The
C class was a group of twenty-eight
light cruisers of the
Royal Navy, and were built in a sequence of seven groups known as the
Caroline class (six ships), the
Calliope class (two ships), the
Cambrian class (four ships), the
Centaur class (two ships), the
Caledon class (four ships), the
Ceres class (five ships) and the
Carlisle class (five ships). They were built for the rough conditions of the
North Sea, and proved to be rugged and capable vessels, despite their being somewhat small and cramped.