View source for Birkenhead Class Cruiser (1915)

The two [[Light Cruiser|light cruisers]] of the '''Birkenhead Class''' were completed in 1915 and 1916.

They were often regarded as the last sub-type of the encompassing "Town" class which also included the five [[Bristol Class Cruiser (1909)|''Bristol'']], four [[Weymouth Class Cruiser (1910)|''Weymouth'']], six [[Chatham Class Cruiser (1911)|''Chatham'']], and four [[Birmingham Class Cruiser (1913)|''Birmingham'' class]] cruisers.

<div name=fredbot:ships>
{| class="wikitable collapsible" border=2 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="margin: 0 0 1em 0.5em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;" align=center;
|-
! colspan=6 align=left|Overview of 2 vessels
|-
| colspan=6 align=left|<small>Citations for this data available on individual ship pages</small>
|-
! align=center | Name 
! align=center | Builder 
! align=center | Laid Down 
! align=center | Launched 
! align=center | Completed 
! align=center | Fate
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-Birkenhead}}
|[[Cammell Laird]]
|27 Mar, 1914
|18 Jan, 1915
|May, 1915
|Sold 26 Oct, 1921
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-Chester}}
|[[Cammell Laird]]
|7 Oct, 1914
|8 Dec, 1915
|May, 1916
|Sold 9 Nov, 1921
|}
</div name=fredbot:ships>
==Armament==
The ships were armed as follows.{{Conways1906|p. 58}}

===Guns===
* Ten 5.5-in 50cal B.L. Mark I on P. I mountings{{DirectorH|p. 145}}
* One 3-in 20cwt Mark I on H.A. mounting

===Torpedoes===
* Two Elswick 6.8m 21-in submerged broadside tubes forward depressed 2 degrees and bearing 90.  Impulse from Elswick H.P. air.{{ARTS1915|p. 36}}

''Chester'' successfully fired torpedoes at 25 knots, but ''Birkenhead'' fired one at 22 knots which failed to run, having seemingly been bound up.  No conclusion was reached.{{ARTS1916|p. 75}}

==Fire Control==

===Mechanical Aid-to-Spotter===
By 1920, both ships were equipped with [[Mechanical Aid-to-Spotter Mark II*]]s with Evershed Bearing Transmitters.{{UKManGun1920III|p. 35}}  The installations generally consisted of placing one on each side of the foretop, driven by flexible shafting from a gearbox on the director tower.{{UKManGun1920III|p. 35, 37}}

Supplies of these devices began in June 1918.{{FCHMShips|pp. 25-6}}

===Range Dials===

In 1918, it was ordered that these and ten other classes of light cruisers should receive "range instruments for concentration of fire".  Presumably, this meant range dials.{{ARTS1918|p. 376. (C.I.O. 3492/18, N.S. 11226/18)}}

As of 1920, neither ship seems to have been equipped.<ref>absent from ''Manual of Gunnery of H.M. Fleet, Volume III, 1920'', p. 45.</ref>

===Rangefinders===

In 1918, it was approved that the ''Birkenhead'' class cruisers and "other Classes in Home Waters" should have a 12-foot fixed {{RF}} mounted atop the after gun control platform.  The ships were also to report whether two 12-foot R.F.s could be accommodated on the fore bridge without structural alterations.{{ARTS1918|p 179}}

===Evershed Bearing Indicators===
The [[Centaur Class Cruiser (1916)|''Centaur'' class]] were the first light cruisers fitted with [[Evershed Bearing Indicator|Evershed gear]] for gun control, but it is not clear whether older light cruisers were ever fitted.{{FCHMShips|p. 29}}

Orders for Evershed installations for searchlight control from February 1917 first applied to the [[Danae Class Cruiser (1917)|''Danae'' class]], but seem unlikely to have applied to earlier ships.{{FCHMShips|p. 29}}

By June 1918, it was determined that the "Town" class cruisers would probably eventually carry two 12-foot and one 9-foot rangefinders.{{GFGTO|21/6/1918, p. 116}}

