BATTLESHIPS
1. Queen Elizabeth class - 31,000
tons, 24 knots, 8-15in, 1,120 crew, 1915-16, 5 ships, 1 lost
HMS Queen Elizabeth (All
photographs courtesy Cyberheritage)
BARHAM (Capt Cooke), 25th November
1941, Eastern Mediterranean, N of Sidi Barrani (c 32-30'N, 26-30'E)
- by 3 torpedoes from German U-331. Sailing with Mediterranean
Fleet from Alexandria to cover sorties by Malta and
Alexandria-based cruiser forces against Italian
convoys heading for Libya. Turned over and exploded
with 861 men lost and 450 survivors. (North African
Campaign)
Surviving
ships - MALAYA, QUEEN ELIZABETH, VALIANT, WARSPITE
2. Royal Sovereign class - 29,000
tons, 21 knots, 8-15in, 1,150 crew, 1916-17, 5 ships, 1 lost. 'Royal Sovereign' loaned to
Russia in 1944 as 'Arkangelsk
HMS Ramillies - main guns trained to
starboard
ROYAL OAK (Capt W H Benn+), 14th October
1939, Western Europe at Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, north of
Scotland - by 3 torpedoes from German U-47. Detached from Home Fleet to
guard Fair Isle passage during sortie of German
battlecruiser 'Gneisenau'. Afterwards at anchor in
the NE corner of Scapa Flow, one mile offshore when
torpedoed with 833 men dead. She still lies at the
bottom of Scapa Flow as a War Grave (Home Fleet
Operations)
Surviving
ships - RAMILLIES, RESOLUTION, REVENGE, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN
3. Nelson class - 34,000 tons, 23 knots, 9-16in,
1,300 crew, 1927, 2 ships, NELSON, RODNEY, both survived
HMS Rodney
4. King
George V class - 35,000 tons, 29 knots, 10-14in, 1,550
crew, 1940-42, 5 ships, 1 lost
HMS Anson
PRINCE OF
WALES (Capt John C Leach), 10th December 1941,
South
East Asia, off
Kuantan, Malaya in the South China Sea (03-34'N,
104-27'E) - as many as 5 or 6 torpedoes from Japanese Navy
land-based aircraft (Nells and Bettys). Flagship of Adm Sir Tom
Phillips. Returning to Singapore with battlecruiser
'Repulse' (also sunk) from planned attacked against
reported Malay landings. Went down at 13.23 hrs local
time. Of the crew of 1,612 (110 officers + 1,502
ratings), 327 (20+307) including Capt Leach were
lost. Destroyers rescued the survivors, but one
source only gives the total as 796. (Sinking of Force
Z - Japanese Invasion of Malaya)
Surviving
ships - ANSON, DUKE OF YORK, HOWE, KING GEORGE V
BATTLECRUISERS
5. Repulse class - 32,000
tons, 29 knots, 6-15in, 1,200 crew, 1916, 2 ships, 1 lost
HMS Repulse (Courtesy Peter Siddall)
REPULSE (Capt Tennant), 10th December
1941. As for 'Prince of Wales' but hit by 5 torpedoes.
Destroyers rescued 1,285 officers and men from her
wartime complement (Sinking of Force Z - Japanese
Invasion of Malaya)
Surviving
ship - RENOWN
6. Hood - 42,000 tons, 31 knots, 8-15in,
1,350 crew, 1920, lost
HOOD (Capt Ralph Kerr+), 24th May
1941, North Atlantic, west of Iceland in Denmark Strait (c
63-00'N, 32-00'W) - by 15in gunfire of German
battleship 'Bismarck'. Sailing with 'Prince of Wales' to
intercept 'Bismarck' during her planned
commerce-raiding sortie into the Atlantic. After
'Hood' exploded and broke in two, only 3 men were
rescued out of a wartime complement of 1,419.
Bismarck was sunk three days later (Hunt for the
'Bismarck' - Battle of the Atlantic)
MONITORS
7. Marshall Ney class - 6,700 tons, 9 knots, 2-15in, 190
crew, comp 1915, 1 ship, MARSHALL SOULT, disarmed 1940,
base ship, survived.
8. Erebus class - 8,000 tons, 12 knots, 2-15in, 190
crew, comp 1915, 2 ships, 1 lost
HMS Erebus
TERROR, 24th February 1941, Eastern
Mediterranean, off
Derna, Cyrenaica - German bombers. Bombed by Ju.87 divebombers
on the 22nd in Benghazi harbour and damaged by near
misses. Sank on the 23rd or 24th off Derna on tow to
Alexandria (North African Campaign)
Surviving
ship - EREBUS
9. Roberts class - 8,000 tons, 12 knots, 2-15in,
450 crew, comp 1941/43, 2 ships, ROBERTS, ABERCROMBIE,
both survived
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