HMS Lion (C34)

HMS "Lion" was a light cruiser of the Royal Navy, 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 on 6 June 1942.

Partially complete, "Lion" was launched on 2 September 1944 by Lady Edelson, but work was suspended in 1946 and "Defence" 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 yards of Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson at Wallsend. She was finally commissioned in July 1960.

In September 1964 "Lion" was present at the Maltese Independence celebrations, and later that year she was rammed under the Forth Road Bridge by HMS "Lowestoft". "Lion" then undertook a period of reserve at Devonport from 1964 until 1972, when she was placed on the disposal list - plans to convert her along the lines of her sisters HMS "Tiger" and HMS "Blake" having been rejected as too costly. On 15 May 1973 she arrived at Rosyth and was subsequently stripped of parts and equipment for use with "Tiger" and "Blake". "Lion" was sold for breaking up on 12 February 1975 for £262,500. On 24 April 1975 "Lion" arrived at Inverkeithing where she was scrapped by Wards. Some equipment from her was salvaged and sold to Peru for use with their former British Crown Colony class cruisers.

References

*Colledge
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4041.html HMS Lion at Uboat.net]
* [http://www.btinternet.com/~warship/Postwar/Cruisers/tiger.htm A history of the Tiger class]