View source for County-class cruiser

{{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 pre–World 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=1928–1959
|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 × [[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 × [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|BL 8-inch (203 mm L/50) Mk.VIII guns]] in twin mounts Mk.I
* 4 × [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|QF 4-inch (102 mm) L/45 Mk.V guns]] in single mounts HA Mk.III
* 8 × [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder (40 mm) L/39 Mk.VIII guns]] in quad mounts HA Mk.VII (from 1925–)
* except ''Berwick''; 16 in oct mounts Mk.VIII
* 8 × [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5-inch (12.7 mm L/50) Mk.III machine guns]] in quad mounts Mk.I (from 1924–)
* 8 × [[British 21 inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes]] in quad mounts (removed from 1935–)
|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 1935–)
* [[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 × [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|BL 8-inch (203 mm) L/50 Mk.VIII guns]] in twin mounts Mk.I*
* 4–8 × [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|QF 4-inch (102 mm) L/45 Mk.V guns]] in single mounts HA Mk.III
* 4 × [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder (40 mm) L/39 Mk.II guns]] in single mounts HA Mk.I
* 8 × [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5-inch (12.7 mm) L/50 Mk.III machine guns]] in quad mounts Mk.I
* 8 × 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 1938–)
|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 × [[BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun|BL 8-inch (203 mm L/50) Mk.VIII guns]] in twin mounts Mk.II
* 8 × [[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 1937–)
* 16 × [[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 £2,180,000, whilst the mean cost of each "B" ship was estimated to be £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>

==Design and development==
The design of the class was led by [[Charles Lillicrap]], a member of the naval construction department of the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Admiralty]].<ref>{{Cite ODNB|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34532|title=Lillicrap, Sir Charles Swift}}</ref>

The 10,000-ton treaty cruisers were the first type of warships built to internationally agreed restrictions.<ref name="Marriot 2005">Marriot (2005)</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}} These restrictions posed new engineering challenges and forced compromises upon designers in how to extract the best balance of speed, armament and protection.<ref name="lenton"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}} The [[United States Navy]] adopted a design with [[gun turret|triple-gun turrets]], allowing the hull to be shortened thus saving weight that could be put into protection. This approach required increased power, as the speed of a ship is a function of the ratio of length to beam. The Royal Navy had a requirement for a vessel for colonial [[trade route]] defence, which required a good cruising range and speed and independent fighting power. This determined the need for a long hull and the use of four twin-gun turrets, with any remaining displacement invested in protection.

The design was conservative in nature, especially when compared to the contemporary [[Nelson-class battleship|''Nelson''-class]] battleships built to satisfy the same treaty. The long (630 feet [[Length overall|overall]]) hull was [[flush deck]]ed and with a high freeboard and was strongly built. This afforded high [[directional stability|initial stability]], which contributed to the protection scheme.<ref name="lenton"/><ref name="Marriot 2005"/>{{Pages needed|date=January 2020}} The machinery spaces followed the traditional layout of [[Boiler room (ship)|boiler rooms]] ahead of [[engine room]]s, separated by an amidships [[Magazine (artillery)|magazine]]. The two boiler rooms exhausted into four uptakes, the central pair being combined to form a thickened central funnel. The three-funnel design was handsome but a somewhat impractical use of internal space.<ref name="lenton"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}}

As had been tested in the [[First World War]] Emerald class [[cruiser]] {{HMS|Enterprise|D52|6}}, whose completion had been delayed post-war, the Counties featured a new design of forward superstructure incorporating the navigating bridge, wheelhouse, signalling and compass platforms and [[Ship gun fire-control system|gunnery director]] in a block. This advance considerably rationalised the separate armoured conning tower and myriad of decks and platforms of older designs. Moving the fire-control equipment from the mast negated the need for a heavy tripod and light pole masts sufficed for signalling yards and the spread of [[Wireless telegraphy|wireless]] antennae.

