HMS Tiger (C20)

HMS "Tiger" was a conventional cruiser of the Royal Navy, one of a three ship class known as the "Tiger" class.

Construction, redesign and commissioning

"Tiger" started out as "Bellerophon" laid down in 1941 at the John Brown Shipyard as part of the "Minotaur" class of light cruisers. They had a low construction priority due to more pressing requirements for other ship types during World War II, particularly anti-submarine craft. "Bellerophon" was renamed "Tiger" in 1945, and was launched, partially constructed, on 25 October 1945. She was christened by Lady Stansgate, the wife of William Benn, the Secretary of State for Air, and mother of MP Anthony Wedgewood Benn. However, work on "Tiger" was suspended in 1946, and she was laid up at Dalmuir.

Construction of "Tiger" resumed, but to a new design, with "Tiger" becoming the name ship of the class. The new design was approved in 1951, but construction did not resume until 1954. She would have semi-automatic convert|6|in|mm|0|sing=on guns in twin high-angle mounts with each gun capable of shooting 20 rounds per minute, and a secondary battery of fully-automatic convert|3|in|mm|0|sing=on guns which delivered 90 rounds per minute per gun. She would have no lighter anti-aircraft armament or torpedo tubes. Air conditioning was fitted throughout the ship, and a 200-line automatic telephone exchange was installed. Each 6 inch and 3 inch mounting had its own director, linked to a dedicated radar on the director. "Tiger" was finally commissioned on Clydebank in March 1959.

Career

The early part of "Tiger"'s first commission was spent, under Captain RE Wasbourn, on trials trying to make her new armament actually work. After workup under Captain R Hutchins "Tiger" went on a round of autumn flag-showing visits to Gdynia, Stockholm, Kiel and Antwerp. At the end of 1959 she deployed to the Mediterranean for a year as Fleet Flagship, under Admiral Michael Pollock.

She took part in operations in the Far East during the Indonesian Confrontation in the early 1960s. In 1966, she hosted talks between Prime Ministers Harold Wilson (UK) and Ian Smith of Rhodesia. The latter had unilaterally declared independence from Britain due to Britain's insistence on the removal of white minority rule. "Tiger" was placed in reserve in 1966 before undergoing conversion to a "helicopter and commando cruiser" from 1968-72 in HMNB Devonport.

Conversion, obsolescence and decommissioning

This reconstruction included replacing the after 6 inch mount and 3 inch mounts with a flight deck and hangar. She also had new radars and taller funnels. She had excellent command, control, and communications facilities installed, and found use as a flagship to task groups. The refit was very expensive; some say the many millions to convert "Tiger", as-well as her sister ship "Blake" to helicopter cruisers drained much needed resources better used elsewhere. She was recommissioned in 1972. Her large crew made her an expensive ship to operate and maintain. When the economic difficulties of the early seventies came around this led to a defense manpower drawdown that resulted in manpower shortages, although "Tiger" remained in service long enough to take part in the 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1978 "Tiger" was placed in reserve, subsequently being placed on the disposal list in 1979. She was scrapped in Spain starting in October 1986.

References

*Colledge
*Robert Gardiner, ed., "Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1922 - 1946" (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1980)
*Robert Gardiner, ed., "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947 - 1982" (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1983)
*"Jane's Fighting Ships 1950-51" (Janes Publishing, London, 1950)
*Alan Raven and John Roberts, "British Cruisers of World War II", (Arms and Armour Press, London, 1980)
*M. J. Whitley, "Cruisers of World War Two: An Illustrated Encyclopedia" (Arms and Armour Press, London, 1995)
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4039.html HMS Tiger at Uboat.net]
* [http://www.btinternet.com/~warship/Postwar/Cruisers/tiger.htm A history of the Tiger class]