.PNG)
HMAS Mount Perry (CLA-1940+)
HMSAS Mount Kiliminjaro (CLA-1941+)
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The advent of the twin dual-purpose weapons of 5.25" and 4.5" sizes made it possible to produce what would become anti-aircraft cruisers. A 500 foot ship was designed on which both Royal Navy and the Australis Navy fitted 10 guns - the Royal Navy 5.25" and the Australis Navy 4.5". The Royal Navy ships suffered from excess top weight and eventually the 5th 5.25" turret was removed. Since the Australis Navy never built any of the 5.25" it had fitted its ships with the smaller and lighter 4.5" turret and did not have the same problems. Like all navies the Australis Navy gave these ships a secondary duty, that of flotilla cruiser. Acting as the flotilla leader for groups of destroyers. To this end a speed of 34 knots was required and this was exceeded by most of the class on trials.
Armour was kept to a minimum with a 3" belt over the machinery spaces but the deck armour at 2.5" was fitted to include the magazines as well as the propulsion rooms.
The first ships were laid down in 1936 with a pair being allocated to each of the Tasman Sea class aircraft carriers and then extra pairs were built to escort the Endeavour Class as well. Which gave: 1936 x 2, 1937 x 2, 1938 x 4, 1939 x 4. This was termed the first batch. The second batch were to the same design but the minor armaments were altered as better weaponry became available e.g. the 40mm STAAG and Hazemeyer mounts. These ships were laid down as 4 in 1940, 6 in 1941, and 4 in 1942. This gave completion dates for the batch 2 ships from late (Dec-1942) 1942 through to early 1945. The design was exported to Southern Africa who did not have any ships with 5.25" so avoided the RN design in favour of the 4.5" Mount Perry type. 3 pairs were built by the SAN to go with their 3 main aircraft carriers.
This class became the standard cruiser for the Australis Navy in World War 2.
| Displacement | 5,600 tons std, 7000 tons full load | |
| Length | 508 ft | |
| Breadth | 53 ft | |
| Draught | 15 ft | |
| Machinery | 4 shaft steam turbines, 75,000shp | |
| Speed | 34+ knots | |
| Range | 1500 at 30 knots, 5500 at 18 knots | |
| Armour | 3" side, 2.5" deck | |
| Armament | 10 x 4.5" (5x2) 12 x 2pd (3x4) 10 x 20mm (4x2 2x1) |
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| Aircraft | nil | |
| Torpedoes | 6 x 21" (2x3) | |
| Complement | 500 | |
| Notes | HMAS Mount Perry HMAS Mount Kosciusko HMAS Mount Barker HMAS Mount Ngaruhoe HMAS Mount Surprise HMAS Mount Eagle beak HMAS Mount Ruapehu HMAS Mount Garnet HMAS Mount Gordon HMAS Mount Larcom HMAS Mount Margaret HMAS Mount Barnett HMAS Mount Poole HMSAS Mount Kiliminjaro HMSAS Mount Cameroon HMSAS Mount Botlolong |
HMAS Mount Montgomery HMAS Mount Stewart HMAS Mount Minerva HMAS Mount Morgan HMAS Mount Archer HMAS Mount Tongariro HMAS Mount Egmont HMAS Mount Coolon HMAS Mount Molloy HMAS Mount Buller HMAS Mount Hutt HMAS Mount Barnett HMAS Mount Meharry HMSAS Mount Kibo HMSAS Mount Makheka HMSAS Giants Castle |
Royal Navy cruiser Scylla with 4.5" main armament. These were the BD mounts and required an extra deckhouse as part of the mounting.
