Armored cruiser
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Armored cruisers or armoured cruisers (see spelling differences) were large cruisers, so-named because, unlike regular (or unarmored) cruisers or the protected cruisers, they were protected by an armored belt protecting their sides as well as an armored deck protecting the machinery spaces. The coal fuel bunkers were arranged to provide further protection to the armouring.
The development of the explosive shell in the mid-1800s made the use of armored warships inevitable, despite the cost and weight. Armored cruisers began to appear in large Western navies around 1873 and the type continued to be built until 1908. Around this time they were rapidly being outclassed by new developments such as the 'all big gun' dreadnought battleship powered by steam turbine engines and the adoption of oil firing meant that new construction could no longer rely on the protection afforded by coal bunkers. The large armoured cruiser was therefore rendered obsolete and was replaced in major navies by the battlecruiser and new light cruisers. Remaining armoured cruisers were used in patrolling and minor roles until the end of World War II.
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[edit] Evolution and Designs
The first armored cruisers were the Russian General-Admiral (1873) and the British Shannon (1875), although the latter was initially known as an Ironclad Frigate. It should be noted that the British Royal Navy classified both armoured cruisers and protected cruisers of equivalent size and armament as "first class cruisers". Thus, the first class cruisers built between the Orlando class (1886) and the Cressy class (1897) were strictly speaking protected cruisers, as they lacked an armored belt.
Early armored cruisers generally displaced 6,000–12,000 tons with a speed of 18–20 knots (33–37 km/h). The type reached its zenith in 1906–1908 with displacements of 14,000–16,000 tons and speeds of 22–23 knots (41–43 km/h). Typical armament was 2 or 4 large-calibre guns at the ends of the ship, usually between 7.5–10 inches (190 to 254 mm), and some dozen guns of 6 in (152 mm) calibre or similar along the sides.
For example, the first Russian Rurik (1892) had four 8 in (203 mm) guns, sixteen 6 in (152 mm) guns and six 4.7 in (120 mm) guns and the French Victor Hugo (1904) had four 9.4 in (194 mm) guns and sixteen 7.5 in (164 mm) guns. The numerous British Monmouth class (1901) was an exception, the design of these ships giving emphasis to the class's trade protection role over fleet duties, with a uniform armament of fourteen 6 in (152 mm) guns. Later armored cruisers had increased armaments, for example the British HMS Warrior (1905) - six 9.2 in (234 mm) guns and four 7.5 in (190 mm) guns; the German SMS Blücher (1909) - twelve 210 mm (8.2 in) guns and six 150 mm (5.9 in) guns; and the second Russian Rurik (1906, built by Vickers) had four 10 in (254 mm) guns, eight 8 in (203 mm) guns, and twenty 4.7 in (120 mm) guns.
Armored cruisers were the chief combatants in two naval battles: the Battle off Ulsan in the Russo-Japanese War, and the Battle of Coronel in World War I, and played important supporting roles in other battles of the period. On the other hand, where armoured cruisers met modern capital ships in World War I, the deficiencies of the type were cruelly exposed; SMS Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were sunk by the battlecruisers HMS Invincible and Inflexible at the Battle of the Falkland Islands (an incident following the Battle of Coronel) and HMS Warrior, Defence and Black Prince were lost at the Battle of Jutland when they encountered the German Navy's battle line. The last armored cruisers were built around 1910; technological developments lead to their replacement in battle fleets by the larger, faster and better-armed battlecruisers.
One, late-design, armored cruiser still exists: Georgios Averof, constructed in 1909-1911, is preserved as a museum in Greece.
[edit] The Battle of Tsushima
Armoured cruisers were used with success in the line of battle by the Japanese at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. Of the battle damage received by the Japanese, the armoured cruiser Nisshin received the second-most hits after the battleship Mikasa. Nisshin was hit 13 times, including six 12-inch and one 9-inch hits. Nisshin managed to stay in line throughout the battle, validating the hopes of the designer; a cruiser able to stand in the line of battle. The performance of the Japanese armored cruisers during the Battle of Tsushima, and that of Nisshin in particular, was such that it led to a burst of construction of armored cruisers in the world's navies[citation needed].
[edit] Armored cruisers in the US Navy
The first armored cruiser of the United States Navy was the USS Maine, whose explosion in 1898 triggered the Spanish-American War. Launched in 1889, she had 7 to 12 inches (178 to 305 mm) of armor around the sides ("belt armor"), and 1 to 4 inches (25 to 102 mm) on the decks. She was redesignated as a "second class battleship" in 1894, an awkward compromise reflecting slowness compared to other cruisers, and weakness versus the first-line battleships of the time.
New York (Armored Cruiser No. 2), launched in 1895, was less well protected than Maine, with 3 inches (76 mm) of belt armor, and 3 to 6 inches (76 to 152 mm) of deck armor. The Brooklyn (Armored Cruiser No. 3) was an improved version of the New York and Olympia designs.
Shortly after the Spanish-American War, the Navy built six Pennsylvania class armored cruisers, almost immediately followed by four of the Tennessee class. Collectively these ten ships were referred to as the 'big ten'.
On 17 July 1920, when the standard naval hull numbering nomenclature was adopted, all existing US armored cruisers were merged with protected cruisers in a single class "cruiser" with hull classification symbol "CA", bringing to an end the use of the term in the US. The London Naval Treaty of 1930 essentially abolished the term 'armored cruiser', and adopted the terms heavy cruiser and light cruiser. After this, the symbol "CA" was used to designate 'heavy cruiser'.
