Falmouth at anchor, 1914
History
United Kingdom
Name	Falmouth
Namesake	Falmouth, Cornwall
Builder	William Beardmore and Company,Dalmuir
Laid down	21 February 1910
Launched	20 September 1910
Commissioned	September 1911
Fate	Sunk, 20 August 1916
General characteristics (as built)
Class & type	Town-classlight cruiser
Displacement	5,275long tons (5,360 t)
Length	430 ft (131.1 m)p/p 453 ft (138.1 m)o/a
Beam	47 ft 6 in (14.5 m)
Draught	15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) (mean)
Installed power	12 ×Yarrow boilers 22,000 shp (16,000 kW)
Propulsion	4 × shafts; 2 ×Parsonssteam turbines
Speed	25knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range	5,610 nmi (10,390 km; 6,460 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	475
Armament	8 × single6 in (152 mm) guns 4 × single3 pdr (47 mm (1.9 in)) guns 2 ×21 in (533 mm)torpedo tubes
Armour	Deck: .75–2 in (19–51 mm) Conning tower: 4 in (102 mm)

HMSFalmouth was aTown-classlight cruiser built for theRoyal Navy during the 1910s. She was one of four ships of theWeymouthsub-class. The ship was initially assigned to theAtlantic Fleet upon completion in 1911, but was reduced toreserve in mid-1913. When the First World War began in 1914,Falmouth was transferred to the1st Light Cruiser Squadron (LCS) of theGrand Fleet and then the3rd Light Cruiser Squadron at the end of the year. The ship participated in most of the early fleet actions, including theBattles of Heligoland Bight,Dogger Bank, andJutland, but was only seriously engaged in the latter. She was torpedoed and sunk offFlamborough Head, Yorkshire by Germansubmarines during theaction of 19 August 1916.

TheWeymouth sub-class were slightly larger and improved versions of the precedingBristol sub-class with a more powerful armament.^[1] They were 453 feet (138.1 m)long overall, with abeam of 47 feet 6 inches (14.5 m) and adraught of 15 feet 6 inches (4.7 m).Displacement was 5,275long tons (5,360 t) normal^[2] and 5,800 long tons (5,900 t) at full load. TwelveYarrow boilers fedFalmouth'sParsonssteam turbines,^[1] driving twopropeller shafts, that were rated at 22,000shaft horsepower (16,000 kW) for a design speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph). The ship reached 26.62 knots (49.30 km/h; 30.63 mph) during hersea trials from 27,900 shp (20,800 kW).^[3] The boilers used bothfuel oil and coal, with 1,290 long tons (1,311 t) of coal and 269 long tons (273 t) tons of oil carried, which gave a range of 5,610nautical miles (10,390 km; 6,460 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).^[2]

TheWeymouths replaced the ten 4-inch (102 mm) guns of theBristol sub-class with an additional sixBL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk XI guns. Two of these guns were mounted on the centreline fore and aft of thesuperstructure and two more were mounted on theforecastle deck abreast thebridge. The remaining four guns were positioned on the upper deck in waist mountings. All these guns were fitted withgun shields.^[1] FourVickers 3-pounder (47 mm)saluting guns were also fitted. Their armament was completed by two submerged21-inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes.^[4]

TheWeymouth-class ships were consideredprotected cruisers, with an armoureddeck providing protection for the ships' vitals. The armoured deck was 2 inches (51 mm) thick over themagazines and machinery, 1 inch (25 mm) over the steering gear and 0.75 inches (19 mm) elsewhere. Theconning tower was protected by 4 inches of armour, with the gun shields having 3-inch (76 mm) armour, as did the ammunition hoists.^[5] As the protective deck was at thewaterline, the ships were given a largemetacentric height so that they would remain stable in the event of flooding above the armoured deck. This, however, resulted in the shipsrolling badly making them poor gun platforms.^[6] One problem with the armour of theWeymouths which was shared with the other Town-class ships was the sizeable gap between the bottom of the gun shields and the deck, which allowed shell splinters to pass through the gap, and made the guns' crews vulnerable to leg injuries in combat.^[7]

Falmouth was the ninth ship in the Royal Navy to be named after theeponymous port.^[8] The ship was laid down on 21 February 1910 byWilliam Beardmore and Company at theirDalmuir shipyard andlaunched on 20 September. Upon completion in September 1911,Falmouth was assigned to the2nd Battle Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet^[1] and was transferred to thereserve2nd Light Cruiser Squadron of theSecond Fleet atThe Nore on 30 June 1913.^[9] By the end of the year, the ship had been transferred to the5th Cruiser Squadron, also of the Second Fleet.^[10]

On the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, she was assigned to the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet. On 28 August 1914 she was present, but played no significant role, in the Battle of Heligoland Bight,^[11] Several months later, the Germansbombarded Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 16 December and the 1st LCS was escortingVice-AdmiralDavid Beatty'sbattlecruisers in response when it encountered a German light cruiser and a half-flotilla of torpedo boats.Falmouth was not in range to engage before thesquadron turned away to follow the battlecruisers.^[12] On 28 December, the ship was transferred to the 3rd LCS and became the flagship ofRear-AdmiralTrevylyan Napier, the squadron commander. During theBattle of Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915, the squadron escorted the Grand Fleet, but was not engaged. After the battle was over, the squadron escorted the battlecruisers on their way back toCromarty, Scotland.^[13]

