Berwick, Cornwall, Cumberland, Kent, Suffolk and Dorsetshire spent the majority of their pre-war careers on the China Station; Australia and Canberra in Australian waters; Devonshire, London, Shropshire and Sussex in the Mediterranean; and Norfolk in home waters and on the West and East Indies stations. They were involved in many exercises and those based overseas frequently took part in official visits.
Some points of interest during this period include:
In October 1929 Cumberland carried the Secretary of State for War and Parliamentary and Financial Secretaries of the Admiralty and their private secretaries from Gibraltar to Chatham. In August 1937, she and her sister Suffolk stood-by off the Putu Islands to assist in the defence of the Shanghai International Settlement, during which Chinese aircraft attacked Japanese shipping in the vicinity and two bombs near missed the Cumberland. In 1938 Cumberland carried the Commanderin-Chief on an inspection of his command, the first visit being to Singapore for the opening of the new base there on 14 February. In December 1928 Kent went to Yokohama to represent Great Britain at the Coronation Review of the Japanese Emperor Hirohito.
Australia carried out an exchange with her sister Sussex in 1935. Canberra visited the China Station in 1932 and acted as escort for HRH the Duke of Gloucester when he visited Australia in 1934.
Soon after joining the Mediterranean Fleet, Devonshire experienced an explosion, which killed 17 of the ship’s company, in one of her 8in turrets during gunnery firings in the Aegean Sea. London took part in the Jubilee Review of July 1935 at Spithead and in non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War. In August 1936 Shropshire acted as Refugee Control Ship at Barcelona.
During the war the ‘County’ class cruisers spent much of their time either as convoy escorts or on broader trade protection duties. Some highlights of their wartime careers are given under each ships’ individual histories below.