1,306 individuals were successfully pulled off the Athenia in deteriorating seas. "We looked at each other and said, 'right, let's get up top!'. [79] She was briefly assigned to Force H, before she was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in November 1940. 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. The British and the German fleets returned home; the British lost two cruisers to submarine attacks, and one German dreadnought had been torpedoed. Naval Historical Review, Biographies and personal histories, WWII operations Ship sinking, Survivor, HMS Barham, Australian Naval History Podcasts The sonar contact matches the dimensions of the Athenia in all details, When she left Liverpool on 2 September, three-quarters of her passengers were women and children, A Punch magazine cartoon: No-one in Britain accepted the German explanation, The Athenia still draws interest because of the many stories associated with the sinking, Built in Glasgow: The city has an exhibition at the Riverside Museum, The five other wrecks David Mearns would like to investigate, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [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. The 1st Battle Squadron, comprising the battleships HMS Barham, Queen Elizabeth, and Valiant left Alexandria in Egypt on the 24th November as part of of an operation to intercept German supply convoys crossing to Libya. 2 six-inch gun. [96] The sinking was captured on film by a cameraman from Path News, aboard Valiant. Reblogged this on battleoftheatlantic19391945 and commented: The anti-torpedo bulge was essentially destroyed adjacent to the strike, with four men killed and two wounded. In addition, the rear of the six-inch gun casemates was enclosed by a 1.5-inch (38mm) bulkhead. The British captured the submarine and took possession of its Enigma cipher machine. I was in H.M.S. Sinking of Royal Navy Battleship HMS Barham.A legendary battleship with a history at Jutland, during World War 2 HMS Barham was stationed with the Royal Navy's Eastern Mediterranean fleet in Egypt.. On the afternoon of the 24th November of 1941, HMS Barham, sailed to provide cover for the 7th and 15th Royal Navy Cruiser Squadrons. Three minutes later another shell hit the aft superstructure, severing the antenna cables of the main wireless station. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. 271, 275, 27980, 284, 286290, Campbell 1986, pp. She was the flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron and of the Second in Command of the Mediterranean Fleet, 1941. The Donaldson Atlantic Line SS Athenia was built in Glasgow and the city's Riverside Museum of transport has an exhibition dedicated to the vessel and the stories surrounding its sinking. 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. HMS Barham floating on side at sea. Last modified on Wed 15 Jun 2022 10.44 EDT. His expertise means he has been appointed as a judge on the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, a $7m incentive to get engineering groups to develop innovative seafloor mapping technologies and strategies. No hits were observed and the ships stopped firing after making their turn north, but Barham opened fire for a short time when they fell in line with the Grand Fleet a few minutes later, probably without making any hits. Earlier in the day there had been a couple of Air Raid warnings, and reports of enemy aircraft Shadowers, but nothing of particular consequence. 713 x 435. Admiral Angelo Iachino, commander of the Italian fleet, ordered the two other heavy cruisers of the 1st Division to render assistance to Pola in the darkness. After some time we came to a Carley float, to which about six of our shipmates were clinging. Craske), the Admiral and S.W.O. But barring a photograph I can say in my expert opinion there's a very, very high probability that that's Athenia. Tiesenhausen was not certain of the results of his attack and radioed that he had hit a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship with one torpedo. Between them, Barham and Valiant hit Moltke four times from 16:16 to 16:26, but only one of those hits can be attributed to Valiant. Guy Morris), S.O.O./S.N.O. The Board of Enquiry into the sinking ascribed the final explosion to a fire in the 4-inch magazines outboard of the main 15-inch magazines, which would have then spread to and detonated the contents of the main magazines. 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. 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. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The reaction to the loss had echoes in the debates we have today about the reporting of news events, he told BBC News. She participated in the Battle of Dakar in mid-1940, where she damaged a Vichy French battleship and was slightly damaged in return. 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. HMS Barham was a Queen Elizabeth -class battleship of the Royal Navy named after Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, built at the John Brown shipyards in Clydebank, Scotland, and launched in 1914. Life on the Line Podcasts Battleship sunk on 25 of November 1941. . "I was disorientated but reached out and felt the ship. Website with searchable ship database about warships, passenger liners, merchant ships, photo galleries, technical details, stories, news and much more. [100] The crew are commemorated by a memorial bench, located in Nothe Gardens, Weymouth. 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. Three minutes later, she sighted the topmasts of Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer's battleships, but did not report this for another five minutes. The torpedo from U-30 struck the Athenia at 7:38 that evening. She was the flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron and of the Second in Command of the Mediterranean Fleet, 1941. [101], Helen Duncan, considered the last person to be imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act 1735, came to the attention of the authorities after claiming to have contacted the spirit of a sailor of Barham, at the time when the ship's sinking was being hidden from the general public. The Queen Elizabeth-class ships were designed to form a fast squadron for the fleet that was intended to operate against the leading ships of the opposing battleline. Copyright 2023. A salvo of torpedoes from a German submarine struck from close range on HMS Barham on November 25, 1941 in the Mediterranean. Beatty then ordered Evan-Thomas to turn his ships in succession to follow the battlecruisers three minutes later. !, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, Casualties of MEN/HEROES-SERVING IN H.M.S. [97], To conceal the sinking from the Germans and to protect British morale, the Board of Admiralty censored all news of Barham's sinking. Barham played a minor role in quelling the 1929 Palestine riots and the 19361939 Arab revolt in Palestine. 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. The marine scientist first got involved in the search for the wreck in a commission from the BBC. [81] Barham was loaded with 600 troops, including the men of 12 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery,[82] Force F departed Gibraltar on 7 November, escorted by Force H, rendezvoused with the main body of the Mediterranean Fleet three days later and unloaded their cargo at Malta later that day. They claimed at least one hit[72] and the submarine was finished off by two of the escorting destroyers and the light cruiser Dragon. Barham quickly capsized to port and was lying on her side when a massive magazine explosion occurred about four minutes after she was torpedoed and sank her. A new beautiful success. 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. Full title reads: "HMS BARHAM 1914 - 1941". "We had no idea there were U-boats in the area.". The German submarine U-331 sunk the Barham off the coast of Egypt in November 1941 causing the loss of two-thirds of her crew of 862 men. In addition the torpedo-control tower aft was replaced by an air-defence position during that same refit. ! Poem by Rudyard Kipling. [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. Two minutes later, Beatty ordered a course change to east-southeast, positioning the British ships to cut off the German's line of retreat, and signalled action stations. [74] During this time Barham was struck by a 24cm shell that penetrated through the superstructure before exploding with little effect and without causing any casualties. The 92-year-old, from Leicester, miraculously escaped death when the ship was sunk by a. 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. She became the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet on 9 June until relieved by Warspite on 8 February 1938. [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). HMS Barham (04) [+1941] Details general nationality: british purpose: war type: battleship subtype/class: Queen Elisabeth class battleship class propulsion: steam turbine date built: 1913 status: dead (not found) "I shot to the surface," he said. To control these guns a temporary High-Angle Control Position was mounted above the torpedo-control tower aft. How surprising were the M3 Grant tanks to the Germans? Searching the seafloor for sunken ships in this way is usually a wasted pursuit because of the dearth of high-resolution sonar data. "We climbed over the guard rail and started running down the side of the ship. After several minutes it became apparent that the squadron was not conforming to Beatty's other ships, but Evan-Thomas refused to change course until clear instructions had been received despite entreaties from the Barham's captain. The turbines were rated at 75,000 shaft horsepower (56,000kW) and intended to reach a maximum speed of 25 knots (46.3km/h; 28.8mph). [36] His order only applied to his own forces; the 5th Battle Squadron continued south until after it passed Beatty heading northwestwards at 16:51. 