===Armament===
The guns, [[British ordnance terms#BL|BL]] 8-inch (203&nbsp;mm) Mark VIII, were equally disposed in superfiring twin turrets fore and aft. The turret design was needlessly complicated by the original requirement that they should be capable of anti-aircraft fire and were thus provided with a maximum elevation of 70°, despite the inability to train and elevate sufficiently quickly to track aerial targets and the complete lack of a suitable fire control system.<ref name="lenton"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}}<ref name="navweaps">{{Cite web |last=DiGiulian |first=Tony |date=19 February 2022 |title=8"/50 (20.3&nbsp;cm) Mark VIII |url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_8-50_mk8.php |website=NavWeaps}}</ref>

Secondary armament consisted of four [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|QF {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} Mark V guns]] in single mounts [[British ordnance terms#HA|HA]] Mk.III fed from the amidships magazine. There were quadruple-tube [[torpedo]] launchers, one each side, amidships. The single 4-inch Mk V guns were later replaced by Mk XVI guns in paired mountings. In a fruitless attempt to keep within treaty limits, the Mark XVI mounting was stripped down to reduce the weight, the result being the Mark XVII, an exercise described as "ridiculous punctiliousness".<ref name="Campbell">Campbell (2002)</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}} They were later converted back to standard Mark XVI mounts. The initial design called for two octuple mountings for the 40&nbsp;mm [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder Mk.VIII]] anti-aircraft [[autocannon]] but as a weight-saving exercise these were not initially shipped and the existing QF 2-pounder Mark II was carried in lieu on four single mounts. Space was provided for a rotating catapult and a crane for operating aircraft, although again these were initially not provided.

===Protection===
The initial design left little weight to distribute amongst protection. Thus, the traditional side-belt of armour was dispensed with and the {{convert|1|in|mm|adj=on}} side plating was sufficient to only give protection against shell splinters. A {{convert|1.25|in|mm|adj=on}} protective deck covered the machinery spaces and there were "box citadels" protecting the magazines and shell rooms; {{convert|2.5|in|mm|adj=on}} crowns and {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on|0}} sides, closed by 2.5-inch bulkheads. The aft box citadel had slightly reduced thicknesses at the ends and the citadel amidships had thinner armour as it lay within the confines of the armoured deck and side plating. There was a {{convert|1.5|in|mm|adj=on}} arch over the steering gear closed by a 1-inch-thick forward bulkhead. The turrets and barbettes received only thin splinter plating, as did the [[compass platform]]. There were external [[anti-torpedo bulge|bulges to provide torpedo protection]].

==Differences and modifications==

===''Kent'' class===
Originally planned as a programme of 17 Royal Navy vessels, the numbers were cut back significantly following the formation of the [[first Labour Government]] after the [[1923 United Kingdom general election|election of December 1923]]. Of the eight ships planned to begin construction in 1924, only five were approved, with a further two ordered later by the Royal Australian Navy.<ref>Marriot (2005) c.3, para. 6</ref>

These initial seven ships – {{HMS|Berwick|65|2}}, {{HMS|Cornwall|56|2}}, {{HMS|Cumberland|C57|2}}, {{HMS|Kent|68|2}}, and {{HMS|Suffolk|55|2}}, built for the Royal Navy, and {{HMAS|Australia|1927|2}} and {{HMAS|Canberra|1927|2}} for the Royal Australian Navy – formed the '''''Kent'' class'''. All were ordered in 1924 and commissioned in 1928. It was quickly found necessary to heighten the funnels by some {{convert|15|ft|m}} to clear the [[flue]] gasses from the aft superstructure. The Australian ships, ''Australia'' and ''Canberra'' had them raised a further {{convert|3|ft|m}}. Between 1930 and 1933 the aircraft and catapult were added, as was a high-angle [[HACS]] director for the 4-inch guns. ''Kent'' received an additional pair of 4-inch guns in 1934, and she, ''Berwick'' and ''Cornwall'' each received a pair of [[Vickers machine gun|QF 0.5-inch Vickers]] machine guns added abreast the fore funnel.

By the mid-1930s, the British ''Kent''s were due for modernisation. However, there was little surplus weight for the designers to work with while remaining within the Treaty requirements; they were between 150 and 250 tons under the treaty limits and it was estimated that a further 200-odd tons could be gained through various savings.<ref name="lenton"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}} A {{convert|6|ft|m|adj=mid|-deep}} armoured belt, {{convert|4.5|in|mm|adj=on}} thick, was added amidships, extending down from the armoured deck to 1 foot below the waterline. ''Cumberland'' and ''Suffolk'' had the aft superstructure razed and replaced by a large hangar for two aircraft and a fixed athwartships catapult. A crane was fitted on either side of the after funnel, and the rear gunnery, navigation and control positions were relocated to the hangar roof. The single 2-pounder guns were removed, and quadruple mountings, Mark VII, were added on either side of the bridge. The 4-inch guns were relocated, and the rearmost pair were replaced by twin mountings Mark XIX for the QF 4-inch Mark XVI. To keep weight within acceptable margins, the hull was cut down by one deck aft of "Y" turret. ''Berwick'' and ''Cornwall'' were similarly converted, but with more weight in hand the hull was not cut down; all four 4-inch mounts were twins and the 2-pounder guns were octuple mounts. By 1939, the torpedo tubes had been removed in all four ships.

