The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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| Tonnage | 5750 tons standard |
| Dimensions | 512'2" by 50'6" by 17'9" 156.11m by 15.39m by 5.41m |
| Maximum
speed |
32.5 knots |
| Complement | 487 |
| Armament | 4x2 5.25"/50
dual-purpose guns 5x4 2pdr AA guns 11x1 20mm Oerlikon AA guns 2x4 0.50 machine guns 2x3 torpedo tubes |
| Protection | 670 tons: 3" (76mm) NC belt 1" (25mm) D steel deck over machinery and steering 2" (51mm) NC deck over magazines |
| Machinery |
4-shaft Parsons geared turbine
(62,000 shp) 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers |
| Bunkerage | 1100 tons fuel oil |
| Range | 4140 nautical miles (7700km) at 16 knots 4850 nautical miles (9000km) at 11 knots |
| Sensors |
Type 279 radar Type 281 radar Type 284 radar Type 285 radar |
| Modifications |
Some units completed with only 4
5.25" turrets due to shortages. Light antiaircraft armament steadily increased. By 1944 some units had as many as 3x4 40mm Bofors AA guns and 6x2, 4x1 20mm guns. |
The Didos were modern antiaircraft cruisers just coming into service when war broke out in the Pacific. Designed for fleet air defense at a time when aircraft were rapidly becoming more capable, they were built under the assumption that the traditional scouting role of small cruisers would now be filled by seaplanes. Their machinery, originally designed for 58,000 shp, was found capable of putting out 62,000 shp, allowing a significant speed increase in spite of the design turning out slightly overweight. They had a battery of five dual 5.25" dual-purpose gun turrets, three of which were tiered in front of the bridge and necessitated a distinctive high bridge profile. The design proved somewhat unstable and flimsy for a battery badly needing stability for accurate fire.
| Phoebe | arrived 1944-3 |
| Argonaut | arrived 1944-11 |
| Euryales | arrived 1944-12 |
| Cleopatra |
arrived 1945-1? |
References
Gogin (2010; accesssed 2012-12-19)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009, 2012 by Kent G. Budge. Index
