HMS Chester (1915)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Chester.

HMS Chester (1915)
Career
Class and type:	Town-class light cruiser
Name:	HMS Chester
Builder:	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, England
Laid down:	7 October 1914
Launched:	8 December 1915
Commissioned:	May 1916
Fate:	Sold for scrapping 9 November 1921
General characteristics
Displacement:	5,185 tons
Length:	456.5 ft (139.1 m) Overall
Beam:	50 ft (15.2 m)
Draught:	15.5 ft (4.7 m)
Propulsion:	Parsons compound re-action turbines Quadruple propellers Twelve Yarrow boilers 31,000 hp
Speed:	26.5 knots (49.1 km/h)
Range:	carried 1172 tons fuel oil
Complement:	402
Armament:	10 x BL 5.5 inch Mark I (140 mm) /50 guns on mountings CP Mk.I one 3 inch (76 mm) guns 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour:	2 inch belt 1.5 inch deck 4 inch conning tower

HMS Chester was a Town class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, and one of two ships forming the Birkenhead subtype. Along with her sister ship, HMS Birkenhead, she was originally ordered for the Greek Navy in 1914 and was to be named Lambros Katsonis. The order was placed with Cammell Laird and production continued for the Greek account after the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. In 1915, however, the two cruisers were purchased by the British government.

Design

One of Chester's 5.5 inch guns at the Imperial War Museum, London. This gun was operated by John Cornwell during the Battle of Jutland.

The two Greek ships differed from standard British practice in several ways: the main armament consisted of the new 5.5 inch (140mm) Coventry Ordnance Works gun. This weapon was significantly lighter than the standard 6 inch gun and fired an 85 lb shell rather than the 100 lb shell of the 6 inch weapon. It therefore had a higher rate of fire with little loss in hitting power. Chester adopted oil firing machinery which was novel practice for the Royal Navy at the time.

Service

HMS Chester, showing damage sustained at the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916

The ship was laid down on 7 October 1914, launched on 8 December 1915 and entered service in May 1916, three weeks before the Battle of Jutland. At Jutland she fought as part of the 3rd Battle Cruiser Squadron and came under withering fire from German forces. She was hit by 17 150mm shells and suffered casualties of 29 men killed and 49 wounded; many of the wounded lost legs because the open backed gun-shields did not reach the deck and give adequate protection. Amongst the gun crew fatalities was 16 year old John Cornwell who received the Victoria Cross for his dedication to duty though mortally injured. Chester served with the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron until the Armistice and was subsequently placed in reserve. She was offered for re-sale to Greece but the offer was declined and the ship was sold for scrapping on 9 November 1921 to Rees, of Llanelly. The gun served by Cornwell is preserved in the Imperial War Museum in London.

Mount Chester in the Canadian Rockies was named after this ship, with nearby Mount Cornwell named after John Cornwell.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475. 
• Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company
• Ships of the Birkenhead group
• Conway's All the World's Fighting ships 1906-1922
• DK Brown. The Grand Fleet, Warship Design and Development 1906-1922, Chatham Publishing 1999

External links

• LLanelli Community Heritage - HMS Chester at Llanelli North Dock in 1922 before being broken up