Cressy-class cruiser

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Class overview
HMS Cressy
Name:	Cressy
Preceded by:	Diadem class cruiser
Succeeded by:	Drake class cruiser
Completed:	6
General characteristics
Type:	armoured cruiser
Displacement:	12,000 tons
Length:	472 ft (143.9 m) overall
Beam:	69.5 ft (21.2 m)
Draught:	26 ft (7.9 m)
Propulsion:	4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, 30 Belleville boilers, 21,000 hp (15,660 kW)
Speed:	21 knots
Complement:	760
Armament:	2 × BL 9.2-inch (233.7 mm) Mk X guns (2 x 1) 12 × BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk VII guns (12 x 1) 12 x QF 12 pdr (3 inch) guns (12 x 1) 3 x QF 3-pounder guns (3 x 1) 2 x 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, submerged
Armour:	Belt 2–6 inches (51-152mm)^[1] Bulkheads 5 inches (127 mm) Decks 1–3 inches (25-76mm) Casemates 5 inches (127 mm) Barbettes 6 inches (152 mm) Ammunition tubes 3 inches (76.2 mm) Conning Tower 12 inches (305 mm)

The Cressy class cruiser was a class of six armoured cruisers launched between December 1899 and May 1901, for the Royal Navy. Their design's incorporation of a pair of 9.2-inch guns and armoured sides served to address criticism directed against the previous Diadem class — advances made possible by their 1,000 ton increase in displacement over their predecessors. The ships were notably stable, except for a susceptibility to pitching.^[2]

Service

Until 1908, the ships served in Home waters, the Mediterranean and the Far East. On the outbreak of the First World War Cressy, Aboukir, Hogue, Bacchante and Euryalus formed the Seventh Cruiser Squadron. Due to the obsolescence of the ships and that they were crewed by inexperienced reservists the squadron was known as the "Live Bait Squadron". This epithet proved prophetic when Cressy, Hogue and Aboukir were sunk in a single action on 22 September 1914 by U-9 near Holland.

Ships

HMS Cressy: launched 4 December 1899, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Sutlej: launched 18 November 1899, scrapped 9 May 1921
HMS Aboukir: launched 16 May 1900, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Hogue: launched 13 August 1900, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Bacchante: launched 21 February 1901, scrapped 1 July 1920
HMS Euryalus: launched 20 May 1901, scrapped 1 July 1920

Building Programme

The following table gives the build details and purchase cost of the members of the Cressy class. Standard British practice at that time was for these costs to exclude armament and stores. The compilers of The Naval Annual revised costs quoted for British ships between the 1905 and 1906 editions.

Ship	Builder	Engine Maker	Date of			Cost according to
Ship	Builder	Engine Maker	Laid Down	Launch	Completion	(BNA 1904)^[3]	(BNA 1906)^[4]
HMS Cressy	Fairfield, Govan	Fairfield	12 October 1898	14 December 1899	28 May 1901	£780,110	£749,324
HMS Sutlej	J Brown Clydebank	Clydebank Company	15 August 1898	18 November 1899	6 May 1902	£790,706	£755,690
HMS Aboukir	Fairfield, Govan	Fairfield	9 November 1898	16 May 1900	3 April 1902	£783,883	£751,118
HMS Hogue	Vickers, Barrow	Vickers	14 July 1898	13 August 1900	19 November 1902	£787,507	£749,809
HMS Bacchante	John Brown Clydebank	John Brown	15 February 1899	21 February 1901	25 November 1902	£787,230	£787,230
HMS Euryalus	Vickers, Barrow	Vickers	18 July 1899	20 May 1901	5 January 1904	£817,880	£782,901

Image gallery

Right elevation and deck plan, from Brassey's Naval Annual 1906
Right elevation of 9.2 inch gun turret
Rear elevation of 9.2 inch gun turret

References

↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1860–1905, p. 68.
↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1860–1905, pp. 68–9.
↑ Brassey's Naval Annual 1904, p212-219
↑ Brassey's Naval Annual 1906, p208-215

Bibliography

Chesnau, Roger and Kolesnik, Eugene (Ed.) Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860–1905. Conway Maritime Press, 1979. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4
Brassey, T.A. (ed)The Naval Annual 1904
Leyland, J. and Brassey, T.A. (ed)The Naval Annual 1906

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cressy class cruiser.

v t e Cressy-class cruiser

Aboukir Bacchante Cressy Euryalus Hogue Sutlej

Preceded by: Diadem class Followed by: Drake class List of cruisers of the Royal Navy

v t e British naval ship classes of the First World War

Aircraft/Seaplane carriers	Anne^S Argus^S Ark Royal^S Ben-my-Chree^S Campania^S Empress^S Engadine^S Furious^M Manxman^S Nairana^S Pegasus^S Raven II^S Riviera^S Vindex^S Vindictive^S

Dreadnought battleships	Dreadnought^S Bellerophon St. Vincent Neptune^S Colossus Orion King George V Erin^S Agincourt^S Iron Duke Canada^S Queen Elizabeth Revenge

Pre-dreadnought battleships	Royal Sovereign Majestic Canopus Formidable Duncan King Edward VII Swiftsure Lord Nelson

Battlecruisers	Invincible Indefatigable Lion Queen Mary^S Tiger^S Renown Courageous Admiral^S^C Incomparable^X

Armoured cruisers	Cressy Drake Monmouth Devonshire Duke of Edinburgh Warrior Minotaur

Heavy cruisers	Hawkins

Light cruisers	Town^G Arethusa C^{G, C} Danae^C Emerald^A

Protected cruisers	Apollo Astraea Eclipse Blake Pearl Edgar Powerful Diadem Arrogant Pelorus Highflyer Challenger Topaze

Scout cruisers	Adventure Forward Pathfinder Sentinel Boadicea Blonde Active

Destroyer flotilla leaders	Swift^S Faulknor Marksman Parker Admiralty (or Scott)^C Thornycroft (or Shakespeare)^C

Destroyers	A^G B^G C^G D^G E^G F Cricket^G G H I K L Admiralty M Hawthorn M Thornycroft M Yarrow M Yarrow Later M R^G S^{G, C} Talisman V and W^{G, C}

Monitors	Marshal Ney Abercrombie Lord Clive Humber Gorgon M15 M29 Erebus

Minesweepers	Flower Racecourse Hunt 24^C

Gunboats	Fly Insect

Submarines	A B C D E F G H^C J K L^C M^C R^C Swordfish^S V

S Single ship of class C One or more completed after the war X Cancelled G Grouping of several classes A All completed after the war V Conversions M converted from Courageous class

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