HMS Prince of Wales - The history of HMS Prince of Wales The British battleship had a short but very eventful career. When July 29, 1936 commissioned by the British Admiralty shipyards building two new battleships Class King George V , were selected for the second of them the name of King Edward VIII. in honor of currently reigning king. However, King Edward (probably in anticipation of future abdication) recommended a new ship named the title of Britains heir to the throne. The ship was built as a second class unit of King George V in Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, but finished in a shipyard in Rosyth, because the parent shipyard raid severely damaged the German bombers. The actual ship hit the shrapnel from bombs, which exploded near her port side. At that time he was commanding officer Captain Hamilton of HMS Prince of Wales went through the most loděničních tests. January 30, 1941 because the ship arrived in Rosyth, where he was gradually fitting out. In February, also replaced the ships commander Captain Hamilton (promoted to Admiral) Captain John Catterall Leach. The shipyard workers still on board, sailed the HMS Prince of Wales on March 24, 1941 from Rosyth Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow. Upon arrival, March 25, 1941 and run through some tests it, March 31, 1941, officially declared as completed, although far from completing all the necessary tests to the extent appropriate. The reason for this haste was the fear of leaving the British Admiralty German battleship Bismarck and the command of the Royal Navy wanted to take this case to have at least two modern battleships. When completed in April a ship the remaining trials and tests and 21 May 1941 it declared as able active service. As early as May 22, 1941 left HMS Prince of Wales and the base of Scapa Flow with the battle cruiser HMS Hood and 6 destroyers to Iceland from the southwest to patrol it took place. The British Admiralty sent the ship to sea to investigate and destroy the German Command Level - battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen , which was already known to be at sea and headed for the Denmark Strait. On board the British battleship was still civil servants Vickers Armstrong, who had removed any major problems inadequately tested equipment. When the HMS Prince of Wales sailed was aboard combat readiness inspection that the ship and her crew prepare for the next engagement. May 23, 1941 left the group destroyer HMS Antelope and HMS Anthony and sailed to Iceland to refuel. At the same time commander of the British Association, Vice-Admiral Lancelot Holland aboard HMS Hood received a message from the 20:04 two patrolling cruisers HMS Norfolk and HMS Suffolk , to captureBismarck and the Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait. Due to very bad weather, the commander aside launch seaplane Walrus , the ship also had problems with water, watering the board (due to low body). Shortly after 2 oclock in the morning got the remaining destroyers ordered to survey the area in the north, but was captured by the enemy until 5:35 on both heavy ships. First, HMS Hood and the HMS 5:53 Prince of Wales opened fire on the enemy, who immediately returned. After 5 volleys was HMS Hood at 6:01 hit, the explosion of ammunition in a warehouse flew into the air and quickly sank. The entire crew bailed out only 3 men. Shaken crew of HMS Prince of Wales continued to fight, but the ship earned three hits from 380 mm main works of the German battleship. The first shell hit the bridge and killed or wounded all present. Miraculously, the only ones who suffer even a scratch was Captain Leach, navigation officer and NCO connection. Battleship also hit four 203 mm shells from the cruiser Prinz Eugen . Total killed two officers and 11 sailors, an officer and eight sailors were wounded. Other interventions such as rescue boats destroyed, several cabins, echo sounder, radar and the crane cab. The fight to fully demonstrated weaknesses in design of HMS Prince of Wales. Before the start of the fight were all gun turrets ready workers from Vickers Armstrong to keep odstraňovali technical flaws. Already after the first volley failed one of the works and could not be repaired. During the following rounds are gradually appearing in other defects cannons, civil engineers are trying to eliminate. Rarely the shot more than three major once (out of 6 on the bow). After assessing the seriousness of the situation left a sea captain Leach at 6:05 shroud smokescreen battleship and HMS Prince of Wales left the battlefield. At the end of the battle became unusable čtyřhlavňová Tower Y at the rear, failed because the mechanism transporting ammunition from the ammunition depot, in addition to the two towers čtyřhlavňové stuck for some time and was not capable of being rotated. It should be noted that the problems were caused by poor construction and occurred in all classes of ships of King George V. However, the gunners of HMS Prince of Wales and the success of the hit Bismarck with three shells, one of the interventions subsequently proved to be very important, because the fuel tank damaged the nose of Bismarck , and also damaged the bow, causing a reduction of the German battleship speed of 2 knots. The very British battleship, along with heavy cruisers HMS Norfolk and HMS Suffolk , from a safe distance of a few hours watching the two German vessels. Both groups are together again for a short time after midnight on May 25, 1941 approached and fired several volleys ( Bismarck 3 rounds and the Prince of Wales 12 rounds) but then for reasons of dwindling stocks of fuel had battleship cruisers leave both themselves and give towards Iceland. May 26, 1941crew at sea buried the victims of the clash and the temporary repairs to the battleship released May 28 on a trip to Great Britain. Immediately after the return of the HMS Prince of Wales, located in the shipyard in Rosyth necessary corrections. During the work the workers find unexploded 380 mm shell below the waterline, near the starboard engine. Because the shipyard workers refused to remove the grenade, had it chosen to do the crew members. During the repairs were also installed new radar. Repairs lasted until July 19, 1941 July 6, 1941, and the HMS Prince of Wales went back to Scapa Flow and engaged in other exercises, including practice shooting with the sister ship of King George V. In late July 1941, the ship is selected for a