Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Royal Navy — Light cruiser 20

HMS Neptune (20)

Leander-class cruiser (1931) light cruiser

HMS Neptune (20)
The original uploader was Nick Dowling at English Wikipedia . — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate — 20 AWM Caption: C.1937. PORT BOW VIEW OF THE LIGHT CRUISER HMS NEPTUNE. SHE HAS NOT YET HAD HER AA ARMAMENT AUGMENTED BY THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SINGLE 4 INCH MARK V GUNS ON MARK IV HA MOUNTINGS BY TWIN 4 INCH MOUNTINGS. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION)

Service

  1. Royal Navy as HMS Neptune12 February 1934 — 19 December 1941840 days of the war
Leander-class cruiser (1931) light cruiser Particulars
Name
HMS Neptune
Pennant / hull number
20
Builder
Portsmouth Dockyard
Laid down
24 September 1931
Launched
31 January 1933
Commissioned
12 February 1934
Fate
Sunk 19 December 1941 by mines off Tripoli (1941)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, standard
7,270 long tons (7,387 t)
Displacement, full load
9,740 long tons (9,896 t)
Length
169.13 m (554.9 ft)
Beam
17.07 m (56 ft)
Draught
5.82 m (19.1 ft)
Speed
32.5 knots (60.2 km/h, 37.4 mph)
Range
5,730 nmi (10,612 km)
Complement
550
Main gun
152 mm (6 in)

HMS Neptune was a Leander-class cruiser (1931) light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She carried the pennant number 20. Portsmouth Dockyard laid her keel on 24 September 1931. Launched on 31 January 1933, she entered service on 12 February 1934.

She displaced 7,270 long tons standard and 9,740 long tons at full load. She measured 169.1 m (555 ft) long with a beam of 17.1 m (56 ft). Her designed speed was 32.5 knots, and she carried a complement of 550. Her main battery was of 152 mm (6.0 in) calibre.

Her machinery developed 72,000 shp.

She was in commission for 840 days of the Second World War.

She was sunk on 19 December 1941, at 33°15′N 13°30′E. The wreck survives.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 4 × Parsons geared steam turbines
  • 6 × Admiralty 3-drum oil-fired boilers
  • Four shafts
Power
  • 72000 shp
Armament
  • Original configuration:
  • 8 × BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval guns
  • 4 × 4 in guns
  • 12 × 0.5 in machine guns
  • 8 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour
  • 4 in (102 mm) main belt
  • 2.5 in (64 mm) ends
  • 1.25 to 2 in (32 to 51 mm) deck
  • 1 in (25 mm) turrets
Aircraft
  • One catapult-launched aircraft
  • Original type was a Fairey Seafox
  • catapult and aircraft later replaced with Supermarine Walrus

Sister ships

Sources

  • Facts harvested from HMS Neptune (20) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: The original uploader was Nick Dowling at English Wikipedia . — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons