British super dreadnought HMS Orion 1910-1923

Colossus-class

Orion-class

King George V-class

Building ordered under 1909 Naval Estimates. Laid down at the Portsmouth Dockyard on 29 November 1909, launched on 20 August 1910, seatrials in September 1910. commissioned on 2 January 1912, decommissioned 1922, as flagship part of the Reserve Fleet at Portsmouth since 3 October 1919, seagoing gunnery training ship at Portland since June 1921, decommissioned on 12 April 1922, to be disposed under the Washington Treaty terms, sold to Cox and Danks Shipbreaking Company on 19 December 1921 and broken up at Upnor, England since February 1923. Building costs 1.892.823 pond sterling and she caused the bankruptcy of the shipyard which built her. Of the Orion-class consisting of the Orion, Monarch, Conqueror and Thunderer preceded by the Colossus-class and succeeded by the King George V-class.

General technical class specifications. Displacement 22.000 (normal)-25.870 (maximum) tons and as dimensions 177,1 x 26,8 x 7,3 metres or 581 x 88 x 24 feet. The machinery consisted of Parsons direct drive steam turbines and 18 Babcock and Wilcox boilers supplying via 4 shafts 27.000 hp allowing a speed of 21 knots and with a speed of 10 knots a range of 6.730 nautical miles. Their crew numbered between 750 and 1.100 men. The armour consisted of a 30,5cm/12” thick belt, 10,2cm/4” thick decks, 25,4cm/10” thick bulkheads and the turrets and barbettes protected by respectively 27,9cm/11” and 25,4cm/10”. The armament consisted of 5x2-34,3cm/13.5” /45 cal Mk V breech loading guns, 16x1-10,cxm/4” Mk VII guns and 3-53,3cm/21” submerged torpedo tubes.