View source for Lion-class battleship

{{Short description|Planned class of battleships for the Royal Navy}}
{{Distinguish|Lion-class battlecruiser}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Lion Unsourced.gif
|Ship caption=Right elevation and plan of the 1938 version of the ''Lion'' design
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Lion''-class battleship
|Builders=
|Operators={{navy|United Kingdom}}
|Class before=[[King George V-class battleship (1939)|''King George V'' class]]
|Class after={{HMS|Vanguard|23|6}}
|Cost=
|Total ships planned=6
|Total ships completed=0
|Total ships cancelled=6
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(1938 design)
|Ship type=[[Fast battleship]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|40550|LT|lk=on}} ([[Standard displacement#Standard displacement|standard]])
* {{convert|46400|LT}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length=*{{convert|780|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[waterline]])
* {{convert|785|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|105|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|33|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (deep load)
|Ship propulsion=4 shafts; 4 × [[steam turbine]] sets
|Ship speed={{convert|30|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|14000|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship power=*8 × [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
* {{cvt|130000|shp|lk=on}}
|Ship complement=1,680
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*3 × triple [[BL 16 inch /45 naval gun|{{cvt|16|in|0}}]] guns
* 8 × twin [[QF 5.25 inch Mark I naval gun|{{cvt|5.25|in|0}}]] [[Dual-purpose gun|DP guns]]
* 6 × octuple [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|2-pdr (40&nbsp;mm)]] [[AA gun]]s
|Ship armour=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|6|-|14.7|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|2.5|-|6|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Barbette]]s: {{convert|12|-|15|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|7|-|15|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Conning tower]]: {{convert|3|-|4.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkheads]]: {{convert|4|-|12|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(1942 design)
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|42550|LT}} (standard)
* {{convert|48890|LT}} (deep load)
|Ship length=*{{convert|780|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} (waterline)
* {{convert|793|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} (o/a)
|Ship beam={{convert|108|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|34|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (deep load)
|Ship propulsion=4 shafts; 4 × steam turbine sets
|Ship speed={{convert|28.25|kn}}
|Ship range={{convert|16500|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|130000|shp|abbr=on}}
* 8 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
|Ship complement=1,750
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*3 × triple 16&nbsp;in guns
* 8 × twin 5.25&nbsp;in DP guns
* 9 × octuple, 1 × quadruple 2-pdr AA guns
|Ship armour=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|6|-|14.7|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* Deck: {{convert|2.5|-|6|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* Barbettes: {{convert|12|-|15|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
* Gun turrets: {{convert|7|-|15|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* Conning tower: {{convert|3|-|4.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* Bulkheads: {{convert|4|-|12|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Lion'' class''' was a [[ship class|class]] of six [[fast battleship]]s designed for the [[Royal Navy]] (RN) in the late 1930s. They were a larger, improved version of the preceding [[King George V-class battleship (1939)|''King George V'' class]], with {{convert|16|in|0|adj=on}} guns. Only two ships were [[laid down]] before the [[World War II|Second World War]] began in September 1939 and a third was ordered during the war, but their construction was suspended shortly afterwards. The design was modified in light of war experience in 1942, but the two ships already begun were [[ship breaking|scrapped]] later in the year.

None of the other ships planned were laid down, although there was a proposal in 1941 to modify one of the suspended ships into a [[Battlecarrier|hybrid battleship-aircraft carrier]] with two 16-inch [[gun turret]]s and a [[flight deck]]. Preliminary work for a new design began in 1944 and continued for the next year or so until the RN realised that they were unaffordable in the post-war financial environment.

