HMS Southampton

HMS Southampton

HMNZS Leander

HMS Dreadnought

HMS Southampton

HMNZS Leander

HMS Dreadnought

Britain

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.7	5.7	5.7

Class:

Light cruiser

Research:105 000

Purchase:310 000

Description

The Town-class, HMS Southampton (C83), 1940 is a rank IV British light cruiser with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Citadel64 / 114 / 32 mm

Main fire tower25 / 25 / 25 mm

Hull25 mm (steel)

Superstructure8 mm (steel)

Number of section8

Displacement11 350 t

Crew748 people

Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armament separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips for preserving survivability in the "Use in battle" section.

If necessary, use a graphics template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB69 / 24 km/h

RB59 / 21 km/h

Write about the ship’s mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward speed and reverse speed.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB11 374 → 15 423

RB11 272 → 15 284

Total cost of modifications92 900

154 600

Talisman cost1 800

Crew training90 000

Experts310 000

Aces1 200

Research Aces570 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

450 / 600 / 100 %

178 / 178 / 178 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 3 700 Cost: 6 200 250 Rudder Replacement Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 230 Propeller Replacement Research: 3 900 Cost: 6 500 260 Engine Maintenance Research: 5 000 Cost: 8 300 340	Damage Control Division Research: 3 700 Cost: 6 200 250 Fire Division Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 230 Smokescreen Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 230 Shrapnel Protection Research: 3 900 Cost: 6 500 260 Ventilation Research: 3 900 Cost: 6 500 260 New Pumps Research: 5 000 Cost: 8 300 340 Ammo Wetting Research: 5 000 Cost: 8 300 340	Anti-Air Armament Targeting Research: 3 700 Cost: 6 200 250 152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_cpbc_ammo_pack Research: 3 700 Cost: 6 200 250 102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_SAP_ammo_pack Research: 3 700 Cost: 6 200 250 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 230 152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_dist_fuse_ammo_pack Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 230 102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_dist_fuse_ammo_pack Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 230 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 3 900 Cost: 6 500 260 Improved Rangefinder Research: 3 900 Cost: 6 500 260 102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_radio_fuse_ammo_pack Research: 3 900 Cost: 6 500 260 Torpedo Mode Research: 5 000 Cost: 8 300 340 152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_radio_fuse_ammo_pack Research: 5 000 Cost: 8 300 340 Hydroplane Research: 5 000 Cost: 8 300 340

Armament

Primary armament

4 х Turret3 x 6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII cannon

Ammunition600 rounds

Vertical guidance-5° / 45°

Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells.

Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.

Secondary armament

4 х Turret2 x 4 inch/45 Mark XVI cannon

Ammunition400 rounds

Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. The secondary armament is defined as the weapon chosen with the control Select secondary weapon. Evaluate the secondary armament and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section.

Anti-aircraft armament

2 х Turret4 x 40 mm 2pdr QF Mk.VIII automatic cannon

Ammunition8960 rounds

Belt capacity56 rounds

Fire rate200 shots/min

2 х Turret4 x 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V machine gun

Ammunition8000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

An important part of the ship’s armament responsible for air raid defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control Select anti-aircraft weapons. Talk about the ship’s anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets.

Torpedo armament

Torpedoes launchers are standard equipment on many ships and boats. Torpedoes are a significant means of defeating an opponent. Evaluate the position of the torpedo launchers, discuss the ammunition available, firing specifics such as dead zones, features of the torpedoes themselves, etc.

Additional armament

Setup 16 x 533 mm Mk.IX wet-heater torpedo

Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes.

If there is no additional armament, remove this section.

Usage in battles

Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don’t try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier	Seakeeping	Unsinkability		Firepower
I	Dry-Docking	Tool Set		6 inch CPBC	4 inch SAP	Anti-Air Armament Targeting
II	Rudder Replacement	Fire Protection System	Smokescreen	6 inch HE-TF	4 inch HE-TF	Auxiliary Armament Targeting
III	Propeller Replacement	Shrapnel Protection	Ventilation	Improved Rangefinder	4 inch HE-VT	Primary Armament Targeting
IV	Engine Maintenance	New Pumps	Ammo Wetting	6 inch HE-VT		Torpedo Mode

Pros and cons

Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

History

HMS Southampton before her refit in 1937.

The HMS Southampton, pennant number 83, is a light cruiser of the Town class. Launched in 1936, she went on to see service during the Second World War. She initially served as the flagship of the 2nd Cruiser squadron of the Home Fleet, and later participated in several engagements with German vessels. She was reassigned to the Mediterranean in October of 1940. However, in January 1941, she was bombed by Italian aircraft and suffered crippling damage. As a result, she was scuttled with torpedoes from her escorts.

Design and development

The Southampton was a member of the Town class, a group of light cruisers built in the 1930s. Initially intended to be built as Arethusa-class cruisers, the design was changed after the construction of the American Brooklyn-class and Japanese Mogami-class ships. The vessels were 180 metres long and displaced 11 000 tons, as they weren’t regulated by the Washington naval treaty. The ships carried an armament of twelve 152 mm guns in four triple turrets, a big upgrade from the six-gun Arethusas. The ships also carried numerous anti-aircraft defenses, and two triple torpedo launchers. She was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h).

The HMS Southampton was laid down on November 11th 1934, and launched on March 10th 1936. She was formally commissioned into the Royal Navy in March of 1937.

Operational history

Following her commissioning, the Southampton entered service with the 2nd Cruiser squadron of the British Home Fleet. After the outbreak of the Second World War, she participated in the hunts for the German merchant Johannes Molkenbuhr and the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. During this time, she was damaged twice; first by a 500kg bomb while she was laid up at Rosyth, and later by a German air attack off the coast of Norway.

In November of 1940, Southampton sailed for the Mediterranean. She later participated in the Battle of Cape Spartivento and escorted resupply missions to Malta. However, on January 11th of 1941, she was attacked by twelve Stukas of the Luffewaffe. Hit by two bombs, the ship caught fire and suffered severe damage. With 80 sailors dead and no electrical power, the decision was made to scuttle the ship. Thus, she was sunk by four torpedoes from the cruiser Orion and a single torpedo from her sister ship Gloucester.

Media

The Shooting Range #163 - Metal Beasts section at 00:35 discusses the HMS Southampton.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Works Cited

• Helgason, G. (1995). HMS Southampton. Retrieved November 17, 2020, from https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1235.html
• RBJ. (2008, January 01). Light cruiser HMS Southampton (C83). Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://shipshub.com/ships/180-1.html

Britain light cruisers
Emerald-class	HMS Enterprise
Dido-class	HMS Dido
Leander-class	HMNZS Leander
Arethusa-class	HMS Arethusa
Town-class	HMS Belfast · HMS Liverpool · HMS Southampton
Tiger-class	HMS Tiger
Abdiel-class*	HMS Abdiel