"I saw one of my shipmates in the water and asked him, 'where's the ship?' 377, 386, Admiralty Historical Section, pp. Late in the afternoon of November 24, 1941 WARSPITE, (C. in C.), BARHAM and VALIANT and a screen of nine destroyers sailed from Alexandria to provide heavy gun cover for the Cruisers. 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. BARHAM's explosion after being torpedoed. In addition, a pair of quadruple mounts for Vickers 0.5in (12.7mm) AA machine guns were added abreast the conning tower. [54], Captain Geoffrey Cooke assumed command on 25 March[53] and the Navy took the opportunity to augment her light anti-aircraft armament and upgrade its directors. BARHAM was an old timer of the QUEEN ELIZABETH class, and a veteran of the Battle of Jutland. [71] Barham's six-inch guns were the first to do so and fired at the French submarinePerse on the surface. (Mute & Track Negs.) Pictures - Barham HMS (04) [+1941] - WRECK WRAK EPAVE WRACK PECIO EN home; wrecks. Naval Historical Society of Australia Inc. 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. [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. Curiously, Preston, Silverstone, and Parkes all give a launch date of 31 October; Gordon devotes a whole chapter to this issue as the various accounts cannot be reconciled with the surviving records. While making the turn,[40] Barham was struck by two 30.5-centimetre shells beginning at 16:58, probably from the battlecruiser SMSDerfflinger. Richard will be reading the Royal British Legion epitaph, "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old", at Buckminster Road Baptist Church on Sunday, during the act of remembrance. (Lt. Cdr. The torpedo from U-30 struck the Athenia at 7:38 that evening. The attack on an unarmed passenger liner was a clear breach of international protocols. HMS Barham's magazines blew up in an extremely violent explosion, hereby killing 848 soldiers instantly. 1. 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). VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. Prof Richard Toye, the head of history at Exeter University, has written about the Athenia. Of the 1,184 officers and men on board, 841 were killed. The BdU (Commander Submarines) noted in his war diary the rather jubilant: U331 1 battleship torpedoed in the Mediterranean. Hamilton. The third shell detonated on the face of the starboard wing turret, although some fragments entered the turret and caused minor damage. She became the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet on 9 June until relieved by Warspite on 8 February 1938. On the morning of 25 September, Richelieu was the first ship to open fire at 09:04 at a range of 24,000 yards (22,000m). They hit Ltzow, Derfflinger and Seydlitz three times each between 17:19 and about 18:05. The Germans opened fire first at 15:48, followed by the British battlecruisers. [54] Dalglish was relieved in his turn by Captain Percy Noble on 18 October 1922. Within four minutes, the battleship had listed over to Port and the ships magazines had exploded, sinking the battleship and killing 863 men. 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. Realising their mistake, the Germans changed course for home. Her main guns targeted the port and the battleship Richelieu. 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). Shortly after her return to the Mediterranean, Barham again became flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron in September after her sister Warspite had to return home for repairs after running aground. 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 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. Casualties: 861. The impacts drove in the plates and fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure. 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. This required maximum offensive power and a speed several knots faster than any other battleship to allow them to defeat any type of ship. While the other four ships of the Queen Elizabeth class were given a second, more extensive refit in the mid-to-late 1930s (which for Warspite, Valiant and Queen Elizabeth amounted to a complete reconstruction with new machinery and superstructures), changes to Barham were relatively minor. [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. The Germans said he had ordered a British submarine to fire on the Athenia as part of a plot to force Washington's hand. The rescue effort by six other ships was nothing short of heroic, according to testimony. Last modified on Wed 15 Jun 2022 10.44 EDT. flag changed on a number of occasions. Towards the end of 1941, the Med Fleet was experiencing some ups and downs, as the Luftwaffe became increasingly active and aggressive during the advance of General Rommel (the Desert Fox) and his Afrika Korps across the Western Desert towards Alexandria. [Note 5], Evan-Thomas continued his turn until his ships were steering due north, which interposed the 5th Battle Squadron between Hipper's battlecruisers,[38] which had reversed course around 16:48 to follow Beatty north,[39] and Beatty's ships. During this time BARHAM was bombed and severely damaged by the Luftwaffe and had to go to Capetown for extensive repairs. Guy Morris), S.O.O./S.N.O. The interrogation report following the sinking of U-331 in late 1942 give further detail of the sinking of HMS Barham at this link. While under repair in December1939 March1940, a 20-barrel Unrotated projectile (UP) rocket launcher was installed on the roof of 'B' turret and her HACS Mk I directors were replaced with Mk III models. The ships had multiple armoured decks that ranged from 1 to 3 inches (25 to 76mm) in thickness. By this time the 5th Battle Squadron was about seven point five nautical miles (13.9km; 8.6mi) northwest of Beatty. Strange, if you think the ship was destroyed in 1941! Kapitaenleutnant Freiherr von Tiesenhausen, who did a radio broadcast on this attack in December 1941. This is the only British battleship sunk by the U-boat during this war. Casualties were five dead and six wounded. 201202, Edmunds, Simeon. 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. [70], Force M departed Freetown for Dakar on 21 September and had arrived Dakar before dawn two days later. The full truth only emerged at the Nuremberg Trials. 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. ! Poem by Rudyard Kipling. "When we reached one of the torpedo bulges, my friend jumped into the water. "The sinking of the SS Athenia, a civilian liner, was significant not only as the first British shipping loss of the war but as an example of a Nazi attempt to promote 'fake news'. HMS Barham underway off Devonport in WW2. The remains of the first British ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified on the Atlantic seabed. The Grand Fleet sailed with 29 dreadnoughts and 6 battlecruisers while the Germans mustered 18 dreadnoughts and 2 battlecruisers. HMS Barham was one of five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the early 1910s. HMS Barham floating on side at sea. Life on the Line Podcasts In addition, she was joined by the battleships HMS Queen . Your email address will not be published. She was briefly deployed to Haifa in May 1936 at the beginning of the Arab revolt in Palestine. [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. "I was disorientated but reached out and felt the ship. https://www.britishpathe.com/ More Disasters Caught on Camera: https://goo.gl/hYJzzNBRITISH PATH'S STORY Before television, people came to movie theatres to watch the news. [75], After a conference aboard Barham later that day, the Allied commanders resolved to continue the attack. [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. 