Tiger class battlecruiser

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Class overview

Builders:	John Brown & Company
Preceded by:	Lion class battlecruiser
Succeeded by:	Renown class battlecruiser
Cost:	£2,500,000+
Built:	1913
In commission:	1914–1931
Planned:	2
Completed:	1
General characteristics
Displacement:	28,800 tons (normal) 33,677 tons (deep)
Length:	697 ft 9 in (212.7 m) waterline 704 ft (215 m) overall
Beam:	90 ft 6 in (27.6 m)
Draught:	32 ft (9.8 m) (loaded)
Propulsion:	Brown-Curtis turbines, 4 shaft, 85,000 shp (104,635 shp in trials)
Speed:	28 knots (52 km/h) (design) 29.07 knots (53.84 km/h) (trials)
Range:	8,030 nautical miles (14,870 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h)
Armament:	8 × 13.5 inch 45 cal Mark V guns (4×2) 12 × 6-inch Mk.7 guns (12×1) 2 × 3-inch AA guns (2×1) 4 × Vickers 3-pounder guns 4 × 21-inch torpedo tubes
Armour:	Belt: 9 in, tapering to 3 in at lower edge Main Deck: 3-1 in Barbettes: 9 in Turret faces: 9 in

The Tiger class were a capital ship class of battlecruiser in the British Royal Navy. The class was originally planned to number two, but only one was built - HMS Tiger.

[edit] History

The Tigers were originally intended to be sisters of the Lion class. However, in January 1911, the Vickers-Armstrong yard began building a battlecruiser for the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Kongō. The key feature of the Kongō-class was that it had its main gun turrets all either aft or fore, eliminating the amidship turret that had a poor firing arc. That Kongō was built to a more balanced design than the Lions caused some indignation within the Royal Navy, the upshot being the Royal Navy ordering their next battlecruisers in light of the improvements made in Kongō.