York class
 Heavy cruiser Exeter (the photo was taken in 1941 after the ship was converted).
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The York-class was a class of heavy cruiser of the British Royal Navy that was built between the First and Second World Wars and that was used during the Second World War. Although it was originally planned to put seven ships of this type into service, only two units, HMS York and HMS Exeter , were ultimately built as a result of austerity measures . Both ships were named after the British cities of the same name. In the course of the Second World War, both cruisers were lost to enemy action.
prehistory
In the mid-1920s , budget bottlenecks began to emerge in the British Navy, also against the background of the extensive construction program for the heavy cruisers of the County class . One of the consequences of this was that doubts arose as to the feasibility of the county program. As a result, the British Navy was looking for a more cost-effective alternative, nonetheless based on the specifications of the Washington Fleet Treaty of 1922, which provided for a water displacement of 10,000 ts for cruisers and a maximum of 20.3 cm guns as armament. As early as 1925, various concepts of a heavy cruiser that was about 2,000 ts smaller than the county type were discussed, with only three twin towers being used instead of four twin towers with 20.3 cm guns. At the same time, however, the same machinery should be used as in the County class. The weight savings should also enable a possible reinforcement of the armor protection.
Technology and modifications
At the end of 1925, the draft of a new type of heavy cruiser, now defined as the York class, had been worked out, which, with a standard displacement of 8,200 ts, reached a maximum speed of 32.25 knots and that with six 20.3 cm guns should be armed in three twin towers. The first cruiser of this new type, the York , was approved in the 1926 construction program. A second unit, the Exeter , was moved to the 1927 construction program so as not to overburden the 1926 budget.
At the Exeter , however, several modifications took place, for example the armor protection was reinforced and the hull was also widened by 0.3 m, which raised the standard displacement of this ship to 8,390 ts. In the adjacent information block , this value is given as the construction displacement, although the displacement of the York may have been around 100 to 150 ts less. Further changes, such as the installation of a redesigned fire control station above the navigating bridge, meant that the Exeter was sometimes viewed as a single ship . From the start of construction, however, both units were viewed as sister ships and had class-specific architectural features in common as well as virtually identical performance data. The York-class units were the last British cruisers to be built on the basis of the specifications of the Washington Treaty.
Armament
The cruisers of the York class had six 20.3 cm L / 50 Mark VIII guns in three double turrets of the type Mark II, each weighing 220 ts, with two turrets in an elevated arrangement in front of the main superstructure and one turret aft . The guns had a maximum barrel elevation of 50 degrees and could fire a 116.1 kg grenade up to 28 km, with the rate of fire at around four to six rounds per minute. 170 shells were available per barrel, so the ships of the York class had a more extensive endowment than the larger County class (125 to 150 shells per gun).
The anti-aircraft armament initially consisted of four individually positioned 10.2 cm L / 45 Mark V guns, with two cannons on each side of the ship, and two individual 4.0 cm flak. There were also eight 12.7 mm anti- aircraft machine guns in two quadruple mounts . Around 1940, two 2.0-cm Oerlikon flak were used on the York , which (presumably) replaced the 12.7-mm machine guns. Otherwise, the anti-aircraft armament of the York saw little change as a result of the relatively early loss of the war.
The Exeter , however, was docked for over a year after her severe damage in December 1939 in combat with the German ironclad Admiral Graf Spee and during these extensive repairs received eight 10.2 cm guns instead of the four individually positioned 10.2 cm guns. Mark XVI guns in four double mounts. In addition, 16 4.0 cm anti-aircraft guns in two eight-bay Mark VIII mounts , also known colloquially as "Chicago pianos", came on board during this shipyard lay-in , which replaced all other light anti-aircraft weapons. These modifications later increased the Exeter's maximum water displacement to 11,000 ts (this information is also used in the adjacent information block).
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Both cruisers carried a total of six 53.3 cm torpedo tubes with them, which were housed in two sets of triple tubes , with one set each amidships between the funnels on the upper deck. It is interesting here that the Royal Navy switched to triple tube sets again for the York class, although quadruple sets were installed for the first time in the history of the Royal Navy in the previous (or at that time still partly built) County class.
Radar and aircraft equipment
At least the Exeter received a type 279 radar for airspace observation as part of the repairs and modifications in 1941 ; the range was around 175 km. In addition, a Type 286 radar came on board as part of the conversion, which was used to direct the fire of the heavy anti-aircraft guns . The York, however, was no longer equipped with a radar device as a result of her relatively early loss.
Both ships of the York class carried a rigidly installed aircraft catapult aft of the rear funnel on board from around 1932 and were equipped with machines of the Fairey III F type. From 1937/38 this outdated model was replaced by seaplanes of the Supermarine Walrus type . Around the same time, the rigidly installed catapult was replaced by a swiveling model. The Exeter received a second rotatable catapult during its long shipyard layover, which was mounted parallel to the first, with which two aircraft could be catapulted to starboard and port at the same time . Previous plans to place a rotating catapult on the ceiling of the forward inflated artillery tower had to be discarded because the tower ceiling was not strong enough to support the weight of the catapult and a seaplane.
