hms prince wales hms prince wales king george class battleship royal_navy built shipyard involved key actions second world war including battle german battleship operations escorting convoys mediterranean final action sinking pacific prince wales extensive battle history seeing action august outfitted drydock attacked damaged german aircraft brief career ended december prince wales battlecruiser hms capital ships sunk solely air power open sea diminishing role class ships subsequently play naval warfare wreck lies upside feet water near construction aftermath world war drawn effort stop arms race developing britain japan france italy united_states treaty limited number ships nation allowed build capped capital ships tons restrictions extended treaty london mid-1930s japan italy withdrawn treaties british concerned lack modern battleships navy result admiralty ordered construction new battleship class king george class provisions treaty london effect king george designed main armament class limited inch guns prescribed instruments battleships built time adhere treaty soon apparent british signatories treaty ignoring requirements late change design class laid prince wales originally named ship renamed laid occurred shipyard january launched fitting war declared september causing construction schedule sister king george accelerated late delivery gun caused delays early august outfitted semi complete state prince wales attacked german aircraft bomb fell ship wet basin wall narrowly missing ton crane exploded underwater keel explosion took place feet ship port vicinity group inch guns shell plating took place distance feet sprung considerable flooding took place port compartments area damage causing degree port list flooding severe fact final compartment air tests ship pumping system operation water pumped joint efforts local fire company shipyard prince wales later dry docked permanent repairs damage problem delivery main guns turrets delayed completion war progressed urgent need capital ships completion advanced compartment air tests ventilation tests thorough testing ballast fuel oil systems description prince wales displaced long tons built long tons fully loaded ship overall length feet beam feet draught feet designed metacentric height feet inch normal load feet inch deep load powered parsons geared steam turbines driving propeller shafts steam provided admiralty boilers normally delivered shaft horsepower deliver shp emergency gave prince wales speed knots mph ship carried long tons fuel oil carried long tons diesel oil long tons reserve feed water long tons freshwater power trials march prince wales tons displacement achieved knots shp rpm specific fuel consumption shp prince wales range nautical miles knots mph armament prince wales mounted inch vii guns inch guns mounted twin turret forward quadruple turrets forward aft guns elevated degrees depressed degrees training arcs turret degrees turret degrees turret degrees training hydraulic drives rates degrees second respectively gun broadside weighed pounds fired seconds secondary armament consisted inch guns mounted twin mounts weighing tons maximum range guns yards degree elevation anti aircraft ceiling feet guns elevated degrees depressed degrees normal rate fire rounds minute practice guns fire seven rounds minute main secondary batteries prince wales carried inch viii anti aircraft guns carried short range rocket firing anti aircraft weapons extensively early days second world war royal_navy history operation action prince wales battlecruiser hood destroyers ordered station south iceland intercept german battleship attempted break atlantic captain knew main battery likely occur technicians corrected took place training exercises scapa_flow technicians personally requested captain remain aboard played important role resulting action day company heavy cruiser reported heading south westward vice admiral flagship hood ordered force steam knots night battle plan called prince wales hood concentrate cruisers norfolk suffolk handle cruisers informed plan strict radio silence destroyers sent screen search german ships north hood prince wales increased speed knots changed course slightly obtain better target angle german ships weather improved mile visibility crews action stations enemy contact report course changed starboard close range ship good fighting trim hood designed years earlier lacked adequate horizontal protection close range quickly progressively vulnerable shorter ranges completed overhaul march crew adequately prince wales thicker armour vulnerable inch shells ranges greater feet crew trained battle efficiency british ships course change approach fine german ships degrees starboard bow aft turrets fire astern hood slightly forward beam ships deliver despite seas breaking bows prince wales opened fire yards confusion british ship thirty seconds earlier hood mistakenly opened fire german ships similar profiles hood enemy ship minutes scored inch shell hits hood shots prince wales gun second intervals yards turret prince wales spray bow fire instead directed foot control tower sixth ninth thirteenth decisive hits shell bow caused lose tons fuel oil salt water contamination fell short entered armour belt shell exploded flooded auxiliary boiler machinery room forced boilers slow leak boiler room immediately aft loss fuel boiler power decisive factors decision return port prince wales gun ceased fire defect sporadic occurred decision turn away turn turret jammed german ships initially concentrated fire hood destroyed inch shells inch shell hit boat deck struck ready service locker rocket fire high superstructure deck range yards force commander ordered turn degrees port open range bring battery british ships bear turn began hood fourth gun fifth hit causing large explosion flames shot near hood masts orange coloured enormous smoke cloud ship prince wales hood collapsed amidships bow stern seen rising rapidly settled prince wales sharp starboard turn avoid hitting debris closed range german ships minute action hood largest battlecruiser world sunk officers men killed men survived prince wales fired unopposed began port turn took fire hood exploded germans opened intense accurate fire prince