Q&A · 3:22:05-3:22:16

When older protected cruisers would leave service

Without World War I, the Royal Navy's first-, second-, and third-class protected cruisers would probably be gone by about 1918 to 1920.

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Question

Without World War I, when would the Royal Navy retire its older protected cruisers?

Short answer

Probably by 1918, or around 1920 at the latest.

Notes

The older protected-cruiser categories would not survive long under uninterrupted peacetime replacement. The estimate puts their final retirement around 1918, or by 1920 at the latest. This is an approximate fleet-level judgment and does not assign separate retirement dates to individual classes.