An Introduction to the "E" Class; part 2 - HMS Enterprise

HMS Emerald retained the earlier arrangement until a reduction made after 1943, so her quoted armament must be tied to a specific period.

Enterprise and Emerald combined unusually large light-cruiser dimensions, high speed, long range, modest armour, and a heavy torpedo outfit.

Enterprise tested a forward twin six-inch turret that helped develop arrangements later used in Leander and Arethusa-class cruisers.

Large light cruisers were intended to counter surface raiders, while lighter cruisers handled scouting and commerce protection.

Enterprise joined the Fourth Cruiser Squadron in the East Indies while the Navy continued to monitor the fatigue and reliability of her experimental turret mount.

Enterprise helped remove Haile Selassie from French territory amid fears that an Italian reaction could widen the Abyssinian crisis.

Liverpool and Manchester relieved Emerald and Enterprise in the Far East because both classes occupied a similar large-light-cruiser role.

Enterprise's 1938 voyage carrying crews to China also placed another large light cruiser in the region without presenting the movement as a direct challenge to Japan.

Enterprise carried £10 million in gold to Canada on a strategic financial mission that relied on cruiser speed and range.

From 1940, Enterprise moved from the Home Fleet to Force H, Malta aircraft-delivery duties, South African waters, and the Indian Ocean hunt for Admiral Scheer.

Enterprise volunteered to recover survivors from HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire despite uncertainty over the continuing Japanese carrier threat.

A year-long refit updated Enterprise before she returned to operations against German destroyers and torpedo boats and then supported bombardment forces.

As the lead ship of Utah Beach's Sub-Group U, Enterprise bombarded coastal defences and fired about 9,000 six-inch shells during the Normandy campaign.

Enterprise retained her six-inch battery while wartime refits multiplied her pom-pom and 20 mm anti-aircraft weapons; the stated torpedo totals conflict.

The cruiser is placed within the Royal Navy's longer Enterprise tradition, including a later namesake conducting survey work at Beirut in 2020.

Enterprise and Emerald were begun in private yards but completed at naval dockyards; Enterprise's heavier forward turret also required careful weight balancing.

The E class combined selective armour with a heavy torpedo battery so a large light cruiser could survive long enough to close with powerful surface raiders.

Enterprise carried one aircraft for most of her career, moving from the Fairey Flycatcher to the Seafox and later the Kingfisher.