, beam 48 feet 6 inches, draught 15 feet 6 inches, displacement 5,250 tons normal
5,800 tons full load..
Propulsion:
4 shaft Parsons turbines, 22,000 shp, 25 knots
Trials:
Weymouth 23,532 shp = 25.6 knots
Dartmouth 23,467 shp = 25.9 knots
Falmouth 26,311 shp = 27.01 knots
Yarmouth 24,000 shp = 26.0 knots
Armour:
2-0.5in decks
Armament:
8 x 6in 50cal Mk XI (8 x 1), 4 x 3 pounder (4 x 1), 2 x 21in TT
Comments:
Crew 475.
World War 1 Service:
Weymouth
2nd Light Cruiser Mediterranean.
August 1914 Detached to Indian Ocean to look for SMS Emden.
February 1915 East Africa as part of operations against SMS Konigsberg.
December 1915 Adriatic.
1916 6th Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
1917 8th Cruiser Squadron Brindisi in the Mediterranean.
2 October 1918 Damaged by torpedo from Austrian submarine U 28.
1928 sold for scrap.
Dartmouth
1914 East Indies.
October 1914 Captured German tug Adjutant.
January 1915 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet but operated in South Atlantic in search for SMS
Karlsruhe.
February 1915 Dardanelles.
May 1915 8th Light Cruiser Squadron Brindisi.
15 May 1917 Damaged by torpedo from submarine UC 25.
1930 Sold for scrap.
Falmouth
5th Cruiser Squadron Mid Atlantic.
August 1914 Sank four German merchant ships.
August 1914 1st Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
28 August 1914 Took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight.
24 January 1915 took part in Battle of Dogger Bank.
31 May-1 June 1916 Battle of Jutland.
19 August 1916 Sunk by German submarines U 66 and U 52.
Yarmouth
1914 China Station.
1914 Involved in hunt for SMS Emden.
October 1914 Captured German collier and captured another.
December 1914 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
February 1915 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
31 May-1 June 1916 Battle of Jutland.
1926 Sold for scrap.
| HMS Falmouth, the only ship of the class to be sunk. She was hit by a total of four torpedoes over two days before sinking demonstrating the damage resistance of British light cruisers of this period. Two of her sisters were also torpedoed during the war but both survived. |
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