HMS Orion (85)

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HMS Orion in 1940

The HMS Orion was a Leander class light cruiser which served in the Royal Navy during World War II.

[edit] Description

Displacement: 7,215 tons
Speed: 32.5 kt
Complement: 550
Armament: Eight 6 inch guns in pairs
Eight 4 inch anti-aircraft guns in pairs
Eight 2 pdr anti-aircraft guns in pairs
Twelve 0.5 inch machine guns in fours
Eight 21 inch torpedo tubes in pairs and 1 aircraft

[edit] History

Built by: Devonport Dockyard (Plymouth, U.K), Vickers Armstrong (Newcastle-on-Tyne, UK)
Laid down: 26 September 1931
Launched: 24 November 1932
Commissioned: 18 January 1934
Ended service: 1947
Sold for scrap: to Arnott Young (Dalmuir, Scotland) on 19 July 1949

HMS Orion was commissioned for service with the Home Fleet but she was transferred to the American and West Indian Station in 1937 where she was with the 8th Cruiser Squadron. The cruiser conveyed the ashes of Lord Tweedsmuir, Governor-General of Canada, back to England in February 1940.

In June 1940 she was transferred to the Mediterranean. She was with the 7th Cruiser Squadron as Flagship. She took part in the bombardment of Bardia and the engagement of Punto Stilo. During the rest of 1940 she escorted Malta convoys and transported troops to Greece. In the early part of 1941 she was in the Crete and Aegean areas and was also at the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941.

On 29 May 1941, during the evacuation of Crete, she was badly damaged after being bombed. Many of her crew lost their lives. She was taken to Simonstown, South Africa where she had temporary repairs and was then sent to Mare Island Naval Shipyard in the USA for major repairs.

Orion returned to the Mediterranean in 1943. This time she was with the 15th Cruiser Squadron. She was involved in the invasion of Sicily. Orion spent the rest of the war around the Mediterranean. She also took part in the Normandy Landings in June 1944.

HMS Orion was scrapped in August 1949.