Visiting Rotterdam, Netherlands
Winfried Walta/Anefo, 1963. Beeldbank Nationaal Archief. CC By-Sa. Original link
Of the Tiger-class. Laid down at the John Brown Shipyard. Clydebank as the Minotaru-class light cruiser Bellerophon on 1 October 1941, launched by Lady Stansgate on 25 October 1945, building stopped and laid up in 1946, redesigned as part of the Tiger-class which was approved in 1951, building restarted in 1954, commissioned on 18 March 1959, rebuilt as a helicopter and command criuser at Devonport between 1968 and 1972, decommissioned on 20 April 1978 and broken up staring in October 1986.
With a displacement of 11.560 (original)-12.080 (when rebuilt) were her dimensions 164 (between perpendiculars)-169,3 (over all0 x 20 x 6,4 metres or 538’-555’5” x 64’ x 21’. The Parsons steam turbines and 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers delivered 80.000 shp allowing a speed of 31,5 knots and with a speed of 16 knots a range of 8.000 nautical miles. Her crew numbered 716 (original)-885 (after conversion) persons. The original armament consisted of 2x2-15,2cm/6” guns and 3x2-7,6cm/3” guns. After her rebuilding she was armed with 1x2-6” guns, 1x2-3” guns, 2-Seacat qua missile launchers and she could carry 4 helicopters with her.
The HMS Tiger commanded by H.L.Lloyd was the flagship of a British squadron (which included also the submarines HMS Oracle and Totem) commanded by vice admiral F.R. Twiss which was practising with a Dutch squadron (including the aircraft carrier Hr,Ms. Karel Doorman), both squadron now were lying in Mid September alongside the Parkkade, Rotterdam. According to the Dutch newspapers dated was the building of the HMS Tiger very expensive with more as 131 million Dutch building costs. The reporter found it surprisingly that steel and aluminium were replaced on a huge scale by plastics. Vice admiral Twiss was not unfamiliar to the Dutch, he had been on board of the British cruiser HMS Exeter which part of the damned ABDA-squadron commanded by the Dutch rear admiral Karel Doorman which was destroyed in February-march 1942 by the Japanese. The warships also attend the Naval Annual Days between 20 and 22 September.
