The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Naval Historical Center #NH 58633.
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Tonnage |
7220 tons
standard displacement |
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Dimensions |
554'1" by 55'6" by 19'1" 168.88m by 16.92m by 5.82m |
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Maximum speed |
32.5 knots |
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Complement |
550 |
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1 seaplane catapult 1 seaplane |
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Armament |
4x2 6"/45 guns 12 0.50 machine guns 2x4 21" torpedo tubes |
| 837 tons: 2" armor on 1" plate (51mm armor on 25mm plate) belt (machinery) 1.5" (38mm) bulkheads (machinery) 1.25" (32mm) deck (machinery) 3.5"/3"/2" (89mm/76mm/51mm) NC magazine box side/ends/roof 1.25" (32mm) deck (steering) 1" (25mm) turret 1" (25mm) barbettes |
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| Machinery |
4-shaft Parsons geared turbine
(72,000 shp) 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers |
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Bunkerage |
1835 tons fuel oil |
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Range |
7800 nautical miles (14,400 km) at 15 knots |
| Modifications |
Varied greatly between ships.
1942: Leander added Type 284 and Type 291 radar. Achilles replaced all the 4" guns with a large number of 20mm guns. 1943: Leander had the catapult replaced with 4x1 20mm guns and Type 273 radar was installed. Achilles restored the 4" guns and one 6" turret and the seaplane were removed to to make room for 4x4 40mm/40 AA guns. 1944: Leander replaced one 6" turret with 2x1, 1x2 20mm guns and 2x4 40mm Bofors AA guns. 1945: Achilles light antiaircraft consisted of 4x1 40mm Bofors guns, 5x2 and 5x1 20mm guns, and 4x4 40mm/40 guns. |
The Leanders were
completed from 1933-1936.
They were a light cruiser spinoff of the Exeters, meant to be built economically in large numbers for traded protection,
and inherited Exeter's sea keeping ability. Their greatest
liability in the
Pacific was their rather short cruising range. They also had only a
single gun director, as a cost-cutting measure, so they could only
engage a single target at a time. They were the first British warships
to use a significant amount of welded construction.
Achilles
and Leander were loaned to New Zealand during the Pacific
war.
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Achilles |
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Leander |
References
Gogin (2010; accessed 2012-12-27)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009, 2012 by Kent G. Budge. Index
