1 9 4 1
January
19th Commissioned for Trials.
Commanding
Officer Captain L K Harcourt.
(Note:
Completion of fitting-out to be carried out by HM Dockyard, Rosyth
because of air raid damage in shipyard.)
28th Took passage from Liverpool to Rosyth.
February Fitting-out at Rosyth.
(Note: Fit of
radar Type 281 for aircraft warning and limited fire-control use,
together with radar Type 284 for fire-control of forward
main armament,
and four Type 285 for fire-control of 5.25" armament
was completed.
For details of
development and use of radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse.)
Captain J C
Leach relieved Captain Harcourt on his promotion to Rear Admiral
March Contractor's trials.
24th Took passage from Forth to Scapa Flow for trials with ships of Home Fleet.
(Note: Shipyard
and Dockyard personnel were embarked.
Some testing of
compartments and systems was not carried out before
leaving Rosyth.)
25th Arrived at Scapa
Flow.
31st Ship classified as completed.
April Deployed at Scapa Flow
for work-up and trials including radar performance
and calibration of air warning and fire control equipment.
May
8th Carried out Full Power Trials.
21st Ship reported to CinC Home Fleet
as ready for Fleet service.
Took passage
from Scapa Flow with HM Battlecruiser HOOD escorted by
HM Destroyers
ACHATES, ANTELOPE, ANTHONY, ELECTRA and
ICARUS to take
up patrol position SW of Iceland after refuelling in Iceland
at Hvalfjord.
(Note: These
ships were then to be stationed SW of Iceland to intercept two
German warships
reported on passage via Denmark
Strait to attack
Atlantic convoys.)
22nd Carried out exercises in preparation for anticipated action.
(Note: Home
Fleet ships including HMS KING GEORGE V and HM Aircraft
Carrier
VICTORIOUS
sailed from Rosyth to carry out interception of German ships.)
23rd HMS ANTELOPE and HMS ANTHONY detached to refuel.
German warships
sighted by HM Cruisers SUFFOLK and NORFOLK in
Denmark Strait
identified as battleship BISMARCK and cruiser PRINZ
EUGEN.
24th Planned search by embarked WALRUS aircraft cancelled because
of
weather conditions.
(Note:
Significant flooding was being caused forward when ship was
in swell conditions and due
to low freeboard. See KING GEORGE
V CLASS BATTLESHIPS by VE Tarrant.)
Enemy ships
engaged with HMS HOOD and came under return fire.
HMS HOOD was hit
after 5th enemy salvo and sank quickly with only
three survivors from a complement of over 1,400.
During further
engagement with German ships sustained damage by
seven 15" and 8" projectiles with 13 fatal
casualties.
Mechanical
failures limited the extent of 14" fire from both quadruple
turrets and of the 74 fire-orders to the individual guns
only 55 had been
successfully carried out. The after mounting was disabled by
the
mishandling of shell which resulted in training mechanism
being
jammed.
(Note: The
problems due to design failures in the complex system of
safety interlocks were
common to all ships of the Class and
experienced in HMS KING GEORGE V during later actions
involving this type of mounting.)
Three hits on BISMARCK were made of which one caused significant
damage to forward structure causing flooding and a
consequential
reduction of speed.
(Note: This
damage became more crucial when violent movements
taken to avoid air attacks dislodged the damage control
measures taken to prevent further flooding.)
Retired from
engagement after an hour because of gunnery performance
and increased likelihood of further damage to the ship which
needed
further work-up.
(For details of
the BISMARCK action see above reference, BATTLESHIP
BISMARCK by Mullenheim-Rechberg, PURSUIT
by L Kennedy, and
the Naval Staff History.)
25th Detached from search operation and took passage to Hvalfiord.
26th Burial at sea of those killed was carried out during passage.
27th Under repair to allow safe return
passage.
28th Took passage from Iceland.
June On arrival taken in hand
for repair by HM Dockyard, Rosyth,
(Note: During
repair work an unexploded 15" shell was found below
the waterline near the Starboard Diesel Room and removed by
the Ship's Staff.)
