Light Cruisers of the World Part 4 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This single ship, built in England, was the only light cruiser designed and built for a South American navy. For which country was this ship built?

Answer: Argentina

The "La Argentina", built in Great Britain between 1937-1939, was designed as a training ship for naval cadets. The ship was very similar to the British "Arethusa" class. Armament was nine 6-inch and four 4-inch guns on a displacement of 7500 tons. "La Argentina" was decommissioned in 1972 and broken up in 1974.

2. In 1938, Thailand contracted with a European shipyard to build two light cruisers. Which country was to build these ships?

Answer: Italy

The Thai ships being built by Italy were to be called "Taksin" and "Naresuan", and were to be armed with six 6-inch guns on a 6000-ton displacement. The Italians requisitioned the ships in 1941 and re-designed them to be used as armed fast cargo ships to run supplies to North Africa. Renamed "Etna" and "Vesuvio", the ships were never finished and the hulls were broken up after the war.

3. This class of British cruisers, the "Town" class, was built between 1934-1939 in three groups, with each group slightly improved from the last, mainly by the addition of radar and improved AA capability. How many of the class were built in total?

Answer: Ten ships

The "Town" class cruisers were built in three groups which varied in their displacement and AA weapons. The first group, the "Southamptons" of five ships, weighed 9100 tons, while the second group, the "Gloucesters", numbered three ships and weighed 9400 tons.

The third group, the "Edinburghs" of two ships, weighed 10,565 tons. All units carried twelve 6-inch guns. Of the ten units built, four were sunk, five were scrapped, and the "Belfast" is now a museum ship in London.

4. Part of the German Navy's ambitious pre-war "Z" plan meant to challenge the British Royal Navy by 1948, the "M" class of light cruisers consisted of six ships. How many were actually completed?

Answer: None

The "M" class of six ships were planned as part of the expansion of the German Navy and were set to be built from 1938 on. Only one ship was laid down, and work stopped on the outbreak of World War II. The ships would have weighed from 8500-9300 tons and carried eight 5.9-inch guns.

5. Designed as a counter to the large French destroyers built in the 1930s, the Italian "Capitani Romani" class of twelve ships were ordered in 1939. How many were completed?

Answer: Four

The Italian "Capitani Romani" class were little more than an enlarged destroyer, displacing 5400 tons and armed with eight 5.3-inch guns. Only four ships of twelve were ever completed, with two ships, "Attilo Regolo" and "Scipione Africano" ceded to France after the war, while "Guilio Germanico" and "Pompeo Magno" served in the Italian Navy as "San Marco" and "San Giorgio" until 1980.

6. The Soviet Union attempted to build a large, modern fleet in the 1930s. One of the components of that program was a class of seventeen light cruisers. How many of these ships were built?

Answer: Five

The Soviet "Chapayev" class was to be seventeen units strong, but due to World War II only five ships were completed, all in 1950. Main armament was twelve 6-inch and eight 3.9-inch guns on a displacement of 13,650 tons. The last unit of the class was scrapped in 1981.

7. This class of American light cruisers was the largest class ever built, even though only half were completed as light cruisers. What is the name of this ship class?

Answer: Cleveland class

The "Cleveland" class were ordered just prior to the outbreak of World War II and were built between 1940-1944. A total of twenty-seven were completed as light cruisers, nine were completed as the "Independence" class light aircraft carriers, three were cancelled, and thirteen were reordered as the "Fargo" class cruisers. Six units were converted to missile cruisers, and one of these units, "Little Rock" is now a museum ship in Buffalo, New York.

8. The "Atlanta" class light cruisers were designed as destroyer flotilla leaders, but were used as escorts for the carrier task forces. How many of the eight ships built were lost in World War II?

Answer: Two ships

The four ships of the "Atlanta" class and the four of the "Oakland" sub-class weighed 6000 tons, with sixteen 5-inch guns in the "Atlantas" and twelve 5-inch guns in the "Oaklands". The "Oaklands" had more light AA guns than the "Atlantas". Two units were lost in the war, while the other six were scrapped in the 1960s.

9. Japan had been building only heavy cruisers since 1925, and began a new four-ship class of light cruisers in 1940. What was the name ship of this class?

Answer: Agano

The Japanese "Agano" class cruisers, built between 1940-1944, had what was considered a light gun armament, with only six 6-inch guns, but they carried a very heavy torpedo battery. Displacement was 7600 tons. Three ships were lost in the war, while the "Sakawa" was captured by the Americans and was expended in the 1946 Bikini atomic bomb test.

10. The British built the "Dido" class as small, fast ships for trade protection duties, but it was found that they were most useful as anti-aircraft cruisers. Out of sixteen units, how many were lost in World War II?

Answer: Five

The "Dido" class of sixteen ships were built in four groups, with the last group, the "Bellonas", built with enhanced AA capabilities. Five ships were sunk during World War II, while three ships, "Bellona", "Black Prince", and "Royalist", were sold to New Zealand after the war, and the "Diadem" went to Pakistan in 1956.

11. This class of eleven British cruisers, built in two groups, were a smaller version of the "Town" class ships. Known as the "Fiji" class after the name of the first ship laid down, what is an alternate name for this ship class?

Answer: Crown Colony class

The "Fiji" class comprised eleven units in two groups. The "Fiji" group of eight ships carried twelve 6-inch guns on a displacement of 8525 tons, while the three "Ceylon" ships were armed with nine 6-inch guns, but were fitted with more anti-aircraft weapons. Two of the "Fijis" were lost in World War II, while the other six ships were all scrapped between 1955-1968.

The "Ceylons" were all sold; "Uganda" to Canada in 1944, "Ceylon" and "Newfoundland" to Peru in 1960.

12. This ship, one of two planned, was the last light cruiser built by the Japanese Navy. What was her name?

Answer: Oyodo

The "Oyodo" was a fast cruiser that was designed as a leader for submarine squadrons. Weighing 11,600 tons, she was armed with six 6-inch guns, and had a top speed of 35 knots. Due to the almost complete annihilation of the Japanese submarine fleet, "Oyodo" was used as a fast transport and carrier escort. "Oyodo" was sunk in 1945.

13. The "Minotaur" was the lead ship of a class of British cruisers built to a modified "Fiji" design. Out of nine ships planned, how many were completed?

Answer: Three

The "Minotaur" class of three ships were completed at the end of World War II, and the class was cut from nine ships to only three. "Minotaur" was sold to Canada upon completion. "Swiftsure" and "Superb" both served until the late 1950s. The ships were armed with nine 6-inch guns and weighed 8800 tons.

14. The American "Fargo" class was originally to consist of thirteen ships, eleven of which were re-ordered from the "Cleveland" class. In the end, how many were completed?

Answer: Two

The "Fargo" and "Huntington" were modified from the "Cleveland" class design to improve their seakeeping qualities. The other eleven ships were cancelled. Both units were scrapped by 1971.

15. This class of American anti-aircraft cruisers were completed too late to participate in World War II. Three ships were built to this design. What was the name of the class?

Answer: Juneau class

Built to the same basic design as the "Oakland" group of the "Atlanta" class, the three "Juneau" class ships had their torpedo tubes removed to make room for more anti-aircraft guns. The "Juneaus" had a short service life, being decommissioned in the 1950s and broken up in the 1960s and 1970s.

Source: Author Reamar42

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

By the late 1930s, tensions were rising in Europe, and China and Japan were already at war. Most of the naval powers began to rearm, and light cruisers were built in greater numbers in anticipation of the coming conflict. What do you know about them?

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>