==Design and description==
[[File:HMS Anson (79) at Devonport, March 1945.jpg|thumb|left|{{HMS|Anson|79|6}} of the {{sclass|King George V|battleship|4||1939}}, which provided the basis for the ''Lion'' design]]
The design of the ''Lion''-class battleships was influenced by the terms of several [[arms control]] treaties of the 1920s and 1930s. The [[Washington Naval Treaty]] of 1922 had banned new battleship construction, with certain specified exceptions, for a decade. The [[London Naval Treaty]] of 1930 extended the ban for five more years, which meant that almost all the First World War-era ships would be eligible for replacement by the Washington Treaty's rules when the London Treaty expired. The British government intended for the 1935 Second London Naval Disarmament Conference to prevent a naval arms race that Britain could ill afford, but the Japanese refusal to sign the resulting [[Second London Naval Treaty]] of 1936 thwarted that hope.
The three signatories, Britain, France and the United States had agreed to limit the size and gun calibre for the battleships that would be built by the signatories. They were restricted to {{convert|35000|LT|t|0|lk=on}} [[Standard displacement#Standard displacement|standard displacement]] and a main armament [[caliber|calibre]] of {{convert|14|in|0}}. This dictated the choice of the 14-inch gun for the main battery of the ''King George V''s (KGV). The treaty contained an "Escalator Clause" that would increase the maximum allowable calibre to 16&nbsp;inches if the Japanese government failed to sign; this was triggered in April 1937.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 108, 158, 280, 315</ref>

As it was too late to modify the ''KGV''s to avoid delays in construction, the [[Board of Admiralty]] then began preliminary design work on a 35,000-long-ton ship armed with 16-inch guns and it was promising enough that the [[Director of Naval Construction]] (DNC) was ordered to further investigate such designs. To save design time, many of the features of the ''KGV''s were incorporated in the new design, but the limited size of the ship was a real challenge for the designers. Maintaining the same speed, protection, and secondary armament as the older ships while using 16-inch guns proved impossible while remaining within the treaty limits. In an effort to remain within treaty limits, the overall weight of armour was slightly reduced and two twin {{convert|5.25|in|adj=on|0}} gun turrets as well as aircraft and their facilities were eliminated.<ref>Raven and Roberts, p. 315</ref>

The treaty-imposed design problems became irrelevant on 31 March 1938, when the signatories of the Treaty invoked the tonnage escalation clause because the Japanese refused to provide any information about their battleship construction programme and the signatories feared that their new ships could be outclassed by the new Japanese battleships. Due to limitations of docking facilities particularly at [[Rosyth Dockyard|Rosyth]] and [[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth]] as well as costs, the Admiralty hoped to have the new limit at {{convert|40000|LT|t|0}}; the limit was eventually settled at {{convert|45000|LT|t|0}} because the Americans would accept only that figure or none at all.<ref>Friedman, pp. 329–330</ref> The Admiralty in any case decided to limit itself to 40,000 long tons and nine 16-inch guns on the grounds that larger vessels would be unable to dock at the major Royal Navy dockyards at Rosyth or Portsmouth.<ref>Brown, p. 37</ref> A new design was prepared with more armour, more powerful machinery, the two twin 5.25-inch gun turrets restored, and four aircraft added. The Admiralty approved this design on 15 December and bids were solicited very shortly afterwards.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 316–317</ref>

===1938 design===
The 1938 version of the ''Lion'' class had a [[waterline length]] of {{convert|780|ft|m|1}}, an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|785|ft|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|105|ft|m}},<ref name=g3>Garzke and Dulin, p. 263</ref> and a maximum [[draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|33|ft|6|in|m|1}}.<ref name=r8>Raven and Roberts, p. 318</ref> They would have displaced {{convert|40550|LT|t|0}} at standard load and {{convert|46400|LT|t|0}} at [[deep load]].<ref name=g3/> The appearance of the ''Lions'' closely resembled that of the ''KGV''s, but included a [[Transom (nautical)|transom stern]] to improve steaming efficiency at high speed. The crew complement was estimated to be about 1,680 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]].<ref>Garzke and Dulin, p. 274</ref>

In the interests of saving time, the four-shaft unit machinery design from the ''KGV''s was duplicated with alternating boiler and engine rooms. The ''Lion''-class ships would have had four sets of geared [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbines|Parsons]] [[steam turbine]] sets housed in separate engine rooms, each driving one [[propeller shaft]]. They were designed to produce a total of {{convert|130000|shp|lk=in}} at overload condition and a speed of {{convert|30|kn|lk=in}}. The turbines were intended to be powered by eight [[Admiralty boiler|Admiralty three-drum boilers]] in four [[Fire room|boiler rooms]] at a working pressure of {{convert|400|psi|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}} and temperature of {{convert|700|°F}}. The turbines and boilers could be cross-connected in an emergency.<ref>Garzke and Dulin, pp. 263, 273</ref> The ships were designed to carry {{convert|3720|LT|t|0}} of [[fuel oil]]. Their maximum estimated range was {{convert|14,000|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}. They would have been equipped with six {{convert|330|kW|hp|adj=on}} [[turbogenerator]]s and two 330-kW [[diesel generator]]s that supplied the common [[ring main]] at 220 [[volt]]s.<ref>Garzke and Dulin, pp. 278–279</ref>

