Weymouth

HMS Weymouth in 1912.

History

Design

The previous Bristol-class cruisers had a mixed battery of 4" (102mm) and 6" (152mm) guns, and with the next set of Town-class cruisers; the Weymouth-class, this was changed, being fitted with a uniform main armament of 6" guns. This arrangement would prove more successful, however the 6"/50 BL Mk.XI gun and Mk.PVI mounts were unwieldy and couldn't keep trained on target while the ship was maneuvering. The high velocity /50 gun also had accuracy issues at range, so later classes reverted to a 6"/45 gun. Additionally, the two underwater torpedo tubes were to fire 21" (533mm) torpedoes rather than the 18" (450mm) torpedoes used on the Bristol’s, and the first pair of main guns on each side of the ship were raised to avoid being adversely affected by sea spray.

One of the main duties of these ships was the protection of trade on foreign stations throughout the British Empire, but these ships were intended to be escorts for the fleet, or a convoy. Compared to their predecessors, the class was also equipped as flagships with extra accommodation space. As standard, the ships were fitted with four 3-pdr (47mm) saluting guns.

The Weymouth-class retained the same protective scheme as the Bristol-class, with unarmored sides, but an armored deck with 2" (51mm) slopes, and a 1" (25mm) horizontal flat. The steering gear was also protected by a 2" thick deck. The gun shields had 3" (76mm) of armor, and the conning tower was 6" (152mm) thick. This was the last class of Royal Navy cruiser to have unarmored sides. The class also inherited some of the same drawbacks as the older cruisers. The ships, due to their size, had a tendency to roll severely during storms and swells.

Three of the class were equipped with 4 Parsons steam turbines, driving four shafts at 22,000shp for a normal top speed of 25 knots. Yarmouth differed from her sisters by having just 2 shafts, powered by 2 Brown-Curtis steam turbines, with similar performance. The machinery often developed more horsepower, with Falmouth achieving in excess of 26.6 knots on trials.

The first modifications came by 1915, the emergency conning station received a shelter, the topmasts of the mainmast (aft) were cut down, rangefinders were fitted fore and aft, and a single 3"/45 (76.2mm) 12-pdr AA gun was fitted between the second and third funnels. Extra searchlights and superstructure were also fitted around the funnels. In 1917, the foremast was fitted with tripod legs to support the weight of a fire control director, while in 1918, the mainmast was restored to original height (at least on Weymouth), with flying off platforms fitted above the forward gun on Weymouth and Yarmouth. Additionally, a second 3" AA gun was fitted on the stern of Weymouth and Dartmouth, while the conning tower was also removed on the latter. After World War I, the flying off platforms were removed.

Often referred to as the Dartmouth or Falmouth-class, four ships were laid down and completed between 1910 and 1912, the design was considered highly satisfactory.

Service

HMS Weymouth was commissioned in October 1911 and joined the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet, before transferring to the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean in 1913. In the early months of World War I, she was operating in the Indian Ocean and East African coast against German commerce raiders like the SMS Emden and SMS Königsberg. By December 1915, Weymouth was in the Adriatic alongside her sister Dartmouth, engaging the Austro-Hungarian cruiser SMS Helgoland which was able to escape in the darkness in the First Battle of Durazzo (Cape Rodoni/Gargano). Re-assigned to Grand Fleet briefly in November 1916, Weymouth returned to the Mediterranean and Adriatic in 1917, and while bombarding shore targets during the Second Battle of Durazzo, was struck in the stern by a torpedo from the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-31. She was repaired, served off South America in 1920/21, reduced to reserve complement in 1925, and sold for scrap in 1928.

HMS Yarmouth was the last of the class commissioned in April 1912, and initially served in the Mediterranean and then the China Station. On the outbreak of World War I, Yarmouth was recalled back to join the Grand Fleet, and while in the Indian Ocean in October 1914, took part in the hunt for Emden as well as capturing two German colliers. Joining the Third Cruiser Squadron, at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, Yarmouth’s squadron was attached to the Battlecruiser force, and accompanied the Grand Fleet on other movements. In June 1917, her newly installed flying off platform (fitted to a turret) was utilised, and in August, the Sopwith Pup flown from Yarmouth shot down Zeppelin L 23. After the war, Yarmouth was assigned briefly the Cape and South American stations, before being assigned to Portsmouth Signal School, and sold for scrap in 1929. She earned a single Battle Honour for Jutland.

