This below-decks view of HMCS Niobe shows part of the ship's secondary armament of a dozen 12-pounder cannons (left).

Diadem class cruisers like Niobe were designed to blanket a target with fire from their numerous 6-inch and 12-pounder guns. Within a few years, many warships carried guns that could strike from still greater distances and had armour too thick for Niobe's guns to defeat. The placement of Niobe's 12-pounders, along with the wooden deck, is strongly reminiscent of the wooden sailing warships of an earlier era.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20030174-035