They were built for the rough conditions of the North Sea, and proved to be rugged and capable vessels, despite being somewhat small and cramped.

The Caroline class were all ordered in July and August 1913, as the first six of eight "light armoured cruisers" under the 1913 programme.

They were commissioned in mid to late 1915, as modifications to the Caroline subclass with higher speeds, a more efficient boiler layout and a reduction in the number of funnels to two.

Their 4-inch (102 mm) guns were mostly replaced in a similar fashion to the previous sub-classes, with smaller calibre weapons.

These ships were very "wet" forward, which was remedied in the subsequent Carlisle sub-class with the addition of a "trawler bow".

Three ships underwent extensive rebuilds during the 1930s, becoming anti-aircraft (AA) cruisers, resulting in all previous armament being removed.

Coventry and Curlew were given ten QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun for their AA role, disposed in single mounts one forward, three on each beam and three aft.

The Carlisle class were ordered in June and July 1917 under the War Emergency Programme, and commissioned between 1918 and 1922.

[4] In March 1916, Cleopatra rammed and sank the German destroyer G 194 while she covered a raid at Tondern.

In 1918, Cardiff had the honour of leading the German High Seas Fleet to the River Forth, where the ships were held before being moved to various other ports.

No C-class ships were lost during the First World War; however, in December 1918, Cassandra hit a mine and subsequently sank.

Ships of the C class performed a variety of duties after World War I, including service on overseas stations.

The Caroline, Cambrian and Centaur classes were all scrapped or consigned to minor roles, such as training ships, by the 1930s.

In 1938, because of a shortage of this weapon, the aft pom-pom was removed and fitted on another ship, being replaced by two quadruple 0.5-inch (13 mm) Vickers machine gun mounts.

That same year, Caradoc intercepted the German tanker Emmy Friedrich, whose crew subsequently scuttled her.

In 1941, Calcutta and Carlisle took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan, in which a number of Italian warships were sunk.

C-class cruisers also took part in the campaign and evacuation of Crete, coming up against heavy German opposition from the air.

HMS Caroline remained the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve drill ship in Alexandra Dock, Belfast until 31 March 2011, when she was decommissioned.