Tiger class Cruisers
During the Second World War (1939-1945) eight Minotaur Class Light Cruisers were planned. Swiftsure, Minotaur, Bellerophon, Defence, Superb and Tiger were ordered under the 1941 Construction Programme, followed by Blake and Hawke under the 1942 Construction Programme. However the end of the War, coupled with the post-war economic crisis, led to the cancellation of many warships under construction or on the drawing board. In addition the war in Asia and the Pacific had highlighted the importance of aircraft carriers, and so the construction of light fleet carriers took priority over that of cruisers.
Of the eight Minotaur Class Cruisers, Swiftsure and Superb were completed and commissioned into the Royal Navy, Minotaur was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy (RAN) upon completion and renamed Ontario, construction of Bellerophon, Defence and Blake was suspended, whilst in March 1946 Tiger and Hawke were cancelled altogether, the later being broken up on the slipway at Portsmouth.
The looming cancellation of later units at led numerous name changes, so that the best names would see service. Hence in 1945 Bellerophon was renamed Tiger, in 1957 Defence was renamed Lion and in 1944 Blake was renamed Tiger, only to be renamed Blake again in 1945.
As the Second World War ear cruisers reached the end of their operational lives, the status of Tiger, Lion and Blake was reconsidered and on October 15th 1954 it was announced work on the three cruisers would resume and they would be completed to a revised ‘Tiger Class’ design. The modified design mainly revolved around the inclusion of rapid fire automatic 3-inch and 6-inch gun turrets, originally envisaged for the abandoned ‘Minotaur Project’, instead of the three triple 6-inch gun turrets and five twin 4-inch turrets originally planned for the Minotaur Class.
As completed the three Tiger Class Cruisers had a standard displacement of 9,550 tons and displaced 11,700 tons fully loaded. They measured 169 metres in length, 19.5 metres in breath and 5.5 metres in draught. Equipped with four Admiralty 3-drum boilers and 4 shaft Parsons SP geared turbines, they had a speed of 31.5 knots. Armament consisted of two twin 6-inch gun turrets (one forward, one aft) and three twin 3-inch turrets (one forward, two amid ships). The automatic turrets could fire twenty rounds per minute- a rate twice as fast as that of any previous cruiser. They numbered 716 in complement and were fully air conditioned.
Tiger entered service in 1959, followed by Lion in 1960 and finally by Blake in 1961. Despite their sophisticated gun weaponry, the Tiger Class were in many ways already obsolete as more modern vessels were entering service with guided missiles. The three vessels were also manpower intensive, requiring a complement of over 700 officers and men. In the run up to the withdrawal from Malta the priority was to keep the Commando Carriers fully manned and operational. This, coupled with the need to man more modern vessels, led to Blake entering reserve in 1963- less than two years after she first commissioned. She was followed by Lion in 1964 and by Tiger in 1966.
During the 1960s there was a requirement for fast helicopter carrying ships to accompany the fleet and supplement the aircraft carriers. To fulfil this role Tiger and Blake underwent major conversions into Helicopter Cruisers equipped for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. The conversion involved the reconstruction of the stern: the aft twin 6-inch gun turret was removed and hanger and flight deck facilities were added for four Wessex or Sea King helicopters. Below the flight deck offices, workshops, a briefing room, mess decks and cabins were added. Provision was also made onboard for a detachment of Royal Marine Commandos, who could be transferred ashore by helicopter, and hence Tiger and Blake also had a role as ‘Commando Cruisers’. Other modifications included the installation of SeaCat anti-aircraft missile launchers amidships in place of the two twin 4-inch gun turrets, which meant Blake and Tiger were the Royal Navy’s first, and last, guided missile cruisers. Finally, extensive command and control facilities were added, giving Tiger and Blake flagship capabilities suited to leading task groups on world-wide deployments. Tiger demonstrated the flagship capability in 1977 when she led a world wide deployment of a nuclear submarine, six frigates and three RFAs to South America .
The conversions left Tiger and Blake some 380 tons heavier with a full displacement of 12,080 tons and their complements increased by 169 to 885. During conversion they had lost their much loved sleek cruiser lines and their new appearance was criticised for being an ungainly and inelegant ‘push me-pull me’ design, and both vessels were soon nicknamed ‘Ugly Ducklings’. Originally Lion was also to have been converted, although this never materialised: Blake’s conversion had been more expensive than envisaged (£5.5 million) and so funds were no longer available. Ironically Tiger’s conversion coast even more (£13.25 million), such was the level of inflation at the time. Lion was subsequently sold for breaking up.
With Ark Royal’s entry into reserve, Tiger and Blake were the only major Royal Navy vessels capable of performing the fundamental anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. The conversion had given Tiger and Blake between fifteen and twenty years further service, but by the late 1970s the Royal Navy was suffering a major manpower crisis. With the recommissioning of Hermes and Bulwark as ASW Carriers, Tiger and Blake entered reserve. When Blake decommissioned in 1979 she had the distinction of being the last cruiser to serve the Royal Navy and her passing was marked on December 6th 1979, when she ceremonially fired her 6-inch guns for the last time in the English Channel. Blake was then sold for breaking up in 1982, followed by Tiger in 1986.
Tiger class Cruiser – 1959
After the war there were three cruisers under construction - the "Plough," the "Defence" and the "Tiger". In 1964 a decision was announced to make certain alterations to the "Tiger", "Blake" and "Lion", whereby they can carry four helicopters by removing the after 6-inch guns. This will certainly increase their versatility and usefulness in the sort of naval operations one can envisage over the next decade. One newspaper report said that this was going to be cheap conversion, but other reports that each one was going to cost about £1 million.
The Tiger was the first of three ships of her class to be completed, the other two being H.M.S. Lion and H.M.S. Blake. She was the third warship of the name to be built by Messers. John Brown and Co. During the twentieth century and represented the ultimate in conventional gun-armed cruisers.
On Wednesday 18th March 1959, she was handed over to the Royal Navy. Her hull was similar to the earlier H.M.S. Superb and, although launched at Clydebank thirteen and a half years ago, it had been preserved in excellent condition by the builders. With her extensive radar and radio equipment and her new armament the Tiger was a complete addition to the Royal Navy as a command ship for the following 10 to 15 years. Some of the new features incorporated in the ship were:
- Quick firing fully automatic radar controlled 6-inch and 3-inch guns.
- Automatic boiler control.
- Remote control of main machinery.
- Dining halls for ship's company with cafeteria type feeding arrangements.
- A bunk for every man in the ship.
- Greatly improved steam-heated vetilation with alternative air cooling arrangements in many spaces.
- The extensive use inside the ship of modern plastic materials in place of steel or aluminium.
