The specifications put Lion's battlecruiser role in physical terms. At full load she displaced about 29,700 tons and measured roughly 700 feet overall, with an 88.5-foot beam. Her main battery consisted of eight 13.5-inch Mark V guns with director control, backed by sixteen 4-inch guns. The list also includes 3-inch anti-aircraft guns, smaller quick-firing weapons, machine guns, and submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. The combination shows how a fast capital ship carried a battleship-calibre main battery alongside weapons for smaller and emerging threats.
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HMS Lion's scale and mixed armament
Lion combined eight 13.5-inch guns with a secondary battery, anti-aircraft weapons, and submerged torpedo tubes on a nearly 30,000-ton full-load hull.