Cressy-class cruiser

300px HMS Euryalus at anchor in Australia
Class overview
Name:	Cressy class
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Diadem class
Succeeded by:	Drake class
Built:	1898–1902
In service:	1901–20
Completed:	6
Lost:	3
Scrapped:	3
General characteristics
Type:	Armoured cruiser
Displacement:	12,000 long tons (12,000 t) (normal)
Length:	472 ft (143.9 m) (o/a)
Beam:	69 ft 6 in (21.2 m)
Draught:	26 ft 9 in (8.2 m) (maximum)
Installed power:	21,000 ihp (16,000 kW) 30 Belleville boilers
Propulsion:	2 × Shafts 2 × 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines
Speed:	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Complement:	725–760
Armament:	2 × single BL 9.2-inch (234-mm) Mk X guns 12 × single BL 6-inch (152-mm) Mk VII guns 12 × single QF 12-pounder (76-mm) guns 3 × 3-pounder (47-mm) Hotchkiss guns 2 × single 18-inch (450-mm) torpedo tubes
Armour:	Belt: 2–6 in (51–152 mm) Decks: 1–3 in (25–76 mm) Barbettes: 6 in (152 mm) Turrets: 6 in (150 mm) Conning tower: 12 in (305 mm) Bulkheads: 5 in (127 mm)

The Cressy-class cruiser was a class of six armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy around 1900. Their design's incorporation of a pair of 9.2-inch guns and armoured sides served to address criticism directed against the previous Diadem class — advances made possible by their 1,000 ton increase in displacement over their predecessors. The ships were notably stable, except for a susceptibility to pitching.

Service

Until 1908, the ships served in Home waters, the Mediterranean and the Far East. On the outbreak of the First World War Cressy, Aboukir, Hogue, Bacchante and Euryalus formed the Seventh Cruiser Squadron. Due to the obsolescence of the ships and that they were crewed by inexperienced reservists the squadron was known as the "Live Bait Squadron". This epithet proved prophetic when Cressy, Hogue and Aboukir were sunk in a single action on 22 September 1914 by U-9 near Holland. After the first cruiser had been hit, the following cruisers both came to a dead halt to pick up survivors, making themselves easy targets for torpedoes.

Ships

• HMS Cressy: launched 4 December 1899, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
• HMS Sutlej: launched 18 November 1899, scrapped 9 May 1921
• HMS Aboukir: launched 16 May 1900, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
• HMS Hogue: launched 13 August 1900, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
• HMS Bacchante: launched 21 February 1901, scrapped 1 July 1920
• HMS Euryalus: launched 20 May 1901, scrapped 1 July 1920

Building Programme

The following table gives the build details and purchase cost of the members of the Cressy class. Standard British practice at that time was for these costs to exclude armament and stores. The compilers of The Naval Annual revised costs quoted for British ships between the 1905 and 1906 editions.

Ship	Builder	Engine Maker	Date of			Cost according to
			Laid Down	Launch	Completion	(BNA 1904)	(BNA 1906)
Cressy	Fairfield, Govan	Fairfield	12 October 1898	14 December 1899	28 May 1901	£780,110	£749,324
Sutlej	J Brown Clydebank	Clydebank Company	15 August 1898	18 November 1899	6 May 1902	£790,706	£755,690
Aboukir	Fairfield, Govan	Fairfield	9 November 1898	16 May 1900	3 April 1902	£783,883	£751,118
Hogue	Vickers, Barrow	Vickers	14 July 1898	13 August 1900	19 November 1902	£787,507	£749,809
Bacchante	John Brown Clydebank	John Brown	15 February 1899	21 February 1901	25 November 1902	£787,230	£787,230
Euryalus	Vickers, Barrow	Vickers	18 July 1899	20 May 1901	5 January 1904	£817,880	£782,901

Image gallery

• Cressy class diagrams Brasseys 1906.jpg

  Right elevation and deck plan, from Brassey's Naval Annual 1906
• BL 9.2 inch gun turret Cressy class Right Elevation.jpg

  Right elevation of 9.2 inch gun turret

• BL 9.2 inch gun turret Cressy class Rear Elevation.jpg

  Rear elevation of 9.2 inch gun turret

Bibliography

• Brassey, T.A. (ed) The Naval Annual 1904
• Leyland, J. and Brassey, T.A. (ed)The Naval Annual 1906

External links

• Loss of HMS Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue
• Cressy class description