Mersey-class cruiser

HMS Mersey
Class overview
Name	Mersey class
Operators	Royal Navy  South African Navy
Preceded by	Calypso-class corvette
Succeeded by	Marathon class
Built	1883–1888
In commission	1887–1942
Planned	4
Completed	4
Retired	4
General characteristics
Type	2nd class protected cruiser
Displacement	4,050 tons
Length	315 ft (96 m) oa 300 ft (91 m) pp
Beam	46 ft (14 m)
Draught	19 ft 6 in (6 m)
Installed power	12 cylindrical boilers 4,500 ihp
Propulsion	direct-acting compound expansion Twin screws
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Range	8,750 miles at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	325
Armament	2 × 8 in (203 mm) guns 10 × 6 in (152 mm) guns 3 × QF 6 pounder 3 × 3 pounder QF 9 × machine guns 2 × torpedo tubes
Armour	Deck: 2–4 in (51–102 mm) Gunshields: 2 in (51 mm) Conning tower: 9 in (229 mm)

The Mersey-class cruiser was a class of second class protected cruiser of the Royal Navy commissioned in the late 1880s. They were the first cruisers that had discarded their sailing rigs in the design, making them far more modern in design. They had fairly mundane careers.