Orion-class
HMS Lion
This newspaper reported that for the British Royal Navy two new cruisers named Orios and Leo were to be lay down. The Leo was to be the mightiest every built cruiser with a displacement of 26,000 tons and engines delivering 70,000 hp allowing a speed of 28 knots. Her armament was to be 10-12: of 13” guns. The speed of the Orios was to be 21 knots. The names of the British warships are not correctly spelled.
On the internet I found the next beautiful photo of the Orion. source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HMS_Orion_(Orion_class_battleship).jpg with courtesy of Navy-photos. The photo is dated around 1912-1922 but the name of her photographer is unknown.
The Orios was of course the first so-called super dreadnought HMS Orion within the British Royal Navy. Laid down at the Portsmouth Dockyard on 29 November 1909, launched on 20 August a year later, sea trials in September 1911, commissioned on 2 January 1912, June 1921 seagoing gunnery training ship at Portland, on 12 April of the next year paid off, sold on 19 December to be broken up which was started in February 1923 at Upnor. With a displacement of 22,000 long tons/22,000 tons (standard)-25,870 long tons/26,290 tons (maximum) were her dimensions 177 x 27,00 x 7,47 metres or 581’ x 88’7” x 24’6”. Her steam turbines and 18 boilers supplied 27,000 hp allowing a speed of 21 knots. The coal bunker capacity was 900/2,700 tons. Her crew numbered between 750 and 1,100 men. The armament consisted of 5x2-13.5” (34,29cm) breech loading guns, 16-4” (10,16cm) breech loading guns and 3-21’ (53cm) submerged torpedo tubes (2x beam, 1 stern). The Naval Annual for 1913 reported a displacement of 22,500 tons and as dimensions 545’x 88½’x 27½’. The engines built by Wallsend P.T. supplied 29,108 ihp allowing a speed of 21.02 knots. The armour consisted of a 12” thick belt, the side above the belt was protected by 9” and the heavy guns by 10”. Estimated building costs 1,918,773 British pound.
I found on the internet at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LionSP_001672.jpg a photo of the Lion. She is part of the Imperial War Museum collection no. 1900-01 as photo no. SP1672 and made during the First World War by Oscar Parkes.
The Leo (Latin for Lion) was of course the battle cruiser HMS Lion laid down at the Devonport Dockyard on 29 November 1909, launched on 6 August a year later, commissioned on 4 June 1912, on 30 May ten years later decommissioned and on 31 January 1924 sold to be broken up. Her displacement was 26,690 (normal load)-31,310 (full load) tons. Her armament consisted of 4x2-13’5” guns, 16x1-4” guns and 21x1-21” submerged torpedo tubes. Estimated building costs 2,08,458 British pound. The engines were manufactured by Vickers PT.
Another Dutch newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad evening edition dated 9 November was more correct with the spelling of the name. She used the British newspaper Glasgow Herald for her item and called the Orion which was recently laid down an improved dreadnought with a displacement of 22,500 tons. She was to fitted out with turbines allowing a speed of 21 knots. The armament was to consist of 10-30cm guns placed in the centre line of the ship allowing always firing with four of the guns ahead or backwards. Two new cruisers including the Lion were to have a length of 700 feet and a displacement of 26,350 tons with a speed of 28 knots.
