Caledon

HMS Caledon in harbour during WW1, approximately 1917.

History

Design

HMS Caledon and her sister ships were ordered in 1915 as slight modifications of the preceding Centaur class cruisers. These ships were very rugged and capable ships, built to serve in North Sea and Atlantic. Although usually they had good sea-going qualities, the ships did prove to be rather wet forward at times. The main difference over the previous Centaurs was the new geared turbine machinery used, providing a slightly higher top speed. Other changes included increased size and altered hull form for better sea-keeping, alongside a raked bow.

The cruisers carried five BL Mk.XII 152mm (6-inch) guns, in 'A', 'P', 'Q', 'X' and 'Y' positions, the same as the previous Centaur class. Although this was a lighter armament than contemporary German light cruisers, the arrangement of all the guns on the centre-line allowed for similar firepower to a broadside. Another change from previous classes was the inclusion of above water torpedo tubes, in two sets of twin tubes per side, rather than the submerged tubes of previous classes. The armour of the C class cruisers was centered mostly around the main belt with a 51mm belt mounted on 25mm backing plate protecting the machinery. The armour thinned towards the extremities to 25mm, and the deck was also 25mm.

Anti-aricraft armament began with 2 76mm (3-inch) guns fitted to the cruisers on completion, although these guns could potentially be used against submarines too. Caledon herself had a flying off platform fitted for anti-zeppelin purposes, though this was subsequently removed, and during the inter-war period, the AA armament was reinforced a pair of single 40mm 'pompoms' By the beginning of World War II, Caledon was considered old and outdated. Like other members of the C-class, she was converted into an anti-aircraft cruiser, the last C-class to do so. Caledon’s original main battery and torpedo tubes were removed and her superstructure was altered to accommodate the new armament. The new armament consisted of 6 dual purpose 102mm (4-inch) guns in three twin mounts. Numerous Bofors guns and other 20mm guns were mounted during her first and second refits with more added as the war continued. Caledon's sister ships Calypso and Caradoc did not receive extensive modifications and at most received only five 20mm 'oerlikon' AA guns.

The four cruisers of the class were ordered in December 1915, with a further five ships being added in 1916, however the last five were modified to become the Ceres class. Sometimes the class is called the Calypsoclass as Calypso was the first ship laid down, although Caledon was the first to be completed and commissioned.

Service

Caledon joined the Grand Fleet in March of 1917 and was assigned to the 6th Light Cruiser Squadron. She participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight as the leader of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron in November of 1917, where she was damaged by a 12-inch shell from a Kaiser class battleship but survived. In 1919, operated against Soviet forces in Latvia and the Baltic. Remaining in commission, she served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean during the interwar period until she was placed in the Naval Reserve in 1931.Recommissioned in 1939, Caledon was posted to the North Atlantic until mid-1940 when she was transferred to the Mediterranean for convoy duty and as support for British operations in Somaliland. In 1941, Caledon was transferred to the Eastern Fleet and operated in the Indian Ocean until 1942, when she returned to the UK for conversion into an anti-aircraft cruiser. Following conversion, in 1943, Caledon was again sent to the Mediterranean for convoy duty, and participated in Operation Dragoon in 1944. She survived the war, earning three battle honours, and was eventually paid off for scrapping in 1948.

Calypso joined the Grand Fleet with Caledon and also participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight. She was also damaged, a shell destroying her bridge and killing all present, including her commander. After the war, Calypso was assigned to patrol duties and anti-Bolshevik operations in the Baltic, capturing two destroyers, Izyaslav-class Avtroil and Spartak, in December of 1918. In 1924, Calypso evacuated members of the Greek royal family after a coup, before she was placed in reserve in 1932. Recommissioned in 1939, Calypso was also assigned to the Northern Patrol along with Caledon. From September to November of 1939, Calypso captured three German merchants and participated in the hunt for Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, alongside her sister. In 1940, she was also sent to the Mediterranean, where she was hit by a single torpedo from the Italian Submarine Alpino Attilio Bagnolini on the early morning of June 12th 1940, two days after Italy declared war on Great Britain. Calypso was lost with thirty-nine men south of Crete.

Caradoc, while also assigned with her sisters to the Grand Fleet, escaped damage in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight, and World War 1 as a whole. She was present and participated in the capture of Avtroil and Spartak with Calypso in December of 1918, serving her interwar years in the Mediterranean, China, and the Americas until she was transferred to the reserve in 1930. Caradoc was reactivated along with her remaining three sisters in 1939. Her first mission of note was the transport of gold to Halifax as payment for war materials. Transferred to the Caribbean until 1942, Caradoc captured two German merchants before sailing to New York for refit in late 1941. Having finished her refit in February of 1942, Caradoc sailed to the Indian Ocean to join the Eastern Fleet. There she served in various administrative capacities like a training ship until the end of the war in 1945. Caradoc earned one battle honour and was paid off and sold for scrapping in 1946.

The fourth ship of the Caradoc sub-class, Cassandra, also served with the Grand Fleet in World War I. Operating against Bolshevik forces on Baltic patrol duties after the end of hostilities against Germany in 1918, Cassandra struck an uncharted German mine off the coast of Estonia and sank quickly, though fortunately only eleven men died.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Hull (A) is accurate for Caledon during the interwar period, however hull (B) adds two Maxim 7.7mm machine guns that Caledon most likely never received, although it is possible that Calypso received these in different locations.
• The placement of the 40mm AA guns is questionable, as they are usually shown to be placed amidships, not aft of 'X' gun.
• The gun shields had armour 25.4mm thick, not 76.2mm.
• The 25mm deck armour of Caledon is not present.
• Although Caledon uses the same 152mm Mk.XXII guns as Danae and Emerald, Caledon — like other regular Royal Navy light cruisers in-game — only gets access to AP shells. Historically, ships using the Mk.XXII gun were outfitted with both AP/CPBC (Common Pointed Ballistic Cap) as well as HE shells.

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  HMS Caledon in 1944 after refit.

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  Caledon-class light cruiser HMS Cassandra underway at sea.

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  Caledon-class light cruiser HMS Caradoc in May 1942 after her U.S. refit.

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  HMS Caradoc in the Baltic Sea near Liepāja, Latvia, December 1918.

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  HMS Caledon's crew scraping ice off, December 1918.

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  HMS Caledon after a collision with the Italian vessel SS Antares.

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  Caledon-class light cruiser HMS Calypso laying down a smoke screen.

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  HMS Caradoc bombarding Bolshevik positions in Estonia in December 1918.

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  Crest of HMS Caledon.

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  HMS Caledon in dock.

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