APOLLO Class

protected cruiser

RAINBOW was a member of a class of 20 protected cruisers built for the Royal Navy. Transferred to Canada in 1910, she became the first unit of the Royal Canadian Navy. During the First World War, she was the sole surface vessel the navy possessed on the West Coast. In 1917, she was briefly paid off as her crew had been sent to the east coast, but we recommissioned two months later to act as a depot ship. A number of her sister ships were sunk as blockships at Zeebrugge in 1918.

APOLLO Class
Characteristics:

Displacement: 3,600 tons 
Dimensions: 95.8 x 13.3 x 5.0 meters (314.5 x 43.5 x 16.5 feet) 
Propulsion: 12 knots 
Crew: 273 
Armament: 2 6" single, 6 4" single, 8 6 Pdrs, 4 14" TT (below waterline) 

Ships:
 
 
Name
Launched
Commissioned
Paid Off
RAINBOW
25/3/91
7/11/10
21/6/20

Photos:

(click on thumbnail for larger image) 
 
HMS RAINBOW, as completed for the Royal Navy. 
HMCS RAINBOW passes HMCS ALGERINE, at the wharf. ALGERINE was used as a depot ship for the duration of the First World War, as her crew had been sent to Halifax to man NIOBE.
 

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