HMS Lion ©

Early 1960s

Partially completed as HMS Defence, Lion was launched on 2 September 1944 but work was suspended in 1946. Defence was renamed Lion in 1957 and construction continued at Wallsend. She was finally commissioned in July 1960.

In September 1964 Lion was present at the Maltese Independence celebrations. Earlier that year she had been rammed under the Forth Road Bridge by HMS Lowestoft. Emergency repairs were carried out in Rosyth Dockyard before she sailed for Malta with only hours to spare. Early in 1965, Lion was present at the Gambia Independence ceremony at Bathurst, now Banjul. She was decommissioned into the reserve at Devonport until 1972, when she was placed on the disposal list.