''Kent'' had less weight available for improvements and therefore was not given such an extensive modernisation. While she received the 4-inch armour belt and the double 4-inch gun mounts like her sisters, she retained the rotating catapult and after superstructure, with an additional fire-control position mounted on a distinctive lattice structure aft. Her anti-aircraft armaments were improved as for her sisters, but the multiple 2-pounders and their directors were carried aft, by the lattice structure. The naval historian H. Trevor Lenton estimates that despite the best attempts, none of these ships stayed within the treaty limits; ''Kent''{{'}}s full load displacement was 14,197 tons, indicating a standard displacement of around 10,600 tons. Lenton expresses doubts whether the Admiralty ever informed the Government of these excesses, as with war imminent, "there were more pressing demands on their time".<ref name="lenton"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}} Another historian, Leo Marriott, gives an alternative displacement of 10,300 tons and notes that it was "unofficially accepted" by the UK, USA, Italy, France and Japan that refits could allow ships to exceed the London treaty limits by up to 300 tons.<ref>Marriot (2005) c.3, para. 9</ref>

===''London'' class===
The second group, the four ships of the ''London'' class ({{HMS|Devonshire|39|2}}, {{HMS|London|69|2}}, {{HMS|Shropshire|73|2}} and {{HMS|Sussex|96|2}}), closely followed the design of the ''Kent''s. The external bulges were not present, reducing the beam by {{convert|2|ft|m}}, and the hull was lengthened by {{convert|2|ft|9|in|m}}; these changes translated into a {{Fraction||3|4}}-knot increase in speed. To remedy the loss of the bulge protection, there was a second skin of inner plating to provide the same effect. The bridge was moved aft to lessen the effects of muzzle blast from B turret when the guns were trained [[Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)#abaft the beam|abaft the beam]]. They had heightened funnels as built. The aircraft and catapult had been fitted by 1932.

In all ships but ''Sussex'', four 4-inch guns were added in single mountings abreast the funnels. The single 2-pounder guns were removed, and two quadruple mounts for 0.5-inch Vickers machine guns were added. ''Shropshire'' acquired an additional anti-aircraft fire control director. Early in the war, the additional 4-inch guns were removed, and the original 4-inch guns altered to the Mark XVI twin mounts. The octuple 2-pounder guns that had originally been designed in were also finally added.

From 1938 to 1941, ''London'' received an altogether more comprehensive modernisation. Her upperworks were removed and replaced by new fore and aft superstructures and two upright funnels modelled on the contemporary {{sclass2|Crown Colony|cruiser|0}} cruisers. The forward superstructure block incorporated a large hangar opening onto an athwartships catapult between the superstructure blocks. There was a catapult on either side of the after funnel. The 4-inch anti-aircraft guns were replaced by twin mountings and relocated to the after superstructure, with the torpedoes a deck below. The 2-pounder guns were carried on the hangar roof and the multiple Vickers guns mounted, one each, on the roofs of "B" and "X" turrets. A {{convert|3.5|in|mm|adj=on}} belt, {{convert|8|ft|m}} deep, was added abreast the machinery spaces, extending up to the armoured deck. However, the hull had originally been carefully designed to reduce weight based on the initial arrangements. The modifications to ''London'' added heavy weights fore and aft and severely overstressed the hull. As a result cracks and loose rivets began to appear on the upper deck. The upper deck was reinforced, which caused the stress to be transmitted through the lower hull instead and cracks began to appear under the waterline. It took underwater reinforcements and refits extending into 1943 to remedy the situation.<ref name="lenton"/><ref name="Marriot 2005"/>{{Pages needed|date=January 2020}}

The outbreak of war prevented what had ended up being a rather fruitless cosmetic rebuild being extended to the rest of her sisters, as had originally been intended. The remaining ''London''s thus never received side armouring or the improved aircraft complement.

