ORP Dragon (original name: HMS Dragon) was a British and later Polish light cruiser of the period, especially World War II. The keel for this vessel was laid in 1917, and the launch took place in December 1917. The unit entered service with the Royal Navy in August 1918. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 144 meters and a width of 14.8 meters. Full displacement was around 5,600 tons, and the maximum speed was around 29 knots. At the time of the launch, the on-board armament consisted of, among others: 6 152 mm guns, 3 102 mm guns or 4 20 mm guns.
HMS Dragon was one of the eight D-class light cruisers. They were built on the basis of the modernized C-class design, being longer and better armed for them. Initially, it was assumed that they would be used to fight enemy destroyers, but their maximum speed lower than that of the potential enemy made such actions significantly more difficult. On the other hand, the D-type units were well armored and well armed. In the last months of the war, HMS Dragon was primarily on patrol duty in the North Sea, and in 1923 it set out on a voyage around the world with other Royal Navy ships (including the HMS Hood battleship). At the outbreak of World War II, the unit was used against German raiders such as Admiral Graf Spee and Deutschland. In 1940, the unit took part in the unsuccessful Operation Menace. In late 1941, HMS Dragon was dispatched to a base in Singapore, along with the battleships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. However, he did not take part in the Battle of Kuantan on December 10, 1941. During the Battle of the Java Sea, the unit served near Sumatra. HMS Dragon later returned to Britain. In January 1943, the unit was transferred to the Polish Navy (PMW), where it changed its name to ORP Dragon. The unit under the Polish flag took part in the invasion of France in June and July 1944. On July 8, ORP Dragon was severely damaged by a live Neger torpedo. Due to the excessively high costs of renovation, the unit was self-sinking as part of an artificial breakwater in the Sword beach area on July 20, 1944.