HMS Dartmouth was, like Weymouth, commissioned in October 1911 and joined the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet, before transferring to the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean in 1913, and being assigned to the East Indies station. Dartmouth would attempt to engage the German Light Cruiser Königsberg which was anchored in the Rufiji Delta in November 1914, but she couldn't get in effective range. Re-assigned to the South Atlantic to search for the already lost Karlsruhe, Darmouth was then assigned to support Gallipoli campaign in Februrary 1915, earning her only battle honour there. Although suffering a boiler explosion that killed 15 of her men, Dartmouth continued to operate before refitting at Malta. This was completed in October 1915, in time for Darmouth to take part in the First Battle of Durazzo, where she would score hits on the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Helgoland. The following Battle of the Straits of Otranto would be less successful, trading blows with the cruiser Novara, before being torpedoed by the German submarine UC-25 after the battle. After a relatively uneventful post-war career involving trooping movements and periods in reserve, Dartmouth was sold for scrap in late 1930.

HMS Falmouth joined the fleet in September 1911. She spent the majority of her service in the North Atlantic, joining the Second Cruiser Squadron in 1913 and being present at the First Battle of the Heligoland Bight with the First Cruiser Squadron, and escorting the British battlecruisers during the German raid on Scarborough. Falmouth also lost two men to drowning in August 1914, the first Royal Navy operational casualties of the war. Transferred the the Fifth, then Third Cruiser Squadrons, Falmouth was at the Battle of Dogger Bank, but wasn't engaged. During the Battle of Jutland a year later, she was more heavily engaged than her sister Yarmouth, firing upon several ships including SMS Wiesbaden, and hitting the battlecruisers Derfflinger and Lützow, as well as the light cruiser München, which hit Falmouth in return with a single 15cm shell. After a High Seas Fleet Sortie, the Grand Fleet was heading for port on the 19th August 1916, when Falmouth was hit by two torpedoes from the submarine U-66. Surviving, she made for port at 2 knots throughout the night, but the following day, U-63 put two more torpedoes into Falmouth despite a large destroyer escort. Eight hours after these last two hits, the stubborn ship sank off the Yorkshire Coast on the 20th August 1916. For her service, she earned the battle honours; Heligoland 1914 and Jutland 1916.

Historical Innacuracies

• Both of Weymouth’s hulls are modelled on her post-World War I condition after the flying off platform was removed, however Weymouth didn't carry gun blast screen that is shown aft of the forward gun in game.
• The citadel deck armor in game is only 19mm, while historically Weymouth had 1" (25mm) of flat deck armor.
• The steering gear deck armor is only 13mm in game, while historically it was also at least 1".
• Contrary to the in game description, the Weymouth-class cruisers had decent protection for their type of cruiser and era.
• The anti-aircraft firepower of both hulls is incorrect. The class never carried any 40mm Vickers 2-pdr machine guns, and as such hull (A) should have one 76mm AA gun, and hull (B) should have two.
• Like other regular Royal Navy Light Cruisers in game, Weymouth only gets access to AP shells. Historically, ships armed with the 6"/50 BL Mk.XI gun received CPC and HE shells.

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  HMS Weymouth in 1912.

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  Weymouth at Skyros Island, Greece in 1915 showing the new wartime camouflage paint pattern.

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  HMS Weymouth and some of her crew

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  Officers of HMS Weymouth

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  Crest of HMS Weymouth

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  Weymouth in Malta

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  Weymouth in the Mediterranean Sea

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  Diagram of the Weymouth-class

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  Rough sketch of Weymouth

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  Cross-section diagram of Weymouth

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  HMS Weymouth in port after taking a torpedo hit from the Austrian submarine U-28, 2 October 1918

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  A closer look at Weymouth's stern damage, October 1918

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  An even closer look at the stern damage

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