HMS Centaur (1916)

HMS "Centaur" was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She was the nameship of the "Centaur" group of the C-class of cruisers.

She was built by Vickers Limited and laid down in January 1915, launched on January 1 1916 and commissioned into the Navy in August 1916. The Ottoman Empire had ordered a pair of scout cruisers in 1914. When the First World War started, construction was halted. A considerable amount of material had already been prepared, and much of this was used in the construction of HMS "Centaur", and her sister HMS "Concord".

Upon being commissioned into the Navy, "Centaur" was assigned to the 5th Light Cruiser Flotilla, which operated with the Harwich Force to defend the Eastern approaches to the English Channel. On 18 June 1918 she was damaged by mine, but survived the war. Considered obsolete, she was sold in February 1934 to King, of Troon and arrived at their yards on March 6 1934 to be scrapped.

References

*Colledge
*Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One (1919), Jane's Publishing Company
* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/light-cruiser/hms-Centaur.html Ships of the "Centaur" class]