wales inch inch inch guns heavy hit sustained waterline prince wales wreckage hood inch shell struck starboard compass platform killed majority personnel navigating officer wounded captain casualties caused fragments shell cap material diagonal path compass platform inch diving shell penetrated ship armour belt amidships failed explode came rest wing compartments starboard boiler rooms shell discovered ship docked captain decided laid heavy cover prince wales escape following norfolk hood sunk proceeded join norfolk roughly miles astern day british ships continued chase suffolk sighted yards prince wales proceeded open fire extreme range yards fired owing range missed prince wales regained contact proceeded open fire radar range yards observers believed scored hit wales turret temporarily jammed leaving operational guns losing owing poor visibility searching hours prince wales headed iceland actions atlantic charter meeting following repairs prince wales transported prime minister winston_churchill atlantic secret conference president august roosevelt boarded cruiser presidential yacht proceeded massachusetts newfoundland company cruiser uss destroyers arriving august presidential yacht played role continuing cruise new_england waters president board august winston_churchill arrived bay aboard prince wales escorted destroyers newfoundland roosevelt transferred destroyer uss meet winston_churchill board prince wales conference continued august aboard heavy cruiser end conference atlantic charter proclaimed following declaration charter prince wales arrived scapa_flow august mediterranean duty september following meeting president wales assigned force mediterranean september prince wales formed led vice admiral consisting battleships prince wales cruisers kenya edinburgh sheffield destroyers force provided escort operation supply convoy september convoy attacked italian aircraft prince wales shooting inch guns later day reports units approaching prince wales battleship aircraft carrier intercept search proved fruitless convoy arrived malta incident prince wales returned gibraltar sailing scapa_flow arriving october far_east october prince wales destroyer escort left home waters bound singapore rendezvous battlecruiser aircraft carrier ran aground jamaica days later unable proceed calling refuel generate publicity prince wales stopped mauritius prince wales reached ceylon november joining day december fleet docked singapore prince wales flagship force command vice admiral sir japanese troop convoys sighted december days later japanese aircraft raided singapore anti aircraft batteries opened fire scored hits effect japanese aircraft signal received admiralty london ordering british squadron commence hostilities evening confident protective air umbrella provided raf presence region admiral phillips set sail force time comprised battleship prince wales battlecruiser destroyers express vampire object sortie attack japanese transports afternoon december japanese submarine spotted british ships evening detected japanese aerial reconnaissance time clear raf fighter support forthcoming midnight signal received japanese forces landing malaya force diverted investigate december force sighted japanese submarine arrived discover reported landings diversion morning japanese air attack began type bombers dropped bombs close passing hangar roof exploding inch plating main deck second attack force comprising seventeen armed torpedoes arrived divided attack formations despite reports contrary prince wales struck torpedo prove fatal avoided seven torpedoes aimed bombs dropped minutes later torpedo struck prince wales port aft turret outer propeller shaft destroying bulkheads degree shaft way engine room caused rapid flooding entire electrical system ship action lacking effective damage control soon took heavy list torpedo attack developed avoided taking hits fourth attack conducted torpedo carrying type developed scored hits sank aircraft wave attacked prince wales hitting torpedoes causing damage flooding finally kilogram bomb hit prince wales catapult deck penetrated main deck exploded causing casualties makeshift aid centre cinema flat bombs attack scored near misses hull causing hull plates split intensifying flooding order abandon ship given prince wales capsized sank vice admiral phillips captain fatalities aftermath prince wales capital ships sunk solely naval air power open sea albeit land based carrier based aircraft diminishing role class ships play naval warfare pointed contributing factor sinking prince wales surface scanning radar force potent early warning devices early critical damage sustained torpedo factor led prince wales demise additional loss prince wales pumps electrical failures left parts ship total darkness added difficulties damage repair parties attempted counter flooding sinking subject inquiry chaired true causes ship loss established divers examined wreck war director naval construction report sinking claimed ship anti aircraft guns inflicted heavy casualties torpedoes dropped preventing successful conclusion attack crews adequately trained operation wreck wreck lies upside feet water royal navy white ensign attached line tied propeller shaft periodically renewed wreck site designated protected place remains act prior 60th anniversary sinking ship bell manually raised british technical divers permission blessing restored presented permanent display sea lord chief naval staff admiral sir liverpool currently traditional passing royal_navy ship perform remembrance service site expedition job dedicated survey exterior hull prince wales conducted expedition findings sparked considerable interest naval architects marine engineers world detailed nature damage prince wales exact location number torpedo hits consequently findings contained initial expedition report later reports analysed marine engineers resultant paper drawn entitled death battleship tragic loss hms prince wales paper subsequently presented meeting members london october daily_telegraph reported prince wales extensively damaged explosives scrap metal dealers career prince wales refitted occasions bring equipment date following dates details undertaken
HMS Prince of Wales (53)