The Reina Victoria Eugenia/Republica/Navarra and HMS Adelaide: A tale of two similar light cruisers

Between 1909 and 1922 the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navies commissioned a total of twenty-one light cruisers that were grouped together at the Town-class. In fact, the group comprised five separate sub-classes, each of which was a development of the predecessor:

• Bristol-class (5 ships, all Royal Navy)
• Weymouth-class (4 ships, all Royal Navy)
• Chatham-class (6 ships, 3 Royal Navy and 3 Royal Australian Navy)
• Birmingham-class (4 ships, 3 Royal Navy and 1 Royal Australian Navy)
• Birkenhead-class (2 ships, originally built for the Greek Navy but taken over Royal Navy after the outbreak of World War I).

The ships saw a lot of active service during the war, but those that survived were retained in service after it. With the exception of HMAS Adelaide, they were scrapped between 1921 and 1936.

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In the run up to World War I, the Spanish Navy decided to have a new light cruiser built, and the design of the Town-class light cruisers formed the basis of the ship that was initially named Reina Victoria Eugenia. The choice of Town-class was hardly surprising as she was built by Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval in Ferrol, a company that was jointly owned by John Brown and Vickers-Armstrong, both of which built ships of the Town-class. Reina Victoria Eugenia was visually different in one significant way from the Town-class; thanks to her steam boilers being arranged three boiler rooms, she only had three funnels rather than the Town-class's four.

The Reina Victoria Eugenia (later Republica) as built.

Due to wartime shortages, the Reina Victoria Eugenia was not completed and commissioned until 1923, by which time she was already obsolete. After being commissioned, she served as the squadron flagship during the Rif War and was renamed Republica after the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed in 1931.

On completion, her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 6,348 tons (full load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 462ft (141m)
• Beam: 50ft (15m)
• Draught: 15ft 9in (4.80m)
• Propulsion:2 shafts, Parsons-type geared turbines, 12 Yarrow-type coal-fired boilers, 25,500 ihp
• Speed: 25.5 knots
• Range: 4,500 nautical miles at 15 knots
• Complement: 404
• Armament: 
• 9 × 152mm (6.0-inch) Vickers-Carraca guns in single mountings
• 4 × 47mm (1.9-inch) guns
• 4 × 21-inch (533mm) 2 x 2 torpedo tubes (deck mounted)
• Armour: Belt:3 - 2-inch; Deck: 3-inch deck; Conning tower: 6-inch

By 1936 Republica was in need of a major refit, and she was out of commission and in dock in Cadiz when the Spanish Civil War started. She was seized by the Nationalists, renamed Navarra, and reconstructed. This involved her having her old coal-fired boilers replaced by eight new oil-fired ones, a new tower bridge superstructure added, one funnel was removed, and six of her 6-inch guns were moved to the centre line, with three of her previous guns being removed). In addition, four German 88 mm AA guns were fitted and her torpedo tubes were removed.

After her refit, her armaments was as follows:

• 6 × 152 mm (6.0-inch) Vickers-Carraca guns in single mountings
• 4 × 88mm (3.5-inch) Flak 18 anti-aircraft guns
• 2 × 40mm (1.6-inch) 2-pounder pom-pom guns
• 4 x 20mm (0.8-inch) automatic Isotta Fraschini/Breda guns in twin mountings

The Navarra during her reconstruction.

The Navarra after her reconstruction.

A bow view of the Navarra after her reconstruction.

A stern view of the Navarra after her reconstruction.

The Navarra saw little active service during the latter stages of the Spanish Civil War, and after the war she was mainly used as a training ship. She was finally withdrawn from service and scrapped in 1956.

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HMAS Adelaide was the Royal Australian Navy's sole member of the Birmingham-class. She was laid down in 1915 at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, but due to wartime shortages of skilled men and materials as well as design modifications that took into account the lessons learned during World War I, she was not completed until 1922.

HMAS Adelaide as completed.

HMAS Adelaide as completed.

On completion her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 5,560 tons (full load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 455ft (138.8m)
• Beam: 49ft (14.9m)
• Draught: 19ft (5.70m)
• Propulsion:2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines, 12 mixed oil and coal-fired boilers, 25,000 ihp
• Speed: 25 knots
• Complement: 483
• Armament:
• 9 × 152mm (6.0-inch) guns in single mountings
• 1 x 76mm (3-inch) anti-aircraft gun
• 4 × 47mm (1.9-inch) 3-pounder saluting guns
• 10 x machine guns
• 2 × 21-inch (533mm) torpedo tubes (submerged)
• 2 x depth charge chutes
• Armour: Belt:3-inch

HMAS Adelaide had an active career for the time of her first commissioning until she was placed in reserve in 1928. She was brought forward for refitting and modernisation in 1938. This involved her having two boilers and a funnel removed, her remaining boilers converted to oil-firing only, and the removal of one 6-inch gun, her 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, and her torpedo tubes. Three 4-icnh anti-aircraft guns were added to her armament. She was laid up in 1939 and her crew was sent to the UK to take over HMAS Perth.

HMAS Adelaide after her major refit.

HMAS Adelaide after her final refit.

Just before World War II broke out, HMAS Adelaide was recommissioned. She was used mainly for convoy escort and protection duties, initially in Australian waters and later in the Indian Ocean. She was refitted in Sydney between May and July 1942 and her anti-aircraft armament was enhanced by the addition of six 20mm Oerlikon guns. A further refit took place between June and September 1943, during which a further 6-inch gun and a 4-inch anti-aircraft gun were removed and four depth change throwers were installed.

HMAS Adelaide was initially decommissioned in February 1945 and then recommissioned in May that year as a tender to HMAS Penguin. She was finally decommissioned in May 1946 and sold for scrapping in January 1949.