ORP Dragon
Service
- as HMS Dragon16 August 1918 — 15 January 19431,232 days of the war
- as ORP Dragon15 January 1943 — 20 July 1944552 days of the war
- Name
- ORP Dragon
- Builder
- Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock
- Ordered
- 1916
- Laid down
- 24 January 1917
- Launched
- 29 December 1917
- Commissioned
- 16 August 1918
- Fate
- Scuttled 20 July 1944 (1944)
- Status
- Wreck
Specifications
- Displacement, standard
- 5,603 long tons (5,693 t)
- Length
- 135.64 m (445 ft)
- Beam
- 14.17 m (46.5 ft)
- Draught
- 4.42 m (14.5 ft)
- Speed
- 29 knots (53.7 km/h, 33.4 mph)
- Range
- 2,300 nmi (4,260 km)
- Complement
- 462
- Main gun
- 152 mm (6 in)
ORP Dragon was a Danae-class cruiser light cruiser in service with the Royal Navy. Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock laid her keel on 24 January 1917. Launched on 29 December 1917, she entered service on 16 August 1918.
Her class ran to nine ships. The class followed the C-class cruiser and was succeeded by the Emerald-class cruiser.
Displacement was 5,603 long tons. She measured 135.6 m (445 ft) long with a beam of 14.2 m (46 ft). Her designed speed was 29 knots, and she carried a complement of 462. Her main battery was of 152 mm (6.0 in) calibre.
She served with the Royal Navy as HMS Dragon until 15 January 1943. She then passed to the Polish Navy, serving as ORP Dragon from 15 January 1943. She was in commission for 1,784 days of the Second World War.
She was scuttled on 20 July 1944, at 49°22′N 0°21′W. The wreck survives.
Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.
Armament and machinery
Armament and machinery
- Propulsion
- Six Yarrow-type water-tube boilers
- Parsons geared steam turbines
- Two shafts
- 40000 shp
- Armament
- 1918:
- 6 × BL 6 in L/45 Mark XII guns on single mountings CP Mark XIV (152 mm)
- 2 × 3 in Mk II AA guns
- 2 × 40 mm QF 2 pdr "Pom-pom" AA guns
- 12 × 21 in torpedoes (4 triple launchers)
- 1930:
- 6 × 152 mm Mk XII guns
- 3 × QF 4 in Mk V AA guns
- 2 × 40 mm 2 pdr Pom-pom AA guns
- 12 × 533 mm torpedo launchers
- 1942:
- 6 × 152 mm Mk XII guns
- 3 × 102 mm Mk V AA guns
- 6 × 40 mm 2 pdr Pom-pom AA
- 12 × 533 mm torpedo launchers
- 1943:
- 5 × 152 mm Mk XII guns
- 2 × 102 mm Mk XVI gun
- 8 × 40 mm 2 pdr Pom-pom AA guns
- 3 × quadruple mounting Mark VII 2 pounder Mark VIII gun
- 12 × 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns
- depth charge launcher
- Armour
- 3 inch side (amidships)
- 2, 1¾, 1½ side (bow and stern)
- 1 inch upper decks (amidships)
- 1 inch deck over rudder
Sister ships
Sources
- Facts harvested from ORP Dragon on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
- Photograph: Unknown author — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons