Pantera class protected cruiser

Pantera class Protected Cruiser
Class overview
Name	Pantera class Protected Cruiser
Operators	Far Eastern Imperial Navy
Planned	6
Built	6
Active	5
Destroyed	1
General Characteristics
Type	Protected cruiser
Displacement	5700 tons standard 5960 tons full load
Length	130.6 metres (428 ft)
Beam	15.7 metres (52 ft)
Draught	5.8 metres (19 ft)
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 VTE steam engines
Power	24 Belleville boilers 18,500 ihp (13,800 kW)
Speed	23 kts
Range	6100 nm at 10 kts
Complement	400
Armament	12 × 152mm/45 KO 1893 g gun 18 x 76.2mm/40 KO 1900 g gun 8 x 37mm/40 KO 1893 g gun 3 457mm torpedo tubes
Armour	Deck: 37-127 mm conning tower: 152 mm

Development

Pantera class protected cruisers were the first Far Eastern ships ordered from Great Britain, a move that was considered controversial in both ends due the hostile relations between the two nations. Origins of the project was the "For the need of the fleet" naval expansion program which was started after the Sino-Japanese war in 1895. The new fleet concept was based around battleships and new type of cruisers were needed for the fleet scouting and reconnaissance work. Initial plans were to build small armored cruisers but this was rejected on a cost basis. As the Far Eastern shipyards were already at full capacity, first two units were ordered from abroad. Tenders were send on various shipbuilders but eventually British Armstrong Whitworth-design was chosen.

The ships are designed under Far Eastern requirements but is of a typical "Elswick" design. They feature flush deck hulls with considerable freeboard. They lacked armor belt but featured armored deck. First two were build in UK and the rest of the ships in domestic shipyards.

Ships in class

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launch Date	Entered Service	Fate
Pantera	Armstrong, Elswick, UK	October 1899	December 1900	November 1901	Sunk in 1904
Bars	Armstrong, Elswick, UK	October 1899	December 1900	December 1901	Extant in 1920
Gepard	Amurskiy Sudostroitelnyy Zavod, Permskoye-na-Amure	June 1900	September 1901	April 1903	Extant in 1920
Yaguar	Admiralteyskiye verf, Vladivostok	April 1901	May 1902	August 1903	Extant in 1920
Kuguar	Novaya verf, Dalny	May 1901	June 1902	September 1903	Extant in 1920
Puma	Novaya verf, Dalny	May 1901	June 1902	October 1903	Extant in 1920

See Also

Ships of Far Eastern Imperial Navy 1920