HMS Leander and a cruiser built for distant stations

Leander spent much of her career with the New Zealand Division, an assignment that fits the class's station-cruiser purpose. Her name continued a Royal Navy lineage that included an earlier protected cruiser, although the Greek myth of Hero and Leander ends with Leander drowning during a storm crossing. That makes the name an awkward choice for a warship. The ship's purpose resembled that of the earlier cruiser type: hold a distant position, protect trade, and contribute to a commerce-war response until the main fleet could arrive. Her later designation as HMNZS Leander shows how the class supported Dominion naval forces within the wider imperial system. Captain Stephen Roskill's service aboard also gave the ship an unusual place in the historical record. As the official British naval historian of the Second World War, Roskill frequently mentioned Leander in his books and articles.