HMS Achilles Cruiser

THE CAREER OF THE ACHILLES

Achilles achieved instant international fame in 1939 when, alongside her sister-ship Ajax and the heavy cruiser Exeter, she fought the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee to a standstill in the South Atlantic, firing 1242 6in (152mm) shells and receiving only splinters in return. HMS Achilles was constructed by Cammell Laird; laid down on 11 June 1931, she was launched on 1 September 1932 and completed on 6 October the following year. She was loaned to the Royal New Zealand Navy on its formation on 1 October 1941, and remained there until 1946. On 5 July 1948, she was transferred to the Indian Navy, and became the Delhi, serving as fleet flag ship until 1957. Between 1969 and 1977 she served as a training ship at Cochin, though she was still on the active list during the 1971 war with Pakistan. She saw no action, however, and was then paid off and scrapped.

MACHINERY AND PROTECTION

Like all British cruisers of the period, Achilles was required to be able to maintain 32 knots plus (60km/h), and achieved this comfortably thanks to 72,000shp machinery, (the Graf Spee was over four knots slower, which was to prove very significant). She had a limited degree of protection: a three inch (76mm) belt of armour plating at the waterline, box protection for her magazines, inch-thick bulkheads, turrets and trunking.

TECHNICAL DATA

Type: Light cruiser
Machinery: 4-shaft Parsons geared turbines delivering 72,000shp
Dimensions (overall): Length, 169m (554.5ft); beam, 17m (55.7ft)
Displacement: 7270t. standard; 9280t. full load
Draught: 5.8m (1 9ft) full load
Complement: 570
Speed: 32.5knots (60km/h)