HMS Arethusa (1913)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Arethusa class light cruiser |
| Name: | HMS Arethusa |
| Builder: | Chatham Dockyard |
| Laid down: | 28 October 1912 |
| Launched: | 25 October 1914 |
| Commissioned: | August 1914 |
| Fate: | Damaged by mine 11 February 1916 and wrecked |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 3,500 tons |
| Length: | 436 ft (133 m) |
| Beam: | 39 ft (12 m) |
| Draught: | 13.5 ft (4.1 m) |
| Propulsion: | Parsons turbines Eight Yarrow boilers 40,000 hp |
| Speed: | 28.5 knots (53 km/h) |
| Range: | carried 482 tons (810 tons maximum) of fuel oil |
| Complement: | 318 |
| Armament: | 3 × 6 inch guns 4 × 4 inch guns 2 × 3 inch guns 8 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes |
| Armour: | 3 inch side (amidships) 2¼-1½ inch side (bows) 2½ - 2 inch side (stern) 1 inch upper decks (amidships) 1 inch deck over rudder 6 inch conning tower |
HMS Arethusa was the name ship of the Arethusa class of light cruisers. She was laid down at Chatham Dockyard in October 1912, launched on 25 October 1913, and commissioned in August 1914 as flotilla leader for the Harwich Destroyer flotillas.
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She went on to see a considerable amount of action during the First World War. On 28 August 1914 she fought at the Battle of Heligoland Bight, flying the flag of Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt. She was seriously damaged by the German cruisers SMS Frauenlob and SMS Stettin and had to be towed home. On 25 December of that year, Arethusa took part in the Cuxhaven Raid and on 24 January 1915 she fought at the Battle of Dogger Bank (1915). Later in the same year she was transferred to the 5th Light Cruiser squadron of the Harwich force. In September 1915 she captured four German trawlers.
On 11 February 1916 she struck a mine off Felixstowe claimed to have been laid by UC-7, drifted ashore before she could be rescued and broke her back.
[edit] References
- Colledge, J. J. and Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy, Rev. ed., London: Chatham. ISBN 9781861762818. OCLC 67375475.
- Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company
- Ships of the Arethusa class
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