During wartime refits, the last three ''London''s underwent similar alterations as the ''Kent''s did, having their eight {{convert|21|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} torpedo tubes removed, and "X" {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} turret removed, although both ''London'' and ''Shropshire'' retained it. ''Shropshire'', unlike her two un-converted sisters retained her torpedo armament, and was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in early 1943 to replace ''Canberra''.

===''Norfolk'' class===
The final pair of Counties – {{HMS|Norfolk|78|2}} and {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|2}} – formed the ''Norfolk'' class. Another two ships that had been deferred from the 1927–1928 and 1928–1929 programmes – to have been named ''Northumberland'' and ''Surrey'' – were ordered on 15 May 1929, but suspended on 23 August and finally cancelled on 14 January 1930. A proposed fifth vessel of the sub-class was also cancelled.<ref>Marriot (2005) c. 2, para. 14</ref> This was due to the [[1929 United Kingdom general election|change in administration in 1929]] that ushered in a minority [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government under [[Ramsay MacDonald]]. The new government cancelled the ships as an economy measure and as a gesture to the forthcoming [[London Naval Conference 1930]].<ref name="Marriot 2005"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}}

The ''Norfolk''s were repeats of the ''London''s with minor alterations. The bridge and after superstructure were lowered. The 8-inch gun mountings were Mark II variants that simplified loading but ended up being heavier than the Mark I variant.<ref>Marriot (2005) Appendix 3, para. 4</ref> The 4-inch guns were relocated forwards in order that they did not obstruct the catapult and aircraft which had been mounted lower down than in their predecessors. During 1937, the 4-inch guns were replaced by twins, octuple 2-pounders were added around the after superstructure and the single guns forward were removed. These improvements pushed the standard displacement over 10,400 tons.<ref name="lenton"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2020}}

During the war, [[Unrotated Projectile|UP rocket]] launchers were initially added, but they were later removed along with the Vickers guns. These were replaced by the altogether more useful 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikon gun. An additional director for the 4-inch guns was added, and the pole masts were replaced by tripods to support the additional weight of masthead electronics. ''Dorsetshire'' was sunk in 1942, and so it was only ''Norfolk'' that underwent a refit in 1944, during which her aircraft, catapult and X turret were removed. This allowed four quadruple 2-pounder mounts and their directors and four single 40&nbsp;mm Bofors guns to be added. An extra superstructure was added aft to carry barrage directors, fitted with [[List of World War II British naval radar#Type 283|radar Type 283]], which finally allowed the main armament to serve in its intended anti-aircraft role.

It was intended for ''Surrey'' and ''Northumberland'' to have a modified design, more heavily armoured but {{convert|2|kn}} slower.<ref>[ADM 1/9301 10,000ton Cruiser: legend and design. 1929 and ADM 1/9306 "Y" design Cruiser: report and details. 1929]</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=January 2020}}

===Comparison of classes===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Class comparison{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}
|-
! scope="col" | Class
! scope="col" | Number built<br /> & planned
! scope="col" | Ordered
! scope="col" | Length
! scope="col" | Beam
! scope="col" | Speed<br />(full load)
! scope="col" | Displacement<br /> (standard, long tons)
! scope="col" | Main<br />armament
! scope="col" | Belt armour<br />
! scope="col" | Torpedo<br>tubes
! scope="col" | Complement
|-
! scope="row" | ''Kent''
|7 of 10
|1924
|{{convert|630|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|{{convert|68|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|{{frac|31|1|2}}&nbsp;kn
|10,570
|8 × 8-inch
|{{convert|4.5|in|mm|abbr=on|disp=br()|0}}{{efn-ua|Post 1935 refit, not in ''Canberra''}}
|8
|685
|-
! scope="row" | ''London''
|4 of 4
|1925–1926
|{{convert|632+3/4|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|{{convert|66|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|{{frac|32|1|4}}&nbsp;kn
|9,830
|8 × 8-inch
|{{convert|3.5|in|mm|abbr=on|disp=br()}}{{efn-ua|Post 1938 rebuild, ''London'' only}}
|8
|700
|-
! scope="row" | ''Norfolk''
|2 of 5
|1926–1927
|{{convert|632+3/4|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|{{convert|66|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|{{frac|32|1|4}}&nbsp;kn
|10,300
|8 × 8-inch
| {{convert|3.5|in|mm|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|8
|725
|-
! scope="row" | ''York''
|2 of 5
|1926–1928
|{{convert|575|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|{{convert|58|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|{{frac|31|1|2}}&nbsp;kn
|8,250
|6 × 8-inch
|{{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on|disp=br()}}
|6
|623
|}
{{notelist-ua}}