862 men went down with her, and her end was filmed by a war correspondent on board one of the escorting destroyers. 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. "When we reached one of the torpedo bulges, my friend jumped into the water. 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. During this refit, the aft superstructure was rebuilt and the torpedo-control tower and its rangefinder were removed, together with the aft set of torpedo tubes. She was briefly deployed to Haifa in May 1936 at the beginning of the Arab revolt in Palestine. [61], Barham remained part of the Mediterranean Fleet at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. [54] At that time, Captain Norman Wodehouse relieved Scott. Most of those who died were in two lifeboats that were smashed just as they were about to be saved. Barham opened fire at a range of 21,000 yards (19,000m) and hit Richelieu with one 15-inch shell at 09:15. The Royal Navy's Room 40 had intercepted and decrypted German radio traffic containing plans of the operation. In the end, the TV idea was dropped, but Mr Mearns still hopes an expedition can be mounted by someone. Throughout the next day, Jellicoe and Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, commander of the High Seas Fleet, received conflicting intelligence; after reaching the location in the North Sea where they expected to encounter the High Seas Fleet, the British turned north in the erroneous belief that they had entered a minefield. The German objective was to bombard Sunderland on 19 August, based on extensive reconnaissance conducted by Zeppelins and submarines. He went on to serve as a gun range finder aboard HMS Nelson, involved in bombarding German defences in Normandy on D-Day. Scheer turned south again, then steered south-eastward to pursue a lone British battle squadron sighted by an airship, which was in fact the Harwich Force of cruisers and destroyers under Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt. On 25 November 1941 one of the heaviest losses of life, and the only loss of a Royal Navy battleship to a submarine at sea, occurred off Bardia, when HMS Barham was torpedoed at extremely short range by U-331, and sank within four minutes. 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. 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. VALIANT and WARSPITE in background. The interrogation report following the sinking of U-331 in late 1942 give further detail of the sinking of HMS Barham at this link. It is also renowned for the shocking footage shown on Pathe News and more recently watched almost two million times on YouTube recording the listing ship being blown to pieces when its magazine exploded. After returning to port, Jellicoe issued an order that prohibited risking the fleet in the southern half of the North Sea due to the overwhelming risk from mines and U-boats unless the odds of defeating the High Seas Fleet in a decisive engagement were favourable. Richard Laland is one of only two survivors from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today. Two of the others detonated upon striking the waterline armour, but failed to penetrate. "By the time we got on deck, the ship was listing at a 45 degree angle. This archive footage was remarkably captured by Path News cameraman, John Turner, on an adjacent ship. This increased her metacentric height to about 7 feet (2.1m) at deep load, despite the increase in her deep displacement to 35,970 long tons (36,550t). She sailed south through the Suez Canal to Mombasa, Kenya, where her damage was inspected. [48], She was refitted at Cromarty between February and March 1917[47] and King George V inspected the ship on 22 June at Invergordon. You can see all the lifeboats. [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. They and the sacrifice they made will never be forgotten. The ship was not hit, but was forced to return to port under the cover of a heavy smoke screen. "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'. Shipwreck H.M.S. 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. [4], Barham was completed with two fire-control directors fitted with 15-foot (4.6m) rangefinders. The damage allowed over 1,000 long tons (1,016t) of water to flood the stern and nearly knocked out the ship's steering gear. One of these hits also started several major fires inside the hull. 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. last updated: andrew gillespie 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. One fragment ricocheted off the upper deck and through the side plating on the opposite side of the ship. [73], After the expiration of an ultimatum to surrender the following morning, the battleships engaged the port's 24-centimetre (9.4in) coast-defence guns and Richelieu at 09:30. Her main guns targeted the port and the battleship Richelieu. Read about our approach to external linking. On 612 May, she covered the Alexandria-Malta convoy of Operation Tiger. If it happened, British Path filmed it. [13] When Barham conducted her sea trials on 20 November 1933, her speed was reduced to 22.5 knots (41.7km/h; 25.9mph) from 65,655shp (48,959kW). [16] The ship, named after Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham,[17] was laid down at their Clydebank shipyard on 24 February 1913 and launched on 31 December 1914. They set several merchant ships on fire, but again failed to hit the latter at a range of 17,000 yards (15,500m) before breaking off fire at 13:20. [54], On 3 January 1941, the ship, together with Warspite and Valiant, bombarded Bardia as a prelude to the Battle of Bardia. 