Light Cruiser - World War I

World War I

By World War I, British light cruisers often had either two 6 inch (152 mm) and perhaps eight 4 inch (100 mm) guns, or a uniform armament of 6 inch (152 mm) guns on a ship of around 5,000 tons, while German cruisers progressed during the war from 4.1 inch (105 mm) to 5.9 inch (150 mm) guns. Cruiser construction in Britain continued uninterrupted until Admiral "Jacky" Fisher's appointment as First Sea Lord in 1904. Due in part to the desire to curtail excess expenditures in light of the increasing cost of keeping up with German naval production and in part because he felt the type to be outdated, Fischer authorized few new cruisers and scrapped 70 older ones. Fischer's belief that battlecruisers would take the place of light cruisers to protect commercial shipping soon proved impractical, as their high construction cost precluded their availability in sufficient numbers to do so, and destroyers were too small for scouting duties. The group of 21 Town class cruisers begun in 1910 proved excellent in scouting in all types of weather and could carry enough fuel and ammunition to guard the trade routes. The Arethusa class, launched three years later, was also successful. British designers continued enlarging and refining subsequent cruiser designs throughout the war.

The Germans built a number of light cruisers in the belief that they were good multi-purpose vessels. They were bigger, slower and less maneuverable than their British counterparts but, though a successive series of classes, improved consistently in seagoing qualities. However, the Germans were very late in adapting 5.9-inch (150 mm) guns for them (not until the Pillau class of 1913); Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz's recalcitrance over the issue overrode the desires of others in the German Navy. They completed the last two of their Bremens in 1906 and 1907 and followed them up with four Königsbergs and two Dresdens between 1905 and 1908. These last two classes, larger and faster than the Bremens, were armed the same (10 4.1-inch (104 mm) guns) and carried less deck armor. Other major powers concentrated on battleship construction and built few cruisers.