ВМС Великобритании [с времен создания и до второй половины ХХ века]

Above and opposite: These three pictures of Manchester were taken at Spithead in the afternoon of 2 May 1942, shortly before she departed Portsmouth for Scapa Flow on completion of alterations and additions that followed the cruiser’s Philadelphia PA repair and modernisation between September 1941 and February 1942. A full radar outfit has been installed but - as was the policy at this time - the aft HADT does not have Type 285 GA. An interesting detail is the addition of guards to many of the 20mm Oerlikon positions to prevent them being fired into the ship’s structure. (Admiralty ADM 9651 ADM 966/ADM 967)

 

Left, below and overleaf: Three images of Birmingham taken off Norfolk, VA following completion of her late war repair and modernisation in November 1944. By now she has been largely brought up to the final wartime outfit of weapons and radar systems specified for the ‘Town’ class, although her surface-warning and fire-control radar outfit still comprise legacy’ mid-war sets.The battery of four Bofors quadruple Mk II mounts installed over the 4in guns and in lieu of‘X’ turret was only found in those ‘Towns' - Birmingham and Sheffield - that received late war refits in the United States; the other‘Towns' modernised at this time were equipped with additional quadruple MkVII pom-poms. (US National Archives 80-G-289902/289906/289907 courtesy Rick E Davis)