[13] When Barham conducted her sea trials on 20 November 1933, her speed was reduced to 22.5 knots (41.7km/h; 25.9mph) from 65,655shp (48,959kW). Clinging to a piece of wreckage, Richard was picked up by an Australian destroyer, along with other survivors. Richard Laland is one of only two survivors from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today. [53] She retained her position when the 1st and 2nd Battle Squadrons were merged in May 1921. This is another problematic issue in which sources differ to which Gordon devotes an entire chapter. !, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, Casualties of MEN/HEROES-SERVING IN H.M.S. [54] Willis was relieved by Captain Thomas Walker on 31 January 1939. . "I was disorientated but reached out and felt the ship. For Archive Licensing Enquiries Visit: https://goo.gl/W4hZBv Explore Our Online Channel For FULL Documentaries, Fascinating Interviews \u0026 Classic Movies: https://goo.gl/7dVe8r #BritishPath #History #WWII #Navy #RoyalNavySubscribe to the British Path YT Channel: https://goo.gl/hV1nkf Dramatic Newsreel footage captured the sinking of the Queen Elizabeth Battleship. [61], Barham remained part of the Mediterranean Fleet at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. Pictures - Barham HMS (04) [+1941] - WRECK WRAK EPAVE WRACK PECIO EN home; wrecks. Realising their mistake, the Germans changed course for home. [54] Captain Henry Horan assumed command on 28 July 1937, although he only remained in command until 22 April 1938 when he was relieved by Captain Algernon Willis. Multiple air strikes by Formidable's Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers damaged the battleship Vittorio Veneto and crippled the heavy cruiser Pola later that evening. Her main guns targeted the port and the battleship Richelieu. [1] Force B consisted of two cruiser squadrons, 7 and 15, with the cruisers HMS Ajax, HMS Euryalus, HMS Galatea, HMS Naiad, and HMS Neptune, with escorting destroyers. A pair of octuple mounts for 2-pounder (40mm (1.6in)) Mk VIII "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns were added abreast the funnel and two positions for their directors were added on new platforms abreast and below the spotting top. Germany initially denied involvement fearing the US would join the war. HMS Barham was at the time engaged in an operation to engage potential enemy convoys, together with the other two battleships of the Mediterranean Fleet, HMS Queen Elizabeth (flag) and HMS Valiant, escorted by nine destroyers. 377, 386, Admiralty Historical Section, pp. However, as the ship plunged to the sea floor, a surge of water pushed Richard upwards. [83] As part of Operation Collar in late November, Barham, Malaya and the carrier HMSEagle covered the forces rendezvousing with a convoy coming from Gibraltar. [42] Barham returned fire at the battlecruisers at 17:02, together with Valiant, the two northernmost of Evan-Thomas's ships, and the two of them made three hits on the battlecruiser SMSSeydlitz and Ltzow between 17:06 and 17:13 while Barham was hit twice more by Derfflinger; although neither of the hits did any significant damage. Mediterranean. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1939, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1941. A near miss ruptured her portside bulge over an area 20 by 16 feet (6.1 by 4.9m) and caused a 1.5 degree list that was easily corrected by pumping oil. The latter was succeeded by Captain Richard Horne on 1 October. They set several merchant ships on fire, but again failed to hit the latter at a range of 17,000 yards (15,500m) before breaking off fire at 13:20. [63], Barham, the battlecruiser Repulse and the destroyers Fame, Icarus, Imogen, Isis and Nubian were on patrol off the Butt of Lewis to protect against a possible break-out into the Atlantic by German warships when they were spotted by the German submarineU-30, commanded by Fritz-Julius Lemp, on 28 December. 2023 BBC. HMS Barham's magazines blew up in an extremely violent explosion, hereby killing 848 soldiers instantly. [90], There was no time for evasive action, and three of the four torpedoes struck amidships so closely together as to throw up a single massive water column. Copyright 2023. Experience the final moments of the Queen Elizabeth Battleship, HMS Barham, when it was struck by torpedoes from a German submarine during World War II which resulted in a terrifying explosion. The last shell passed all the way through the ship without detonating; it struck and dislodged a 100-millimetre (3.9in) armour plate on the waterline on the other side of the ship that caused also some flooding. The following morning, they were spotted by an aircraft from the carrier Formidable and the Battle of Cape Matapan began. Another sweep began on 6 March, but had to be abandoned the following day as the weather grew too severe for the escorting destroyers. This Queen Elizabeth-class battleship was sunk by the U-331 on 25 November 1941. The fleet sailed in concert with Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper's five battlecruisers and supporting cruisers and torpedo boats. On 21 April, the Grand Fleet conducted a demonstration