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Monday 27 June 2016

British armoured cruiser HMS Essex 1900-1921

Drake-class

Monmouth-class

Devonshire-class

Laid down at Pembroke Dockyard on 1 January 1900, launched on 29 August 1901, completed on 22 March 1904, added to the reserve in March 1906, decommissioned in September 1909, refitted in 1913, paid off in August 1916, decommissioned becoming destroyer depot ship at Devonport, England in 1916, accommodation ship in April 1918 at Devonport, training ship 1 December 1918, again accommodation ship around 1 May 1919, paid off in October 1919 and sold to be broken up on 8 November 1921 which was executed in Germany. Building costs 736,557-770,325 pond sterling. Of the Monmouth-class also called County-class, built to act against light cruisers and armed merchant ships consisting of the Monmouth, Bedford, Essex, Kent, Berwick, Cornwall, Cumberland. Donegal, Lancaster and Suffolk. Preceded by the Drake-class and succeeded by the Devonshire-class. General technical specifications. Displacement 10.000 (normal) and as dimensions 141,3 (over all) x 20,1 x 7,6 metres or 463.6 x 66 x 25 feet. Horsepower of 22.000 ihp supplied by 2-4 cylinder triple expansion steam engines and 31 water tube -boilers allowing a speed of 23 knots. Their crew numbered 678 men. The armour consisted of a 5,1-10,2cm/2-4” thick deck, 1,9-5,1cm/0.75-2” thick decks, 12,7cm/5” thick bulkheads with the gun turrets and conning tower protected by respectively 13c,/5” and 25,4cm/10”.  The armament consisted of 2x1+10x1-15,2cm/6” breech loading MkVII guns, 10x1-7,6cm/3”/12pd quick firing 12 cwt guns, 34,7cm/3pd quick firing Hotchkiss guns and 2x1-45cm/18” torpedo tubes.