Royal Navy battleship histories of HMS Lion and HMS Princess Royal. Battleship website dedicated to the history of HMS Lion and HMS Princess Royal from their launch to their participation in major wars also notice board for families of ex-crew of HMS Lion and HMS Princess Royal.

All three ships took part in the Heligoland Bight action on 28th August 1914. At the battle of Dogger Bank in 1915 HMS Lion was badly damaged and had to be towed home. All three ships fought at the battle of Jutland where HMS Queen Mary blew up after receiving hits from Seydlitz and Derfflinger - only 9 crew survived. HMS Lion and HMS Princess Royal were badly damaged and needed 45 days of repair. HMS Lion was placed in reserve in March 1920 and was eventually sold for scrap on 31st January 1924. HMS Princess Royal although offered to Chile for sale was reduced to reserve and sold for scrap in December 1922.

Displacement: 26,820 (Queen Mary 27,200)   Speed: 27.0 (Queen Mary 27.5) knots   Compliment: 1,000 (1915 1,100, Queen Mary 1916 1,275)

Armament: Eight 13.5-inch guns in pairs and sixteen 4 -inch guns.  1913 - one 47mm (mod), 1915/16 two 3 inch anti aircraft gun and from 1917 two 4 inch Anti Aircraft Guns.

Naval Battle which took place on the west coast of Jutland, Both the Germans and the British claimed victory. The Germans because they sank more ships. The British because the German High seas fleet would never again venture from there ports for the rest of the war.  The German main fleet consisted of 16 Dreadnaught Battleships and 6 pre-dreadnaught battleships, 11 Light Cruisers and 72 destroyers. The British Fleet consisted of Admiral Jellicoe's fleet of 28 Dreadnaught battleships and 3 battle cruisers and Admiral Beatty's force of 6 battle cruisers and 4 fast battleships.

The Germans had planned to sail from the Baltic to the north sea with the plan to engage the British Battle Cruisers in Norwegian waters. But due to German radio messages being intercepted by the British the British Grand fleet were alerted.

British Battleships and Cruisers at The Battle of Jutland

• 1st Battle Squadron.  HMS Iron Duke (Flagship), HMS Agincourt, HMS Colossus, HMS Hercules, HMS Marlborough, HMS Neptune, HMS Revenge, HMS St. Vincent.
• 2nd Battle Squadron. HMS King George V, HMS Ajax, HMS Centurion, HMS Conqueror, HMS Erin, HMS Monarch, HMS Orion, HMS Thunderer.
• 4th Battle Squadron, HMS Royal Oak, HMS Bellerophon, HMS Benbow, HMS Canada, HMS Superb, HMS Temeraire, HMS Vanguard
• 5th battle Squadron,  HMS Valiant, HMS Barham, HMS Malaya, HMS Warspite
• 1st Battle-Cruiser Squadron,  HMS Lion (Flagship,  HMS Princess Royal, HMS Queen Mary (Sunk)   HMS Tiger
• 2nd battle-Cruiser Squadron.  HMS Indefatigable (Sunk)   HMS New Zealand, 
• 3rd battle-Cruiser Squadron,  HMS Indomitable,  HMS Inflexible,  HMS Invincible (Sunk)
• 1st Cruiser Squadron,  HMS Black Prince (Sunk),  HMS defence (Sunk)  HMS Duke of Edinburgh,  HMS Warrior (Sunk)
• 2nd Cruiser Squadron,  HMS Cochrane,  HMS Hampshire, HMS Minotaur,  HMS Shannon,
• Light Cruisers.  Active, Bellona, Birmingham, Birkenhead, Boadicea, Calliope,  Canturbury, Caroline, Castor, Champion, Chester, Comus, Constance, Cordelia, Dublin, Falmouth, Fearless, Galatea, Gloucester, Inconstant, Nottingham, Phaeton, Royalist, Southampton, Yarmouth

7 destroyers were lost from the Flotillas, of 1st, 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th , and 13th Flotillas.

GERMAN FLEET

• 1st battle Squadron. Friedrich der Grosse (Flagship) Heligoland, Nassau, Oldenburg, Ostfriesland, Posen, Rheinland, Thuringen, Westfalen.
• 2nd Battle Squadron,  Deutschland, Hannover, Hessen Pommern (sunk), Schlesen, Schleswig-Holstein
• 3rd Battle Squadron, Konig, Grosser Kurfurst, Kaiser, Kaiserin, Kronprince William, Markgraf, Prinzregent Luitpold
• Battle-Cruiser Squadron.  Derflinger,  Lutzow (sunk) Moltke, Seydlitz, Von der Tan.
• Light Cruisers,  Elbing (Sunk)  Frankfurt, Frauenlob (sunk), Hamburg, Muenchen, Pillau, Regensburg, Rostock (sunk) Stettin, Stuttgart, Wiesbaden (Sunk)

2 Destroyers were lost from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th Flotillas