HMS London (69) County Class Heavy Cruiser

[Shrike142 1,682]

HMS London (69) 1942

I propose to add HMS London (69) in her 1942 configuration (as exhibited by the video above), as the top heavy cruiser for the Royal Navy in War Thunder. 

 

HMS London was the lead ship of the second batch of County class heavy cruisers, known as the London subclass. The Londons followed the original Kent design, but had taller funnels as standard, omitted the torpedo bulges and had a slightly lengthened hull, leading to a 3/4kn higher top speed. To make up for the loss of the bulges, a second skin of hull plating was introduced to lesson torpedo damage and flooding.

During her pre-war career she received an aircraft catapult, four single 4" AA guns mounted beside the funnels and two sets of quad vickers 0.50" mounted on 'B' and 'X' turrets.

 

From 1939-41, London was extensively modernised at Chatham Dockyard. Her superstructure was completely rebuilt into a monolithic tower, as found on most RN ships of the time, and a 3.5" cemented armour belt was added over her machinery spaces.
Her original 4" battery was replaced with four twin 4" mounts and aircraft handling gear was mounted in-between the now two funnels.

In late 1941 she was refit again, gaining eight oerlikon 20mm guns. Two replacing the original quad vickers on 'B' and 'X' turret, two on the bridge wings, with the remaining four being grouped around the aft superstructure.

 

Armament:
Main Battery:

8x 8"/50 BL Mk VIII in four twin mounts Mk I*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_8-50_mk8.php
http://web.archive.org/web/20110616063255/http://www.dockmuseum.org.uk/archive/details.asp?imageid=7180&title=&subject=&subtitle=

http://web.archive.org/web/20110616063202/http://www.dockmuseum.org.uk/archive/details.asp?imageid=7181&title=&subject=&subtitle=

 

 

 

Secondary Battery:

8x 4”/45 QF Mk XVI* in four twin mounts Mk XIX
 

 

The mounts on London were of the extended shield type, giving greater overhead and side protection than mountings on other ships (I.e. HMS Southampton)

Image from: B.R. 257, Handbook for the 4 Inch Q.F. Mark XVI* Gun on the H.A. Twin Mark XIX and Single Mark XX Mountings page 8

 

Spoiler

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_4-45_mk16.php

 

Anti-Aircraft Battery:

16x 2pdr QF Mark VIII in two octuple ‘Multiple Pom-Pom’ mounts Mk VA

 

 

 

8x 20mm/70 Mk I ‘Oerlikon’ in eight single Mk IIA pedestal mounts

 

Spoiler

 

Other Weapons:

8x 21” Mk IX** Torpedoes in two quad launchers

(Mk IX** as this is a mid-war fit of the ship)
The Mk IX** was the second improved version of the Mk IX, which saw service in 1930. The Mk IX** first appeared in service in 1939 and gradually replaced the Mk IX and IX* on cruisers and then destroyers.
It featured improved speed and range, going from 9.6km at 36kn (or 12.4km at 30kn) to 10km at 40kn (or 13.7km at 35kn). It also had a greatly improved warhead of 367kg of Torpex compared to the original 340kg of TNT.
This should be the standard torpedo for all British cruisers in mid-war configuration as well as destroyers from the J/K/N Class onward

 

Spoiler

Naval Weapons of World War Two by John Campbell pg 86
Mine Disposal Handbook, 1945 – British Underwater Ordnance Tables 1 and 2
navweaps.com/weapons/WTBR_WWII.php
navalhistory.flixco.info

 

Fire Control and Electronics:

Type 284 - Metric gunnery radar for primary armament surface engagement. As part her modernisation, the original DCT was moved to the aft superstructure (to direct the rear turrets), while a new DCT equipped with the new Type 284 set was mounted on top of the superstructure. 
It can be seen very clearly up close at 3:11 of the video in this post.

