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{{Short description|Class of heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom}} {{Cleanup|reason=Most of the references are missing the page number|date=February 2023}} {{for-multi|the preβWorld War I armoured cruisers|Monmouth class cruiser|the post-World War II destroyers|County-class destroyer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{EngvarB|date=November 2013}} {|{{Infobox ship begin|sclass=2}} {{Infobox ship image |Ship image=HMAS Australia Oct 1937 SLV straightened.jpg |Ship caption=''Australia'' in 1937 }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=County class |Builders= *[[Chatham Dockyard]] (1) *[[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Dockyard]] (2) *[[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering|Fairfields]] (2) *[[John Brown and Company|John Brown]] (2) *[[Portsmouth Dockyard]] (3) *[[R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company|Hawthorn Leslie]] (1) *[[Vickers Armstrongs]] (1) *[[William Beardmore and Company|William Beardmore]] (1) |Operators=*{{navy|United Kingdom}} * {{navy|Australia|naval-1913}} |Class before={{sclass|Hawkins|cruiser|4}} |Class after={{sclass|York|cruiser|4}} |Subclasses=[[County-class cruiser#Kent class|''Kent'']], [[County-class cruiser#London class|''London'']], [[County-class cruiser#Norfolk class|''Norfolk'']] |Built range= |In commission range=1928β1959 |Total ships planned=16 |Total ships completed=13 |Total ships cancelled=3 |Total ships lost=3 |Total ships retired=10 }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Header caption=''Kent'' class<ref name="lenton" />{{Page needed|date=January 2020}} |Ship type=[[Heavy cruiser]] |Ship displacement=*10,400 tons average standard * 14,150 tons average full load |Ship length=*{{convert|590|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[p/p]] * {{convert|630|ft|m|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]]) |Ship beam={{convert|68|ft|m|abbr=on}} across bulges |Ship draught=*{{convert|17.25|ft|m|abbr=on}} standard * {{convert|21.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} full load |Ship propulsion= 8 Γ [[Admiralty three-drum boiler]]s, [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbines|Parsons]] (Brown-Curtis in ''Berwick'') geared [[steam turbine]]s on 4 shafts, {{convert|80,000|shp|kW|abbr=on}} |Ship speed={{convert|31.5|kn}} |Ship range=*{{convert|8000|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}} * {{convert|2300|nmi}} at {{convert|30|kn}} |Ship complement=685 standard, 710 as flagship, 784 during wartime |Ship sensors= |Ship EW= |Ship armament=*8 Γ [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|BL 8-inch (203 mm L/50) Mk.VIII guns]] in twin mounts Mk.I * 4 Γ [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|QF 4-inch (102 mm) L/45 Mk.V guns]] in single mounts HA Mk.III * 8 Γ [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder (40 mm) L/39 Mk.VIII guns]] in quad mounts HA Mk.VII (from 1925β) * except ''Berwick''; 16 in oct mounts Mk.VIII * 8 Γ [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5-inch (12.7 mm L/50) Mk.III machine guns]] in quad mounts Mk.I (from 1924β) * 8 Γ [[British 21 inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes]] in quad mounts (removed from 1935β) |Ship armour= * [[Belt armor|Main belt]]: ** {{convert|4.5|in|adj=on|0}} with {{convert|1|in|adj=on}} closing [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkheads]] (''Berwick'', ''Cumberland'', ''Suffolk'', ''Kent'' & ''Cornwall'' only, from 1935β) * [[Deck (ship)|Lower deck]]: ** {{convert|1.25|in|adj=on}} over machinery ** {{convert|1.5|in|adj=on}} over steering gear * Main box citadels: ** {{convert|1|-|4|in|adj=on}} sides ** {{convert|1|to|2.5|in|adj=on}} crowns * [[gun turret|Turrets]]: ** {{convert|1|in|adj=on}} faces, sides, rears, crowns & barbettes |Ship aircraft= |Ship aircraft facilities= |Ship notes= }}{{Infobox ship characteristics |Header caption=''London'' class |Ship displacement=*9,840 tons standard average * 13,315 tons full load |Ship