HMS Black Prince (81)

History of the Black Prince (81)

The Dido-class light cruisers were pre-World War II battleships with 16 hulls completed between 1937 and 1943, primarily built by the Royal Navy (RN) . These were cut off in commissioned service from 1940 to 1966, 5 were lost in service and the remaining 11 were eventually scrapped at various times. One of them is HMS Black Prince (81), which joins HMS Bellona, ??HMS Royalist, HMS Diadem and HMS Spartan as part of the "Bellona" subgroup.

The

subgroup is the fourth of the four batches of Dido, and is nothing more than an improvement on the original design, sometimes referred to as the "Improved Dido" class. The entire group is intrinsically linked to the previous pre/interwar Arethusa class.

For the Black Prince's role in naval history, the ship was laid on 2 November 1939 by shipyards Harland & Wolff at Dockyard 1049 in Belfast (Northern Ireland) (war 9 1939 officially starts on the 1st of the month). The test was launched on August 27, 1942, officially completed on November 20, 1943, and commissioned on November 30 of the same year.

WWII-era light cruisers had a useful battery of main guns, which were usually between 5" and 6" caliber and had to do heavy duty in combat. The Dido-class ships were designed with naval defense in mind, providing security against enemy supply escort aircraft, large capital ships, and most importantly, aircraft carriers.

With this in mind, the HMS Black Prince was originally equipped with an 8 x 5.25 in (133 mm) QF main gun in four main twin-gun turrets - three front and one rear. This was supported by 6 x 20mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns in twin gun positions and 3 x 2lb (40mm) "pom-pom" automatic guns in quadruple guns.

In addition to this, the ship was equipped with 2 x 21" (530 mm) triple torpedo launchers as an additional threat to enemy surface ships within range. Later in the war, the armament kit was changed as needed (even more in the postwar period), but the general gist of the arrangement preserves more or less the entire lifespan of the ship.

After completion, the ship has a standard load of 6,000 tons and a full load of 7,200 tons. Dimensions include a bow to stern length of 512 feet, a beam of 50.5 feet and a draft of up to 14 feet. Installed power is 4 x Admiralty 3 drum boiler units providing 4 x geared steam turbines with 62,000 hp at the rear of the shaft train.

This arrangement gives the ship a sea speed of just over 32 knots at 16 knots and a range of up to 3,685 nautical miles (4,240 mi) to save fuel.

There are 530 crew members on board.

Armor protection ranges from 3" on the belt and 1" on the deck to 2" in the magazine store and 1" in the bulkhead. Due to the required power and her light rating, the HMS Black Prince is relatively lightly armored, but well equipped for her intended role.

Specification

Base

Year of Service

1943

Origins

UK

Status

stop service

Destroyed, scrapped.

supplement

530

staff

Class information

Class

Dido class (Bellona subgroup)

Class Size

16

ships

Class

HMS Dido (37); HMS Argo (61); HMS Charybdis (88); HMS Phoebe (43); HMS Hermione (74); HMS Wende (31); HMS Thera (98); HMS Naiad (93); HMS Cleopatra (33); Sirius (82); HMS Euryalius (42); HMS Bellona (63); HMS Royalists (89); HMS Crown (84 ); HMS Black Prince (81); HMS Sparta (95)

Carrier

New Zealand (post-war); United Kingdom

Characters

Sea Bombing

Maritime bombardment/attack of surface targets/areas primarily through ship-based ballistic weapons.

Land Assault

Littoral attacks against surface targets primarily through ship-based missiles/missile weapons.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Airspace Denial/Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of flying elements by airborne missile weapon ballistics.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

512. 0 feet

156.06m

Ray

50.5 feet

15.39m

Draft

14. 0 feet

4.27m

Shift

6,000 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

4 x Admiralty three-drum boilers 4 x stern shafts with 62,000hp for 4 x gear steam turbines.

Surface Velocity

32.3

(37.1 km/h)

Area

3,910nm

(4,500 miles | 7,242 kilometers)

Weapon

Original (1943): 8 x 5.25 in (133 mm) QF gun, four twin turrets. 6 x 20mm anti-aircraft guns (AA) twin gun mounts 3 x 2lb (40mm) "pom-pom" automatic guns mounted on four gun mounts 2 x 21" (530mm) triple torpedo tubes. 1945: 8 x 5.25" belt The main gun of the turret. 12 x 2 pounders.

24 x 20mm anti-aircraft guns. 6 x 21" triple torpedo tubes. 1953 (in service with the Royal New Zealand Navy): 8 x 5.25" turret guns. 8 x 40mm Bofors Mk 3P "Toadstool" (New Zealand) Close-In Weapon System (CIWS).

Aircraft

None.