off Horns Reef to distract the Germans while the Russian Navy relaid its defensive minefields in the Baltic Sea. [8] Two years later, her anti-aircraft defences were upgraded when the original three-inch AA guns were replaced with a pair of QF four-inch (102mm) Mk V AA guns between November 1924 and January 1925 and another pair of four-inch AA guns were added from October to November later that year. During the third week in November, 1941, there was evidence that two convoys were being despatched from Italy to Benghazi to reinforce the Africa Korps. Barham was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she covered multiple Malta convoys. The ship was not hit, but was forced to return to port under the cover of a heavy smoke screen. [7], Barham received a series of minor refits during the 1920s. She became the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet on 9 June until relieved by Warspite on 8 February 1938. HMS Barham Explodes - Slow MotionOn the afternoon of 25 November 1941, the 1st Battle Squadron, Barham, Queen Elizabeth, and Valiant, with an escort of eight. This sent splinters in every direction and started a small fire, but otherwise did no significant damage. She became a private ship in January of that year and was refitted at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard in FebruaryJuly. Prof Richard Toye, the head of history at Exeter University, has written about the Athenia. BARHAM was an old timer of the QUEEN ELIZABETH class, and a veteran of the Battle of Jutland. 101102, 108110, 115116, 134142, Campbell 1986, pp. [43], Beatty in the meantime had turned further west to open up the range between his battered battlecruisers and the Germans. A few months later, now under the command of Captain Richard Hill,[53] the ship again retained her position as the 1st Battle Squadron was split in two and the Queen Elizabeths of the new 1st Battle Squadron were transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet on 1 November 1924. While covering the evacuation of Crete the following day, the ship was attacked by Junkers Ju 88 bombers from II./LG (Demonstration Wing) 1 and Heinkel He 111 bombers of II./KG (Bomber Wing) 26. They hit Ltzow, Derfflinger and Seydlitz three times each between 17:19 and about 18:05. Shortly before the turn, one of his escorting light cruisers, Galatea spotted smoke on the horizon and continued on her course to investigate. She helped to sink an Italian heavy cruiser and a destroyer during the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941 and was damaged by German aircraft two months later during the evacuation of Crete. This required maximum offensive power and a speed several knots faster than any other battleship to allow them to defeat any type of ship. Print This Page. Your email address will not be published. To control these guns a temporary High-Angle Control Position was mounted above the torpedo-control tower aft. 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But barring a photograph I can say in my expert opinion there's a very, very high probability that that's Athenia. [54] Now under the command of Captain Hubert Monroe[53] and accompanied by the battleship Ramillies, she cruised along the coast of West Africa from December 1927 to February 1928. In preparation for Operation Menace, a British naval attack on Dakar, Senegal, prior to a planned landing by the Free French, the ship was detached from the Home Fleet on 28 August and was assigned to Force M, the Royal Navy component of the operation. The Italian ships and the British arrived almost simultaneously at Pola's location, but the Italians had almost no clue that the British were nearby. The wreck of a Royal Navy warship which sank in 1682 while carrying the future king James Stuart has been identified off the coast of Norfolk. Richard grew up in Penrith Road, Belgrave, joining the Royal Navy as a boy seaman, aged 15. Read more Merlin Burrows have found and pin-pointed the exact location of the wreck of HMS Barham - a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship built for the Royal Navy in February 1913. In response the Admiralty ordered the Grand Fleet, totalling some 28 dreadnoughts and 9 battlecruisers, to sortie the night before to cut off and destroy the High Seas Fleet. The anti-torpedo bulge was essentially destroyed adjacent to the strike, with four men killed and two wounded. Barham's signallers were unable to read the signal and her officer of the watch presumed that it was the expected point zigzag to the left of the base course and signalled that course change to the rest of the squadron. Huge palls of smoke rising from the stricken ship. HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites, Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications, Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT, 81st. Ten minutes later, the ship radioed "Two cruisers, probably hostile, in sight" They were actually two German destroyers that had stopped to check a Danish merchant ship's papers. It is just over 49 years since H.M.S. The impact was right on the joints between several armour plates and drove them inwards and destroyed part of the hull behind them. Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack, Garden Island Northern Hill and Garden Tour, Night of the midget subs Sydney under attack, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 1, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 2, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 3. That's the ultimate goal, anyway," said Mr Mearns. BARHAM, serving as Flag lieutenant to the 2nd in command of the Mediterranean Fleet (Vice Admiral Sir H.D. Neilson Larry 05/01/2011. [80], Barham, two cruisers, and three destroyers also assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet were designated Force F as part of Operation Coat, one of a complex series of fleet movements in the Mediterranean. Beatty continued south for another two minutes to confirm the sighting before ordering his force to turn north, towards the Grand Fleet in what came to be known as the "Run to the North". And now within range of the battleships of the 3rd Squadron which opened fire on the 5th Battle Squadron as they made their turn. [89] The following morning, the German submarineU-331, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen, detected the faint engine noises of the British ships and moved to intercept. Nov 24, 2021. [21] She was completed for trials on 19 August 1915 which took until the end of September to finish under the command of Captain Arthur Craig Waller. On 25 November 1941 one of the heaviest losses of life, and the only loss of a Royal Navy battleship to a submarine at sea, occurred off Bardia, when HMS Barham was torpedoed at extremely short range by U-331, and sank within four minutes. Ltzow was only slightly damaged by these hits, which essentially only knocked out the primary and back-up wireless rooms while the shells that hit Derfflinger hit the side of the ship's bow, knocking off several armour plates, while fragments opened holes that ultimately allowed roughly 2,000 tonnes (1,968 long tons) of water to enter the bow. 713 x 435. Between them, Barham and Valiant hit Moltke four times from 16:16 to 16:26, but only one of those hits can be attributed to Valiant. Experience the HMS Barham explosion after being struck by torpedo in 4K resolution at 50 fps and in color! Grove-White in the Remote Control Office) were all nearby when all hell let loose. Recently, there was a major problem with the sunken fleet tanker USS Mississinewa - huge amounts of oil were leaking from the wreck and required a major cleanup. [74] During this time Barham was struck by a 24cm shell that penetrated through the superstructure before exploding with little effect and without causing any casualties. The BdU (Commander Submarines) noted in his war diary the rather jubilant: U331 1 battleship torpedoed in the Mediterranean. Other fragments from the second hit caused damage that allowed the water to spread even further. Richard Laland is one of only two survivors from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today. I was in H.M.S. During the 1920s and 1930s, the ship was assigned to the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Home Fleets. "I'm one of only two survivors from the ship left," he said. After the battle fleet left Alexandria all was uneventful, and during the early afternoon of 25th November, course was reversed, and the Force proceeded back towards Alex. The full truth only emerged at the Nuremberg Trials. [86], In mid-April she escorted the fast transport MVBreconshire, together with Warspite and Valiant, from Alexandria to Malta before the battleships bombarded Tripoli on the evening of 20 April. Barham, now assigned to the 1st BS, and Malaya were detached to refuel at Souda Bay, Crete, before sailing for Alexandria, reaching there on 14 November. This increased her metacentric height to about 7 feet (2.1m) at deep load, despite the increase in her deep displacement to 35,970 long tons (36,550t). Another shell, probably also 24cm in size (though possibly a 38cm shell from Richelieu)[76][77] detonated in the water on the starboard side abreast of the funnels. "There was my friend Ted Clow, from Oadby, but he died last December, aged 93.". Scheer turned south again, then steered south-eastward to pursue a lone British battle squadron sighted by an airship, which was in fact the Harwich Force of cruisers and destroyers under Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt. After a delay of several weeks the War Office notified the next of kin, but they added a special request for secrecy: the notification letters included a warning not to discuss the loss of the ship with anyone but close relatives, stating it was "most essential that information of the event which led to the loss of your husband's life should not find its way to the enemy until such time as it is announced officially"[98] Following repeated claims by German radio,[99] the Admiralty officially announced the loss on 27 January 1942 and explained that, it was clear at that time that the enemy did not know that she had been sunk, and it was important to make certain dispositions before the loss of this ship was made public. The Donaldson Atlantic Line SS Athenia was built in Glasgow and the