===Gunnery Control===

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====Control Positions====

====Control Groups====
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===Directors===
Both were fitted with directors in 1917 and 1918.{{FCHMShips|pp. 11-12}}

The director was on a pedestal mounting in a tower on the foremast.  Likely, "X" or "Y" served as a [[Directing Gun|directing gun]].<ref>''Handbook of Captain F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, 1918''., p. 142 and plate opposite.<br>I am inferring that the 2 light cruisers shown in the plate are meant to represent those with and without a tower.</ref>

They had 4-in Triple Type [[Elevation Receiver]]s with mechanical tilt correction capable of indicating 15 degrees elevation, Pattern H. 15.  The [[Small Type Training Receivers]] on were pattern number 20 on the forecastle gun, P1 to P3 and S1 to S3, whereas P4, S4 and the quarterdeck gun had pattern number 21.{{DirectorH|pp. 145-146}}

===Transmitting Stations===

===Dreyer Table===
These ships had no fire control tables.<ref>absent from list in ''Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables'', p. 3.</ref>

===Fire Control Instruments===

==Torpedo Control==

[[File:ARTS1917Plate76.jpg|thumb|300px|'''Torpedo Control Circuits'''{{ARTS1917|Plate 76}} ]]

In 1916, it was decided that all light cruisers of ''Bristol'' class and later should have torpedo firing keys (Pattern 2333) fitted on the fore bridge, in parallel with those in the CT, and that a flexible voice pipe be fitted between these positions.{{ARTS1916|p. 146}}

Additionally, in 1916, [[Birkenhead Class Cruiser (1915)|''Birkenhead'']] and [[Calliope Class Cruiser (1914)|''Calliope'']] classes were being fitted with [[Chadburn's Torpedo Telegraph]]s for torpedo order and gyro angle with one transmitter in the fore bridge position and one in the after position, operating separate instruments in the submerged torpedo flat.  A mechanical reply was provided.{{ARTS1916|p. 30}}

By mid-1918, it had been approved to issue these ships, along with several other classes of light cruisers range repeat receivers for their fore bridge and control positions so that their captains and control officers could know the gun range.  Additionally, the "Town" class cruisers were to receive two "Graham type" bearing transmitters in their spotting tops.{{ARTS1917|p. 230}}

==See Also==
{{WP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_class_cruiser_(1910)#Birkenhead_class}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{ARTS1915}}
*{{DirectorH}}
*{{HFCI1909}}
*{{DreyerH}}
*{{FCHMShips}}
* Norman Friedman.  ''The Chester Class Cruisers'' in [[Warship (Journal)|Warship]] Issue 17.
{{refend}}


{{Footer Birkenhead Class Cruiser (1915)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birkenhead}}

{{CatClassLightCruiser|UK}}


<!-- data

nat=UK
cat=LightCruiser
type=light cruiser

chain=Minor Cruisers

{ship
name=Birkenhead
pend=9A (1914)<br>15 (Jan 1918)<br>07 (Apr 1918){{DittColl|p. 47}}
builder=[[Cammell Laird]]{{Conways1906|p. 59}}
order=
laid=27 3 14{{Conways1906|p. 58}}
launch=18 Jan, 1915{{Conways1906|p. 58}}
comm=5 15{{Conways1906|p. 58}}
fate=Sold
fate2=Broken up
fatedate=26 10 21{{DittColl|p. 47}}
}

{ship
name=Chester
pend=C9 (1914)<br>39 (Jan 1918)<br>50 (Apr 1918){{DittColl|p. 47}}
builder=[[Cammell Laird]]{{Conways1906|p. 58}}
order=
laid=7 10 14{{Conways1906|p. 58}}
launch=8 Dec, 1915{{Conways1906|p. 58}}
comm=5 16{{Conways1906|p. 58}}
fate=Sold
fate2=to Rees, Llanelly{{DittColl|p. 47}}
fatedate=9 Nov, 1921{{DittColl|p. 47}}
}



data -->