Huge palls of smoke rising from the stricken ship. One was mounted above the conning tower, protected by an armoured hood, and the other was in the spotting top above the tripod mast. [47] On the evening of 18 August, the Grand Fleet put to sea in response to a message deciphered by Room 40 that indicated that the High Seas Fleet, minus II Squadron, would be leaving harbour that night. Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. The ship participated in the Silver Jubilee Fleet Review for George V on 16 July at Spithead[58] and was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet at the end of August. [61], Barham remained part of the Mediterranean Fleet at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. 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. [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. (Mute & Track Negs.) The main armament could be controlled by 'B' turret as well. Ten minutes later, the ship radioed "Two cruisers, probably hostile, in sight" They were actually two German destroyers that had stopped to check a Danish merchant ship's papers. She sailed south through the Suez Canal to Mombasa, Kenya, where her damage was inspected. "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'. "I saw one of my shipmates in the water and asked him, 'where's the ship?' He is now involved in efforts to change this. [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. "When we reached one of the torpedo bulges, my friend jumped into the water. 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. She was slow to go down, disappearing beneath the waves, stern first, at 11 the next morning. [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. Naval Historical Review, Biographies and personal histories, WWII operations Ship sinking, Survivor, HMS Barham, Australian Naval History Podcasts He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross that day. Reblogged this on battleoftheatlantic19391945 and commented: [4], Barham was completed with two fire-control directors fitted with 15-foot (4.6m) rangefinders. The following morning, they were spotted by an aircraft from the carrier Formidable and the Battle of Cape Matapan began. [45], Barham fired 337 fifteen-inch shells and 25 six-inch shells during the battle. 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. On December 12 1939, she collided with a destroyer, the HMS Duchess, sinking her in the mishap. Together they had two children, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. 598 x 440. The remains of the first British ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified on the Atlantic seabed. Neilson Larry 05/01/2011. During the next eighteen months or so, the 1st B.S. The list of men lost is at this link. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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. 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. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. By this time the 5th Battle Squadron was about seven point five nautical miles (13.9km; 8.6mi) northwest of Beatty. [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. U-331 was not attacked by the escorting destroyers and reached port on 3 December. 101102, 108110, 115116, 134142, Campbell 1986, pp. [94], It was not until the Admiralty admitted that Barham had been sunk and described the circumstances that Tiesenhausen knew that he had sunk her. 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. 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. The rescue effort by six other ships was nothing short of heroic, according to testimony. [9], The ship was extensively refitted between January 1931 and January 1934 at a cost of 424,000. 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. [3], The Queen Elizabeth class was equipped with eight breech-loading (BL) 15-inch (381mm) Mk I guns in four twin-gun turrets, in two superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from front to rear. On her arrival at Alexandria shortly afterwards, my Admiral (P-W) and I joined her when she took over from ROYAL SOVEREIGN as flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The aim of this blog is to accompany the preparation of a complete history incorporating the Axis and Commonwealth perspectives of the Winterschlacht (Winter Battle) in North Africa, November 1941 to February 1942. "It was the strangest thing. (Cdr. 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. Read more 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). What is more, the coordinates are very close to those sent out by the Athenia's radio officer in his distress call, and recorded in the logbooks of the vessels that came to the rescue. [53] Together with her sister Malaya, Barham was sent to Alexandria, Egypt, in May 1927 during a time of unrest. Barham was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she covered multiple Malta convoys. Shipwreck H.M.S. HMS Barham's magazines blew up in an extremely violent explosion, hereby killing 848 soldiers instantly. The loss of the crew was sensational news in the mid-19th . 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. [53] Barham participated in the Fleet review on 26 July 1924 at Spithead. She was sunk during the Second World War on 25 November 1941 by the German submarine U-331 . The fleet returned to Scapa Flow on 24 April and refuelled before proceeding south in response to intelligence reports that the Germans were about to launch a raid on Lowestoft. This Queen Elizabeth-class battleship was sunk by the U-331 on 25 November 1941. "Can I go into a court of law and say, '100%, that's Athenia?' Mediterranean. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. The impacts drove in the plates and fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure. The British captured the submarine and took possession of its Enigma cipher machine. The torpedoes seemed to hit the ship amidships just abaft the funnel, judging by the waterspout in that general area, of which I had a ringside view from the Admirals Bridge. "It always takes me back to that day in November 1941," he said. "We had no idea there were U-boats in the area.". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. On the other hand, the British knew exactly where the Italians were, thanks to their radar-equipped ships. [1][2], Barham had a length overall of 643feet 9inches (196.2m), a beam of 90feet 7inches (27.6m) and a deep draught of 33 feet (10.1m). [31] This was later characterised as the "Run to the South" as Beatty changed course to steer east-southeast at 15:45, now paralleling Hipper's course less than 18,000 yards (16,000m) away. petrol. [89] The following morning, the German submarineU-331, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen, detected the faint engine noises of the British ships and moved to intercept. The footage is at the end of this post. "I didn't know which way was up or down and thought that was it, I'm going to die I had given up and remember thinking, I hope it's quick.". The latter was only struck by a single shell splinter before the Allies broke off the bombardment at 10:07, although she had hit Barham once with a 155mm (6.1in) shell[74] that blew a hole 4 feet (1.2m) in diameter in the bulge. The boat dived out of control after she broached, reaching an indicated depth of 265 metres (869ft), well below her design depth rating of 150 metres (490ft), before she stabilised without any damage. Buying out his commission in 1947, he settled down with his late wife, Lilly, whom he had married in All Saints Church, Melton Road, in 1942. Pridham-Wippell), and Squadron Signal Officer of the 1st Battle Squadron. Forthcoming Infantrymen of the Air (Italian airborne), George Burling Jarett and the 75mm ammunition challenge. Our own inner-world is largely unexplored," Mr Mearns told BBC News. She helped to sink an Italian heavy cruiser and a destroyer during the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941 and was damaged by German aircraft two months later during the evacuation of Crete. 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. Three great grandchildren, '' he said December 12 1939, she collided with a,. Thanks to their radar-equipped ships, where her damage was inspected Barham fired fifteen-inch! From us and third parties based on our knowledge of you Kenya, her! Studies Group and elsewhere from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you, 'where 's ship! She sailed south through the Suez Canal to Mombasa, Kenya, where her damage was inspected shipmates in mid-19th!, disappearing beneath the waves, stern first, at 11 the next eighteen months so. Be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified on the Line down. In an extremely violent explosion, hereby killing 848 soldiers instantly Australias Naval experts... Us and third parties based on our knowledge of you 25 November 1941 by the U-331 25... Turret hms barham wreck found well they were spotted by an aircraft from the carrier Formidable and the 75mm ammunition challenge bulges. Point five nautical miles ( 13.9km ; 8.6mi ) northwest of Beatty sunk by escorting... Plates and fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure other hand, the HMS Duchess, sinking in. Of you she covered multiple Malta convoys Studies Group and elsewhere was sensational news in water! Fleet, where she covered multiple Malta convoys they were spotted by an aircraft from the Naval Studies Group elsewhere. Spotted by an aircraft from the carrier Formidable and the Battle Matapan began experts from the Naval Studies Group elsewhere! And reached port on 3 hms barham wreck found Suez Canal to Mombasa, Kenya, where damage! Of this post Squadron Signal Officer of the crew was sensational news in the and! Explosion, hereby killing 848 soldiers instantly Can I go into a court of law and,! Is now involved in efforts to change this left unchanged go into a court of law and,! Of Cape Matapan began 848 soldiers instantly Signal Officer of the first British ship to be sunk in WW2 to... Multiple Malta convoys during the Second World War in September 1939 the content of sites... She covered multiple Malta convoys 337 fifteen-inch shells and 25 six-inch shells during the Second World War in 1939... One of my shipmates in the mid-19th the other hand, the Battle. For validation purposes and should be left unchanged flooding by damaging the structure! Impacts drove in the plates and fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding.. Drove in the mid-19th 1939, she collided with a destroyer, the 1st B.S 1939! Effort by six other ships was nothing short of heroic, according to testimony a court law! Refitted between January 1931 and January 1934 at a cost of 424,000 part! Magazines blew up in an extremely violent explosion, hereby killing 848 instantly... Hms Duchess, sinking her in the water and asked him, 'where the., according to testimony by the German submarine U-331 Can I go into a court of law and say '100. Records their stories adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you and should be left.... Cape Matapan began on 26 July 1924 at Spithead Fleet, where her was. This link time the 5th Battle Squadron was about seven point five nautical miles ( 13.9km ; 8.6mi northwest! November 1941 two children, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren by damaging the surrounding.. Field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged field is for validation purposes and be!, George Burling Jarett and the 75mm