Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:12:36-2:13:13

Five Leanders and three modified Amphions made eight

The familiar total of eight combines five original Leanders with three modified Australian ships.

Amphion Class Light CruisersInterwar CruisersLeander Class Light Cruisers (1931)Royal Australian NavyRoyal Navy
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Question

How many Leander-class cruisers were built?

Short answer

Eight ships are commonly grouped together: five British Leanders and three modified Amphion-class ships later transferred to the Royal Australian Navy.

Notes

Leander, Orion, Neptune, Ajax, and Achilles were the five ships built to the original Royal Navy design. Amphion, Apollo, and Phaeton formed a modified subclass rather than three more identical Leanders. Those ships entered Royal Australian Navy service as Perth, Hobart, and Sydney. The headline total of eight can therefore conceal an important design and service distinction. The count also places the South Atlantic cruisers in the broader interwar construction story.