 |
LION CLASS (BATTLESHIP)
|
| NAME | BUILDER | LAID DOWN | LAUNCHED | COMPLETED |
| LION | Vickers Armstrong Tyne | 04/07/39 | --------- | ---------- |
| TEMERAIRE | Cammell Laird | 01/06/39 | --------- | ---------- |
| CONQUEROR | John Brown | --------- | --------- | ---------- |
| THUNDERER | Fairfield | -------- | --------- | ---------- |
| Specifications | |
| Displacement | 40,500 tons standard 46,300 tons deep load |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 785 ft (239.3 m) |
| Beam | 104ft (31.7 m) |
| Draught | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Machinery | 4 shaft Parsons geared turbines , 8 Admiralty 3 drum boilers giving 130,000 shp |
| Speed | 30 kts |
| Armour | belt 15 in 5.5 inch (381 mm-140 mm) Bulkheads 13 in - 4 inch (330 mm -102 mm) barbettes 15 in - 12 in 381mm -305 mm Turrets 15 in to 6 in (381 mm -152 mm) CT 4.5 in - 2 inch (115mm -51 mm. |
| Armament | 9 16 in (406 mm) /45 MKII or III in 3 triple turrets ,16 5.25 in (133 mm )/50 QF MK1 in 8 twin turrets 48 2 PDR pom poms 6 Octuple mountings 2 Aircraft. |
| Complement | 1680 as Flag Ship |
| The Lions were to have been built under
the escalation clause of the London Treaty which allowed 45,00 tons and
16 inch guns. However the government of the day did not understand just
how far this treaty had be breached by Japan and Russia as well as Germany. In
general layout the class resembled the King George V class but had a
transom stern as the Vanguard was to be completed with in 1946.The 16
inch guns she would have carried would have been different to the ones
carried by the Nelson class as they were designed for a heavier 2375 lb
shell .
Work was suspended on the 3rd of October 1939 but was then resumed from November 1939 until May 1940 ,little more was done before construction ceased. The 218 tons in place for Lion and the 121 tons for Temeraire were dismantled in 1942-43. Design work continued reflecting wartime experience by January 1942 displacement was 42,550 tons standard beam 108 ft and a sheer forward as in Vanguard .Lessons from the loss of the Prince of Wales caused greater enlargement still. In 1944 the class was finally cancelled with the demise of the Tirpitz.
|