Science Fair Project Encyclopedia HMS Lion (C34) |Laid
down:||June 1942| |Fate:||Used as parts hulk for sister-ships
from 1973. Sold for scrap April 1975| |Propulsion:||Steam
turbines, 4 shafts, 4 boilers, 80,000 shp| |Range:||8,000
nautical miles at 16 knots| |Armament:||4 x 6-in guns 6 x 3-in
guns (4 later removed after conversion) HMS Lion was a light
cruiser of the Royal Navy, ordered in 1942 and laid down that
same year as Defence. The ship was launched in 1944 partially
completed but work was suspended in 1946. In 1954, work
recommenced on Defence and the two other ships to a revised
Tiger class. In 1957, Defence was renamed Lion, and was finally
commissioned in July 1960. In 1964, Lion was present when Malta
gained independence. The following year they were present when
Gambia also gained its independence. That same year, Lion
entered reserve at Devonport Dockyard, where she would remain
there until 1972 when place on the disposal list, having not
undergone conversion to the helicopter cruiser of Blake