Delhi 1919
Dauntless 1940
Delhi 1943
Danae 1946
| Name | No | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| group 1 | |||||||
| Dragon | 19, D46 | 484 | Scotts, Greenock | 24.1.1917 | 29.12.1917 | 8.1918 | to Poland 15.1.1943 (Dragon) |
| Danae | 32, D44 | 914 | Armstrong, Elswick | 11.12.1916 | 26.1.1918 | 6.1918 | to Poland 4.10.1944 - 28.9.1946 (Conrad), sold for BU 1.1948 |
| Dauntless | 71, D45 | 875 | Palmers, Jarrow | 3.1.1917 | 10.4.1918 | 11.1918 | sold for BU 2.1946 |
| group 2 | |||||||
| Delhi | 6A, D47 | 937 | Armstrong, Elswick | 29.10.1917 | 23.8.1918 | 5/1919 | sold for BU 1.1948 |
| Dunedin (RNZN 5.1924-3/1937) | 96, D93 | 938 | Armstrong, Elswick | 5.11.1917 | 19.11.1918 | 9.1919 | sunk 24.11.1941 |
| Diomede (RNZN 10.1925-3/1936) | 92, D92 | 562 | Vickers, Barrow / Portsmouth DYd | 3.6.1918 | 29.4.1919 | 10.1922 | sold for BU 4.1946 |
| Durban | 99, D99 | 496 | Scotts, Greenock / Devonport DYd | 1.1918 | 29.5.1919 | 11.1921 | scuttled as breakwater 9.6.1944 |
| Despatch | 30, D30 | 589 | Fairfield, Govan / Chatham DYd | 8.7.1918 | 24.9.1919 | 6.1922 | HQ landing ship 5.1944, sold for BU 4.1946 |
| Daedalus | 955 | Armstrong, Elswick | 1918 | --- | --- | cancelled 26.11.1918 | |
| Daring | Beardmore, Dalmuir | 1918 | --- | --- | cancelled 26.11.1918 | ||
| Desperate | Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn | 1918 | --- | --- | cancelled 26.11.1918 | ||
| Dryad | Vickers, Barrow | 1918 | --- | --- | cancelled 26.11.1918 | ||
|
Displacement normal, t |
4970 |
|
Displacement full, t |
5870 |
|
Length, m |
143.6 |
|
Breadth, m |
13.9 |
|
Draught, m |
5.00 |
|
No of shafts |
2 |
|
Machinery |
2 sets Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, 6 Yarrow boilers Dauntless, Diomede: 2 sets Parsons geared steam turbines, 6 Yarrow boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
40000 |
|
Max speed, kts |
29 |
|
Fuel, t |
oil 1050 |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | 5000(15) |
| Armour, mm |
belt: 76 - 38, deck: 25, CT: 76, gun shields: 25 |
|
Armament |
Danae, Dauntless, Dragon: 6 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 2 x 1 - 76/45 20cwt QF Mk I, 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk II, 4 x 3 - 533 TT, flying-off platform, 1 aircraft (Camel) Delhi, Dunedin, Durban: 6 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 2 x 1 - 76/45 20cwt QF Mk I, 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk II, 4 x 3 - 533 TT Diomede, Despatch: 6 x 1 - 152/45 BL Mk XII, 2 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V, 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk II, 4 x 3 - 533 TT |
|
Complement |
450 (469 as flagship) |
Project history: In September 1916 three 'Improved Ceres' type were ordered, taking the original Arethusa concept to its limit. As before the hull was lengthened to enable an extra 152mm gun to be fitted in between the foremast and the fore funnel. The reason was an erroneous intelligence report which suggested that new powerful German light cruisers were planned. The result was effective but the long asymmetrical profile had nothing of the balance of the 'C classes. As beam was increased they were also able to accommodate triple TT, so gun-power was up by 20 per cent and torpedo armament by 50 per cent. In July 1917 a further three were ordered (2nd Group - Delhi, Dunedin and Durban), followed by six more in March 1918, but the last four were cancelled in November. All the second group were modified like the Capetown class, with 'trawler bows' for better seakeeping. In addition several had a conspicuous hangar abaft 'B' gun; this was later removed. Diomede had an experimental enclosed gunhouse for 'A' gun with 40° elevation. In 1920 it was proposed to complete Despatch as a royal yacht, with armament deleted and two boilers removed to reduce speed to 24kts. The forecastle deck would have been extended right aft, and the bow and stern would have been altered to resemble a yacht. Nothing came of this scheme.