Machine system
The propulsion plant of the York-class ships was identical with that of the County-type and consisted of eight oil-fired boilers Admiralty from 3-drum-type and four Parsons - geared turbines , which were headed four waves. The engine output averaged 80,000 WPS , which enabled the cruisers of the York class to reach a top speed of 32.3 knots . Usually there was a bunker supply of 1,900 tons of heating oil on board, with which the ships (at a speed of 14 knots) could travel up to 10,000 nautical miles .
Armor
The York-class ships were considered to be comparatively well protected, with the side armor measuring up to 114 mm. Compared to the County class, the deck armor had also been reinforced at significant and vital points. Although the deck was only slightly protected at 25 to 38 mm, the ceilings above the ammunition rooms had been reinforced to 140 mm. Furthermore, 89 mm thick transverse bulkheads were drawn in at the level of the engine rooms. The main artillery towers, their barbettes and the command post were, however, only weakly protected by a 25 mm thick armor, which at best offered protection from splinters. Compared to the only insignificantly newer ships of the German Hipper or Italian Zara class, they were significantly less armored. The weak armor was also a reason for the sinking of the Exeter by Japanese cruisers.
York-class units
| ship | Shipyard | Keel laying | Commissioning | Notes and whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS York | Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company , Jarrow , United Kingdom | May 16, 1927 | May 1, 1930 | 1940 deployment off Norway, later relocated to the Mediterranean. Seriously damaged (two dead) in the Suda Bay ( Crete ) on March 26, 1941 by two Italian explosive boats . To prevent sinking, the cruiser was put aground in shallow water. After bomb damage in German air raids, the wreck was abandoned by the Royal Navy on May 22, 1941 and damaged again by explosive charges. The demolished and partly burnt out cruiser remained in Cretan waters until 1952, was then lifted, towed to Bari and broken up there from March 1952. |
| HMS Exeter | HMNB Devonport , Plymouth , United Kingdom | August 1, 1928 | July 27, 1931 | In December 1939 involved in a battle with the German ironclad Admiral Graf Spee and badly damaged (61 dead). Repair and reconstruction until March 1941. Later moved to Asia. Sunk on March 1, 1942, as part of the Allied ABDA fleet , north of Bawean Island in the Java Sea after artillery and torpedo hits by Japanese cruisers and destroyers (54 dead). |
Whereabouts
During the Second World War, both units of the York class were lost. The York , deployed in British home waters at the start of the war and off Norway in 1940 , was lost in the Mediterranean in 1941 . The ship was attacked while it was in the Suda Bay on Crete in the early morning hours of March 26, 1941 by Italian explosives from the Decima Flottiglia MAS and suffered two hits, both boiler rooms and a turbine room full of water. To prevent the York from sinking , the cruiser was set aground near the bank. Before the ship could be recovered and repaired, the York was hit by bombs in German air raids on April 21 and May 18, 1941 and damaged again. After the start of the German air landing on Crete on May 20 and the associated strong German air superiority over and around Crete, which made a rescue seem almost impossible, the order was issued on May 22 to abandon the cruiser. The ship was damaged again by British explosions, including inside the towers. The burnt-out and increasingly rotting wreck remained in front of Crete until 1952 before it was recovered, towed to Bari and scrapped there.
The Exeter , on December 13, 1939 in action in front of the Río de la Plata from the German armored ship Admiral Graf Spee severely damaged by seven heavy hits from 28 cm shells (among other things, all three main artillery towers were put out of action), looked after a long one Werftliege- and conversion time a three-month long deployment in Asia in the Allied ABDA fleet before March 1, 1942 in the Java Sea , about 50 nautical miles north of the island of Bawean , of the two Japanese heavy cruisers Haguro and Nachi and four destroyers provided , was shot down in a three-hour battle and finally sunk by torpedo hits. Of the 705 crew members, 54 were killed, 651 men were rescued by the Japanese, although 29 of them later died in captivity.
literature
- Konstam, Angus / Wright, Paul: British Heavy Cruisers 1939–1945 . Osprey Publishing. Oxford 2012.
- Marriott, Leo: Treaty Cruisers: The First International Warship Building Competition . Leo Cooper Limited. London 2005.
- Whitley, Mike J .: Cruiser in World War II. Classes, types, construction dates . Motorbuch Verlag. Stuttgart 1997.
Web links
- Images of York class (English)
- The York class at uboat.net (English)
Footnotes
- ^ David and Hugh Lyon, Siegfried Greiner: Warships from 1900 to today, technology and use . Buch und Zeit Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Cologne 1979, DNB 790212293 , p. 51 .
- ↑ http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CA-York.htm