Chester begins as a lightly armed scout cruiser with two 5-inch 50-calibre guns, six 3-inch rapid-firing guns, two 3-pounders, and two 21-inch torpedo tubes. By 1917 the battery described here has four 5-inch guns, two 3-inch guns, and a separate 3-inch anti-aircraft gun. The two 3-pounders and both torpedo tubes remain. Doubling the number of 5-inch guns gives the scout a larger main battery while the dedicated anti-aircraft weapon adds another duty. Chester's eventual reclassification as a light cruiser connects this early scouting design with the later category.
Chapter · 6:07-7:18
USS Chester and the scout-to-light-cruiser transition
USS Chester shows how an early American scout cruiser anticipated the later light-cruiser role.