[[File:HMS King George V secondary turret SLV Green.jpg|thumb|left|QF 5.25-inch Mark I turret on {{HMS|King George V|41|6}}, which was identical to the secondary guns ''Lion'' would have carried]]

The ''Lion''-class ships' main armament consisted of nine newly designed 45-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[BL 16-inch Mark II naval gun|BL 16-inch Mark II guns]] in three hydraulically powered triple-gun turrets.<ref name=r8/> The maximum elevation of the turrets was increased to +40° although the guns were loaded at +5°. They fired {{convert|2375|lb|kg|adj=on|0}} projectiles at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|2483|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}; this provided a maximum range of {{convert|40,560|yd|0}}. Their rate of fire was two [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]] per minute<ref name=c4>Campbell, p. 24</ref> and the ships carried 100 shells per gun. The secondary armament consisted of sixteen 50-calibre [[QF 5.25 inch gun|QF 5.25-inch Mk I]] [[dual-purpose gun]]s in eight twin-gun mounts.<ref name=r8/> They had a maximum depression of −5° and a maximum elevation of +70°. They fired an {{convert|80|lb|kg|adj=on}} [[British ordnance terms#HE|high-explosive]] shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2672|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}. At maximum elevation, the guns had a maximum range of {{convert|24070|yd|m|0}}. Their normal rate of fire was about 7–8 rounds per minute<ref>Campbell, pp. 44, 46</ref> and 400 rounds were provided for each gun. Short-range air defence was provided by 48 [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" guns]] in six octuple mountings.<ref name=r8/> The 2-pounder gun fired a {{convert|40|mm|adj=on}}, {{convert|1.684|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2400|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} to a distance of {{convert|6800|yd|m}}. The gun's rate of fire was approximately 96–98 rounds per minute<ref>Campbell, pp. 71–72, 74</ref> and 1,800 rounds per gun were carried by the ships.<ref name=r8/>

Their armour scheme was virtually identical to that of the ''KGV''s. The [[waterline]] belt was intended to be made from [[Krupp cemented armour]] (KCA) {{convert|14.7|in|mm|0}} thick and was {{convert|433|ft|m|0}} long. The main portion of the belt would have been {{convert|15|ft|m|1}} high, but a lower [[strake]], {{convert|8|ft|3|in|1}} high, extended an additional {{convert|40|ft|1}} past the ends of the armoured citadel. It was intended to be tapered vertically from 14.7&nbsp;inches in thickness to {{convert|5.5|in|mm|0}} at the bottom edge of the belt, while the plates at the end of the belt would have been only {{convert|11|in|0}} thick at the top. Transverse [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkheads]] {{convert|10|-|12|in|mm|0}} thick would have closed off each end of the [[armoured citadel]]. At the aft end of the steering gear compartment would have been a {{convert|4|in|adj=on}} transverse bulkhead. The KCA face-plates of the main gun turrets were intended to be 15&nbsp;inches thick and their roofs would have used {{convert|6|in|adj=on|0}} non-cemented armour plates. Their sides remained {{convert|7|-|10|in}} in thickness. The [[barbette]]s for the 16-inch guns were intended to be 15&nbsp;inches thick on the sides, tapering to {{convert|12|-|13.5|in|0}} closer to the centreline of the ship.<ref name=r8/>

