.jpg) Boadicea at anchor | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Sentinel class |
| Succeeded by | Blonde class |
| Built | 1907–1910 |
| In commission | 1909–1926 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Scout cruiser |
| Displacement | 3,350 long tons (3,400 t) (normal) |
| Length | 405 ft (123.4 m) (o/a) |
| Beam | 41 ft 6 in (12.6 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 25knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
| Range | 4,260nautical miles (7,890 km; 4,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 317 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
TheBoadicea-class cruiser was a pair ofscout cruisers built for theRoyal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. They were the first class of this type to be fitted withsteam turbine machinery. Upon completion in 1909–10, thesister ships served asflotilla leaders for destroyerflotillas of theFirst Fleet until 1913 when they were assigned tobattleshipsquadrons. When theFirst World War began in August 1914, they remained with their squadrons as the First Fleet was incorporated into theGrand Fleet, although they changed squadrons over the course of the war. Both ships were present during theBattle of Jutland in mid-1916, but neither fired a shot. They were converted intominelayers the following year and both ships laid minefields in early 1918 in addition to other missions. The sisters were reduced toreserve in 1919 and sold forscrap in 1921 and 1926.
Like the earlier scout cruisers, theBoadicea class was designed to providedestroyerflotillas with acommand ship, theoretically offering the ability toscout ahead of the group and locate targets for the smaller ships to attack. They were enlarged and more powerfully armed versions of the earlier ships, fitted with steam turbines. Curiously, they were no faster than the older ships and equally unsuccessful in their intended role as they lacked the speed of the destroyers they were supposed to escort.[1]
Displacing 3,350 long tons (3,400 t), the ships had anoverall length of 405 feet (123.4 m), abeam of 41 feet 6 inches (12.6 m) and a deepdraught of 14 feet (4.3 m). They were powered by two sets ofParsonssteam turbines, each driving two shafts. The turbines produced a total of 18,000indicated horsepower (13,000 kW), using steam produced by 12Yarrow boilers that burned bothfuel oil and coal, and gave a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph). They carried a maximum of 780 long tons (790 t) of coal and 189 long tons (192 t) of fuel oil that gave them a range of 4,260nautical miles (7,890 km; 4,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[2] Her crew consisted of 317 officers and enlisted men.[3]
The main armament of theBoadicea class consisted of sixbreech-loading (BL)four-inch (102 mm) Mk VII guns. The forward pair of guns were mounted side by side on a platform on theforecastle, the middle pair wereamidships, one on eachbroadside, and the two remaining guns were on the centreline of thequarterdeck, one ahead of the other.[3] The guns fired their 31-pound (14 kg) shells to a range of about 11,400 yards (10,400 m).[4] Her secondary armament was fourquick-firing (QF)three-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) Vickers Mk I guns and two submerged21-inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes. During the war, four additional four-inch guns were added amidships to increase her firepower. AQF three-inch 20 cwt[Note 1] anti-aircraft gun was also added. In 1918 it was replaced by a four-inch gun.[3]
As scout cruisers, the ships were only lightly protected to maximise their speed. They had a curved protectivedeck that was 1 inch (25 mm) thick on the slope and 0.5 inches (13 mm) on the flat.[2] Theirconning tower was protected by 4 inches of armour.[3]
| Ship | Builder[5] | Laid down[3] | Launched[3] | Completed[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Boadicea | Pembroke Dockyard | 1 June 1907 | 14 May 1908 | June 1909 |
| HMS Bellona | 5 June 1908 | 23 March 1909 | February 1910 |
BothBoadicea andBellona began their careers with destroyer flotillas of the First Fleet,Boadicea as senior officers' ship for the1st Destroyer Flotilla andBellona with the2nd Destroyer Flotilla. The former was transferred to the3rd Destroyer Flotilla in mid-1912 and the sisters were transferred to the2nd and the1st Battle Squadrons, respectively, of theFirst Fleet in 1913.[6] Both ships were assigned to positions at the rear of their squadrons and did not fire their guns during the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916.[7]
The sisters remained with their squadrons until 1917 when they were converted into minelayers,Bellona in May[8] andBoadicea in October,Bellona replacing her sister in the 2nd Battle Squadron that month.[9] After her conversion,Boadicea was assigned to the4th Battle Squadron in January 1918[10] and neither ship was reassigned before the end of the war.[11] They laidmines at the entrance to theKattegat on the nights of 18/19 and 24/25 February 1918[12] and both made several othersorties to lay their mines before the end of the war.[3] They were placed in reserve after the war[13] and taken out of service in 1920.[14]Bellona was quickly sold for scrap in 1921, butBoadicea was not sold until 1926.[15]
