Exeter

The programs of 1926 and 1927 included plans for building four 10,000-ton cruisers, but due to budget savings, it was decided to build cruisers with a smaller tonnage. HMS Exeter was commissioned in July 1931. During the interwar period, she served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets, as well as in the West Indies. At the beginning of World War II, the cruiser participated in the hunt for German raiders. In 1939, she fought a battle near La Plata. On February 27, 1942, while fighting the first battle in the Java Sea, HMS Exeter was damaged by fire from Japanese cruisers. She sank during the second battle.