Intended to resist the impact of a {{convert|1000|lb|adj=on}} armour-piercing bomb dropped from a height of {{convert|14000|ft}}, the ''Lion''s{{'}} deck protection was identical to that of the ''KGV'' class. It consisted of {{convert|6|in|0|adj=on}} non-cemented armour over the magazines that reduced to {{convert|5|in|0}} over the machinery spaces. The armour continued forward and aft of the citadel at the lower-deck level. Forward it tapered in steps from five inches down to {{convert|2.5|in|0}} near the bow. Aft, it protected the steering gear and propeller shafts with {{convert|4.5|-|5|in|0}} of armour. Unlike the Germans, French and Americans, the British no longer believed that heavy armour for the conning tower served any real purpose, given that the chance of hitting the conning tower was very small, and protected the forward conning tower with only {{convert|3|-|4.5|in|0}} of armour.<ref name=r8/>

The underwater protection, also virtually identical to that of the ''KGV''s, would have consisted of a {{convert|13.25|ft|m|abbr=on|0}} wide [[Torpedo belt|three-layer system of voids and liquid-filled compartments]] meant to absorb the energy of an underwater explosion. It was bounded on the inside by the {{convert|1.75|in|adj=on}} [[torpedo bulkhead]]. Both of the inner and outer voids<!--Two pumps? Four? (Start the sentence at "the" and unsee "both of"? Just a thought.) --> were fitted with pumps to flood them with water to level the ship (counter-flood) in case she began to [[list (watercraft)|list]]. Over the length of the citadel, this system was found to be proof against {{convert|1000|lb|abbr=on}} of [[Trinitrotoluene|TNT]] during full-scale trials.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 294, 297</ref> The ''Lion''-class ships would have had a [[double bottom]] with a depth of {{convert|4|ft|1}}.<ref>Garzke and Dulin, p. 278</ref>

Naval historians William Garzke and Robert Dulin believe that the design of the ''Lion'' class would have corrected some of the deficiencies of the ''KGV''s with the notable exceptions of the too-shallow torpedo protection system, caused by limits of the existing infrastructure, and the limited endurance, both of which were addressed in the revised 1942 design. Their 16-inch main battery, although not the most powerful in the world, were superior to the earlier guns used in the {{sclass|Nelson|battleship|2}}s, and they "would have been the most powerful and fastest battleships to have served in the Royal Navy."<ref>Garzke and Dulin, pp. 274–275</ref>

===1942 design===
Construction was suspended shortly after the war began and the Admiralty took advantage of the time to refine the design in light of war experience in late 1941. The beam was increased to {{convert|108|ft|m|1}}, the maximum width allowed by the [[lock (water transport)|locks]] of the [[Panama Canal]], to increase the depth and effectiveness of the ships' torpedo protection system, and almost {{convert|1100|LT|t}} of fuel oil were added to increase the ship's endurance. The beam increase meant that many of the Royal Navy home docking facilities, including Rosyth and Portsmouth, could no longer accommodate these ships. The requirement that 'A' turret had to be able to fire directly ahead at 0° elevation was rescinded as it radically reduced [[freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]] forward and caused the ''KGV''s to take a lot of water over the bow in [[head sea]]s. To partially compensate for the additional weight, the belt armour was reduced in thickness by {{convert|1|in}} to {{convert|13.7|in}} except over the [[magazine (artillery)|magazines]], and the aircraft and their facilities were removed. The space in the superstructure freed up by these changes was used to increase the light anti-aircraft armament to nine octuple and one quadruple 2-pounder mounts.<ref>Garzke and Dulin, pp. 264–265</ref>

The overall length of the ''Lion'' class increased to {{convert|793|ft|1}} and the displacement grew to {{convert|42,550|LT|t|0}} at standard load and {{convert|47,650|LT|t|0}} at deep load. No changes were made to the propulsion machinery, but the speed decreased to {{convert|28.25|kn}} because of the greater displacement. The {{convert|4800|LT|t|0}} of fuel increased their endurance to an estimated maximum of {{convert|16500|nmi}} at a speed of 10 knots. The freeboard forward was increased by nearly {{convert|9|ft|1}},<ref>Garzke and Dulin, p. 276</ref> and the radar suite was increased to match that of the battleship {{HMS|Vanguard|23|2}}, then under construction. Because the [[light cruiser]] {{HMS|Belfast|C35|2}} lost all steam power when she struck a [[naval mine|mine]] early in the war, two diesel generators were substituted for two [[Turbo generator|turbo-generators]]. The extra beam was used to increase the depth of the torpedo protection system amidships from 13.25&nbsp;ft to {{convert|15|ft|1}}. The ships' crew was estimated at 1,750 officers and ratings.<ref>Garzke and Dulin, pp. 272–273, 278–279</ref>