==Ships==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ County-class ships of the Royal Navy
|-
! scope="col" | Ship
! scope="col" | Pennant
! scope="col" | Subclass
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" style="width: 5em;"| Laid down
! scope="col" style="width: 5em;"| Launched
! scope="col" style="width: 5em;"| Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Berwick|65|2}}
|65
| rowspan=5 | ''Kent''
|[[Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company|Fairfield Shipbuilding &<br /> Engineering Company]], [[Govan]]
|15 Sep 1924
|30 Mar 1926
|15 Feb 1928
| Broken up at [[Blyth, Northumberland|Blyth]], 1948
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Cumberland|57|2}}
|57
|[[Vickers-Armstrongs]], [[Barrow in Furness]]
|18 Oct 1924
|16 Mar 1926
|21 Jan 1928
| Broken up at [[Newport, Wales|Newport]], 1959
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Suffolk|55|2}}
|55
|[[HMNB Portsmouth|HM Dockyard Portsmouth]]
|30 Sep 1924
|16 Feb 1926
|31 May 1928
| Broken up at Newport, 1948
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Kent|68|2}}
|54
|[[Chatham Dockyard|HM Dockyard Chatham]]
|15 Nov 1924
|16 Mar 1926
|22 Jun 1928
| Broken up at [[Troon]], 1948
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Cornwall|56|2}}
|56
|[[HM Dockyard Devonport]]
|9 Oct 1924
|11 Mar 1926
|10 May 1928
| Sunk by Japanese aircraft in "[[Indian Ocean raid|Easter Sunday Raid]]" south of Ceylon, 5 Apr 1942
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|London|69|2}}
|69
| rowspan=4 | ''London''
|HM Dockyard, Portsmouth
|23 Feb 1926
|14 Sep 1927
|31 Jan 1929
| Broken up at Barrow-in-Furness, 1950
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Devonshire|39|2}}
|39
|HM Dockyard, Devonport
|16 Mar 1926
|22 Oct 1927
|18 Mar 1929
| Broken up at Newport, 1954
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Sussex|96|2}}
|96
|[[Hawthorn Leslie & Company]], [[Hebburn]]
|1 Feb 1927
|22 Feb 1928
|19 Mar 1929
| Broken up at [[Dalmuir]], 1950
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Shropshire|83|2}}
|73
|[[William Beardmore & Company]], [[Dalmuir]]
|24 Feb 1927
|5 Jul 1928
|12 Sep 1929
| To RAN 1943<br />Broken up at Troon, 1954
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Norfolk|78|2}}
|78
| rowspan=5 | ''Norfolk''
|Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Govan
|8 Jul 1927
|12 Dec 1928
|1 May 1930
| Broken up at Newport, 1950
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|2}}
|40
|HM Dockyard, Portsmouth
|21 Sep 1927
|24 Jan 1929
|30 Sep 1930
| Sunk by Japanese aircraft in "[[Indian Ocean raid|Easter Sunday Raid]]" south of Ceylon, 5 Apr 1942
|-
! scope="row" | ''Surrey''
| rowspan=3 | n/a
| HM Dockyard, Devonport
| colspan="4" rowspan="3" | Cancelled 14 Jan 1930
|-
! scope="row" | ''Northumberland''
| HM Dockyard, Portsmouth
|-
! scope="row" | Not named
| {{sdash}}
|- class="sortbottom" style="display:none;" <!-- need invisible "row" to display previous row that only has row header, and rowspans from above -->
| colspan=8 |
|}

