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HMS Tiger was the last British battlecruiser laid down before the start of the First World War. Despite initial enthusiasm for the concept it was becoming clear that the battlecruiser was not a good design. They were too expensive to be produced in large enough numbers to be used for commerce protection, and not strong enough for the battle fleet. Once the Germans began to built their own battlecruisers with 12in guns, the British battlecruisers became very vulnerable.
HMS Tiger was an improved version of HMS Queen Mary, herself an improvement on the Lion class battlecruisers. The biggest improvement came in the armament. While the Tiger carried the same number of 13.5in guns as the earlier ships, their awkward middle battery was moved aft of the rearmost funnel, giving it a much better field of fire, while the 4in guns of the Queen Mary were replaced with 6in guns.
The Tiger retained the weak armour of earlier battlecruisers. Speed was still the primary purpose of the battlecruiser, and so despite a big increase in displacement, the armour remained the same. The extra weight was used to provide a big increase in horsepower, but despite an extra 10,000 ship horsepower, speed only increased by half a knot.
HMS Tiger was completed in October 1914, after the outbreak of the First World War. She joined the Grand Fleet, and was present at the battle of Dogger Bank (24 January 1915). There she was hit by six shells, and suffered 21 casualties.
At the battle of Jutland the Tiger fired 303 of her 13.5in shells, scoring three hits. She suffered 15 hits herself, including one to “Q” turret and one to “X” barbette, and was perhaps lucky not to suffer the fate of the Queen Mary, who exploded after being hit by only three shells.
The Tiger remained in service until 1931, first on the Atlantic Fleet (1919-1922) and then as a sea-going gunnery training ship (1924-1929). In 1929-1931 she was part of the Battle Cruiser Squadron, replacing HMS Hood, before being sold off in 1932.
Displacement (loaded) |
35,710t |
Top Speed |
28kts |
Range |
4,650 nautical miles at 10kts |
Armour - deck |
3in-1in |
- belt |
9in-3in |
- bulkheads |
4in-2in |
- barbettes |
9in-1in |
- turret faces |
9in |
- conning tower |
10in |
Length |
704ft |
Armaments |
Eight 13.5in, 45 calibre Mk V guns |
Crew complement |
1121 |
Launched |
15 December 1913 |
Completed |
October 1914 |
Sold for break up |
February 1932 |
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