HMS Prince of Wales was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy, built at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, England. The Prince of Wales had a brief but active career, helping to stop the Bismarck and carrying Churchill to the Newfoundland Conference; however her loss to Japanese land-based bombers in the Far East in 1941 is one of the events that led to the end of the battleship being considered the predominant class in naval warfare. The Supermarine Walrus was a reconnaissance amphibian designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm. ... Seven ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Prince of Wales, after the Prince of Wales. ... One of the KGV battleships, HMS Prince of Wales (1941) This article is about the 1939 class. ... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa A battleship is a large, heavily-armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... Cammell Laird logo Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. ... Map sources for Birkenhead at grid reference SJ3088 Birkenhead is a town on The Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, on the left bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate 50... The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. ... Churchill meets FDR aboard USS Augusta at their 1941 secret meeting at Argentia, Newfoundland. ... The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ... Naval warfare is combat in and on seas and oceans. ...

Naming

The Admiralty ordered construction of the new King George V-class battleship on 29 July 1936. They immediately requested that the ship be named HMS King Edward VIII in honour of the new monarch Edward VIII. However King Edward who was perhaps sensing the possible future problems of his reign due to his relationship with Wallis Simpson, scratched out the name and substituted Prince of Wales. The new Prince of Wales became the seventh ship to bear the name. One of the KGV battleships, HMS Prince of Wales (1941) This article is about the 1939 class. ... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa A battleship is a large, heavily-armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. ... July 29 is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... King Edward VIII King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, King of Ireland Emperor of India His Majesty King Edward VIII, (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David), later His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor (23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972) was the second British monarch of the... Wallis, Duchess of Windsor and the Duke of Windsor on their wedding day Bessie Wallis Warfield, more widely known as Wallis Simpson and later The Duchess of Windsor (June 19, 1896–April 24, 1986) was the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII of the...

Construction

At the time of the declaration of war the Prince of Wales was fitting out in Liverpool. The ship was damaged in August 1940 during the Liverpool Blitz. She suffered one near miss that exploded between her port side and the wall of the basin in which she lay, severely buckling and springing her outer plates in this area. The Admiralty determined that she would be needed in case the Bismarck or Tirpitz were deployed, so her construction was advanced by postponing several tests, shortening builders trials, and deferring post-shakedown availability. She was commissioned on 19 January 1941 under the command of Captain John Leach, but not physically "completed" until 31 March. Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. ... The Liverpool Blitz was the heavy and sustained bombing of the city of Liverpool in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... Flag of the Lord High Admiral The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. ... Tirpitz was the second Bismarck class battleship of the German Kriegsmarine, sistership of Bismarck. ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... John Catterall Leach (d. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ...

Service in the Atlantic

Shortly after her commissioning, Prince of Wales joined HMS Hood in stalking and attacking the German battleship Bismarck and the accompanying heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. The Prince of Wales sailed with civilian technicians still aboard. On 24 May, she and the Hood fought the two German warships at the battle of the Denmark Strait. Following the sinking of Hood, with an inexperienced crew, after receiving 7 large-calibre hits and with most of her weaponry out of action due to damage or other problems, the Prince of Wales disengaged under a smokescreen. During the brief battle she had struck three hits on Bismarck, one of which hit a forward fuel tank removing it from use. This forced the Bismarck to head for France for repairs. The Prince of Wales joined up with the cruisers HMS Suffolk and Norfolk that had been shadowing the Bismarck since before the Denmark Strait. Gunfire was exchanged with the Bismarck briefly at 0131hrs on 25 May. Twelve hours later, Prince Of Wales broke off pursuit due to her fuel running low. She then returned to the shipyard for 6 weeks of repair. HMS Hood was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy. ... The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. ... The term heavy cruiser is used to refer to large cruisers, a form of warship. ... The German cruiser Prinz Eugen (pron. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... HMS Suffolk (55) was the Kent class cruiser for the Royal Navy. ... A long absence of a Norfolk in the Royal Navy was finally ended in the commissioning of County-class heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk (78), which displaced 10,035 tons. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

