Launched in 1926, the County Class was a new design of heavy cruiser. Built by Hawthorn Leslie at Chatham Dockyard she underwent several major refits, upgrading her armour and anti-aircraft armanent. having a high freeboard they were a steady gun platform and were considered the most accurate 8 inch gunned cruiser.She is depicted as at 1944 with 5 sets of radar, by which time her displacement had increased to over 14,500 tons.