length=*{{convert|595|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[p/p]] * {{convert|632|ft|9|in|abbr=on}} [[o/a]] |Ship beam={{convert|66|ft|m|abbr=on}} |Ship draught=*{{convert|17|ft|m|abbr=on}} standard * {{convert|21|ft|6|in|abbr=on}} |Ship speed={{convert|32.25|kn}} |Ship complement=700 standard, 852 during war |Ship armament=*8 Γ [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|BL 8-inch (203 mm) L/50 Mk.VIII guns]] in twin mounts Mk.I* * 4β8 Γ [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|QF 4-inch (102 mm) L/45 Mk.V guns]] in single mounts HA Mk.III * 4 Γ [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder (40 mm) L/39 Mk.II guns]] in single mounts HA Mk.I * 8 Γ [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5-inch (12.7 mm) L/50 Mk.III machine guns]] in quad mounts Mk.I * 8 Γ 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes in quad mounts |Ship armour= * Main belt: ** {{convert|3.5|in|adj=on}} with {{convert|1|in|adj=on}} closing bulkheads (''London'' only, from 1938β) |Ship notes=Other characteristics as per ''Kent'' }}{{Infobox ship characteristics |Header caption=''Norfolk'' class |Ship length=*{{convert|595|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}} [[p/p]] * {{convert|632|ft|9|in|abbr=on}} [[o/a]] |Ship beam={{convert|66|ft|m|abbr=on}} |Ship draught=*{{convert|18|ft|m|abbr=on}} standard * {{convert|21|ft|6|in|abbr=on}} |Ship displacement=*10,400 tons standard * 13,775 tons full load |Ship complement=710 standard, 819 during wartime |Ship armament=*8 Γ [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|BL 8-inch (203 mm L/50) Mk.VIII guns]] in twin mounts Mk.II * 8 Γ [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|QF 4-inch (102 mm L/45) Mk.XVI guns]] in twin mounts HA/LA Mk.XIX (from 1937β) * 16 Γ [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder (40 mm L/39) Mk.VIII guns]] in oct mounts HA Mk.VIII |Ship notes=Other characteristics as per ''London'' }} |} The '''County class''' was a [[ship class|class]] of [[heavy cruiser]]s built for the [[Royal Navy]] and [[Royal Australian Navy]] in the years between the [[World War I|First]] and [[World War II|Second]] World Wars. They were the first 'post-war' cruisers constructed for the Royal Navy and were designed within the limits of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]] of 1922. Such ships, with a limit of 10,000 tons [[Displacement (ship)|standard displacement]] and 8-inch [[calibre]] main guns may be referred to as "treaty cruisers" (the term "heavy cruiser" was not defined until the [[London Naval Treaty]] of 1930<ref name="lenton"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}}). The thirteen Counties were built in the ''Kent'', ''London'' and ''Norfolk'' sub-classes. They were the only 10,000-ton 8-inch gun, or "A", cruisers that the Royal Navy built. The Counties are remembered for their distinctive three-funnel layout and service in all the major naval theatres of the Second World War. To extract more ships from the treaty limits, the navy planned to construct 8,250-ton "B" ships, six of which could be built in place of five Counties. The extra ship that this afforded was an attractive proposition for a navy that had the immense peacetime commitments of empire.<ref name="lenton">Lenton</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}}<ref>Marriot (2005) c. 3, para. 23</ref> Peacetime economies and politics intervened and only two B-type cruisers were built, an 8-inch gun modified County design: the {{sclass|York|cruiser|4}}. In 1929, the mean cost of each "A" ship was estimated to be Β£2,180,000, whilst the mean cost of each "B" ship was estimated to be Β£1,800,000.<ref>{{Cite Hansard|speaker=[[Cuthbert Headlam]]|title=Cruiser Construction (Cost) |jurisdiction=Parliament of the United Kingdom |house=House of Commons |date= 20 February 1922 |volume=225 |column= 1104 |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1929/feb/20/cruiser-construction-cost#S5CV0225P0_19290220_HOC_80 |access-date=24 May 2016}}</ref>
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