page_title: HMS Chester (1915)
section_title: Design and description
hierarchical_section_title: HMS Chester (1915) / Design and description
caption_attribution_description: Naval guns at the Imperial War Museum, London. Right&#160;: The BL 5.5 inch 50 calibre Mk I naval gun that was served by Jack Cornwell in his Victoria Cross action on HMS Chester at the Battle of Jutland. See File:BL 5.5 inch gun IWM muzzle view.jpg for a muzzle view of the same 5.5 inch gun. Centre. The QF 4 inch 40 calibre Mark IV from HMS Lance that fired the first British shot in World War I. Far left&#160;: A German 10.5 cm SK L/45 gun from submarine U-98.
context_page_description: HMS Chester was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, one of two ships forming the Birkenhead subtype. Along with sister ship, Birkenhead, she was originally ordered for the Greek Navy in 1914 and was to be named Lambros Katsonis. The order was placed with Cammell Laird and production continued for the Greek account after the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. In 1915 the two cruisers were purchased by the British government. She fought at the Battle of Jutland where casualties included John 'Jack' Cornwell who was awarded the highest honour, aged 16.
context_section_description: Based on the Birmingham sub-class of the Towns, the two Greek ships primarily differed from their British half-sisters in their armament. The Greeks specified that they would use the new BL 5.5-inch (140 mm) Mk I gun built by the Coventry Ordnance Works. This weapon was significantly lighter than the standard 6-inch (152 mm) gun, which allowed the ships to mount ten guns, rather than the nine of the Birminghams, and fired an 85-pound (39 kg) shell rather than the 100-pound (45 kg) shell of the 6-inch weapon. It therefore had a higher rate of fire with little loss in hitting power. The Greeks also specified a secondary armament of two 12-pounder anti-aircraft guns, but these were still under development in 1915 and a pair of 3-pounder guns on high-angle mounts were substituted instead. In addition, Chester had a requirement for 26.5 knots (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph) and only used oil-fired boilers to save weight and increase her power to meet the specification.
  The ship was 456 feet 6 inches (139.1 m) long overall, with a beam of 49 feet 10 inches (15.2 m) and a draught of 15 feet 3 inches (4.6 m). Displacement was 5,185 long tons (5,268 t) normal and 5,795 long tons (5,888 t) at full load. Twelve Yarrow boilers fed Chester's Parsons steam turbines, driving four propeller shafts, that were rated at 31,000 shaft horsepower (23,000 kW) for her intended speed of 26.5 knots. She carried 1,161 long tons (1,180 t) tons of fuel oil.
caption: One of Chester's 5.5 inch guns at the Imperial War Museum, London, that was operated by John Cornwell VC during the Battle of Jutland.[1]
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