HMNS Caledon (1950)
 Caledon, November 1950
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| History | |
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 Vionna-Frankenlisch
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| Name: | Caledon |
| Namesake: | Admiral the Earl of Caledon |
| Ordered: | March 1948 |
| Builder: | J.M Loughton and Sons, Brumley |
| Laid down: | November 1948 |
| Launched: | 1st December 1949 |
| Commissioned: | 20th June 1950 |
| Fate: | Decomissioned in May 1989, preserved as museum ship at Port Walshingham |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Admiral-class gun-cruiser |
| Displacement: | 10,800 long tons (11,000 t) (standard) |
| Length: | 605 ft 1.5 in (184.4 m) |
| Beam: | 65 ft (19.8 m) |
| Draught: | 19 ft 3 in (5.9 m) (deep load) |
| Installed power: | Eight Admiralty Standard boilers |
| Propulsion: | Four shaft steam turbines |
| Speed: | 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range: | 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement: | 564 (612 as flagship) |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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HMNS Caledon was an Admiral-class cruiser built for the Vionna-Frankenlischian Imperial Navy at the end of the 1940s. She served through the Red Decade, remaining on the royalist side of the various conflicts during that period - seeing action in the Imperial Civil War, the Gallandian Civil War, and the War of Restoration. Caledon was decomissioned in 1989 and remains preserved as a museum ship in Port Walshingham, Owaya, under the patronage of its former captain - Owayan businessman, Sir Kuray Tete.
The Caledon is well-known today due to its continued existence as a popular tourist attraction, and for its connection to the Owayan beer brand Royal Caledon.
Design and description
The Admiral-class cruisers were designed during the ministry of Clarence Addlington as the first of the modern Vionna-Frankenlischian gun-cruisers. At the time, government budgeting meant that the Imperial Navy needed solid multi-purpose ships which could be built cheaply. In the case of the Admiral-class, priority was placed on designing a ship which could keep up with most surface combatants, provide close-range anti-air cover, and carry a significant enough gun armament to carry out shore bombardment and engage other cruisers and destroyers. Long range was also a desired feature for hunting down enemy commerce raiders.
Caledon had an overall length of 605 feet 1.5 inches (184.4 m), a beam of 65 feet (19.8 m), and a draught of 19 feet 3 inches (5.9 m). She displaced 10,800 long tons (11,000 t). Her crew consisted of 564 officers and ratings, this increased to 612 when deployed as a flagship - with the additional numbers coming from the admiral's staff and a strengthened complement of marines. Caledon was powered by eight Admiralty Standard boilers driving four steam turbines with a propellor shaft each. The power provided by these gave her a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), and she had a range of 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).
The main armament of the Admiral-class ships consisted of seven 7.5-inch (191 mm) guns in single mounts protected by 1-inch (25 mm) gun shields. They were arranged with five guns on the centreline, four of which were in superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure, the fifth gun on the quarterdeck, and the last two as wing guns abreast the aft funnel. Twelve single 3 in (76 mm) dual-purpose guns were mounted about the ship, with seven deployed beside the main guns (one per gun), four positioned around the central superstructure (two to each side), and the twelth gun mounted on a platform behind the funnel. These guns were radar-guided for their anti-aircraft role. The rest of the Admiral-class' anti-aircraft gun suite consisted of four quad radar-guided 20mm guns and four dual 40mm Bofors guns. These were later complemented aboard Caledon and Hollens by eight dual Seacat missile launchers, the first deployment of these new weapons aboard cruisers. The launchers were installed in 1960 and cost more than the rest of Caledon's AA suite put together. The ships' armament was completed by four individual deck-mounted torpedo tubes (two per side).
The Admiral-class were protected by a full-length waterline armoured belt that covered most of the ships' sides. It was thickest over the boiler and engine rooms, ranging from 1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm) thick. Their magazines were protected by an additional 0.5 to 1 inch (13 to 25 mm) of armour. There was a 1-inch aft transverse bulkhead and the conning tower was protected by 3-inch armour plates. The ships' deck protection consisted of 1 to 1.5 inches of high-tensile steel.
Construction and career
Caledon was named after Admiral the Earl of Caledon, a decorated admiral of the Carolinian period and known best for his victory at Cape Fallahar, and was the second ship of the Imperial Navy to bear that name. The ship was ordered in March 1948 and laid down in November of that year, she was launched on 1st December 1949 and comissioned into service as HMNS Caledon on 20th June 1950. She was constructed by J.M Loughton and Sons in Brumley, a private shipbuilders which were often trusted with naval contracts and were renowned as reliable builders of cruisers and large destroyers. Upon entering service, Caledon became flagship of 1st Cruiser Squadron with the Grand Fleet under Rear Admiral Sir James Watten-Smith.
In 1954, Caledon was detached from the Grand Fleet and remained in reserve for four months before being assigned to the Imperial Colonial Squadron. This assignment lasted only three weeks before Caledon was reassigned to the Owaya Squadron as the new flagship of Vice Admiral Sir Douglas Slater. A large fleet exercise took place in May 1955, Captain John Palmer of Caledon was mentioned in despatches for his handling of the ship during the exercise. Caledon remained in her position until November 1960, when a sudden flare in tensions involving Kenega persuaded the Admiralty to deploy the battleship Mary Bithwick to Wishtonia, where she became the new flagship of the Owaya Squadron. Despite being displaced as flagship, Caledon remained in Owaya and was still on station when the Imperial Civil War broke out.