Highflyer Class Cruisers were built for the Royal Navy during the years of 1897 to 1900. The class was designed to improve onThe Eclipse Class in armament & propulsion. There were 3 of this Class built.

Highflyer Class Cruisers served between the years of 1899 to 1921.

Preceded by: Pelorus class

Succeeded by: Challenger class

Highflyer Class Cruiser consisted of HMS Highflyer, MHS Hermes & HMS Hyacinth. HMS Highflyer spent the first 10 years of her service acting as the flagship for British interests overseas, mainly the East & West Indies. In 1914 she took on the role of intercepting German commerce raiders while protecting allied shipping in the Central Atlantic, boasting some success early in the war.

HMS Hermes performed similar tasks as HMS Highflyer in her early career, performing Flagship duties for British interests overseas. In 1913 HMS Hermes entered into an experiment by the Royal Navy and was modified to carry Great Britains first Seaplanes. The experiment intended to evaluation how an aircraft could be used to assist and improve naval maneuvers, and if aircraft could be effectively used for extended periods of time at sea. At the end of that year the sea trials we deemed a success, and she was paid off. Less than a year later she was reactivated at the commencement of WWI, and pressed into service as an aircraft ferry and depot ship. She made one trip to Dunkirk ferrying aircraft before being sunk by U27 once she left port.

HMS Hyacinth began her career serving in home waters with the Channel Fleet before deploying to the Indies. She spent most of the war shadowing and finally blockading SMS Königsberg in the Rufiji Delta (German East Africa). While on-station Hyacinth was responsible for the beaching and destruction of captured British Merchantman SS Rubens(Change to Konborg by the Germans) which was on mission to sneak a resupply to the blockaded Königsberg. The Germans crewed the Merchantman with Danish speaking Germans, and put flew a Danish flag upon her in attempts to sneak past the blockade.