hms duke york hms duke york king george class battleship royal_navy laid ship constructed company scotland commissioned royal_navy november subsequently seeing service second world war mid december duke york transported prime minister winston_churchill united_states meet president march september duke york involved convoy escort duties october dispatched gibraltar flagship october duke york involved allied invasion north_africa saw little action role required protect accompanying aircraft carriers hms duke york stopped november commando arrested british picked radio traffic indicating naval espionage possibly secrecy operation torch torch duke york involved operations camera governor operations designed draw germans attention away operation october duke york operated sister ship covering force allied cruisers destroyers american carrier ranger raided german shipping norway attack sank merchant ships badly damaged seven december duke york task force encountered german battleship engagement followed hit duke york twice little effect hit duke york inch shells turrets hitting boiler room temporarily escaping duke york heavy fire struck times torpedoes allowing duke york open fire contributing eventual sinking running action lasting half hours duke york assigned flagship suffered mechanical problems malta prevented arriving time action japan surrendered war duke york remained active laid november eventually scrapped 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number ships nation allowed build capped capital ships tons restrictions extended treaty london mid-1930s japan italy withdrawn treaties british concerned lack modern battleships navy result admiralty ordered construction new battleship class king george class provisions treaty london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 duke york ship king george class laid shipyard scotland ironically title duke york time having held king prior succession throne december battleship launched february completed november ship joined home_fleet flow description duke york 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 drum water tube boilers normally delivered shaft horsepower deliver shp emergency gave duke york speed knots mph ship carried long tons fuel oil later increased long tons carried long tons diesel oil long tons reserve feed water long tons freshwater speed duke york range nautical miles knots mph armament duke york mounted inch vii guns mounted twin turret forward quadruple turrets forward aft guns elevated degrees depressed degrees training arcs varied turret able traverse degrees turrets degrees hydraulic drives training process achieving rates degrees second respectively gun broadside weighed pounds fired seconds secondary armament consisted inch dual purpose guns mounted twin turrets 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 duke york carried millimetre viii anti aircraft guns power driven supplemented millimetre light guns single hand worked mounts operational history mid december duke york embarked prime minister winston_churchill trip united_states president arrived maryland december cruise bermuda january departed scapa_flow january churchill returning home air march provided close escort convoy company battlecruiser renown cruiser kenya destroyers march force reinforced duke york sister ships king george aircraft carrier victorious heavy cruiser destroyers result admiral concerns german battleship attempt intercept convoy march german battleship sea sighted british submarine contact unsuccessful aerial torpedo attack aircraft victorious later month constituted duke york formed escort force early april duke york king george carrier victorious formed core support force patrolled iceland norway cover convoys soviet_union late april king george accidentally rammed sank destroyer dense fog sustaining significant bow damage duke york sent relieve continued operations joined american battleship uss washington mid september duke york escorted convoy october duke york sent gibraltar new flagship force supported allied landings north_africa following month time duke york came air attack italian aircraft occasions raids relatively small scale swiftly dealt umbrella provided aircraft accompanying carriers victorious formidable furious action duke york returned britain refit refit completed duke york resumed status flagship pending departure king george howe operation june involved sweep duke york company battleships alabama provide distant cover minor operations following month operations camera governor norway carried order draw germans attention away operation october duke york covered force allied cruisers destroyers american carrier ranger raided german shipping norway attack resulted sinking german merchant ships damage seven forced grounded action german battleship moved norway position threaten arctic convoys russia armoured ships norwegian necessary royal_navy provide heavy escorts convoys britain russia sighted germans early december allied intelligence concluded following convoy attacked german surface ships surface forces assigned provide distant cover left december december reported sea force cruisers belfast norfolk sheffield destroyers contact shortly december brief engagement occurred brief skirmish noon force including duke york cruiser jamaica destroyers closing estimated night action commence altered course contact distance yards force broadside fire belfast force fired failed duke york fired inch guns taking surprise main battery trained fore aft duke york closed yards opened fire gun broadside scoring hit heavy fire duke york number times hit twice shell passed mainmast port leg fragments hit destroyed cable main search radar shell pierced port foremast exploding inch shell turrets maintained speed range opened yards duke york ceased fire shell final hit exploded number boiler room slowing ship allowing pursuing destroyers overtake force destroyers attacked torpedoes firing scoring hits slowed duke york opened fire range yards ceased fire allow cruisers close inch shells hit german battleship causing fires explosions secondary battery main turrets aboard ceased fire speed cut knots mph duke york ceased fire final stages battle destroyers fired total torpedoes causing list badly port sank running action lasting half hours taking men following sinking retreat german heavy units norway need maintain powerful forces british home waters diminished subsequent operations march duke york rest home_fleet left scapa_flow provide support force ship operated arctic cover carriers conducting series air strikes mid late august september overhauled partially modernized liverpool radar equipment additional anti aircraft guns added ordered join sailed company sister ship april problem ship electrical delayed malta result reach sydney july time late meaningful hostilities japanese early august duke york assigned task force aircraft carriers sister king august american carrier task forces conducted series air raids japan continued august surrender came effect conclusion hostilities duke york alongside sister king george participated surrender ceremonies took place tokyo bay following month duke york sailed hong_kong join fleet assembled accept surrender japanese garrison flagship japanese surrendered remained june returned plymouth overhaul post war duke york flagship home_fleet following end war remained service april laid november ordered scrapped broken career duke york refitted occasions bring equipment date following dates details undertaken
HMS Duke of York (17)