===1944 design===
The RN's Plans Division set a requirement for a dozen battleships for the post-war navy and the DNC began another design in February 1944 that would incorporate wartime lessons, but they soon concluded that "the power of modern weapons had increased so much that ever-increasing armour and torpedo protection was required until it became incompatible with the limited offensive power of the ship."<ref name=g66>Garzke and Dulin, p. 266</ref> The main armament was revised to an improved Mk IV version of the 16-inch gun in a new Mk III turret that fired a heavier shell at a marginally lower velocity, mounted in three triple turrets. They would also carry twelve twin [[QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun|QF {{convert|4.5|in|mm|adj=on|0}} Mk V gun]]s as their secondary armament and one twin and ten sextuple Bofors mounts plus fifty 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikons for anti-aircraft protection. Calculations for a preliminary sketch design were completed in October and revealed a {{convert|26|kn|adj=on}}, {{convert|50,400|LT|t|adj=on|0}} ship at standard load and {{convert|60700|LT|t|0}} at deep load. More detailed studies were conducted in January 1945 and showed that the ship would actually displace {{convert|59850|LT|t|0}} at standard load and {{convert|69500|LT|t|0}} deep. This design was too large, so multiple variants were considered over the next several months, examining the effects of reducing side armour, underwater protection and the number of main and secondary gun turrets. The provisional staff requirements were issued in March and increased the speed to {{convert|29|kn}} and set the endurance equal to that of the original design, which was slightly modified in April as 'Design B'. This greatly hampered the ability of the designers to reduce the size of the design as only those variants with two main gun turrets were below {{convert|55500|LT|t|0}} at standard displacement. The most radical variant, christened 'Design X', had an armour arrangement similar to the modernised [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Renown|1916|2}} with a pair of 16-inch and eight 4.5-inch turrets and had only minimal underwater protection, relying on tight compartmentalisation and strengthened internal bulkheads to localise damage. This yielded a {{convert|36800|LT|t|adj=on|0}} ship at standard load.
<ref>Friedman, pp. 363–365, 433–434</ref>

That same month a committee headed by [[Rear-Admiral (Royal Navy)|Rear-Admiral]] [[Reginald Servaes]] reviewed all the proposals and the Admiralty requested a sketch design of 'X' with two 16-inch turrets, both forward of the [[superstructure]] as in the French {{sclass|Richelieu|battleship|4}}, and a thicker waterline belt in May that the DNC designated 'X3'. This displaced {{convert|45350|LT|t|0}} at standard load. The following month the Admiralty asked that the 16-inch turrets be replaced by quadruple {{convert|15|in|mm|adj=on|0}} turrets and the DNC replied that no design work had been done on such turrets and would thus delay construction by 15 to 18 months and add about {{convert|2000|LT|t|0}} to the ship's displacement. The DNC asked permission to investigate further methods of reducing the size of 'B3' in July and work continued on both designs through October. By this time the impossibility of even maintaining the existing battle fleet, much less building such large battleships, had become clear in light of Britain's economic difficulties and further design work was informally suspended on all but the new Mk IV gun and its Mk III turret; this was finally cancelled by the [[First Sea Lord]] on 10 March 1949.<ref>Friedman, pp. 366–367, 433–434</ref>

