List of Cruiser Classes of The Royal Navy - First Class Cruisers

First Class Cruisers

Armoured cruisers were protected by a belt of side armour and an armoured deck. In the Royal Navy this classification was not actually used, the term first class cruiser being used instead for both armoured cruisers and large protected cruisers. Thus, the first class cruisers built between the Orlando class (1886) and the Cressy class (1897) were, strictly speaking, protected cruisers as they lacked an armoured belt. The first class cruiser was succeeded by the Battlecruiser in the Royal Navy.

• Shannon first class armoured cruiser, (1875) 5,670 tons, two 10-inch, seven 9-inch guns
• Nelson class first class armoured cruiser, 7,473 tons, four 10-in, six 9-in guns
  • Nelson (1876) - Sold 1910
  • Northampton (1876) - Sold 1905
• Imperieuse class first class armoured cruiser, 8,500 tons, four 9.2 in, ten 6 in guns
  • Imperieuse (1883) - Sold 1913
  • Warspite (1884) - Sold 1905
• Orlando class first class armoured cruiser, 5,600 tons, 2-9.2in, 10-6in
  • Orlando (1886) - Sold 1905
  • Australia (1886) - Sold 1905
  • Undaunted (1886) - Sold 1907
  • Narcissus (1886) - Sold 1906
  • Galatea (1887) - Sold 1905
  • Immortalite (1887) - Sold 1907
  • Aurora (1887) - Sold 1907
• Blake class first class protected cruiser, 9,150 tons, two 9.2-inch, ten 6-inch guns
  • Blake (1889) - Sold 1922
  • Blenheim (1890) - Sold 1926
• Edgar class first class protected cruiser, 7,700 tons, 2-9.2in, 10-6in
  • Edgar (1890)
  • Hawke (1891) - Torpedoed 1914
  • Endymion (1891)
  • Royal Arthur (1891)
  • Gibraltar (1892) - Sold 1923
  • Grafton (1892)
  • St George (1892)
  • Theseus (1892)
  • Crescent (1892)
• Powerful class first class protected cruiser, 14,200 tons, 2-9.2in, 12-6in
  • Powerful (1895) - Sold 1929
  • Terrible (1895) - Sold 1932
• Diadem class first class protected cruiser, 11,000 tons, sixteen 6-inch
  • Diadem (1896)
  • Niobe (1897) - To Canada as HMCS Niobe, BU 1922
  • Europa (1897)
  • Andromeda (1897)
  • Amphitrite (1898)
  • Argonaut (1898)
  • Ariadne (1898)
  • Spartiate (1898)
• Cressy class first class armoured cruiser, 12,000 tons, two 9.2-inch, twelve 6-inch guns
  • Cressy (1899) - Torpedoed 1914
  • Sutlej (1899)
  • Aboukir (1900) - Torpedoed 1914
  • Hogue (1900) - Torpedoed 1914
  • Bacchante (1901)
  • Euryalus (1901)
• Drake class first class armoured cruiser, 14,150 tons, 2-9.2in, 16-6in
  • Drake (1901) - Torpedoed 1917
  • Good Hope (ex-Africa) (1901) - Sunk during the Battle of Coronel, 1914
  • King Alfred (1901) - Sold 1920
  • Leviathan (1901) - Sold 1920
• Monmouth class first class armoured cruiser, 9,800 tons, 14-6in
  • Monmouth (1901) - Sunk during the Battle of Coronel, 1914
  • Bedford (1901) - Wrecked on 21 August 1910 off Quelport Island in the China Sea
  • Essex (1901)
  • Kent (1901)
  • Berwick (1902)
  • Cornwall (1902)
  • Cumberland (1902)
  • Donegal (1902)
  • Lancaster (1902)
  • Suffolk (1903) - Sold 1920
• Devonshire class first class armoured cruiser, 10,850 tons, four 7.5-inch, six 6-inch guns
  • Devonshire (1904) - Sold 1921
  • Hampshire (1903) - Mined 1916
  • Carnarvon (1903)
  • Antrim (1903) - Sold 1922
  • Roxburgh (1904) - Sold 1921
  • Argyll (1904) - Wrecked 1915
• Duke of Edinburgh class first class armoured cruiser,
  • Duke of Edinburgh group 13,550 tons, 6-9.2in, 10-6in
    • Duke of Edinburgh (1904) - Sold 1920
    • Black Prince (1904) - Sunk at the Battle of Jutland, 1916
  • Warrior group 13,550 tons, 6-9.2in, 4-7.5in
    • Warrior (1905) - Sunk at the Battle of Jutland, 1916
    • Cochrane (1905) - Wrecked 1918
    • Achilles (1905) - Sold 1921
    • Natal (1905) - Explosion 1915
• Minotaur class first class armoured cruiser, 14,600 tons, four 9.2-inch, ten 7.5-inch guns
  • Minotaur (1906) - Sold 1920
  • Shannon (1906) - Sold 1922
  • Defence (1907) - Sunk at the Battle of Jutland, 1916