ROYAL NAVY SOUTH ATLANTIC COMMAND - ROYAL NAVY A B 36 SHIPS

4)AJAX (LIGHT CRUISER)

Launched 1^st March 1934

Commissioned 3^rd June 1935

Decommissioned February 1948

Sold for scrap in 1949

Displacement:  7,270 tons standard 9,740 tons full load

Length: 554.9 ft (169.1 m) Beam:  56 ft (17 m) Draught:  19.1 ft (5.8 m)

Propulsion: Four Parsons geared steam turbines, Six Admiralty 3-drum oil-fired boilers 
Four shafts 72,000 shp

Speed: 32.5 knots (60 km/h)

Range: 5,730 nmi at 13 knots

Complement: Peacetime 550.   Wartime 680

Sensors and processing systems type 284/286 air search radar type 273/271 surface search type 2856 inch (152 mm) fire control type 282 40 mm fire control

Armament: Original configuration: 8 × 6 in guns 4 × 4 in guns 12 × 0.5 in machine guns 8 × 21 intorpedo tubes

In 1945: 8 × 6 in (152 mm) 8 × 4 in (102 mm) 16 × 40 mm 8 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (quadruple mounts) Armour: 4 in (102 mm) main belt 2.5 in (64 mm) ends 1.25 to 2 in(32 to 51 mm) deck1 in (25 mm) turrets

Aircraft carried: One catapult-launched aircraft. Original type was a Fairey Seafox catapult and aircraft later replaced with Supermarine Walrus. In the picture a Fairey Seafox returns from one patrol after being lauched from HMS Canton. Photo IWM 

HMS AJAX was stationed in south Atlantic from January to December 1939 visiting several ports and from the war outset in pursuit of german Merchants Olinda, Ussukuma and Karl Fritzen all them scuttled by their own crews to avoid capture. AJAX took a pivotal role in the battle of the river Plate against battleship Graf Spee.

FOLLOWING PAGES ON THE SAME ARTICLE

3)AFRICANA (ARMED TRAWLER)

5)ALBATROSS (SEAPLANE TENDER)

6)ALCANTARA (ARMED M. CRUISER)

7)AMARANTHUS (CORVETTE)