A derivative of the relatively successful
Makedonia-class was the strange and obsolescent
Kriti-class. This was, essentially a lengthened
Makedonia were the 6" guns had been replaced by Vickers 7.5" (19 cm) 53 cal. Mk VII QF guns. Two twin turrets - or gun houses - were shipped fore and aft but the rest of the main armament was strangely enough and very archaically so, mounted as broadside guns - four a side, giving an effective broadside of eight guns out of twelve; a not very economical arrangement.
However, for the Hellenic navy the two units ordered from Bethlehem Steel, and named
Kriti and
Kypros respectively represented a huge boon. They were, in effect, the Hellenic navy's first hesitant steps towards the acquiring of true heavy cruisers.
As it were, the
Kriti class, in spite of a strong geared turbine machinery, developing 75,000 ISHP and enabling the ships to reach speeds of 31 knots, were nothing more than the very last breath of the classic armored cruiser. But as such they were the most formidable ones ever built!
The hand-loaded 7.5" 90.7 kg shell, either AP, HE, or CPC could be loaded and fired by an expert gun crew in less than 45 sec. In practice, it took an average crew about 70 sec to load, train and fire. The directional stability and trajectory of the shell was excellent, so was the range (17,500 meters), and the weapon was very highly regarded in the RHN. One problem that arose was the fact that, although the casemated guns should have enjoyed the same range, in practice, due to lesser elevation possibilities, theirs was only about 16,000 meters. This issue was finally more or less solved by supercharging the casemate guns, which was not risk-free; on Oct. 18, 1927 the number two forward port casemate gun exploded due to a faulty breech, killing all but three of the 23 man crew.
In addition to the 7.5" guns the two vessels received the British manufactured 4.7"(12 cm) Mk IX on CP XVII shielded mounts. There were nine of these weapons. Finally there was the usual assortment of the unsatisfactory Italian 3.5 cm DP-gun, and Browning .50 cal. MGs.
The ships were provided with a deep, but thin belt about 260 ft long and 2 to 1-3/8 in thick; barely resistant to destroyer fire.
In spite of the inherent shortcomings of the design, both ships quickly came to enjoy a high popularity and substantially higher reputation than their half-siblings.
The fact that they carried a heavier armament with only a minimal increase in beam, meant that their metacentric height was lowered, making the ships exceptionally steady, if somewhat stiff gun platforms.
Presenting the Royal Hellenic Navy's
Kriti-Class Scout Cruisers:
Thank you Kim for the crest