HMS Prince of Wales in Argentia, Newfoundland for the Atlantic Charter

In August, the Prince of Wales carried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic to NS Argentia, Newfoundland, where he secretly met with the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt for several days in a secure anchorage, beginning on 10 August 1941. This meeting resulted in the signing of the Atlantic Charter on 12 August 1941. After this trip, she was assigned to the Mediterranean for convoy escort duty, where she shot down several attacking planes on 27 September. Image File history File links Prince_of_Wales-2. ... Image File history File links Prince_of_Wales-2. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG, OM, CH, FRS (November 30, 1874 - January 24, 1965) was a British politician, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. At various times an author, soldier, journalist, and legislator, Churchill is generally regarded as one... Satellite image of Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy and was located in Argentia, Newfoundland. ... Motto: Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei (Latin: Seek ye first the kingdom of God) Anthem: Ode to Newfoundland Capital St. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Most of this article is about heads of state. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Churchill meets FDR aboard USS Augusta at their 1941 secret meeting at Argentia, Newfoundland. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support. ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Service in the Pacific

See also: Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse

On 25 October, Prince of Wales was given to the United States of America to aid in the Pacific campaign, along with the destroyers HMS Electra and Express, left for Singapore to become the flagship of the Eastern Fleet under Admiral Sir Tom Phillips. She arrived at Singapore in early December, joining the battlecruiser HMS Repulse. The new aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable was also scheduled to join Force Z, but she ran aground in Jamaica during trials, and needed repair. The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... HMS Electra, which carried the pennant number H27, was launched on 15 February 1934 at the Hawthorne Leslie shipyard at Hebburn, Tyneside. ... The HMS Express (H.61) was an E-Class destroyer with the Royal Navy. ... The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II. It operated in the Indian Ocean and was based in Trincomalee in Ceylon. ... For other uses, see Admiral (disambiguation). ... Acting Admiral Tom Phillips Admiral Sir Thomas Tom Spencer Vaughan Phillips KCB (1888-1941) had a successful career in the Royal Navy. ... HMS Hood (left) and the battleship HMS Barham (right), in Malta, 1937. ... HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser, the second to last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, supercarrier USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft — in effect acting as a sea... HMS Indomitable (R92) was a modified Illustrious class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy. ... Two World War II military groups were called Force Z An Allied force attached to General Sir Archibald Wavells Middle East Command in 1941, consisting of Nos. ...

These ships were sent to Singapore to serve as a deterrent to Japanese aggression. However, the Japanese were not deterred and commenced their invasions on 8 December, the same day that they attacked Pearl Harbor on the other side of the International Date Line. Admiral Phillips decided to try and intercept the landing fleets, and Prince of Wales and Repulse set off, along with four destroyers, HMS Electra, Express, Tenedos, and HMAS Vampire, to search for the Japanese. However, they were not successful and the Japanese submarine I-65 spotted them as they returned to Singapore. Japanese aircraft and submarines shadowed the fleet, and on 10 December 1941, without any air cover, both the Prince of Wales and the Repulse were attacked and sunk by 86 Japanese bombers and torpedo bombers from the 22nd Air Flotilla based at Saigon. December 8 is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the harbor in Hawaii. ... The International Date Line around 180° This article is about the line dividing time zones; see Dateline (disambiguation) for other meanings, including the television program. ... HMS Tenedos was an Admiralty S class destroyer. ... HMAS Vampire (D68/I68) was a V-class destroyer of the British and Royal Australian navies. ... Interstate 65 is an interstate highway in the United States. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ... Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành Chí Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam, located near the delta of the Mekong River. ...

Church service on the after deck of HMS Prince of Wales, during the Atlantic conference.

As a modern battleship, the Prince of Wales was expected to fare better than the World War I veteran Repulse but this was not so. Even before setting out, the Prince of Wales's surface scanning radar was inoperable, depriving Force Z of one of its most potent early-warning devices. Early in the battle, the Prince of Wales was disabled by a lucky torpedo hit where the propeller shaft entered the hull, which caused severe flooding, rendered the rudder useless, and cut the power to her 5.25 inch DP guns. Two further torpedo hits struck her weakest section, the area damaged by the German bombing in 1940 and never completely repaired. Altogether, she suffered 6 torpedo and 1 bomb hits in this action. Several hundred men were killed when the ship sank, with Vice-Admiral Phillips and Captain Leach being among those lost when they chose to go down with their ship. However, the stronger hull of the Prince of Wales enabled much of the crew to be saved, in stark contrast to the older Repulse which suffered a heavy loss of life. Image File history File links Prince_of_Wales-4. ... Image File history File links Prince_of_Wales-4. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ... The torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... John Catterall Leach (d. ...

