ebooks Wellington’s Men Remembered. Volume 1: A to L: A Register of Memorials to Soldiers who Fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo by Janet Bromley; David Bromley in History

Description

The idea of a heavy cruiser emerged in the aftermath of the First World War; and was closely linked to the limits set by the inter-war Washington Treaty on naval armament. The pre-Great War concept of armoured cruisers had been abandoned; but in their stead the Admiralty saw a place for powerful cruisers; able to patrol the sea lanes of the British Empire; and which were well-enough armed that they could destroy enemy commerce cruisers of the kind used by the Germans in the last war.The result was a group of British warships which were collectively known as the "Washington Treaty Cruisers"; which did everything the Admiralty wanted; but which fitted within the limits imposed by the Washington Treaty - an armament of 8-inch guns; and a displacement of less than 10;000 tons. These impressive cruisers were high-sided; spacious and stately - perfect peacetime ambassadors for British power. In war they also packed a considerable punch. While they all carried powerful 8-inch guns; they were also given an effective armoured belt; making them proof against any foreign cruisers then in service. During the Second World War the Royal Navy's thirteen heavy cruisers saw service in every theatre of war; whether taking part in major sea battles in the Mediterranean; delivering the coup de grace to the Bismarck in the North Atlantic; or enduring the unwanted attention of kamikaze pilots in the Pacific.