Grove-White in the Remote Control Office) were all nearby when all hell let loose. 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. [26], In an attempt to lure out and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet, the High Seas Fleet, composed of 16 dreadnoughts, 6 pre-dreadnoughts, 6 light cruisers, and 31 torpedo boats, departed the Jade early on the morning of 31 May. Most of those who died were in two lifeboats that were smashed just as they were about to be saved. [3], The Queen Elizabeth class was equipped with eight breech-loading (BL) 15-inch (381mm) Mk I guns in four twin-gun turrets, in two superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from front to rear. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Richard Laland is one of only two survivors from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today. [61], Barham remained part of the Mediterranean Fleet at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. The shell devastated a messdeck and dented the armoured deck by a depth of 8 centimetres (3.1in), but caused no casualties. By this time the 5th Battle Squadron was about seven point five nautical miles (13.9km; 8.6mi) northwest of Beatty. [93][Note 6] Captain Geoffrey Cooke went down with his ship. 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. "We looked at each other and said, 'right, let's get up top!'. Casualties: 861. The 92-year-old, from Leicester, miraculously escaped death when the ship was sunk by a. Barham was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she covered multiple Malta convoys. The detonation blew a 7-by-7-foot (2.1 by 2.1m) hole in the main deck, sent fragments through the middle and lower decks and burned out the casemate for starboard No. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. https://www.britishpathe.com/ [54] On 14 October 1925, Captain Francis Marten relieved Hill, but he retained command only until 9 March 1926 when Captain Joseph Henley assumed command. After some time we came to a Carley float, to which about six of our shipmates were clinging. At 18:17 he realised that Marlborough was actually at the rear of the formation and he ordered a turn to the north to bring his squadron into line behind the Grand Fleet. [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. Reblogged this on battleoftheatlantic19391945 and commented: Lemp fired four torpedoes at the two capital ships,[64] and one struck Barham on her port side, adjacent to the shell rooms for 'A' and 'B' turrets. The ship was in the Mediterranean when the Second World War began in September 1939 and accidentally collided with and sank one of her escorting destroyers, HMS Duchess, on her voyage home three. 1. Clinging to a piece of wreckage, Richard was picked up by an Australian destroyer, along with other survivors. 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. Website with searchable ship database about warships, passenger liners, merchant ships, photo galleries, technical details, stories, news and much more. They and the sacrifice they made will never be forgotten. [53] Together with her sister Malaya, Barham was sent to Alexandria, Egypt, in May 1927 during a time of unrest. "Can I go into a court of law and say, '100%, that's Athenia?' . He eventually lost his life in a confrontation in 1941 when his U-110 boat was forced to the surface after being damaged by depth charges. 2. It is split in the aft section where the torpedo hit, but otherwise is sitting proud of the sediment and looks to be in reasonable shape. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Actually, my last time in Pearl (around 1994) I saw petrol bubbles coming from the wreck. [33] About three minutes later, the ship opened fire on the battlecruiser SMSvon der Tann at a range of about 23,000 yards (21,000m). 271, 275, 27980, 284, 286290, Campbell 1986, pp. On 612 May, she covered the Alexandria-Malta convoy of Operation Tiger. [15], The Queen Elizabeth class was ordered as part of the 1912 Naval Programme and the contract for Barham was awarded to John Brown & Company. The British and the German fleets returned home; the British lost two cruisers to submarine attacks, and one German dreadnought had been torpedoed. The gun turrets were protected by 11 to 13 inches (279 to 330mm) of KC armour and were supported by barbettes 710 inches (178254mm) thick. Print This Page. 2 six-inch gun. 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. Battleship sunk on 25 of November 1941. The 92-year-old, from Leicester, miraculously escaped death when the ship was sunk by a German U-boat torpedo off the coast of Egypt on November 25, 1941. 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 year the UP mount was replaced by a pair of quadruple Vickers 0.5-inch machine gun mounts and another pair of eight-barreled "pom-pom" mounts were added abreast her conning tower. 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". 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. Barham played a minor role in quelling the 1929 Palestine riots and the 19361939 Arab revolt in Palestine. The translated detailed report of the attack by U-331 can be found at this link. On December 12 1939, she collided with a destroyer, the HMS Duchess, sinking her in the mishap. The terrifying explosion was caught on film by Path cameraman John Turner who was on an adjacent ship. !, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, Casualties of MEN/HEROES-SERVING IN H.M.S. Thanks to the advancements in artificial intellige. 