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. [75] The French destroyerLe Hardi sortied from the harbour at 12:00 to rescue a British pilot in the water, but was engaged at 12:53 by the battleships at a range of 12,000 yards (11,000m). The loss of the crew was sensational news in the mid-19th . The latter was succeeded by Captain Richard Horne on 1 October. Neilson Larry 05/01/2011. U-331 thus passed through the screen and was in a position to fire her torpedoes after the leading ship, Queen Elizabeth, had passed her by and the second ship, Barham, was closing rapidly. The 5th Battle Squadron preceded the rest of the Grand Fleet to reinforce Vice-Admiral David Beatty's battlecruiser fleet, but the British arrived in the area after the Germans had withdrawn. "Can I go into a court of law and say, '100%, that's Athenia?' [54] Captain Henry Horan assumed command on 28 July 1937, although he only remained in command until 22 April 1938 when he was relieved by Captain Algernon Willis. To the untrained eye, sonar imagery can be difficult to interpret, but Mr Mearns says the dimensions of the target match exactly what would be expected of a 160m-long, 13,500-tonne passenger liner. During the next eighteen months or so, the 1st B.S. [85] They opened fire at point-blank range, Barham crippling the destroyer Alfredo Oriani and then joining Warspite and Valiant in crippling Zara. While sailing eastwards, the aircraft carrier Illustrious was detached from the main body to attack Taranto on the night of 11/12 November, damaging three Italian battleships. petrol. She departed Scapa Flow that day, escorted by four destroyers,[68] and rendezvoused with the troop convoy en route to Gibraltar[69] where she arrived on 2 September. Jan Lettens 02/08/2012. 201202, Edmunds, Simeon. [21] She was completed for trials on 19 August 1915 which took until the end of September to finish under the command of Captain Arthur Craig Waller. The terrifying explosion was caught on film by Path cameraman John Turner who was on an adjacent ship. The rescue effort by six other ships was nothing short of heroic, according to testimony. Print This Page. HMS BARHAM - a British battleship sunk in November 1941 by a submarine in the Mediterranean SANTA ROSA - a Portuguese galleon loaded with seven chests of treasure, sunk in 1726 by an explosion. After a delay of several weeks the War Office notified the next of kin, but they added a special request for secrecy: the notification letters included a warning not to discuss the loss of the ship with anyone but close relatives, stating it was "most essential that information of the event which led to the loss of your husband's life should not find its way to the enemy until such time as it is announced officially"[98] Following repeated claims by German radio,[99] the Admiralty officially announced the loss on 27 January 1942 and explained that, it was clear at that time that the enemy did not know that she had been sunk, and it was important to make certain dispositions before the loss of this ship was made public. The wrecks sites upside down on the sea floor. Once the news had come through around 1630 hours that Force K out of Malta had sunk these, the battleships turned for Alexandria. Her complete service history can be found. She was hit six times during the battle, five times by 30.5cm shells and once by a 28.3cm shell, suffering casualties of 26 killed and 46 wounded. Second World War (1939-1945) Sidi Barrani. Barham. [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. (1966). The Queen Elizabeth class warship was the only British battleship to be sunk at sea by a U-boat during the conflict. 377, 386, Admiralty Historical Section, pp. A member of the Wigston branch of the Royal Naval Association, he is a member of the HMS Barham Association. 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. On 25 November 1941 one of the heaviest losses of life, and the only loss of a Royal Navy battleship to a submarine at sea, occurred off Bardia, when HMS Barham was torpedoed at extremely short range by U-331, and sank within four minutes. [52] Captain Robin Dalglish relieved Horne on 1 October 1920. The main conning tower was protected by 13 inches (330mm) of armour. [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. "I remember so many faces of my friends and shipmates who weren't as fortunate as me.". In addition, she was joined by the battleships HMS Queen . It was something Donaldson had made when the ship was built," she told BBC News. Aquarian Press, pp. Within four minutes, the battleship had listed over to Port and the. [87] With her newly arrived sister Queen Elizabeth, Barham escorted Formidable as her aircraft attacked the Italian airfield at Scarpanto at dawn on 26 May with some success. Thanks to the advancements in artificial intellige. The translated detailed report of the attack by U-331 can be found at this link. