HMS Southampton (1912)

HMS Southampton was a light cruiser in the Royal Navy that served in the First World War.

Southampton was one of the third batch of "Town" class light cruisers; her sister ships were Dublin and Chatham. The first three "Town" ships of the Royal Australian Navy (HMAS Melbourne, HMAS Sydney, and HMAS Brisbane) were virtually identical.

Southampton differed from her sisters in that she had different machinery. Chatham had two screws. The sister ships, with Parsons turbines, had four screws.

The ship had an extremely active wartime career. As flagship of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet, she participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, and later in the Battle of Dogger Bank.

In 1916, Southampton fought in the Battle of Jutland as flagship of 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron where she torpedoed the German light cruiser SMS Frauenlob, which subsequently sank. In 1917, she had been moved to the 8th Light Cruiser Squadron.

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