survivability as each unit of paired boilers and steam turbines could operate independently and a single hit could not immobilise the ship. As built Amphion had an overall length of , a length between perpendiculars of , a beam of , and a draught of at deep load. The ship displaced at standard load and at deep load. This gave her a metacentric height of at deep load. Her crew numbered 36 officers and 586 ratings. The modified Leanders were powered by four Parsons geared turbines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by four Admiralty 3-drum boilers. The turbines, rated at , were intended to give the ships a maximum speed of The unit system necessarily meant that each machinery unit had its own funnel. The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of at . Armament and protection The main battery of the Modified Leander class consisted of eight BL Mk XXIII guns arranged in two pairs of superfiring twin-gun turrets fore and aft of the superstructure. Their secondary armament consisted of four QF Mk V guns in open single mounts abreast the aft funnel. For short-range air defence, the ship was fitted with three quadruple mounts for Vickers AA machineguns. They were also armed with eight torpedo tubes in two above-water quadruple mounts, one on each broadside. Most of the armour protecting parts of the ship consisted of non-cemented armour. The machinery spaces were protected by a waterline belt and the deck above them consisted of of high-tensile steel. The sides of the magazines consisted of armour plates and their roofs were protected by plates. The gun turrets had thick sides and roofs. Construction and career Amphion was originally ordered for the RN as part of the 1931–1932 Naval Programme, but the order was suspended until the design of the Modified Leander class was finished. The ship was laid down at HM Dockyard, Portsmouth on 26 June 1933 and was launched by the Marchioness of Titchfield on 27 July 1934. Amphion was commissioned on 15 June 1936 and was completed on 6 July. The cruiser served as the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Africa and the 6th Cruiser Squadron (Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Tottenham) from 1936 to 1938. In early 1939 the ship was refitted and her Mk V four-inch guns were replaced by four twin-gun mounts for QF four-inch Mk XVI dual-purpose guns. The base