Prince of Wales (left, front) and HMS Repulse (left, behind) under Japanese air attack on 10 December 1941. A destroyer, either HMS Electra or Express, is maneuvering in the foreground.

They were the first capital ships to be sunk solely by airpower on the open sea [albeit land-based rather than carrier-based aircraft], a harbinger of the diminishing role this class of ships was to play in naval warfare thereafter. It is often pointed out, however, that a contributing factor to the sinking of the Prince of Wales was her inoperable radar and the early critical damage she had sustained from the first torpedo. The British Director of Naval Construction's report on the sinking also claimed that the ship's anti-aircraft guns could have "inflict[ed] heavy casualties before torpedoes were dropped, if not prevent[ed] the successful conclusion of attack" had crews been more adequately trained in their operation. See also Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser, the second to last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... HMS Electra, which carried the pennant number H27, was launched on 15 February 1934 at the Hawthorne Leslie shipyard at Hebburn, Tyneside. ... The HMS Express (H.61) was an E-Class destroyer with the Royal Navy. ... The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ...

The wreck lies nearly upside down in 155 feet of water at approximately 3 degrees 33.6 minutes North Latitude, 104 degrees 28.7 minutes East Longitude. A British flag attached to a line on a buoy that is tied to a propeller shaft is periodically renewed. The wreck site was designated as a 'Protected Place' in 2001 under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, just prior to the 60th anniversary of her sinking. The ship's bell was manually raised using closed-circuit mixed-gas rebreathers in 2002 by British technical divers Gavin Haywood and George McClure with the blessing of the Ministry of Defence and The Force Z Survivors Association. It was restored, then presented for permanent display by First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Alan West, KCB DSC ADC to the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool. A degree (in full, a degree of arc, arc degree, or arcdegree), usually symbolized °, is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1／360 of a full rotation. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ (lambda),[1][2] describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (1986 c. ... The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ... The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the British Royal Navy. ... The Queen and Admiral Sir Alan West, then First Sea Lord embarked onboard HMS Endurance during the review of the international fleet Admiral Sir Alan West, GCB, DSC, DUniv (born 1948) was the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Royal Navy, from 2002 to 2006. ... Badge of a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath)[1] is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. ... The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the third level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) ratings of the Royal Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries. ... An aide-de-camp (French: camp assistant) is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state. ... Liverpool’s seafaring heritage brought to life in the historic Albert Dock. ... Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. ...

References

HMS Prince of Wales' ship's bell

• William H. Garzke, Jr., and Robert O. Dunlin, Jr., Battleships: Allied Battleships in World War II (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1980). Gives a detailed history of the design, operational history, and battle damage to the ship, and includes pictures of the ship under construction and of battle damage received.
• Siegfried Breyer, Battleships and Battlecruisers 1905-1970 (Doubleday and Company; Garden City, New York, 1973) (originally published in German as Schlachtschiffe und Schlachtkreuzer 1905-1970, J.F. Lehmanns, Verlag, Munchen, 1970).
• Martin Middlebrook and Patrick Mahonehy Battleship: The Sinking of the Prince Of Wales and the Repulse (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1979)
• Lt Cdr. Timothy J. Cain HMS Electra (Frederick Muller, LTD., London, 1959) ISBN 0-86007-330-0 Includes a description of the final battle off Kuantan, and the rescue of the survivors.
• Military Heritage did a feature on the Prince Of Wales and its sinking (Joseph M. Horodyski, Military Heritage, December 2001, Volume 3, No. 3, pp.69 to 77).
• Philip Ziegler's King Edward VIII (Alfred and Knopf, 1991) Provides information relating to the naming of the ship.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 599 KB) The bell from the HMS Prince of Wales on display at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 599 KB) The bell from the HMS Prince of Wales on display at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool. ...

External links

• List of Crew
• Maritimequest HMS Prince of Wales Photo Gallery

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