Tiger class cruiser

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Class overview
HMS Tiger before conversion
Name:	Tiger
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Minotaur class
Succeeded by:	None - last cruisers in commission with the Royal Navy
Completed:	Three
General characteristics
Class and type:	light cruiser
Displacement:	11,700 tons (12,080 tons after conversion of Blake and Tiger)
Length:	555.5 ft (169 m)
Beam:	64 ft (19.5 m)
Draught:	23 ft (7.0 m)
Propulsion:	Four Admiralty-type three drum boilers Four shaft Parsons steam turbines 80,000 shp
Speed:	31.5 knots (58.3 km/h)
Range:	8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement:	716 (885 after conversion of Blake and Tiger)
Armament:	Two × twin 6 in guns QF Mark N5 with RP15 (hydraulic) or RP53 (electric) RPC (One later removed from Blake and Tiger) Three × twin 3 in guns QF Mark N1 (Two later removed from Blake and Tiger) Two × quad GWS.21 Sea Cat missile launchers (Blake and Tiger conversion)
Armour:	Belt 3.5" - 3.25" Bulkheads 2" - 1.5" Turrets 2" - 1" Crowns of engine room and magazines 2"
Aircraft carried:	Four helicopters (originally Wessex then Sea King)

The Tiger-class guided-missile cruisers were the first of such a type in the Royal Navy, indeed they were the last cruisers built for the Royal Navy. They were originally designed to be Minotaur-class light cruisers. The Minotaurs were laid down as World War II was ending, and accordingly only three Minotaurs were completed (Swiftsure, Superb and Minotaur, which was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed Ontario). Three other ships of the Minotaur-class had their construction either suspended or cancelled in 1946; two were broken up.

1 Design and commissioning
2 Conversions
3 Obsolescence and decommissioning
4 References

[edit] Design and commissioning

Construction of the three suspended ships resumed in 1954 to a revised design known as the Tiger class, due to the many World War II-era cruisers that were coming to the end of their service life, indeed all such cruisers would be out of service by the 1960s due to the many defence cuts that the Royal Navy suffered.

The design of the Tigers differed from the original Minotaurs in that they were armed with two state-of-the-art automatic twin mount 6-inch (152 mm) guns designed just for the Tigers rather than the more obsolete three triple mount 6-inch (152 mm) guns used for the Minotaurs and designed in 1929. They were the last 6-inch (152 mm) guns used by the RN. Instead of the five twin mount 4-inch (102 mm) guns designed in 1934, the Tigers used 3 twin mount 3-inch (76 mm) guns, also designed for the Tigers, and which saw service in only the Tigers and the Canadian Restigouche-class destroyer.

The first ship to be commissioned was Tiger in 1959, with Lion in 1960 and Blake the following year, nearly two-decades after the ships had been laid down. They were, however, obsolete, in that they were not armed with missile systems. Other ship classes that were close to entering service, such as the famous Leander-class and Tribal-class frigates were being equipped with the SeaCat missile system, though only three of the Tribals would be armed with that missile system. In 1963, Blake was placed in reserve, followed by Lion in 1964, and in 1968, Tiger too was placed in reserve.

[edit] Conversions

In 1965, work began on Blake for her to be converted into a helicopter cruiser while Tiger began her conversion in 1968. Lion's conversion was cancelled. One aft twin mount 6-inch (152 mm) gun was removed to allow the addition of a large helicopter hangar and helicopter pad that would be capable of handling four helicopters. Two twin mount 3 in guns were also removed to make way for two quad Seacat missile launchers. More modern sensor equipment and command and control facilities were also added, that would enable them to perform in a very capable role as a flagship for task groups. The conversion had the crew complement increased to 885.

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 cost even more (£13.25 million), such was the level of inflation at the time. Lion was subsequently sold for breaking up.

[edit] Obsolescence and decommissioning

In 1969, Blake returned to service followed by Tiger in 1972. However, the crew-intensive Tigers' days were numbered. In 1973, Lion was used as a parts hulk to maintain Blake and Tiger. With HMS 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 the manpower shortages that the Royal Navy faced in the 1970s quickened their demise. The recommissioning of two carriers, Bulwark and Hermes now configured to perform anti-submarine warfare, vital against the Soviet Union submarine threat in the Atlantic, a role that the Tigers had been used for, decreased the importance of the Tigers even further.

In April 1978 Tiger was withdrawn from service, followed by Blake in 1979. 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 6 December 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.