 

The ship was also fitted with Type 283 radar and an auto barrage unit. This system would automatically track and fire at airborne targets which allowed the main guns to be used in an anti-aircraft role. This system could also be used to blindfire the secondary armament.

Type 285 - Metric High Angle gunnery radar for the 4" dual purpose battery. Two sets were fitted, one on each HA director which can be found on the bridge wings (3:27)

Spoiler

Type 282 - Metric HA gunnery radar for the multiple pom-pom mounts. Mounted onto the existing pom-pom director Mk IV. Can be found on sponsons partway down the bridge superstructure with one per side

Spoiler

Type 273 - Centimetric target indication radar. Larger cruiser/capital ship variant of earlier Type 271 set used on smaller escort craft. Housed in a distinctive lighthouse cage above the aft superstructure just behind the searchlight platform (can briefly be seen at 11:11)

Spoiler

Type 279 - Metric air warning (air search) radar developed from the first naval surface radar the Type 79 . Two sets are fitted onto the fore and aft masts at the very top

Spoiler

 

Armour:

Like all other County class vessels, London completed without an armour belt, only having protection around the magazines, steering gear and deck. This was to reduce displacement to meet the treaty limits.
In 1939 she received a 3.5" armour belt covering the machinery spaces 

 

Machinery Protection

• 3.5" (89mm) cemented belt 
• 1.375" (34.9mm) deck

Steering gear

• 1.5" (38.1mm) turtleback 

Magazines (charge stowage)

• 4" (102mm) sides
• 3" (76.2mm) crown
• 3" (76.2mm) bulkheads

Shell Rooms

• 1" (25.4mm) sides
• 1" (25.4mm) crown

Barbette and Gun-house

• 1" (25.4mm) all round

 

Propulsion:

• 8x Admiralty 3-drum boilers
• 4x Parsons steam turbines developing 80,000 shaft horsepower, driving 4 screws
• 32 knots max speed

 

Dimensions and Crew:

• L = 193m
• B = 20m
• D = 6.4m

Displacement:

• 9,750 tons standard (as first constructed, modern displacement would be closer to 10,500 tons)

Crew:

• 784

 

Image Dump:

 

Spoiler

 

London as built

 

 

Post modernisation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary:

HMS London represents the pinnacle of constructed RN heavy cruisers. As the most modernised of the fleet she packs a heavy punch with her main guns and respectable AA firepower comparable to most other tech tree British cruisers. The addition radar to naval will also give her an edge over other nations.
If given her correct torpedoes (alongside the other RN vessels), they will be the second best in the game, losing only to the Type 93 Long Lance and with four launches per side you will be able to effectively block choke points and devastate the enemy. 
The only downside is the reduced belt armour. At 3.5" it is thinner than that of the earlier Kents (although it covers a greater area) and the Town classes, making the ship more susceptible to damage in the machinery spaces. The magazines however, retain the excellent protection of other RN ships.

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by Shrike142

[leroyonly 4,310]

Open for discussion. 

 

However please do add a poll to your suggestion as per rules & guidelines. As this makes it easier and quicker for people to support suggestions as well as making it easier for us to see how much support a suggestion recieves over time.

This topic will remain visible for 48 hours before being moved to a hidden archive if no poll is added as per previously linked rules and guidelines.

[Milocat 4,849]

Would be a nice heavy cruiser for the British tree.  +1.

[Shrike142 1,682]

11 hours ago, leroyonly said:

Open for discussion. 

 

However please do add a poll to your suggestion as per rules & guidelines. As this makes it easier and quicker for people to support suggestions as well as making it easier for us to see how much support a suggestion recieves over time.

This topic will remain visible for 48 hours before being moved to a hidden archive if no poll is added as per previously linked rules and guidelines.

Thank you
O7

 

Poll added

[ALIEN109 1,321]

https://warthunder.com/en/news/6626/current/

[leroyonly 4,310]

As HMS London (69) has been implemented with update 1.97 Viking Fury,

 

Moved to Implemented Suggestions.