HMS Raleigh (1919)

Raleigh visiting Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1921
History
United Kingdom
NameRaleigh
NamesakeSir Walter Raleigh
BuilderWilliam Beardmore, Dalmuir
Laid down9 December 1915
Launched28 August 1919
CompletedJuly 1921
IdentificationPennant number: 96[1]
FateWrecked, 8 August 1922
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeHawkins-class heavy cruiser
Displacement
Length605 ft (184.4 m) (o/a)
Beam65 ft (19.8 m)
Draught19 ft 3 in (5.9 m) (deep load)
Installed power
Propulsion4 × shafts; 4 × geared steam turbines
Speed31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)
Range5,640 nmi (10,450 km; 6,490 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement690
Armament
Armour
  • Belt: 1.5–3 in (3.8–7.6 cm)
  • Deck: 1–1.5 in (2.5–3.8 cm)
  • Gun shields: 1 in (2.5 cm)

HMS Raleigh was one of five Hawkins-class heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War, although the ship was not completed until 1921. She was assigned to the North America and West Indies Station when she commissioned and often served as a flagship. After visiting ports in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and both coasts of the United States and Canada in 1921–1922, Raleigh ran aground off Labrador in August 1922 with the loss of a dozen crewmen. The ship was partially salvaged in place and was demolished with explosives in 1926, although she remains a diveable wreck in very shallow water.

  1. ^ Dittmar, F J; Colledge, J J (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 49.