HMS Lion (C34)
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HMS ''Lion'' was a
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
of the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, originally ordered in 1942 as one of the and laid down that same year as ''Defence'' by
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde. In its time in Greenock, Scotts built over 1,250 ships. History John Scott fou ...
at
Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
in Scotland on 6 June 1942. Work was stopped and not begun again until the mid-1950s for completion as an air-defence cruiser pending the introduction of guided missile-equipped s into the navy. She was commissioned in 1960. All three ''Tiger''s were to be converted into helicopter carriers but ''Lion'' was placed into reserve in 1965 and served as a supply of spares for the other two until decommissioned in 1972 followed by selling for scrap in 1975.


Design and construction

Partially complete, the ship was launched on 2 September 1944 by Lady Edelson, but work was suspended in 1946. The cruiser was further advanced than the two other ''Tiger''s and its completion as HMS ''Defence'' in 1947 was anticipated. New Mk 24 triple six-inch turrets for four ''Tiger''-class ships were 75-80% complete. but the decision was made in 1954 to fit the more advanced fully automatic Mk 26 twin 6-inch turrets. ''Lion'' was fitted with one hydraulic and one electric powered turret in A and Y positions, The three Mk 24 turrets in A, B and Y would have given more reliable all angle surface cover against multiple targets Still named ''Defence'', she was laid up at
Gareloch The Gare Loch or Gareloch ( gd, An Gearr Loch) is an open sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland and bears a similar name to the village of Gairloch in the north west Highlands. The loch is well used for recreational boating, water sports and f ...
in Scotland for eight years in dehumidified sealed state in the RN Reserve Fleet, while the other incomplete ''Tiger''s remained with their builders. By 1954 the condition of ''Defence'' "was not so good", but it was felt ''Defence'', ''Blake'', and ''Tiger'' could still be completed, with new armament in three years at a cost of 6 million pounds while construction of equivalent new cruisers would cost 12 million pounds and take 5 years. Construction of ''Defence'' and two other cruisers was resumed to a revised design. ''Defence'' was renamed ''Lion'' in 1957 and construction continued at the
Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Swan Hunter, formerly known as Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, is a shipbuilding design, engineering, and management company, based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. At its apex, the company represented the combined forces of three powe ...
yards at
Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This fo ...
on the Tyne. Its final cost was 13 million pounds.


Service history

She was finally commissioned in July 1960, having been rushed into service with some shortcuts in the engineering department, due to political pressure to get her to sea. Initial trials were disrupted by severe rotor, turbine and vibration problems and a further three months in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
dockyard were required before she became fully operational in February 1961. ''Lion''s first commission included a
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
leg covering some 20,500 miles in 1961. In the latter part of that year she headed to South America and returned to
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
in 1962. ''Lion'' recommissioned at Devonport for service in the
Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...
and Far East on 31 July 1962 and sailed to the Mediterranean for work-up at the end of November. She reached the Far East in March 1963 and was present at the Malaya independence celebrations in September. She subsequently visited
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
before returning to the UK via the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
. In early 1964, ''Lion'' took part in major
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and other national exercises; she then visited
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
before returning to the UK. In September 1964 ''Lion'' was present at the Maltese independence celebrations. Earlier that year she had been rammed under the
Forth Road Bridge The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge opened in 1964 and at the time was the longest suspension bridge in the world outside the United States. The bridge spans the Firth of Forth, connecting Edinbur ...
by the
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
. Emergency repairs were carried out in
Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
dockyard before she sailed for Malta with only hours to spare. Early in 1965, ''Lion'' was present at the Gambian independence ceremony on Bathurst, now
Banjul Banjul (,"Banjul"
(US) and
), officially the City of Ba ...
. Later that year, she was flagship of a small force for an official visit to Sweden. The ship was present at Portsmouth
Navy Day Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. By country Argentina The Argentine Navy day is celebrated on May 17, anniversary of the victory achieved in 1814 in the Battle of Montevideo. Bahrain The R ...
s in August 1965,Programme, Portsmouth Navy Days, 28–30 August 1965, HMSO, p12 before being decommissioned into the reserve at Devonport until 1972, when she was placed on the disposal list. Plans to convert ''Lion'' along the lines of her sisters and were rejected as too costly. On 15 May 1973, she arrived at
Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
and was subsequently stripped of parts and equipment for use in ''Tiger'' and ''Blake''. ''Lion'' was sold for breaking up on 12 February 1975 for £262,500. On 24 April 1975 she arrived at
Inverkeithing Inverkeithing ( ; gd, Inbhir Chèitinn) is a port town and parish, in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth. A town of ancient origin, Inverkeithing was given royal burgh status during the reign of Malcolm IV in the 12th century. It was an impo ...
where she was scrapped by ship breakers
Thos. W. Ward Thos. W. Ward Ltd was a Sheffield, Yorkshire, steel, engineering and cement business, which began as coal and coke merchants. It expanded into recycling metal for Sheffield's steel industry, and then the supply and manufacture of machinery. I ...
. Some equipment from her was salvaged and sold to
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
for use in their former British cruisers.


Notes


Citations


References

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External links


HMS Lion at Uboat.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lion (C34) Tiger-class cruisers Ships built on the River Clyde 1944 ships Ships built on the River Tyne Cold War cruisers of the United Kingdom