The ships joined the Home Fleet's Second Division, later the Second Battle Squadron, with Orion serving as a divisional flagship. Parliamentary reviews displayed the navy's value and technological progress to the government and public. The same period included Commander Charles Samson's takeoff from the moving HMS Hibernia, an early shipborne aviation demonstration within the fleet the Orions joined. The class also appeared in manoeuvres under Prince Louis of Battenberg and Jellicoe and at the 1913 welcome for French President Raymond Poincare. These duties placed the ships in institutional, experimental and diplomatic roles before wartime mobilisation.
Chapter · 32:16-35:55
Home Fleet service and pre-war status
The Orions entered the Home Fleet's Second Division as frontline units, diplomatic symbols and part of a navy experimenting with aviation and battle-fleet command.