- Yes - In the Tech Tree.
- Yes - Event/BP.
- Yes - Premium.
- No - I would not like to see Ship name in game.
Description:
HMCS Aurora was one of many Arethusa-class light cruisers built for service within the Royal Navy within the lead up to the First World War, in which she would serve diligently.
She and two Destroyers would be transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy post war, as to replace the pair of aging cruisers in their possession, however she would not last in Canadian service for long.
This suggestion is for her as she commissioned into the RCN in 1920.
History:
Royal Navy service:
Ordered in September 1912, HMS Aurora was built by the Royal Dockyards at Devonport, England, being laid down on the 24th of October the same year. She would launch on the 30th of September 1913, only finishing fitting out and commissioning on the 5th of September 1914.
She, like most of her class, finished with Parsons turbines and cruising turbines. This extended her operational range compared to the pair of ships who were fitted with Brown-Curtis types, who did not have these extra turbines fitted.
Upon commissioning as HMS Aurora, she would join the Harwich Force, as the leader of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla under the command of Commodore R.Tyrwhitt out of Yarmouth. The flotilla was ordered to sail in December 1914, as to intercept and destroy a German fleet then raiding the east coast of England, however this interception would be prevented by poor conditions.
In January 1915 she and her Flotilla would partake in the battle of Dogger Bank. During this engagement she would be hit thrice by the German Cruiser SMS Kolberg, scoring two hits of her own in retaliation. The SMS Blücher would be sunk in during the course of the battle, and Aurora sent to pick up survivors. This would be interrupted by a Zeppelin, who was harassing the Harwich forces including Aurora. This led to the rescue being broken off and cancelled.
The next month she would be assigned leader of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, guarding the approaches to the Channel. She would join the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron in June, remaining there until the end of the war. During this time her 3pdr was replaced by a QF 3-inch 20cwt gun. In August 1915, she participated in the sinking of the raider Meteor, and the capture of two Trawler in 1916.
She was refitted in 1917 as to be able to deploy mines, which were to be released astern. She would carry 74 contact mines. She also had a director fitted, which necessitated the replacement of her pole mast with a tripod type. She would be assigned to the 7th Light Cruiser Squadron in 1918, being present at the surrender of the High-Seas fleet in November.
She was decommissioned in 1918 and was placed in the reserves due to operational cost. She would be offered to the Royal Canadian Navy in addition to two destroyers as to replace the two aging cruisers, HMCS Niobe and HMCS Rainbow, who were then 22 and 28 years old respectively.
Royal Canadian Navy service:
This offer by the British Admiralty would be accepted by the Canadian Government on the 25th of March 1920, and the Aurora would reactivate and commission as HMCS Aurora. She would sail for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 1st of November 1920, arriving on the 21st of December.
She would spend a small amount of time at HMC Dockyard, Halifax before setting off on a training cruise via the Caribbean for Esquimalt, British Colombia. During this trip she would carry documents bound for British Consulates in the Americas. Her presence in near Costa Rica was used to strengthen the Canadian position for oil negotiations. She would return to Halifax on the 30th of July 1921 via the same route she departed on.
Her career in the RCN would be short, heavy cuts to the Canadian Naval Budget in August of 1921, led to the de-commissioning of the HMCS Aurora due to cost concerns. She would pay off on the 1st of July 1922, with her useful equipment such as her guns being landed, and her hulk sitting alongside a jetty in Halifax until 1927, when she was sold for scrap and broken up.
| General Characteristics: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name: HMCS Aurora | |||||
| Country: Canada | |||||
| Type: Light Cruiser | |||||
| Class name: Arethusa | |||||
| Year of commission: 1920 | |||||
| Refit: 1920 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Dimensions: | |||||
| Length: 436ft (133m) | |||||
| Beam: 39ft (12m) | |||||
| Draught: 13.5ft (4.1m) | |||||
| Displacement: 3,500t | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Propulsion: | |||||
| Powerplant: 8x oil fired boilers, driving steam turbines @ 40,000hp (30,000kW) driving four shafts | |||||
| Speed: 28.5kt | |||||
| Endurance: 5,000nmi @ 16kt | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armament & sensors: | |||||
| Compliment: 282 | |||||
| Primary armament: 2x1 BL 6-inch/45 Mk.XII, 6x1 QF 4-inch/45 Mk.IV | |||||
| Secondary armament: 1x1 QF 3pdr (Vickers) | |||||
| Tertiary armament: 2x2 21 inch torpedo tubes, 74x Mines | |||||
| Sensors: -nil | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armour: | |||||
| Waterline Belt: 1-3inch (25-76mm) RHA | |||||
| Conning Tower: 6 inch (152mm) RHA | |||||
| Deck: 1 inch (25mm) RHA | |||||
| Gun turrets: 1 inch (25mm) RHA on the BL 6-inch mounts |
Sources
HMS Aurora (1913) - Wikipedia
https://www.canada.ca/en/navy/services/history/ships-histories/aurora.html
HMCS AURORA - For Posterity's Sake
Nova Scotia Archives - The Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS AURORA - The 1920s - ReadyAyeReady.com - The Canadian Navy
HMCS AURORA - CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum
https://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/H.M.S._Aurora_(1913)
Macpherson, K., & Burgess, J. (1982). The Ships of Canada’s Naval Forces 1910-1981 (pp.12- 13)