The class followed the fast but lightly armed Iris and Mercury dispatch vessels into a navy still deciding what unarmoured cruisers should do. Those earlier ships achieved exceptional speed through costly machinery while carrying relatively little fighting power. HMS Leander, HMS Phaeton, HMS Amphion, and HMS Arethusa served as seagoing warships between 1885 and 1919. They were transitional ships, very useful in some roles and poorly suited to others.
Chapter · 0:58-2:47
Leander class in a navy undergoing transition
The four Leanders were partially protected second-class cruisers built while the Royal Navy searched for a useful new cruiser type.