===Hybrid aircraft carrier===
On 8 January 1941, Rear-Admiral [[Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape|Bruce Fraser]], [[Third Sea Lord|Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy]], asked the DNC to work up a hybrid aircraft carrier based on the ''Lion''-class hull. Two months later, a sketch design was presented for consideration, but it was not well regarded by the participants. This design retained all three main gun turrets and the flight deck was deemed too short to be useful.<ref>Layman and McLaughlin, p. 66</ref> A revised version with only the two forward turrets retained was requested and was ready in July. In this design, the displacement ranged from {{convert|44,750|LT|t}} at standard load and {{convert|51,000|LT|t}} at deep load. The design's dimensions included a waterline length of {{convert|800|ft|m|1}}, a beam of {{convert|115|ft|m|1}} and a draught of {{convert|29|ft|6|in|m}}. The flight deck was {{convert|500|ft|m|1}} long and had a width of {{convert|73|ft|m|1}}. The machinery was unchanged, but another {{convert|600|LT}} of oil increased her endurance to {{convert|14750|nmi}} at 10 knots. The hybrid's armament consisted of six 16-inch guns in two triple turrets, sixteen 5.25-inch guns and eight octuple 2-pounder mounts. Twelve [[fighter (aircraft)|fighters]] and two torpedo bombers could be carried. The Director of Naval Gunnery's assessment was that "The functions and requirements of carriers and of surface gun platforms are entirely incompatible&nbsp;... the conceptions of these designs&nbsp;... is evidently the result of an unresolved contest between a conscious acceptance of aircraft and a subconscious desire for a 1914 Fleet&nbsp;... these abortions are the results of a psychological maladjustment. The necessary readjustments should result from a proper re-analysis of the whole question, what would be a balanced fleet in 1945, 1950 or 1955?"<ref>Layman and McLaughlin, p. 67</ref> The design was rejected.<ref>Garzke and Dulin, p. 264</ref>

==Construction==
Six ''Lion''-class ships were planned, two each in the 1938, 1939, and 1940 Naval Programmes.<ref name=rr3>Raven and Roberts, p. 317</ref> The first pair, ''Lion'' and ''Temeraire'', were ordered on 28 February 1939 from [[Vickers Armstrongs]] and [[Cammell Laird & Company|Cammell Laird]], respectively. ''Lion'' was [[Keel laying|laid down]] at Vickers' [[Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne]] shipyard on 4&nbsp;July; ''Temeraire'' preceded her at [[Birkenhead]] on 1&nbsp;June.<ref name=g3/> The contract for ''Conqueror'' was awarded on 15 August to [[John Brown & Company|John Brown]], and that of ''Thunderer'' was scheduled for 15 November for [[Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company|Fairfield]]. After the start of the Second World War in September, construction continued [[desultorily]] until early October, when it was suspended by the Admiralty for one year; construction of the 16-inch guns and their turrets was to continue. The second pair of ''Lion''s were now expected to be laid down in January and April 1941. On 15 November 1939, work on ''Lion'' and ''Temeraire'' was authorised to resume whenever there was available labour, but it was suspended again in May 1940. In November, the decision to suspend construction was reaffirmed and steel from ''Lion'' was ordered transferred to ''Vanguard''.<ref>Friedman, p. 334</ref>  After thoroughly revising the design in late 1942, the RN's Director of Contracts wrote to Vickers Armstrongs and Cammell Laird "requesting them to clear the [[slipway]]s and reuse the material on other naval contracts where possible".<ref>Johnston and Buxton, p. 47</ref> All design work ceased in April 1943 and armour plates made for ''Lion'' were to be scrapped.<ref>Friedman, p. 336</ref> Only four 16-inch guns, and no turrets, were ever completed. One of the guns was used to test aspects of the Mk IV gun.<ref name=c4/>

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Brown|first=David K.|title=Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1923–1945|year=2006|location=London|publisher=Chatham Publishing|isbn=978-1-59114-602-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|title=Naval Weapons of World War II|year=1985|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-0-87021-459-2}}
* {{cite book| last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=The British Battleship 1906–1946|year=2015|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-225-7}}
* {{cite book|last1=Garzke|first1=William H. Jr. |last2=Dulin|first2=Robert O. Jr. |title=British, Soviet, French, and Dutch Battleships of World War II|year=1980|publisher=Jane's|location=London|isbn=978-0-7106-0078-3}}
* {{cite book |last1=Johnston |first1=Ian |last2=Buxton |first2=Ian |title=The Battleship Builders: Constructing and Arming British Capital Ships |date=2013 |publisher=Seaforth |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=978-1-84832-093-2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Layman |first1=R. D. |last2=McLaughlin |first2=Stephen |title=The Hybrid Warship: The Amalgamation of Big Guns and Aircraft|year=1991 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location= Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-55750-374-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Raven|first=Alan|author2=Roberts, John |title=British Battleships of World War Two: The Development and Technical History of the Royal Navy's Battleship and Battlecruisers from 1911 to 1946|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1976|isbn=978-0-87021-817-0}}

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