HMS Southampton was a light cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the 1910s. She was a member of the Chatham sub-class of the Town class. The ship survived the First World War and was sold for scrap in 1926.

Design and description

The Chatham sub-class were slightly larger and improved versions of the preceding Weymouth sub-class. They were long overall, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was normal and at full load. Twelve Yarrow boilers fed Southamptons Parsons steam turbines, The boilers used both fuel oil and coal, with of coal and tons of oil carried, which gave a range of at .

Construction and career

Southampton was laid down on 6 April 1911 by John Brown & Company at their Clydebank shipyard and launched on 16 May 1912. Upon completion in November, the ship was assigned to the 1st Battle Squadron and she became flagship of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron in July 1913.

The ship had an extremely active wartime career. Southampton participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, and later in the Battle of Dogger Bank in early 1915. In May 1916, Southampton fought in the Battle of Jutland as flagship of 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron where she torpedoed the German light cruiser , which subsequently sank. In 1917, she was transferred to the 8th Light Cruiser Squadron with whom she remained for the rest of the war.

Southampton was sold for scrapping on 13 July 1926 to Thos. W. Ward, of Pembroke Dock.

Notes

Bibliography

  • Ships of the Chatham group
  • A North Sea Diary 1914–1918 Account by Stephen King-Hall, an officer who served on her through the war.
  • Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project - HMS Southampton Crew List