Almost a year later,Falmouth participated in the Battle of Jutland on 31 May–1 June 1916. As the battle began, the 3rd LCS was screening Beatty's battlecruisers as they searched for the German fleet and moved to support the 1st LCS after they had spotted the German ships. This put them out of position when Beatty turned south to pursue the German battlecruisers. After he turned north on encountering the main body of the GermanHigh Seas Fleet,Falmouth and her squadron were the first to encounter the screen of the Grand Fleet at 17:33. As Beatty turned east to rendezvous with them, the cruiser engaged several German ships at ranges below 7,000 yards (6,400 m) and in poor visibility.Falmouth opened fire on the disabled light cruiserSMS Wiesbaden beginning at about 18:15 and also fired a torpedo at her that missed around 18:21. She then briefly engaged two destroyers and then switched to the battlecruisersSMS Lützow andSMS Derfflinger, hitting both ships, also firing a torpedo that she mistakenly claimed to have hit around 18:25. In return, the ship was only hit once by a 15-centimetre (5.9 in) shell on the foremast that cut thevoice tubes to thespotting top. By 18:40, the squadron was in position to escort the 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet.^[14]

By 20:10, Beatty's ships were in front of the Grand Fleet and the 3rd LCS was screening them whenFalmouth spotted five cruisers of the 4th Scouting Group and the squadron closed to engage at full speed. The British ships were not spotted in return until 20:17 andFalmouth opened fire a minute later at a range of 9,600 yards (8,800 m). Despite poor visibility, she hit the light cruiserSMS München twice, one of which damaged her aft boilers and impaired her ability to keep steam up. By 20:38, the British lost sight of the Germans and turned away to assume their position at the head of Beatty's battlecruisers. The cruiser fired a total of 175 shells during the battle, the most of any British light cruiser.^[15]

On the evening of 18 August, the Grand Fleet put to sea in response to a message deciphered byRoom 40 that indicated that the High Seas Fleet would be leaving harbour that night. The German objective was to bombardSunderland the following day, based on extensive reconnaissance conducted byZeppelins and submarines. Part of the German plan was to draw the British ships through a series of submarine ambushes andFalmouth fell victim to one of the awaiting U-boats,U-66, about 16:05 the following afternoon after the Grand Fleet was headed for home. Two torpedoes only badly damaged the cruiser, but follow-on attacks were unsuccessful due to the presence of the escorting destroyers. Shortly after she was struck, thearmed trawlerCooksin went alongside and took off all of the men not required to work the ship.Falmouth was able to steam through the night under her own power at a speed of 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph), although a pair oftugboats came out the following morning and took her in tow. Her course took her right pastU-63, which put another pair of torpedoes into her around noon, despite eight escorting destroyers. The cruiser remained afloat for another eight hours before sinking offFlamborough Head, Yorkshire.^[16] No one was killed in the attacks, but one man later died of his injuries. She sits in 16 metres (52 ft) of water at53°58.93′N0°4.50′W / 53.98217°N 0.07500°W /53.98217; -0.07500.^[17] Her wreck was heavily salvaged after the war, but remains a popular diving site.^[18]

• Brown, David K. (2010).The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906–1922. Seaforth Publishing.ISBN 978-1-84832-085-7.
• Campbell, N. J. M. (1986).Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-324-5.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben & Bush, Steve (2020).Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (5th revised and updated ed.). Seaforth Publishing.ISBN 978-1-5267-9327-0.
• Corbett, Julian.Naval Operations to the Battle of the Falklands. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. I (2nd ed.). Imperial War Museum and Battery Press.ISBN 0-89839-256-X.
• Corbett, Julian (1997) [1929].Naval Operations. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. II (Second ed.). Imperial War Museum in association with the Battery Press.ISBN 1-870423-74-7.
• Friedman, Norman (2010).British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After. Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-59114-078-8.
• Lyon, David (1977). "The First Town Class 1908–31: Part 1".Warship.1 (1). Conway Maritime Press:48–58.ISBN 0-85177-132-7.
• Lyon, David (1977). "The First Town Class 1908–31: Part 2".Warship.1 (2). Conway Maritime Press:54–61.ISBN 0-85177-132-7.
• Lyon, David (1977). "The First Town Class 1908–31: Part 3".Warship.1 (3). Conway Maritime Press:46–51.ISBN 0-85177-132-7.
• Massie, Robert K. (2004).Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea. Jonathan Cape.ISBN 0-224-04092-8.
• Newbolt, Henry (1996) [1931].Naval Operations. History of the Great War Based on Official Documents. Vol. V. Battery Press.ISBN 0-89839-255-1.
• "HMS FALMOUTH – September 1914 to February 1915, British Home Waters, North Atlantic".Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved8 August 2016.
• Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gray, Randal (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104.ISBN 0-85177-245-5.

• Media related toHMS Falmouth (ship, 1910) at Wikimedia Commons
• Ships of theWeymouth group
• Three dimensional visualisation of HMSFalmouth
• Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project - HMSFalmouth Crew List

• Town-class cruisers (1910) of the Royal Navy
• Ships built on the River Clyde
• 1910 ships
• World War I cruisers of the United Kingdom
• Maritime incidents in 1916
• Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I
• Cruisers sunk by submarines
• World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea
• Wreck diving sites in England
• 1910 in Scotland
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