Arethusa-class cruiser (1934)

	HMS Galatea as completed, at Devonport, c. 1935
Class overview
Name	Arethusa class
Operators	Royal Navy; Republic of China Navy; People's Liberation Army Navy;
Preceded by	Leander class
Succeeded by	Town class; Dido class;
Built	1933–1937
In commission	1935–1949
Planned	6
Completed	4
Cancelled	2
Lost	2
General characteristics
Type	Light cruiser
Displacement	5,220 (5,270 Penelope and Aurora) tons standard load;; 6,665 (6,715 Penelope and Aurora) tons full load;
Length	506 ft (154 m)
Beam	51 ft (16 m)
Draught	16.5 ft (5.0 m)
Propulsion	Four Parsons geared steam turbines; Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers; Four shafts; 64,000 shp (48,000 kW);
Speed	32.25 knots (59.73 km/h; 37.11 mph)
Range	5,300 nmi (9,800 km; 6,100 mi) at 13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph); 1,325 tons fuel oil;
Complement	500
Armament	6 × BL 6 in (152 mm) Mk. XXIII guns in twin mounts Mk. XXI; 4 × QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk. V guns in single mounts HA Mk. III (Arethusa, Galatea); 8 × QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk. XVI guns in twin mounts HA/LA Mk. XIX (Aurora, Penelope); 8 × 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Mk. III Vickers machine guns in quad mounts Mk. III; 6 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (2 × 3);
Armour	1–3 in magazine box protection; 2.25 in belt; 1 in deck, turrets and bulkheads;
Aircraft carried	1 × Hawker Osprey, then Fairey Seafox, except Aurora; removed by end 1941.

The Arethusa class was a class of four light cruisers built for the Royal Navy between 1933 and 1937 and that served in World War II. It had been intended to construct six ships, but the last pair, Polyphemus and Minotaur, were ordered in 1934 as the 9,100-ton Town-class Southampton and Newcastle.

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