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. "It was by an air vent from the engine room that was hit and all this smoke came pouring up. Barham was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she covered multiple Malta convoys. Her complete service history can be found. The loss of HMS Barham contributed to the very high number of losses at sea suffered by the Royal Navy in the period of Operation CRUSADER, about which I have written at this link. [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. A member of the Wigston branch of the Royal Naval Association, he is a member of the HMS Barham Association. It is just over 49 years since H.M.S. The report that it had been found was made in 2017 This find is one that has been anticipated heavily for many years and we are ecstatic to have found it here at Merlin Burrows. 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. "Can I go into a court of law and say, '100%, that's Athenia?' The relatively shallow water on Rockall Bank, an area of raised seabed a few hundred km from the Irish coastline, means it should be reasonably straightforward to send down a remotely operated vehicle to investigate the sonar contact. Lilly died in 2007, aged 86. We've also got a detailed model of the Athenia. Now considered to be the finest newsreel archive in the world, British Path is a treasure trove of 85,000 films unrivalled in their historical and cultural significance.British Path also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. The British captured the submarine and took possession of its Enigma cipher machine. Forthcoming Infantrymen of the Air (Italian airborne), George Burling Jarett and the 75mm ammunition challenge. She became a private ship in January of that year and was refitted at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard in FebruaryJuly. It is the first wreck in his consultancy career "which I've identified from my armchair, so to speak". The enemy struck at 4.25pm as Richard was on a tea break and talking with a friend. 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. 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. A High-Angle Control System (HACS) Mk I director were added to the roof of the spotting top and the mainmast was reconstructed as a tripod to support the weight of a second HACS director. VALIANT and WARSPITE in background. [53] The ship was relieved as flagship by Revenge in June[54] and she was ordered to Palestine in August where her crew helped to suppress rioting in Haifa and also operated the Haifa-Jerusalem railroad. 862 men went down with her, and her end was filmed by a war correspondent on board one of the escorting destroyers. The battleship and the other ships of Force F were tasked to ferry troops to Malta, before continuing on to Alexandria. [54] Captain James Somerville relieved Monroe on 1 December and he was relieved in his turn on 16 March 1929 by Captain John C. Rawlings took over temporarily from P-W who became Vice Admiral Light Forces. P.W and staff moved to MALAYA and QUEEN ELIZABETH, and Rear Admiral B.S. The . If it happened, British Path filmed it. Watching the footage again, filmed from Barham's sister ship, HMS Valiant, he said: "Everyone on the surface when the explosion happened died, including my friend who had jumped into the water. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. During her early-1930s refit, the platforms were removed from the turrets and a retractable catapult was installed on the roof of 'X' turret, along with a crane to recover a floatplane. The number of hits cannot be confirmed, but it is believed that she and Valiant made 23 or 24 hits between them, making them two of the most accurate warships in the British fleet. The video of HMS Barhams loss can seen here, in the context of the overall newsreel. [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. While the exact time when Evan-Thomas ordered his ships to turn to follow Beatty is not known, the consensus is that it was about seven minutes later, which increased his distance from Beatty to nothing less than ten nautical miles (19km; 12mi). 101102, 108110, 115116, 134142, Campbell 1986, pp. Jan Lettens 02/08/2012. The main conning tower was protected by 13 inches (330mm) of armour. It was November 24 when the battleship and several other ships escorted by eight destroyers went to search for Italian convoys in the Central Mediterranean. All footage can be viewed on the British Path website. "Fearing the impact of the affair on American opinion, the Germans promoted an absurd conspiracy theory, claiming that Winston Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, had been responsible. [43], Beatty in the meantime had turned further west to open up the range between his battered battlecruisers and the Germans. I assumed that this had happened because the submarine Captain had fired all his bow tubes at once, and had not compensated quickly enough with seawater to keep the conning tower below the surface. "It would be at such resolution that anyone could look for shipwrecks like the Athenia from their desk. [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. [84] Barham became the flagship of the 1st BS in December. The wrecks sites upside down on the sea floor. HMS Barham was one of five Queen Elizabeth -class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the early 1910s. [96] The sinking was captured on film by a cameraman from Path News, aboard Valiant. Your email address will not be published. [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. These new approaches would help achieve an international goal set last year to have 100% of the topography of the world's ocean bed mapped by 2030. [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 1920s and 1930s, the ship was assigned to the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Home Fleets. 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. [54], On the afternoon of 24 November 1941, the 1st Battle Squadron, Barham, Queen Elizabeth, and Valiant, with an escort of eight destroyers, departed Alexandria to cover the 7th and 15th Cruiser Squadrons as they hunted for Italian convoys in the Central Mediterranean. British ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified the... Is a member of the escorting destroyers the 5th Battle Squadron was about seven point five miles... Capetown for extensive repairs top of the Royal Naval Association, he is a member of the Battle of.... At Portsmouth Royal Dockyard in FebruaryJuly times each between 17:19 and about 18:05 were tasked to ferry troops to,... 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