July After completion of
repair work took passage to Scapa
Flow to resume
service with Home Fleet and deployed for extensive exercises
including gunnery firings with HMS KING GEORGE V.
Nominated for special duty.
August
4th Embarked Prime Minister from HM Destroyer ORIBI at Scapa Flow
with Chiefs of Defence Staff for passage to Placentia Bay,
Newfoundland
for meeting with President Roosevelt
Took passage
escorted by three Home Fleet destroyers.
5th Destroyer escort detached because of the need to maintain
maximum
speed in heavy weather conditions.
8th Escorted by three RCN destroyers.
14th Closed Atlantic convoy and passed through columns to the acclaim of
the ships under escort.
9th Arrived at Placentia and Prime Minister disembarked to meet US
President on US cruiser USS AUGUSTA.
(Note: The
Atlantic Charter was signed during a series of discussions
which lasted four days.)
13th Took passage from Placentia
Bay for Hvalfjord
Iceland with Prime
Minister. Escort provided
by 2 US Navy destroyers.
16th Arrived at Hvalfjord to allow Prime
Minister to address Icelandic
Parliament and to visit RN ships based in Iceland.
Sailed for Scapa Flow with RN destroyer escort.
18th Prime Minister disembarked on arrival at Greenock..
Took passage to Rosyth for installation of radar equipment.
(Note: First
production model of new centimetric radar Type 273 was
fitted to provide surface warning cover. This outfit was to
replace
earlier Type 271 in major warships, but had not been
available
to be fitted in this ship on build. See RADAR AT SEA.)
Returned to Scapa Flow to resume Home Fleet duties.
September Deployed at Scapa Flow
and carried out trials on new radar.
See reference.
Nominated for detached service as escort for Malta Relief convoy.
(Operation
HALBERD).
15th Sailed from Scapa
Flow to Greenock.
17th Joined HALBERD convoy and sailed as escort with HM Cruisers
KENYA and EURYALUS, screened by HM Destroyers HARVESTER,
HAVELOCK, LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, ORIBI, WHITEHALL, WITCH,
BLANKNEY, Dutch
destroyer ISAAC SWEERS, Polish destroyers
ORP PIORUN and ORP GARLAND.
19th HMS HAVELOCK and HMS HARVESTER detached with mv STRATHEDEN
for passage to Newfoundland.
20th HM Battleship RODNEY joined escort.
24th Gibraltar ships detached.
HM Battleship
NELSON, HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Aircraft Carrier
ARK ROYAL of
Force H joined HALBERD convoy to provide air cover
during Mediterranean passage.
25th Deployed with Force H ships as Force A to provide cover
during
passage to Sicilian
Narrows.
27th Under air attacks which were repelled by
air cover and ships of escort.
(Note: HMS
NELSON was hit by torpedo and damaged but remained
with convoy until ships for Malta detached.)
Mercantiles detached from Force A and took passage through Narrows
escorted by HM Cruisers KENYA, EDINBURGH, SHEFFIELD and
HERMIONE
screened by nine destroyers.
(For details of
HALBERD convoy defence see THE BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN
by D MacIntyre, MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman
and Naval Staff History.)
Under threat of
attack by Italian Battle Squadron but this interception
force turned back when it
was realised HALBERD escort included
strong escort of battleships and an aircraft carrier. See
references.)
28th Remained with Force A west of Narrows to await return of Force X
(Note: HMS
NELSON was detached with escort to take passage to
Gibraltar for repair.)
Force A under
attack by Italian submarine DIASPRO which failed.
29th Force X ships rejoined and combined Forces left area off Bizerta for
return to Gibraltar.
Further attack
attempted by Italian submarine SERPENTE which failed.
30th Launched WALRUS aircraft to carry out
anti-submarine patrol.
Italian
submarine ADUA was detected and sunk by HM Destroyers
LEGION and GURKHA (ii).
Arrived at Gibraltar with combined Forces.
October
1st Took passage from Gibraltar for
Scapa Flow with ships of Home Fleet
detached for HALBERD.
(Note: Excess
temperatures experienced during Mediterranean
service revealed another
design weakness of this Class of
battleship. It was never dealt with.)
6th Arrived at Scapa Flow to resume Home Fleet deployment.