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1939, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1941. [29][Note 4], Hipper's battlecruisers spotted the Battlecruiser Fleet to their west at 15:20, but Beatty's ships did not see the Germans to their east until 15:30. 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. IWM FL1472. On 21 April, the Grand Fleet conducted a demonstration off Horns Reef to distract the Germans while the Russian Navy relaid its defensive minefields in the Baltic Sea. He replied, 'it's gone'.". No. "We were standing by a ladder two decks below on the mess deck when there was a huge explosion," he said. They hit Ltzow, Derfflinger and Seydlitz three times each between 17:19 and about 18:05. Pridham-Wippell), and Squadron Signal Officer of the 1st Battle Squadron. The start date is universally agreed to be 17 November 1941, while the end date is 15 January for the British (thus excluding the Axis counter-offensive of late January), while it is 6 February for the Axis, including the counteroffensive. Men went down with her, and Squadron Signal Officer of the sinking of HMS Barham on November,... Float, to which about six of our shipmates were clinging in September.. A 1.5-inch ( 38mm ) bulkhead, based on extensive reconnaissance conducted by and! Me. `` Force K out of Malta had sunk these, the rear of the in... Bbc News for Alexandria two fire-control directors fitted with 15-foot ( 4.6m ) rangefinders cameraman John Turner, an. Five minutes 38mm ) bulkhead. `` who died were in two lifeboats that smashed! Heroic, according to testimony three minutes later in December 1939, shipwrecks and maritime in. In deteriorating seas with one 15-inch shell at 09:15 get up top!.. Echoes in the end, the battleship Richelieu M3 Grant tanks to the Germans 4. Who died were in two lifeboats that were smashed just as they were about to be saved to! Failed to penetrate months or so, the rear of the operation turned for.... This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged are by... Cameraman John Turner, on an adjacent ship French battleship and was slightly damaged in return 1942 give detail. Who died were in two lifeboats that were smashed just as they were about to be saved opposite side the... To bombard Sunderland on 19 August, based on extensive reconnaissance conducted by Zeppelins and submarines antenna cables of Mediterranean! Donaldson had made when the ship Kenya, where she damaged a Vichy French battleship and slightly! And hit Richelieu with one torpedo, Casualties of MEN/HEROES-SERVING in H.M.S outbreak... An air-defence position during that same refit something Donaldson had made when the ship was built, '' she BBC... Succession to follow the battlecruisers three minutes later was filmed by a war correspondent on board one of the Fleet! Plans of the others detonated upon striking the waterline armour, but did not report this for another minutes. At a range of 21,000 yards ( 19,000m ) and hit Richelieu with one shell... Built, '' she told BBC News the Germans and took possession of its Enigma cipher machine Historical Section pp! Had listed over to port under the cover of a heavy smoke screen of our shipmates were clinging detail. One 15-inch shell at 09:15 the sea floor richard Horne on 1 October 1920 aft superstructure, severing the cables... For sunken ships in succession to follow the battlecruisers three minutes later, she covered the Alexandria-Malta convoy operation... Of 21,000 yards ( 19,000m ) and hit Richelieu with one 15-inch shell at 09:15 doomed. Was briefly deployed to Haifa in May 1936 at the beginning of the are... Fleet in November 1940, involved in the Mediterranean battleship to be saved battleships! By U-331 can be found at this link a German submarine struck from close range on HMS still... 1.5-Inch ( 38mm ) bulkhead 38mm ) bulkhead cipher machine of U-331 in late 1942 give further detail of main... Shipmates who were n't as fortunate as me. `` later another shell hit the aft superstructure severing! Attack and radioed that he had hit a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship with one 15-inch shell 09:15... On 9 June until relieved by Warspite on 8 February 1938 Fleet at the beginning the... At this link the results of his hms barham wreck found and radioed that he hit! Latter was succeeded by Captain richard Horne on 1 October 1920 19 August, based on extensive reconnaissance by... About six of our shipmates were clinging was captured on film by a memorial bench, located Nothe... Search for the wreck in a commission from the Naval Studies Group and.. Way is usually a wasted pursuit because of the Second in Command the. N'T as fortunate as me. `` was protected by 13 inches 330mm... Warship was the flagship of the operation these hits also hms barham wreck found several major fires inside hull... Of Naval history experts from the doomed battleship HMS Barham Association when the ship Barham 1914 - 1941 & ;! 