HMAS Canberra
Scuttled
| Type | Heavy cruiser |
|---|---|
| Class | County |
| War | Second World War |
| Main guns | 4 × 2 – 8-inch (203 mm) guns (4 twin turrets) |
British-built County-class cruiser. Hit by some 24 shells in the first minutes at Savo Island before she could fire a shot, and sunk by American torpedoes the next morning when she could not be saved. The US Navy named a cruiser after her.
Armament and specifications
Armament
- 4 × 2 – 8-inch (203 mm) guns (4 twin turrets)
- 4 × 1 – 4-inch (102 mm) anti-aircraft guns
- 4 × 1 – 2-pounder (40 mm) quadruple pom-poms
- 4 × 1 – 3-pounder (47 mm) saluting guns
- 12–16 .303-inch machine guns
- 2 × 4 – 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
- 4 × multiple pom-poms (installed 1942)
- 5 × 1 – 20 mm Oerlikon guns
Armour
- 1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm) armour deck over machinery spaces and magazines
- up to 2 inches (51 mm) over turrets
- up to 3 inches (76 mm) on conning tower
- Anti-torpedo bulges
| Builder | John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Laid down | 9 September 1925 |
| Launched | 31 May 1927 |
| Commissioned | 9 July 1928 |
| Displacement | 9,850 tons (light) 10,000 tons (standard) |
| Length | 590 ft (180 m) between perpendiculars 630 ft 1 in (192.05 m) overall |
| Speed | 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph) (maximum) 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (cruising) |
| Complement | Pre-war: 690 standard 710 as flagship Wartime: 751 standard 819 at loss |
As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.
Career
Launched
31 May 1927
Battle of Savo Island
Scuttled
8–9 August 1942
Southern group; scuttled the next morning