Lion class battlecruiser
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| Lion-class |  |
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| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 26,250 tons standard 29,680 tons full load |
| Length: | 700 ft (213 m), |
| Beam: | 88.6 ft (27 m), |
| Draught: | 27.5 ft (8.4 m), |
| Propulsion: | 42 boilers, Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 shafts, 70,000 shp (52 MW), |
| Speed: | 27.5 knot (51 km/h) |
| Range: | 5,610 nautical miles (10,390 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Complement: | 997 1,267 |
| Armament: | 8 x 13.5 in (343 mm) guns in four turrets, 16 x 4 in (102 mm) guns, 2 x 21 in (533 mm) submerged torpedo tubes, a single 4 in gun was removed from Princess Royal |
| Armour | Belt: 9 in Bulkheads: 4 in Barbettes: 9 in Turrets: 9 in Decks: 2.5 in |
The Lion class was class of battlecruisers of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War I. They were nicknamed the "Splendid Cats".
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[edit] Design
The class was adapted from the design of the first "super-dreadnought" (or 13.5-inch gunned) class, the Orion class of 1910. The ships were the first battlecruisers to be armed with the new BL 13.5 inch /45 (343 mm) gun by Vickers. The design of the Lions was remedied some of the shortcomings of the preceding Indefatigable-class, which suffered from an inability for the en echelon amidships turrets to safely fire across-deck, limiting them to a three turret broadside. As such, all four turrets in the Lions were arranged on the centreline, although 'Q' turret was located amidships and was unable to fire directly aft (this would be remedied in the following ship, HMS Tiger).
The Lions were also to be faster, than the Indefatigables, and thus were some 111 feet longer, for 27 knots (50 km/h). The increased armament and weight of machinery caused a rise in displacement of some 8,000 tons. Like their predecessors, the Lions achieved their speed and weight of armament by a one-sided sacrificing of armour protection; like all British battlecruisers, their staying power did not match their fighting power and this would prove to have fatal consequences for the Queen Mary during World War I.
Only Lion was completed to the original design, which had the foremost funnel placed between the compass platform and the foremast. This had two profound flaws. Firstly, it meant that hot clinker and flue gases from the boilers made the spotting top on the foremast completely unworkable when the ships were steaming at high speed. Secondly, the light compass platform had to be built on top of the conning tower, and would be prone to collapsing on, and obscuring the view form, the latter after battle damage. Consequently, before commissioning, Lion was altered at a cost of £60,000, moving the forefunnel behind the pole foremast, and relocating the superstructure between funnel and conning tower. The after funnels were raised to the same height as the fore funnels to balance the appearance. Her sister Princess Royal was completed to this design.
[edit] Queen Mary
Queen Mary was a half-sister of Lion and Princess Royal, with some alterations to the design. Beam was increased by ¾ feet and displacement rose by 700 tons. The central funnel was rounded instead of oval in cross-section, and she suppressed the upper forward pair of 4-inch guns. Additionally, she carried a rangefinder on the conning tower.
[edit] Modifications
Lion and Princess Royal received a rangefinder as per Queen Mary. The pole foremast was modified to a tripod, in Queen Mary prior to 1916 and in her half-sisters later. This was due to the increased weight of masthead fire-control equipment associated with director firing. Princess Royal and Lion received searchlight towers on the after funnel and mainmast in 1917, and lost one 4-inch gun each from the after battery, as these weapons were more urgently needed in other ships. Three 12-pounder anti-aircraft guns were fitted in lieu. In 1918, Lion and Princess Royal received flying-off platforms on 'Q' and 'X' turrets, for Sopwith Pup or Sopwith 1½ Strutter aircraft.
[edit] Service
All three ships were heavily involved in the Battle of Jutland in 1916: Lion came close to blowing up, Princess Royal was heavily damaged and Queen Mary exploded and sank with the loss of 1,255 crew - just twenty survived. It was after Queen Mary's explosion that Vice-Admiral David Beatty, embarked aboard Lion, was noted to have said: "There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today".
Jutland was the last major engagement that the Lions were involved in. All ships were scrapped as part of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922.
[edit] References
- Battleships of the World, 1905-1970, Siegfried Breyer, 1973, Macdonald's and Jane's, (Translated from the first edition of Schlachtschiffe und Schlachtkreuzer, 1905-1970, 1970, J. F. Lehmanns Verlag), ISBN 0831707054
| Lion-class battlecruiser |
| Lion | Princess Royal | Queen Mary |
| Preceded by: Indefatigable class - Followed by: Tiger class |
List of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy |