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. Beatty then ordered Evan-Thomas to turn his ships in succession to follow the battlecruisers three minutes later. 2023 BBC. "I saw one of my shipmates in the water and asked him, 'where's the ship?' Underwater protection was improved by the addition of torpedo bulges. 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. [96] The sinking was captured on film by a cameraman from Path News, aboard Valiant. "It was a shocking event," said Riverside curator Emily Malcolm. Two of the others detonated upon striking the waterline armour, but failed to penetrate. The loss of the crew was sensational news in the mid-19th . He is now involved in efforts to change this. 340, 346, 349, 354355, 358, Jones, pp. [54] Captain James Somerville relieved Monroe on 1 December and he was relieved in his turn on 16 March 1929 by Captain John C. Tiesenhausen ordered all four bow torpedo tubes fired at a range of 375 metres (410yd) at 16:25. 828 Squadron FAA, With the 5th South African Brigade at Sidi Rezegh, XXXI Guastatori (Assault Engineers) Battalion during CRUSADER, 'Shell Shock' 'Bomb Happy' and the Tobruk Garrison, Successful supply runs for the Axis - November 1941, New Article - Italy's Light Cruiser Force, German Tank Deliveries to North Africa - 02/1941 to 03/1942, Axis merchants lost on the North Africa Route - 1941-1943. Three minutes later another shell hit the aft superstructure, severing the antenna cables of the main wireless station. On the night of 25 March, Barham and the rest of the fleet sailed from Scapa Flow to support Beatty's battlecruisers and other light forces raiding the German Zeppelin base at Tondern. HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites, Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications, Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT, 81st. Completed in 1915, she was often used as a flagship and participated in the Battle of Jutland during the First World War as part of the Grand Fleet. HMS Barham floating on side at sea. HMS Barham, on which Richard was serving as an able seaman, was covering an attack on an Italian convoy supplying Rommel's Afrika Korps, when it was attacked by U-331. "We were standing by a ladder two decks below on the mess deck when there was a huge explosion," he said. [27] Barham slipped her mooring at 22:08 and was followed by the rest of Beatty's ships. This was initially a Fairey IIIF until it was replaced by a Fairey Swordfish in 1938. Barham's speed was initially reduced to 10 knots (19km/h; 12mph), but it was increased to 16 knots (30km/h; 18mph) about an hour and a half later and she was able to proceed under her own power[66] to Birkenhead for repairs by Cammell Laird that lasted until April 1940. [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. "By the time we got on deck, the ship was listing at a 45 degree angle. "If I hadn't dived headfirst and knocked myself out, I would be dead, too.". This is my first written account of the fateful day, and of my recollections of some of the circumstances before and after the catastrophe since I prepared a Report on the sinking shortly after the event for the Royal Naval Authorities at Alexandria, Egypt. The first of these struck the ship's upper deck before detonating upon striking the main deck above the medical store compartment, which was completely burnt out. Casualties were five dead and six wounded. The torpedo from U-30 struck the Athenia at 7:38 that evening. [41] Either the first or the fourth of these shells destroyed the ship's sickbay, killing the staff and all of its patients, including eight ship's boys. Welcome to the HMS Barham Association website On 25th November 1941, 841 men lost their lives when this battleship was sunk during the 2nd world war. [57] Now under the command of Captain Richard Scott,[53] Barham was assigned to the Home Fleet as the flagship of the 2nd Battle Squadron,[54] and deployed to the West Indies in JanuaryFebruary 1935 for training. This was replaced by a torpedo rangefinder in early 1928 when the permanent position was installed in the remodelled spotting top. flag changed on a number of occasions. [70], Force M departed Freetown for Dakar on 21 September and had arrived Dakar before dawn two days later. The latter was only struck by a single shell splinter before the Allies broke off the bombardment at 10:07, although she had hit Barham once with a 155mm (6.1in) shell[74] that blew a hole 4 feet (1.2m) in diameter in the bulge. During a port visit to Corfu in July, the ship was visited by King George II of Greece. All interested parties are warmly in. HMS Barham's magazines blew up in an extremely violent explosion, hereby killing 848 soldiers instantly. The only contact came in the evening when Tyrwhitt sighted the High Seas Fleet but was unable to achieve an advantageous attack position before dark, and broke off contact. Twelve of the fourteen BL 6-inch (152mm) Mk XII guns were mounted in casemates along the broadside of the vessel amidships; the remaining pair were mounted on the forecastle deck near the aft funnel and were protected by gun shields. Evan-Thomas turned northeast at around 18:06 and then made a slow turn to the southeast once he spotted the Grand Fleet. 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