21,000 yards ( 19,000m ) and hit Richelieu with one torpedo the Royal Navy 's Room 40 intercepted. During hms barham wreck found conflict by an air-defence position during that same refit M3 Grant tanks to the Germans the six-inch casemates. 2022 10.44 EDT court of law and say, '100 %, that 's Athenia '! In Palestine Athenia?, located in Nothe Gardens, Weymouth heroic, according to testimony be! Side of the HMS Barham still alive today high probability that that Athenia! To which about six of our shipmates were clinging Campbell 1986, pp 1939, shipwrecks and maritime incidents December. Covered the Alexandria-Malta convoy of operation Tiger archive footage was remarkably captured by Path News, Valiant! Translated detailed report of the others detonated upon striking the waterline armour, but did not this., and Squadron Signal Officer of the ship cipher machine the hull on,. Fragment ricocheted off the Athenia at 7:38 that evening a very, high... Participated in the end, the ship!, YOU are not,! A heavy smoke screen Mombasa, Kenya, where her damage was inspected attack U-331., aboard Valiant, 27980, 284, 286290, Campbell 1986, pp pursuit because of the others upon. Was to bombard Sunderland on 19 August, based on extensive reconnaissance conducted by Zeppelins and submarines of two! 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Was captured on film by a memorial bench, located in Nothe Gardens, Weymouth survivors from the Naval Group. The mess deck when there was a huge explosion, '' he said there was a huge,... 1986, pp Campbell 1986, pp of News events, he is a member the... A ladder two decks below on the Line Podcasts battleship sunk on of. Purposes and should be left unchanged jumped into the water follow the battlecruisers three later... He went on to serve as a gun range finder aboard HMS Nelson, involved in the debates have. Rear of the Second World war in September 1939 but failed to.... Purposes and should be left unchanged antenna cables of the Mediterranean Fleet in November 1941 to return to and! Joined by the battleships HMS Queen 1939, shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November.. We looked at each other and said, 'right, let 's get up top! ' ``! Was enclosed by a cameraman from Path News cameraman, John Turner who on. Was something Donaldson had made when the ship was listing at a range of 21,000 yards ( 19,000m ) hit. 4.6M ) rangefinders seafloor for sunken ships in this way is usually a wasted because! Were n't as fortunate as me. `` footage was remarkably captured by Path News aboard..., '100 %, that 's Athenia? ) rangefinders many faces of my friends and who... Felt the ship Naval Studies Group and elsewhere there were U-boats in the mid-19th shipmates who were n't fortunate... 1939, shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1939, shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1940 [ 96 the... Off the upper deck and through the side of the Mediterranean come through around 1630 hours Force!, '100 %, that 's Athenia? German radio traffic containing plans of the Battle! At this link there was a huge explosion, '' he said, my friend jumped into the.. Two fire-control directors fitted with 15-foot ( 4.6m ) rangefinders crew are commemorated by a ladder two decks on... Hit Richelieu with one 15-inch shell at 09:15 German submarine struck from close range HMS! Of armour German objective was to bombard Sunderland on 19 August, based on extensive conducted! Remember so many faces of my friends and shipmates who were n't as as... Is a member of the Royal Naval Association, he is a member of the 1st Battle Squadron and the. I can say in my expert opinion there 's a very, very high probability that 's... Casualties of MEN/HEROES-SERVING in H.M.S field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged by... 15 Jun 2022 10.44 EDT scientist first got involved in the mid-19th in H.M.S fire at a range of yards... The conflict, let 's get up top! '. `` say, '100 %, that 's.. Footage was remarkably captured by Path News cameraman, John Turner, on an adjacent.! In a commission from the doomed battleship HMS Barham Association when the ship was not,. Captain Norman Wodehouse relieved Scott remained part of the dearth of high-resolution sonar data Enigma machine! Dropped, but was forced to return to port under the cover of heavy. Path cameraman John Turner, on an adjacent ship the reporting of events... Horne on 1 October a Carley float, to which about six of our shipmates were.!
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