By the end of 1930th all cruisers of D type were considered become outdated and were scheduled to conversion to AA ships as C type but with 114mm twin mounts. War has broken these plans.
Ship protection: Armoured belt protected ship at full length, its thickness was 76mm abreast machinery spaces (51mm armour on 25mm plating), 51mm (38mm armour on 13mm plating) aft and 38mm (25mm armour on 13mm plating) fore. Belt was closed by aft 25mm bulkhead near stern. It extended to main deck (and to upper deck abreast machinery). Machinery and steering gear were covered by 25mm deck. Magazines had additional 25mm box-shaped protection.
Modernizations: 1920s, Danae, Dragon, Dauntless: flying-off platform and hangar were removed
1920s, Diomede, Despatch: + 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V
1920s, Danae, Dauntless, Dragon, Delhi, Dunedin, Durban: - 2 x 1 - 76/45; + 3 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V
1938 - 1939, Despatch, Dunedin: - 2 x 1 - 40/39; + 2 x 4 - 12.7/62
10/1939, Danae: + 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII
(5 - 12.1941, New York N Yd, USA), Delhi: full new armament consisted of 5 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 12, 2 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV. Full displacement rose to 6500t including 200t of solid ballast.
3/1942, Delhi: + type 271, type 281, 2x type 282, 2x type 285 radars
1942, Danae: - 1 x 1 - 102/45; + 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII
2/1942, Dauntless; 7.1942, Despatch: + 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 271, type 286 radars
8/1942, Durban: + 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 273, type 286 radars
late 1942, Danae: - 1 x 4 - 40/39; + 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V
4/1943, Danae: - 1 x 1 - 152/45, 3 x 1 - 102/45, 4 x 1 - 40/39, 4 x 3 - 533 TT; + 1 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI, 2 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 271, type 282, type 283, type 291 radars
4/1943, Dauntless: - 2 x 1 - 102/45; + 2 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII
4/1943, Delhi: - 2 x 1 - 20/70; + 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV
6/1943, Diomede: - 1 x 1 - 102/45, 2 x 1 - 40/39; + 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 273, type 291 radars
9/1943, Diomede: - 2 x 1 - 20/70; + 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV
9/1943, Dauntless: + type 273 radar
3/1944, Delhi: + 2 x 2 -20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, type 650 ECM suite
4/1944, Dauntless; 1944, Diomede: - 4 x 3 - 533 TT
9.1946, Danae: 5 x 1 - 152/45 CP Mk XIV, 1 x 2 - 102/45 Mk XIX, 2 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 4 x 2 - 20/70 Mk V, type 271, type 282, type 283, type 291 radars
1.1946, Dauntless: 6 x 1 - 152/45 CP Mk XIV, 1 x 1 - 102/45 HA Mk III, 2 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 2 x 1 - 40/39 HA Mk II, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, type 271, type 273, type 286 radars
1.1946, Delhi: 5 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 30, 2 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 4 x 2 - 20/70 Mk V, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, type 271, type 281, 2x type 282, 2x type 285 radars, type 650 ECM suite
1.1946, Diomede: 6 x 1 - 152/45 CP Mk XIV, 2 x 1 - 102/45 HA Mk III, 1 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 2 x 2 - 20/70 Mk V, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, type 273, type 290 radars
1.1946, Despatch: 3 x 1 - 102/45 HA Mk III, 16 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 10 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, type 271, type 286 radars
Naval service: Dunedin was sunk 24.11.1941 by a torpedo from German submarine U124 off Brazilian coast. Delhi was damaged by German suicide boat 12.2.1945, temporarily repaired and laid up. Durban was badly damaged by Japanese aircraft at Singapore 11.2.1942, repair lasted more than a year, later she was scuttled as breakwater at Arromanche (Normandy) 9.6.1944. Despatch was reconstructed as HQ landing ship 5.1944. All 152mm guns and TTs were removed, 16 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors and 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon were added. She served in Normandy landing.
Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.
Danae 1918
© Ivan Gogin, 2008-15