Tiger class Cruisers
Ship Histories
| Ship | History |
| Tiger | Ordered as Bellerophon but renamed Tiger in 1945. Laid down by John Brown & Co. Ltd. at Clydebank on October 1st 1941 and launched on October 25th 1945 by Lady Stansgate, wife of Viscount Stansgate, the Secretary of State for Air. Work was then suspended and Tiger was laid up at Dalmuir. On October 15th 1954 it was announced work would resume on Tiger and her two sisterships and she was completed on March 18th 1959. Between 1962 and 1963 Tiger was deployed in the Far East during which she acted as Flagship for Borneo Operations. In December 1966 Tiger hosted talks at Gibraltar between Harold Wilson and Ian Smith on the future of Rhodesia, following the Unilateral Declaration of Independence. She paid off in December 1966 and remained in reserve until 1968. Between 1968 and 1972 Tiger underwent a £13.25 million conversion into a Helicopter Cruiser at Devonport Dockyard. She recommissioned on July 2nd 1972 and her new ungainly appearance earned her the nickname ‘Ugly Duckling’. In 1973 sister ship Lion was stripped for spare parts and equipment and sufficient equipment was salvaged for Tiger for her to be nicknamed 'Liger’. Along with sistership Blake, Tiger attended the 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review off Spithead. Tiger paid off 20th April 1978 and remained in reserve at Portsmouth until 1979 when she was placed on the disposal list. On September 23rd 1986 Tiger left Portsmouth under tow for breaking up by Desquaces Varela in Spain, arriving on September 28th 1986. She had spent less than 14 years in operational service and steamed only 400,000 miles. |
| Lion | Laid down as Defence by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. at Greenock on June 6th 1942 and launched on September 2nd 1944 Lady Edelson. Work was suspended and Defence was laid up at Gareloch in Scotland from 1946. On October 15th 1954 it was announced that work would resume on Defence and she was completed on July 20th 1960 by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend-upon-Tyne and commissioned as Lion, having been renamed in 1957. In September 1964 Lion was present at the Maltese Independence celebrations. Lion 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 Tiger and Blake having been cancelled. On May 15th 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 February 12th 1975 for a cost of £262,500. On April 24th 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 Colony Class Cruisers. |
| Blake | Laid down as Blake but renamed Tiger in 1944 before reverting to Blake again in 1945. Blake was laid down at Govan by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. and launched on December 20th 1945 by Lady Jean Blake, wife of Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Blake. Work was then suspended and Blake was laid up at Gareloch. On October 15th 1954 it was announced work would resume on Blake she was completed on March 18th 1961- the last cruiser completed for the Royal Navy. Blake entered reserve on February 21st 1963- the extensive specialist manpower required to operate these vessels was urgently needed to man more modern ships and, in anticipation of the withdrawal from Malta, to man the Commando Carriers. Blake was converted into a Helicopter Cruiser at Portsmouth Dockyard between 1965 and 1969 and she commissioned on April 23rd 1969. In 1966 during the conversion a major fire broke out causing much damage. This, together with other factors, considerably escalated the cost of the conversion. In 1969 Blake deployed to Gibraltar along with other Royal Navy units in order to ‘fly the flag’ in response to Spanish hostility following the closure of the Spanish-Gibraltan border by General Franco. Also in 1969 a Royal Air Force (RAF) Harrier jet landed on Blake. In 1971 Blake assisted Commando Carrier Bulwark with the withdrawal from Malta. Together with Tiger, Blake attended the 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review off Spithead. On December 6th 1979 Blake paid off at Portsmouth Dockyard. She had the distinction of being the last cruiser in Royal Naval service and marked this by firing her 6-inch guns in the English Cannel. Blake underwent a refit at Rosyth and arrived at Chatham on May 13th 1980 where she entered the Standby Squadron. John Nott’s 1981 Defence Review (‘The Way Forward’), signalled the closure of Chatham Dockyard and along with it the Standby Squadron and all remaining vessels were put up for disposal. Blake was sold August 25th 1982 for breaking up to Shipbreaking (Queenborough) Ltd for £210,000. On October 29th 1982 she was towed from Chatham for Cairnryan, arriving November 7th 1982. |
| Ship List | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Deck Code | Builder | Laid Down |
Launch | Comm | Decomm | Notes |
| C 20 C 24 ? | HMS Tiger | TG | John Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd. (Clydebank, Scotland): Vickers Armstrong (Tyne) | 01 Oct 1941 | 25 Oct 1945 | 18 Mar 1959 | 20 Apr 1978 | ex Blake, ex Bellerophon, scrapped at Castellon, Spain |
| C 34 | HMS Lion | n / a | Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Greenock, Scotland) | 24 Jun 1942 | 02 Sep 1944 | 20 Jul 1960 | ... | ex Defence completion as guided missile cruiser cancelled. Used as parts hulk. Sold to be broken up for scrap in April 1975. |
| C 99 | HMS Blake | TG | Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Govan, Scotland) | 17 Aug 1942 | 20 Dec 1945 | 08 Mar 1961 | 06 Dec 1979 | ex Tiger |
