by E28 » Fri Feb 13, 2015 7:54 pm
Very interesting the way in which this cruiser ended up as HMS Lion.
She was ordered on 18 Dec 1941 as part of the 1941 Supplementary Programme with 2 sister ships, members of the FIJI class.
In November 1941 the Ships Names Committee proposed the 3 be named DEFENCE, SUPERB and TIGER, with a reference that should the name LION become available it be substituted for DEFENCE.
The battleship LION was under construction at V.A. Walker yard, no 16, having been laid down on 4 July 1939. LION was duly suspended and in Dec 1942 ordered to be dismantled and the slip cleared, which happened quite rapidly. She was officially cancelled on 15 Oct 1945.
The saga of the 4 LION class battleships did not die then, continuing for a few more years, a very complex story.
Needless to say, DEFENCE, having been laid up incomplete since launch on 2 Sept 1944 by Scotts, yno 611, arrived on the Tyne for part dismantling and reconstruction to a new design with new structures, weapons, electronics and more besides. This was done by Swan Hunters.
During this protracted work DEFENCE was renamed LION on 8 Oct 1957, no longer part of the FIJI class, but the TIGER class, TIGER, LION and BLAKE.
Thats all folks. Sean.