HMS Lion (C34)
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HMS Lion underway
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Lion |
| Ordered: | 1942 Additional Naval Programme |
| Builder: | |
| Laid down: | 6 June 1942 |
| Launched: | 2 September 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 20 July 1960 |
| Decommissioned: | December 1972 |
| Out of service: | Used as a parts hulk for sister ships from 1973 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap 12 February 1975 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Tiger-class light cruiser |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: |
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| Beam: | 64 ft (20 m) |
| Draught: | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 31.5 knots (58 km/h) |
| Range: | 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h) |
| Complement: | 716 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Lion was a light cruiser of the British Royal Navy, originally ordered in 1942 as one of the Minotaur-class and laid down that same year as Defence by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company at Greenock in Scotland on 6 June 1942.
Partially complete, Lion was launched on 2 September 1944 by Lady Edelson, but work was suspended in 1946. The cruiser was further advanced than the two other Tigers and the new Mk 24 triple six inch turrets for all three Tiger-class ships were 75-80% complete Still named Defence, she was laid up at Gareloch. Construction of Defence and two other cruisers was later resumed to a revised Tiger-class design. Defence was renamed Lion in 1957 and construction continued at the Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson yards at Wallsend.
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 dockyard were required before she became fully operational in February 1961.
Lion's first commission included a Mediterranean leg covering some 20,500 miles in 1961. In the latter part of that year she headed to South America and returned to Plymouth in 1962.
Lion recommissioned at Devonport for service in the Home Fleet 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 Malaysia Independence celebrations in September. She subsequently visited Australia before returning to the UK via the Suez Canal. In early 1964, Lion took part in major NATO and other national exercises; she then visited Spain and Portugal before returning to the UK.
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