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Cressy Class (1901) CC |
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| The six
ships of the Cressy Class, were Armoured Cruisers. part of the 1897
construction programme. They were intended to operate both with the Battle Fleet, fighting in the line as a fast wing, and also, carry out standard cruisers work with the Fleet and on trade routes. They followed on from the Diadem Class (1989) but included the addition of a belt of the new Krupp steel armour, which was lighter than the previous compound armour for the same strength. They were heavier, faster than the Diadem's and included the mixed 9.2 and 6in armament in the Powerful Class (1897). They were the first cruisers which were intended for foreign service and were not sheathed and coppered. They could do this because of the improvement in dockyard facilities around the world. With the start of WW1 the entire class except for HMS Sutlej, formed the 7th Cruiser Squadron in the North Sea. Early in the morning of 22-Sep-1914, Cressy, Aboukir and Hogue were steaming in company when Aboukir was hit by a torpedo fired by U-9 and began to sink. Believing her to be mined, Hogue went in to pick up survivors, and was also torpedoed. U-9 surfaced and was fired on. Meanwhile Cressy stopped among the survivors and was also struck by torpedo and sunk. A total of 1,449 lost their lives. The other three ships survived the war.
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This page last edited -
31 July, 2012.
Copyright © Ian M King, except where otherwise indicated. |
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