RN Battleships: King George V Class 1940

[Brian James]

King George V Class Battleship HMS Prince of Wales pictured on January 1st 1941.

[Brian James]

Y Turret pictured on King George V Class Battleship HMS Duke of York during her fitting out at John Brown & Co Shipbuilding Yards at Clydebank c1941.

[Brian James]

Lead Ship, Battleship HMS King George V....Iceland, October 4th 1941.

[Brian James]

Lead Ship, Battleship HMS King George V pictured on departure from Sydney to the UK in March 1946.

[Brian James]

Lead Ship, Battleship HMS King George V pictured in Gladstone Graving Dock at Liverpool on May 17th 1942, showing the damage sustained in her collision with Tribal Class Destroyer HMS Punjabi on May 1st 1942...Convoy PQ 15 was steaming in formation in heavy fog, the lookout on Punjabi reported what he believed to be a mine dead ahead; the captain reflexively ordered a 15-point emergency turn to port; in so doing, she sailed directly into the path of King George V and was sliced in two by the Battleship's bow. 169 of the ship's company were rescued from the forward section, and another 40 were picked up from the sea by other escorts, including Marne. Those crew left in the aft section, which sank very quickly, were killed when her depth charges detonated; 49 of her crew lost their lives in the accident. She sank directly in the path of the US Battleship USS Washington, which had to sail between the halves of the sinking Destroyer. Washington suffered slight damage from the detonation of the depth charges. King George V sustained serious damage to her bow, and was forced to return to port for repairs. Further investigation revealed no mines in the area, or indeed in any part of the convoy's eventual path. It is unknown what the lookout actually spotted, if anything.

[Brian James]

HMS Prince of Wales pictured at Rosyth in 1941.

[Brian James]

An original colour image of the arrival of Battleship HMS King George V at Melbourne in October 1945.

[Brian James]

King George V Class Battleship HMS Duke of York pictured at Hardangarfjorden, Norway in 1940.