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The ''Leander'' class was a four-ship cruiser programme ordered by the Admiralty in 1880. The class comprised , , and . ==Genesis== "A new and better policy of unarmoured construction was inaugurated by the Admiralty of 1874-80. They began by building the two despatch vessels, and , with a speed not approached up to that date by any in naval service. In the ''Mercury'' and the ''Iris'' the speed was obtained by an enormous development of horse-power… The cost per ton was equal to that of the most powerful ironclad, while the fighting power was inconsiderable."〔Lord Brassey, ''The Naval Annual, 1886'', page 68〕 In 1880 the Admiralty Board were divided about next design of cruising ship to lay down. The First Naval Lord, Sir Astley Cooper Key, favoured an enlarged . Some of the other members of the board preferred an improved . The First Lord of the Admiralty, William H. Smith, backed the latter.〔Brown, ''Warrior to Dreadnought, Warship Development 1860–1905'', page 111.〕 There was a change of government on 23 April 1880;〔The 1880 General Election took place from March to April 1880. Polling day was 5 April. The Liberals under William Ewart Gladstone gained a landslide victory. Gladstone took office on 23 April. The new Board of Admiralty were appointed on 12 May. See: (Bartholomew Archive ''William Gladstone and the 1880 General Election'' )〕 Lord Northbook replaced W.H. Smith as First Lord, though Astley Cooper Key continued as First Naval Lord.〔See List of Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty#1861 to 1882〕 "Lord Northbook's board were deeply impressed with the necessity for developing the construction of vessel of the ''Leander''" type.〔 "The first four ships of a large class laid down for the protection of commerce under Lord Northbrook's board were of the ''Leander'' type. The ''Leanders'' have a displacement of 3,750 tons. Their speed is 17 knots… Their coal supply is 1016 tons. These ships were followed by the four ships of the ''Mersey'' type…"〔Lord Brassey, ''The Naval Annual, 1886'', page 69〕 The ''Leanders'' were primarily designed for trade protection.〔Conway's ''All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905'', page 61〕 In 1881, it was argued that Britain had fallen behind in cruisers to protect Britain's mercantile marine, which at the time was at least half the world total. "Taking 14 knots as the standard of high speed, we have only 11 swift cruisers, counting the ''Iris'' and ''Mercury'' despatch vessels among them. Fine vessels they are, and no doubt the and the , when they have got on board their new armament, will give a good account—a very good account indeed—of any cruiser in the world that is not an iron-clad. But the world is a large place; and eight or ten vessels cannot be everywhere, and the safety of our commerce imperatively demands that the swift cruisers which we have ready at the outbreak of a war shall be enough to clear the seas of privateers. Much use, as a war goes on, may, no doubt, be made of the armed merchantmen on the Admiralty List; but we must have Royal () cruisers to begin with, A commencement was made last year by the late Board in the ''Leander'' and her two consorts, which, with their partially protected machinery, their great speed, and their excellent guns, will be everything that can be desired for the purpose for which they were devised. The present Board have carried this policy farther. We are pushing on the ''Leanders'', and we have laid down a fourth ''Leander'' at Pembroke, to occupy the spare time of the 200 extra men who are working on the iron-clads…"〔(Hansard HC Deb 18 March 1881 vol 259 cc1389-90 ) Statement by the Secretary to the Admiralty, Mr George Trevelyan in the House of Commons, 18 March 1881.〕 On 2 December 1884, the Secretary to the Admiralty stated, "The present Board have been gradually developing, and, as I would venture to say, in an effective manner, our resources for the protection of commerce. The late Board of Admiralty laid down an admirable type for the purpose in the ''Leander'' class. We have followed in their footsteps by producing the ''Mersey'' type, and we now propose to go a step further in the same direction, by laying down vessels of the Mersey class, but protected by a belt in lieu of an armoured deck. The belt will, I think, be approved by my hon. Friend who sits behind me (Sir Edward J. Reed)."〔(Hansard HC Deb 2 December 1884 vol 294 c455 ) House of Commons, the Secretary to the Admiralty, Sir Thomas Brassey.〕 These belted cruisers were the ''Orlando'' class. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Leander-class cruiser (1882)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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