special mission on August 4, 1941, and is fully combat-ready aboard the HMS Prince of Wales boarded the passengers who arrived on the destroyer HMS Oribe. The battleship is escorted by four destroyers, released across the Atlantic, in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. Sailed May 8, 1941 June 8, 1941 the British took over the escort and protect ships three Canadian destroyers. September 8, 1941 left the British prime minister Winston Churchill (as he was the rare passenger) battle ship and on board the heavy cruiser USS Augusta secretly met with U.S. President Fraklinem Delano Roosevelt . This meeting, which lasted four days, later led to the signing of the Atlantic Charter - a document spelling out the common approach of the Allies against Germany and the war did not recognize any territorial gains after the ceasefire August 14, 1941 left HMS Prince of Wales, again with Winston Churchill aboard, Newfoundland and went to the Icelandic Hvalfjordu. Doprovázaly her two U.S. destroyers and four kandské. During the voyage she met with the convoy HX 143, August 16, 1941 arrived in Iceland, where the prime minister appeared before Parliament and attended islanským British ships in the naval base. In Scapa Flow, where Winston Churchill landed September 18, 1941, the battleship was accompanied by three destroyers, HMS Prince of Wales stayed at the base and took part in a failed test of new radar Type 273, which it was installed. September 9, 1941 the ship was declared a Red Alert and HMS Prince of Wales had to be prepared in the course of half an hour to leave. All caused by fear of possible penetration of the Admiralty German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer in the Atlantic. Fears have proved unfounded. A few days later, the HMS Prince of Wales designed to protect the convoys to Malta in Operation Halberd. September 15, 1941 because the battleship had sailed from Scapa Flow and accompanied by the cruiser HMS Euryalus and two destroyers, she moved to Greenock. September 17, 1941 sailed from here, along with two cruisers and 11 destroyers (including two Polish and one Dutch) to escort convoys WS11X. September 23, 1941 left HMS Prince of Wales and a convoy of three fuel tank destroyer sailed into Gibraltar. September 24, 1941, the ship rejoined the WS11X, reinforced by the battleship HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson and the aircraft carrierHMS Ark Royal , September 25, 1941, and the convoy sailed through the Gibraltar Strait. September 27, 1941, the convoy was the target of several heavy bombing of the Italian Air Force, during which the damaged battleship HMS Nelson . The Italians tried to attack a convoy hladinovým fleet, but after finding how strong escort is protected from attack dropped. September 28, 1941 on the ship unsuccessfully attacked an Italian submarine Diaspro, the next day, the escort carriers when the task at Bizerta turned to return to Gibraltar. The union attacked (again unsuccessfully) to another Italian submarine Serpente. September 30, 1941 found a reconnaissance seaplane from HMS Prince of Wales, the Italian submarine Adua, which then sank the accompanying destroyer HMS Legion and HMS Gurkha . British ships then safely reached Gibraltar. During the air raids, shot down the gunners of HMS Prince of Wales three aircraft (one of which was unfortunately own Fairey Fulmar ). January 10, 1941 left the battleship Gibraltar and four escort destroyers went to Scapa Flow. Bases reached easily 10 June 1941. During the service at higher temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea, among others appeared as well as other structural defects, which have already been removed. As a result of the deteriorating international situation in the Far East, the Admiralty decided to reinforce the British Eastern Fleet, and to this end was also selected the HMS Prince of Wales October 23, 1941 because the battleship had sailed together with the destroyers HMS Electra and HMS Express by Clyde. October 24, 1941 then embarked on board the Admiral Thomas Phillips, who was appointed commander of the Eastern Fleet. October 25, 1941 HMS Prince of Wales with two destroyers, sailed to the Far East. With a stopover in Freetown (05.11), Cape Town (from 16.11 to 18.11), Mauritius (24.11) and Addu Atoll in the Maldives, arrived at Union, November 28, 1941, to Colombo in Ceylon. The following day the three ships joined the battle cruiser HMS Repulse , the destroyer HMS Jupiter and HMS Encounter and the union set sail for Singapore. February 12, 1941 the Union, now known as The Force (Union of), arrived at Singapore naval base. The next day was the HMS Prince of Wales placed in the dock to undergo regular maintenance and cleaning of the hull. August 12, 1941 Japanese aircraft attacked Singapore and Admiral Phillips learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of Great Britain into war with Japan. Admiral convened a meeting of his staff and decided to leave at dusk, to attack Japanese forces Yonder at Kota Bharu on the Malay Peninsula. Therefore, late in the afternoon proceeded HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse , accompanied by destroyers HMS Electra , HMS Express , HMS Tenedos, and HMAS Vampire , the sea. September 12, 1941 the Union first discovered by Japanese submarine I-56and later by Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. Admiral Phillips after much dithering and decided to return at 20:55, the Association changed course and returned to Singapore. Before noon on December 10, 1941 the Association Z planes attacked from Japanese fleet 22 from Saigon. Without any air cover it sealed the fate of ships. The first was the battle cruiser HMS Repulse , HMS Prince of Wales, expected the same fate and a few minutes later. it started, at the beginning of the attack she was struck by two torpedoes in the stern, which has become uncontrollable, and another three torpedoes and several bombs hit it in the other attacks. At 13:18 the HMS Prince of Wales capsized and sank. Killed 327 members of her crew was rescued, or the master, John Leach, neither Admiral Phillips The wreck is currently at a depth of about 68 meters in position 03 ° 3336 N, 104 ° 2842 E. To one of their ships bolts secured with rope and buoy the British flag. Ships bell was retrieved in 2002 and located in the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 13:24:35 +0000
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