20th Nominated for transfer to Eastern Fleet
with HM Battlecruiser REPULSE.
(For details of
circumstances leading up to this decision at Cabinet
level, see above references.)
23rd Sailed from Scapa
Flow with HMS REPULSE screened by
HM Destroyers
ELECTRA and
EXPRESS which were also being transferred to Eastern
Fleet.
24th Embarked Admiral T Phillips to take up his appointment as CinC Eastern
Fleet with staff officers for
passage to Ceylon.
(Note: Intention
was for ship to be deployed at Singapore with HMS
REPULSE which
was to be met at Colombo)
25th Sailed from Clyde for passage to Colombo with calls at Freetown and
Cape Town
Escorted additionally in NW Approaches by HM Destroyer HESPERUS.
(Note: Ships
being transferred to Eastern Fleet designated Force G.)
29th HMS HESPERUS detached and returned to Clyde.
November
5th At Freetown.
16th During visit to Cape Town, Admiral Phillips called on General Smuts,
the Prime Minister of South Africa.
18th Sailed from Cape
of Good Hope to Colombo.
28th Arrived at Colombo after calls at Mauritius and Gan for
fuel.
(Note: Excessive
temperatures were again experienced during passage
in the Indian
Ocean and the subject of report
by Ships Medical
Officer.)
29th Joined by HMS REPULSE with HM Destroyers JUPITER and
ENCOUNTER
as additional screen on departure from Colombo
and took passage with HMS ELECTRA and HMS EXPRESS for Singapore,
still designated Force G.
December
2nd Arrived at Singapore.
3rd Docked for routine hull cleaning and
inspection.
(Note: Ship was
later taken in hand for retubing of distilling
machinery.)
5th HMS REPULSE sailed for visit to Port Darwin.
6th HMS REPULSE recalled to Singapore in view of likelihood of war with
Japan and discussions in Manila between Admiral Phillips and CinC of
US Asiatic Fleet.
7th HMS REPULSE returned to Singapore.
8th War Telegram received.
Ship undocked
and War Conference held on board.
Admiralty
informed of intention to sail at dusk to attack enemy forces off
Kota Baru.
(Note: See KING
GEORGE V CLASS BATTLESHIPS and Naval Staff History
for details of this fatal decision.)
Sailed from Singapore with HMS REPULSE escorted by HM Destroyers
ELECTRA, EXPRESS, VAMPIRE and TENEDOS. Designated
as Force Z.
(Note: HMS
JUPITER and HMS ENCOUNTER were taken in hand for repair
after arrival at Singapore.)
9th Force Z reported on passage north by Japanese submarine.
Signal received
from Singapore stating that fighter protection could not be
provided on 10th as requested at earlier meetings in Singapore.
Japanese
reconnaissance aircraft sighted.
Decision made to
return to Singapore. HMS TENEDOS detached to refuel.
10th Diverted on passage to investigate
reported landings at Kuantan.
Japanese air
search for Force Z ships directed farther south.
Kuantan area found deserted and searched for tug and barges
sighted earlier.
Came under
unsuccessful attack by bomber aircraft, five of which were
reported damaged.
Second attack by
torpedo aircraft resulted in hits by two torpedoes which
struck the port side, abaft Y Turret and near the after
5.25" mountings.
These damaged
the outboard propeller shaft, disabling the ship and also
caused extensive flooding with loss of electric power.
Four more torpedoes
hit the ship on the starboard side in the sixth air
attack on Force Z and damaged the port outer propeller and
shaft and
caused more flooding.
Her fate was
sealed when the ship was struck by a bomb amidships
between the funnels with further damage by six other bombs
which
"near missed". The list
to port was increasing and the ship was
gradually sinking when the order to Abandon Ship was given.
The battleship
lurched to port and capsized at 1320 and rests in position
03.34N 104.27E SE of Kuantan, Malaysia.
327 of her total complement
of 1,612 lost their lives including Admiral Phillips and
Captain Leach.
(Casualty
List -
note
on casualties)
(For details of
this action see above references and BRITISH BATTLESHIPS
OF WW2 by A Raven and J Roberts.)
