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The Fiji-class cruisers were a class of eleven light cruisers of the Royal Navy that saw extensive service throughout the Second World War. Each ship of the class was named after a Crown colony or other constituent territory of the British Commonwealth and Empire. The class was also known as the Colony class, [1] or Crown Colony class. [2]
The Fiji class cruisers (or crown colony) were a smaller, cheaper follow-up of the Town class cruisers, very active in WW2.
HMS Fiji was the lead ship of her class of 11 light cruisers built for the Royal Navy shortly before the Second World War. Completed in mid-1940, she was initially assigned to the Home Fleet and was detached to escort a force tasked to force French West Africa to join the Free French.
The last 3 ships of Fiji class (2nd group) were completed under some changed design considering experience of the first year of war: with the strengthened antiaircraft armament. Because of already mentioned very cramped arrangement one main turret had landed and catapult was removed (hangars have been left, but were used for other purposes).
HMS Bermuda (pennant number 52, later C52) was a Fiji-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was completed during World War II and served in that conflict. She was named for the British territory of Bermuda, and was the eighth vessel of that name. Bermuda was built by John Brown & Company of Clydebank and launched on 11 September 1941.
Heavily illustrated with contemporary photographs, original plans and drawings by Dave Baker, John Jordan and George Richardson, British Fiji Class Cruisers and their Derivatives provides a definitive reference to one of the Royal Navy’s most important Second World War warship designs.
The Fiji-class arose because of the Admiralty’s desire to acquire a force of 70 cruisers to safeguard the worldwide trade routes. Constrained both by post-WWI financial imperatives and by the limitations imposed by the London Naval Treaty of 1930, the Navy developed the concept of heavy and light cruisers, in an attempt to build up numbers.
The first of the class of 8,000-ton cruisers. The original preference had been to give these ships a fully dual purpose 5.25in main armament but production difficulties with the new mountings enforced a more conventional 6in. This was a pity as aircraft would be the cruisers' major opponents.
12 Light cruisers (13 names) of the Fiji class. 2 of them were lost. Full wartime service history on this vessel. See all Light cruiser classes. The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat.
Based on the Southampton class, but with a reduction in armour and machinery and 35ft shorter to save weight to meet the maximum of 8,000 tons for 6-inch cruisers, imposed at the Second London Naval Treaty in 1936.