- Yes
- No
- Regular tree
- Premium vehicle
- Event vehicle
- I said No
- Great Britain
- France
- I said No
Short story & few facts:
ORP Dragon (D46) - ex HMS Dragon - was a Danae-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy as one of 8-ship series. She was launched in Glasgow in December 1917 and commissioned in August 1918. Danae-class was predecessor of present in game Emerald-class light cruiser. On 15 January 1943 she was transferred to the Polish Navy, raised polish ensign and manned by a Polish crew. After completing refit and crew training, she was ready for service on 24 August 1944. She was assigned to the patrol service and convoys’ escort. Dragon participated in the fights of Normandy from the beginning of battle, covering the ‘Sword’ beach and was firing at German forces inland. Heavily damaged by torpedo in machinery room on 8 July 1944, died 37 seamans. It was self-sunken as part of the breakwater of the temporary ‘Mulberry’ port near Caen.
Few (lesser known) facts:
- ORP Dragon was first polish cruiser ever.
- The Polish Navy was the only foughted of Allied fleet under the leadership of the Royal Navy to receive from they a ship larger than the destroyer,
- Despite the fact that the word ‘dragon’ exists in Polish and means dragoon (a cavalryman), the name (unchanged by the Polish Navy command) refers to the 16th-century polish large galleon called ‘Smok’ (means ‘dragon’ in English). Second reason of unchanging name by Poles was politics and courtesy too,
- Torpedo was fired from German manned torpedo ‘Neger’ - one of the few victims of this weapon,
- The decision to self-sunk Dragon as a breakwater was made due to the unprofitable renovation of the old light cruiser,
- The ship’s crew soon manned her sistership - HMS Danae (D44). She name was changed to ORP Conrad – pennant number stayed this same,
- ORP Dragon & Conrad were the only cruisers of the Polish Navy.
Danae-class light cruiser are absent in GB naval tech tree and this ship with unique history would be original representative of own class in GB Navy. IMO would be a nice, interesting addition to British naval tech-tree as premium.
Photos & plan:
Podsumowanie
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/ORP_Dragon.jpg
https://hrabiatytus.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/dragon1.jpg
https://www.magnum-x.pl/files/artykuly/morze_statki_okrety/96_2013_03/7.jpg
https://i.redd.it/ya3nydpcdym21.png
Technical data:
Displacement standard: 4 850 long tons (4 928 t)
Displacement full: 5 603 long tons (5 693 t)
Length: 143,65 m (o/a)
Breadth: 14,1 m
Draught: 5,3 m
Machinery and power: 2 sets Brown-Curtiss geared steam turbines, 6 boilers Yarrow, 2 shafts, 40,000 shp
Max speed: 29 knots
Range: 6700 nmi at 10 knots
Fuel: 1060 tons of oil
Crew: 452-462 man
Armour:
Main belt: 1.5–2.25 in (38–57 mm) forward, 3 in (76,2 mm in 2 plates: 50,8 mm + 25,4 mm) amidships, 2.25–2 in (57–50,8 mm) aft
Upper deck:1 in (25,4 mm) over machinery
Main deck: 1 in (25,4 mm) over steering gear
Bulkhead: 1 in (25,4 mm)
Gunshields: 1 in (25,4 mm)
Armament (June 1944):
5 × single 152 mm BL 6-inch Mk XII guns,
1 × double 102 mm QF 4-inch naval gun Mk XVI guns,
2 × quadruple 40 mm QF 2-pounder Mark VIII AA guns,
10 × 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns (3 x double on Mark V Pedestal Mount , 4 x single on Mark IIA Pedestal Mount),
Depth charge ramp
Electronics: Radars type 273, type 282, type 291
Sources:
- Whitley, M J. Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour Press. 1995
- Stanisław Piaskowski: Okręty Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 1920-1946. Album planów. Wydawnictwo Lampart (publishing house), Gdańsk 1996
- Witold Koszela, ORP Dragon. Okręt, który nie widział ojczyzny. Część 1. „Morze, Statki i Okręty” nr 3/2013 (article in polish maritime magazine)
- Witold Koszela, ORP Dragon. Okręt, który nie widział ojczyzny. Część 2. „Morze, Statki i Okręty” nr 4/2013 (article in polish maritime magazine)
- Mariusz Borowiak. Krążownik Dragon. Wydawnictwo Napoleon V (publishing house), Oświęcim 2019