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ ''Kent''-class ships of the [[Royal Australian Navy]]
|-
! scope="col" | Ship
! scope="col" | Pennant
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" style="width: 6em;"| Laid down
! scope="col" style="width: 6em;"| Launched
! scope="col" style="width: 6em;"| Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMAS|Australia|D84|2}}
|I84
|rowspan=2|[[John Brown & Company]], [[Clydebank]]
|9 Jun 1925
|17 Mar 1927
|24 Apr 1928
| Broken up at [[Barrow-in-Furness]], 1955
|-
! scope="row" | {{HMAS|Canberra|D33|2}}
|I85
|9 Sep 1925
|31 May 1927
|10 Jul 1928
| Crippled by torpedos, possibly friendly fire, at [[Battle of Savo Island]] 9 Aug 1942; subsequently abandoned and scuttled
|}

==Service==
{{Expand section|date=February 2010}}
The County class saw much service during the Second World War. ''Norfolk'' and ''Suffolk'' were equipped with [[radar]] which was used to good advantage when they shadowed the {{ship|German battleship|Bismarck||6}} during the RN's [[last battle of the battleship Bismarck|attempts to hunt her down]] after the sinking of {{HMS|Hood|51|6}}.

The class saw service in nearly every theatre of the war. ''Norfolk'', ''Suffolk'', and ''Dorsetshire'' were involved in the pursuit of ''Bismarck'' and {{ship|German cruiser|Prinz Eugen||2}}.  ''Berwick'' fought a gunnery action with the {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Hipper||6}}, and ''Norfolk'' again fought German Navy surface units during [[Battle of the North Cape]].  ''Suffolk'' and ''Sussex'' suffered bomb damage from [[Luftwaffe]] aircraft, and both required substantial repairs.  Three of the class were lost, with ''Canberra'' being hit by torpedoes,<ref>Eime, Roderick (2015). "Lifting the Shame of Savo Island". Combat narrative dealing with the probable friendly fire incident with HMAS Canberra. Retrieved 19 October 2019.</ref> possibly friendly fire, at the [[Battle of Savo Island]] then scuttled by a U.S. destroyer, and ''Cornwall'' and ''Dorsetshire'' both bombed and sunk by Japanese carrier-borne aircraft during the [[Indian Ocean raid]].

The survivors began decommissioning in 1948, and were all decommissioned by the mid-1950s, except ''Cumberland'', which was an armaments trials ship testing the automatic 6-inch and 3-inch guns that would be fitted to the {{sclass|Tiger|cruiser|4}}. She was scrapped in 1959.

==''Canarias'' class==
{{Main|Canarias-class cruiser}}
Two ships based on the County class, {{ship|Spanish cruiser|Canarias||2}} and {{ship|Spanish cruiser|Baleares||2}} of the {{sclass|Canarias|cruiser|4}}, were designed in the UK and constructed in Spain by the [[Vickers-Armstrongs]] subsidiary [[Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval]]. Completed in the late 1930s for the [[Spanish Navy]], they saw service during the [[Spanish Civil War]]. Although they shared a common hull, machinery and main armament, the Spanish ships had a notably different appearance, with an enormous single funnel – though ''Canarias'' received two funnels in a later refit – and an equally tall forward superstructure.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-8317-0303-2 |chapter=Great Britain |last1=Campbell |first1=N.J.M.|pages=2–85}}
* {{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=John |title=Naval Weapons of World War Two |date=2002 |publisher=Conway Maritime |location=London |isbn=0-85177-924-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After|year=2010|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-59114-078-8 |author-link=Norman Friedman}}
* {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H. T.|title=British & Empire Warships of the Second World War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1998|isbn=1-55750-048-7|author-link=Henry Trevor Lenton}}
* {{cite book |last1=Marriot |first1=Leo |title=Treaty Cruisers: The First International Warship Building Competition |date=2005 |publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=9781783409761}}
* {{cite book|last1=Raven|first1=Alan|last2=Roberts|first2=John|title=British Cruisers of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1980|isbn=0-87021-922-7|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2 |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Sturton |first1=I. A. |title=H.M.S. ''Surrey'' and H.M.S. ''Northumberland'' |journal=Warship International |date=1977 |volume=XIV |issue=3 |pages=243–252 |issn=0043-0374}}
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia|publisher=Cassell |location=London|year=1995|isbn=1-86019-874-0|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|County class cruiser}}

{{County class cruiser}}
{{WWII British ships}}{{Treaty Cruisers}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:County Class Cruiser}}
[[Category:Cruiser classes]]
[[Category:County-class cruisers| ]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]