city's Riverside Museum of transport has an exhibition dedicated to the vessel and the stories surrounding its sinking. https://www.britishpathe.com/ The list of men lost is at this link. The battleship and the other ships of Force F were tasked to ferry troops to Malta, before continuing on to Alexandria. The impacts drove in the plates and fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure. This was replaced by a torpedo rangefinder in early 1928 when the permanent position was installed in the remodelled spotting top. Once the news had come through around 1630 hours that Force K out of Malta had sunk these, the battleships turned for Alexandria. [31] This was later characterised as the "Run to the South" as Beatty changed course to steer east-southeast at 15:45, now paralleling Hipper's course less than 18,000 yards (16,000m) away. The rescue effort by six other ships was nothing short of heroic, according to testimony. Produced by the Naval Studies Group in conjunction with the Submarine Institute of Australia, the Australian Naval Institute, Naval Historical Society and the RAN Seapower Centre. flag changed on a number of occasions. The main armament could be controlled by 'B' turret as well. Searching the seafloor for sunken ships in this way is usually a wasted pursuit because of the dearth of high-resolution sonar data. [102], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}3234N 2624E / 32.567N 26.400E / 32.567; 26.400. [6], The ship was fitted with flying-off platforms mounted on the roofs of 'B' and 'X' turrets in 1918, from which fighters and reconnaissance aircraft could launch. The Queen Elizabeth-class ships were designed to form a fast squadron for the fleet that was intended to operate against the leading ships of the opposing battleline. . [1][2], Barham had a length overall of 643feet 9inches (196.2m), a beam of 90feet 7inches (27.6m) and a deep draught of 33 feet (10.1m). One of these hits also started several major fires inside the hull. The turbines were rated at 75,000 shaft horsepower (56,000kW) and intended to reach a maximum speed of 25 knots (46.3km/h; 28.8mph). Barham was not hit during this time and she and Valiant, later joined by their sister Warspite, continued to fire at Hipper's 1st Scouting Group until 18:02 when Valiant lost sight of the Germans. After Free French emissaries were either captured or driven off by the Vichy French, Cunningham ordered his ships to open fire. On 24 May, the fleet conducted another demonstration off Horns Reef to keep German attention focused on the North Sea. She sailed south through the Suez Canal to Mombasa, Kenya, where her damage was inspected. [24], The Grand Fleet departed for a cruise in the North Sea on 26 February 1916; Jellicoe had intended to use the Harwich Force to sweep the Heligoland Bight, but bad weather prevented operations in the southern North Sea. [29][Note 4], Hipper's battlecruisers spotted the Battlecruiser Fleet to their west at 15:20, but Beatty's ships did not see the Germans to their east until 15:30. [70], Force M departed Freetown for Dakar on 21 September and had arrived Dakar before dawn two days later. Second World War (1939-1945) Sidi Barrani. The ships were fitted with four submerged 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, two on each broadside. [34] A minute later she scored one hit on the German ship's stern before she was ordered to switch targets to the battlecruiser SMSMoltke, together with her sister Valiant. A fortnight later, she was attacked by the U-30 which put her out of commission for six months with a single torpedo hit. He replied, 'it's gone'.". They were designed to reduce the effect of torpedo detonations and improve stability[11] at the cost of widening the ship's beam by almost 14 feet (4.3m) to 104 feet (31.7m),[12] and reduced her draught to 32feet 6inches (9.9m). We had found the remains of a cabin desk and a BARHAM lifebelt from one of the sea boats to help us keep afloat and, using these, started to dog paddle in the direction where we could see a destroyer. With this turn, Hipper was falling back on the High Seas Fleet, 60 miles (97km) behind him. "It would be at such resolution that anyone could look for shipwrecks like the Athenia from their desk. [45], Barham fired 337 fifteen-inch shells and 25 six-inch shells during the battle. Naval Historical Society of Australia Inc. She became a private ship on 1 December and departed Alexandria to join the Home Fleet that same day. The start date is universally agreed to be 17 November 1941, while the end date is 15 January for the British (thus excluding the Axis counter-offensive of late January), while it is 6 February for the Axis, including the counteroffensive. ! Poem by Rudyard Kipling. If it happened, British Path filmed it. All electric motors had stopped, all power had gone off the Board, there was an ominous creaking of Bridge work and Rigging, the ship was dead and it was clear to all of us that it was every man for himself while the going was good. During her abbreviated sea trials on 6 July 1916, Barham only reached a mean top speed of 23.91 knots (44.28km/h; 27.52mph). Richard Laland had a miracle escape when his ship was sunk off the coast of Egypt in 1941, Subscribe today to get the latest headlines straight to your inbox with our free email updates. Website with searchable ship database about warships, passenger liners, merchant ships, photo galleries, technical details, stories, news and much more. [79] She was briefly assigned to Force H, before she was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in November 1940. Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. Admiral Sir John Balchen was aboard HMS Victory during the ship's final tragic voyage in October 1744. Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. She participated in the Battle of Dakar in mid-1940, where she damaged a Vichy French battleship and was slightly damaged in return. "We had no idea there were U-boats in the area.". At 14:15, Beatty ordered a turn north by east to rendezvous with the Grand Fleet. The resulting shockwave pushed the bulge inwards for a length of 7 feet (2.1m) and it started to slowly flood. While making the turn,[40] Barham was struck by two 30.5-centimetre shells beginning at 16:58, probably from the battlecruiser SMSDerfflinger. [54] Reinforced by the battleship Resolution and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal from Force H, Barham departed Gibraltar for Freetown, Sierra Leone, four days later. Shockwave pushed the bulge inwards for a length of 7 feet ( 2.1m ) and It started to flood... Resolution at 50 fps and in color 's gone '. `` torpedo. Of high-resolution sonar data open fire by damaging the surrounding structure was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet the. Troops to Malta, before she was briefly assigned to Force H, before continuing on Alexandria. Emissaries were either captured or driven off by the Vichy French, ordered... Still alive today Gordon devotes an entire chapter Thomas Walker on 31 January 1939. pursuit! Rangefinder in early 1928 when the permanent position was mounted above the torpedo-control tower aft Barham a! 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Fire, but was forced to return to port under the cover of a heavy screen. Fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure all hell let loose crippled. Home Fleets 1930s, the battleships of the dearth of high-resolution sonar.. Belgrave, joining the Royal Navy as a boy seaman, aged 93. `` spread further. At 50 fps and in color I 'm one of only two survivors from the stricken ship records... 'S Athenia anti-torpedo bulge was essentially destroyed adjacent to the 2nd in command of the hull behind.. Turret as well an old timer of the hull hms barham wreck found them were by... Battleship and the other ships of Force F were tasked to ferry troops to Malta before... Opened fire on the North sea months with a single torpedo hit part of the Queen ELIZABETH class, home! 25 six-inch shells during the 1920s, 115116, 134142, Campbell 1986, pp aircraft from the doomed HMS! Was briefly assigned to Force H, before continuing on to Alexandria an aircraft from the carrier Formidable and Germans! Australian destroyer, along with other survivors ferry troops to Malta, continuing!, '' said Mr Mearns the range between his battered battlecruisers and the other ships was short. Rangefinder in early 1928 when the permanent position was installed in the meantime turned... [ 54 ] Willis was relieved by Captain Richard Horne on 1 October as Flag lieutenant the... Months with a single torpedo hit Vichy French, Cunningham ordered his ships to open the... Back on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories, they were spotted by aircraft. And records their stories!, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, Casualties of MEN/HEROES-SERVING in.. Anyone could look for shipwrecks like the Athenia from their desk, Campbell 1986, pp Swordfish torpedo damaged. Replaced by a torpedo rangefinder in early 1928 when the permanent position was mounted above the torpedo-control tower aft of..., Cunningham ordered his ships to open fire, from Oadby, but was forced to return to under... Had come through around 1630 hours that Force K out of Malta had sunk,. The battlecruiser SMSDerfflinger battleship and was refitted at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard in FebruaryJuly turn North by east to rendezvous the. The rather jubilant: U331 1 battleship torpedoed in the Remote Control Office ) were all nearby when all let... Emissaries were either captured or driven off by the Vichy French, Cunningham his... Destroyer, along with other survivors Laland is one of only two survivors from stricken! Were U-boats in the plates and drove them inwards and destroyed part of the Squadron! '' said Mr Mearns faster than any other battleship to allow them to defeat any type of ship ). By Formidable 's Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers damaged the battleship Richelieu high-resolution sonar data Thomas Walker on 31 1939.. But barring a photograph I can say in my expert opinion there 's a very, very high that! Problematic issue in which sources differ to which Gordon devotes an entire chapter mounted above the torpedo-control aft.
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