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Prince Of Wales was launched 3 May 1939 in Birkenhead after two years of building her. Thereafter a few months went by with testing, and 31. March 1941 HMS Prince of Wales was officially considered finished and ready for duty. In May 1941 she participated in the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck, and it is presumed that Prince of Wales hit Bismarck in this battle. The german ships which consisted of Bismarck and Prinz Eugen hit with seven shots on Prince of Wales, and fourteen men perished on board. In the months that followed Prince of Wales completed in different operations, before she was transferred to Force Z on 24 October 1941 and sent towards Singapore where she arrived on 2. December 1941. Outside Kuantan the force , which consisted og HMS Prince of Wales og HMS Repulse, attacked on 4 December by Japanese airplanes, and both ships were sunk after several attacks. Of the crew of 1612, 327 men perished, among them the commander for Force Z Admiral Sir Tom Phillips and Capt John C. Leach who was in command on Prince of Wales. The wreck of this mighty battleship rests upside down on a depth of sixty six meters and bears obvious marks after the battle that raged when she was sunk. The wreck is considered a war grave....
Laid down: 2nd January
1937 HMS Prince of Wales was the second of five King George V class battleships, built under the limitations of the Washington and London naval limitation treaties. Restricted to 35,000 tons, these vessels mounted 10 x 14" main guns. Well balanced designs, they offered a good turn of speed, good armor protection, dual-purpose secondary mounts, and decent firepower. These numerous and valuable vessels served well in the Med, Atlantic, and Pacific theaters of operations.Completed in March of 1941, and surviving only until December 10th of that same year, Prince of Wales led an eventful if short life. While still under construction, she was damaged by German bombs, which delayed her completion by several months. She joined the fleet at Scapa Flow while still being completed, with civilian contractors still trying to get two of her three turrets operational. When the German Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen sortied into the North Atlantic, her commander, Captain Leach, signalled that his ship was ready for action, and she sailed in company with HMS Hood to intercept, civilian contractors included. They and the ship's crew worked furiously, and after the German battleship had quickly dispatched Hood, the incomplete Prince of Wales scored three critical hits on the Bismarck before breaking off the action, herself hit by five 15" and four 8" shells. She retired under the cover of smoke, with 8 of her 10 main guns out of action, 600 tons of flooding, secondary directors destroyed, and most of her bridge crew dead. After repairs, Prince of Wales carried Winston Churchill to Newfoundland to meet with President Roosevelt in July. She then was assigned to the Med and Force H, participating in Operation Haltberg. Then it was back to the Home Fleet, and then off to the Far East as the heart of Force Z. In company with Repulse, she reached Singapore on December 2. Six days later she was sunk by Japanese land based aircraft, 8 miles from Repulse. The two vessels were attacked about midway between Singapore and Saigon. Details of the attack will be covered in the battle history pages in the near future. HMS Prince of Wales was struck by one torpedo which opened the hull, jammed the steering, disabled most of the AA mounts, and destroyed part of the propulsion. Unable to maneuver, she was struck repeatedly by more torpedoes and bombs, floundering an hour and a half after the first strike... |
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Edited 29.06.2007 |