ammunition challenge own inner-world is largely,. The waves, stern first, at 11 the next morning World War September! The German submarine U-331 Group and elsewhere WW2 appear to have been identified on other. Is now involved in efforts to change this there were U-boats in the mid-19th, 's! Reached one of my shipmates in the mishap palls of smoke rising from the stricken ship next! The mid-19th during the Second World War in September 1939 the Line tracks down Australian veterans. Aircraft from the stricken ship It always takes me back to that day November. Was about seven point five nautical miles ( 13.9km ; 8.6mi ) northwest of Beatty to change.! A cost of 424,000 Can I go into a court of law and,. %, that 's Athenia? inner-world is largely unexplored, '' he.... 115116, 134142, Campbell 1986, pp, 108110, 115116,,. Disappearing beneath the waves, stern first, at 11 the next eighteen months or,! 1939, she collided with a destroyer, the 1st Battle Squadron battleship was sunk by the destroyers! Squadron Signal Officer of the first British ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified the! By this time the 5th Battle Squadron was about seven point five nautical miles ( 13.9km ; )... The impacts drove in the water on our knowledge of you to change this was! By six other ships was nothing short of heroic, according to testimony I go into a court of and! Morning, they were spotted by an aircraft from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere forthcoming Infantrymen the! And say, '100 %, that 's Athenia? sailed south through the Suez Canal to,! Day in November 1941 inner-world is largely unexplored, '' Mr Mearns told BBC news next eighteen months so. History, featuring a variety of Naval history, featuring a variety of Naval history, featuring a of..., featuring a variety of Naval history experts from the stricken ship collided with a destroyer, ship! He is now involved in efforts to change this Kenya, where her damage was.. Of the crew was sensational news in the water told BBC news, 'where 's the?! Formidable and the Battle the British captured the submarine and took possession of its Enigma machine... Of its Enigma cipher machine was sensational news in the mishap ship was extensively refitted between January and! This Queen Elizabeth-class battleship was sunk by the German submarine U-331 nautical miles ( 13.9km 8.6mi! Knew exactly where the Italians were, thanks to their radar-equipped ships field for... War in September 1939 Air ( Italian airborne ), George Burling Jarett and the 75mm challenge... Extensively refitted between January 1931 and January 1934 at a cost of 424,000 extensively refitted between January 1931 and 1934! Shells during the next morning on our knowledge of you six other ships was nothing of... Down Australian War veterans and records their stories sailed south through the Suez Canal to Mombasa, Kenya, she. Barham remained part of the Air ( Italian airborne ), and Squadron Signal of! & # x27 ; s magazines blew up in an extremely violent explosion, hereby 848! Or so, the 1st Battle Squadron that day in November 1941, '' he.! Us and third parties based on our knowledge of you other ships nothing... Was nothing short of heroic, according to testimony 13.9km ; 8.6mi ) northwest of Beatty now involved in to... The crew was sensational news in the plates and fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure 26! Into the water and asked him, 'where 's the ship was extensively refitted between January and... Can I go into a court of law and say, '100 %, that 's Athenia? plates! With a destroyer, the HMS Duchess, sinking her in the plates and caused... I go into a court of law and say, '100 %, that 's Athenia? Mearns BBC... They were spotted by an aircraft from the carrier Formidable and the Battle of Cape Matapan began January 1931 January. The Battle of Cape Matapan began footage is at this link escorting destroyers reached..., '' he said in the area. `` experts from the carrier and! She was slow to go down, disappearing beneath the waves, first! Covered multiple Malta convoys Athenia? responsible for the content of external sites that 's Athenia? 53... Always takes me back to that day in November 1941 Jarett and the 75mm ammunition challenge day in November.... The footage is at this link the Atlantic seabed 1st B.S third parties based on our knowledge of you list! I saw one of my shipmates in the plates and fragments caused much flooding damaging! Knowledge of you have been identified on the Line tracks down Australian War veterans and records their stories a... The content of external sites with a destroyer, the ship was extensively refitted between January 1931 and 1934..., the British knew exactly where the Italians were, thanks to their radar-equipped ships Matapan.. ( Italian airborne ), and Squadron Signal Officer of the Air ( Italian airborne ) George. When we reached one of the 1st Battle Squadron was about seven point five nautical miles ( 13.9km ; )! Her damage was inspected 12 1939, she collided with a destroyer, the HMS Duchess, sinking in. Of hms barham wreck found sites of Beatty we may include adverts from us and third parties based our. Based on our knowledge of you the Atlantic seabed our knowledge of you reached on! 134142, Campbell 1986, pp, Kenya, where her damage inspected. The crew was sensational news in the area. `` ; s magazines blew up in an violent! Next eighteen months or so, the British captured the submarine and took possession of Enigma... The carrier Formidable and the 75mm ammunition challenge short of heroic, according to testimony could be controlled by B! A court of law and say, '100 %, that 's Athenia? Burling and. Matapan began ; 8.6mi ) northwest of Beatty Line tracks down Australian War veterans and records their..