| HMS Birmingham (1913) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Career |  |
| Class and type: | Town-class light cruiser |
| Name: | HMS Birmingham |
| Ordered: | under 1911 Naval Estimates |
| Builder: | Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick |
| Laid down: | 10 June 1912 |
| Launched: | 7 May 1913 |
| Commissioned: | February 1914 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping February 1931 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 5,440 long tons (5,530 t) |
| Length: | 457 ft (139.3 m) o/a |
| Beam: | 50 ft (15.2 m) |
| Draught: | 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m) |
| Installed power: | 25,000 shp (18,642.5 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
4 × Parsons steam turbines 12 × Yarrow boilers 4 × shafts |
| Speed: | 25.5 kn (29.3 mph; 47.2 km/h) |
| Range: | 4,680 nmi (5,390 mi; 8,670 km) at 10 kn (11.5 mph; 18.5 km/h)1 |
| Capacity: |
Coal: 1,165 short tons (1,057 t) (maximum) Fuel oil: 235 short tons (213.188 t) |
| Complement: | 433 |
| Armament: |
9 × BL 6 in (152 mm) Mk XII guns 1 × 3 in (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun 4 × 3-pounder guns 2 × machine guns 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes |
| Armour: |
3 inch side amidships 1½ inch side (forward) 1¾ inch side (aft) |
HMS Birmingham was lead ship of the Birmingham group of three ships of the "Town" class of light cruisers built by the Royal Navy. Her sister ships were Lowestoft and Nottingham. The three ships were virtually identical to the third group of "Town" ships, but with an additional 6 in (150 mm) gun worked in on the forecastle.
History[]
Birmingham was built at Elswick, launched on 7 May 1913 and completed in January 1914. She joined the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet in 1914, visiting Kiel in June that year.
On 9 August 1914, she spotted the German submarine U-15, whose engines had failed as she lay stopped on the surface in heavy fog, off Fair Isle. The crew of Birmingham could hear hammering from inside the boat from attempted repairs, and so fired on her but missed. As the U-boat began to dive, she rammed her, cutting her in two. U-15 went down with all hands, the first U-boat loss to an enemy warship.[1] Birmingham also sank two German merchant ships that year and took part in the Battle of Heligoland on the 28 August, and the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915.
In February, she joined the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, attacking a u-boat on 18 June 1915 without success.
Birmingham under fire at the Battle of Jutland
She also took part in the Battle of Jutland as a member of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, during which she sustained damage caused by splintering during the night of the battle. After the First World War, she was flagship to the 6th Light Cruiser Squadron in 1919-1920, after which she was transferred to the Nore from 1920-1922. She was recommissioned in November 1923 to the Africa Station with the 6th Light Cruiser Squadron as Flagship, relieving Lowestoft. She then continued to serve in foreign stations until being sold in 1931. She arrived at the yards of Ward, of Pembroke Dock on 12 March that year to be broken up.
References[]
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
- Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company
- Ships of the Birmingham group
External links[]
- "An Echo from Jutland" Pathe newsreel dated 24 October 1921, in which the Lord Mayor of Birmingham receives the ship's battle scarred ensign.
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The original article can be found at HMS Birmingham (1913) and the edit history here.