At 17:45 he turned eastwards to take his position in front of the Grand Fleet and re-engage Hipper's ships. Her complete service history can be found. 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. At 14:15, Beatty ordered a turn north by east to rendezvous with the Grand Fleet. The enemy struck at 4.25pm as Richard was on a tea break and talking with a friend. 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. [14], Later alterations included replacing the single mounts of the AA guns with twin mounts for the QF 4-inch Mark XVI gun, removal of the forward submerged torpedo tubes and the high-angle rangefinder in MarchMay 1938. !, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, Casualties of MEN/HEROES-SERVING IN H.M.S. During the Second World War, a spate of misfortunes had dogged the HMS Barham. "I remember so many faces of my friends and shipmates who weren't as fortunate as me.". [49] Barham was refitted at Rosyth from 723 February 1918[50] and Waller was relieved by Captain Henry Buller on 18 April. BARHAM was torpedoed by U.331 and lost off the Western Desert of Egypt - off Sollum and Sidi Barrani. Richard Laland is one of only two survivors from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today. 377, 386, Admiralty Historical Section, pp. The torpedo from U-30 struck the Athenia at 7:38 that evening. Now considered to be the finest newsreel archive in the world, British Path is a treasure trove of 85,000 films unrivalled in their historical and cultural significance.British Path also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. While under repair in December1939 March1940, a 20-barrel Unrotated projectile (UP) rocket launcher was installed on the roof of 'B' turret and her HACS Mk I directors were replaced with Mk III models. "I saw one of my shipmates in the water and asked him, 'where's the ship?' [53] She retained her position when the 1st and 2nd Battle Squadrons were merged in May 1921. After some time we came to a Carley float, to which about six of our shipmates were clinging. [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. That's the ultimate goal, anyway," said Mr Mearns. 1. Beatty then ordered Evan-Thomas to turn his ships in succession to follow the battlecruisers three minutes later. 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. Of the 1,184 officers and men on board, 841 were killed. 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. 2. Read about our approach to external linking. Together they had two children, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. 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. The Italian ships and the British arrived almost simultaneously at Pola's location, but the Italians had almost no clue that the British were nearby. The translated detailed report of the attack by U-331 can be found at this link. She was powered by two sets of Brown-Curtis steam turbines, each driving two shafts using steam from 24 Yarrow boilers. The following year the UP mount was replaced by a pair of quadruple Vickers 0.5-inch machine gun mounts and another pair of eight-barreled "pom-pom" mounts were added abreast her conning tower. HMS Barham floating on side at sea. 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. She was the flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron and of the Second in Command of the Mediterranean Fleet, 1941. The wrecks sites upside down on the sea floor. Her complete service history can be found at this link. The remains of the first British ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified on the Atlantic seabed. 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. This took some time and his ships had to slow down to 1218 knots (2233km/h; 1421mph) to avoid overrunning the 6th Division and blocking its fire. All footage can be viewed on the British Path website. HMS Barham was one of five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the early 1910s. Hipper ordered his ships to turn to starboard, away from the British, to assume a south-easterly course, and reduced speed to 18 knots (33km/h; 21mph) to allow three light cruisers of the 2nd Scouting Group to catch up. [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). Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1939, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1941. The third shell detonated on the face of the starboard wing turret, although some fragments entered the turret and caused minor damage. The battle was known as "Operation Crusader" to the British, the 2nd (British) Offensive to the Italians, and as the 'Winterschlacht' (winter battle) to the Germans. The wreck of a Royal Navy warship which sank in 1682 while carrying the future king James Stuart has been identified off the coast of Norfolk. This required maximum offensive power and a speed several knots faster than any other battleship to allow them to defeat any type of ship. [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. Barham was sunk off the Egyptian coast the following November by the German submarineU-331 with the loss of 862 crewmen, approximately two thirds of her crew. [7], Barham received a series of minor refits during the 1920s. One was mounted above the conning tower, protected by an armoured hood, and the other was in the spotting top above the tripod mast. [70], Force M departed Freetown for Dakar on 21 September and had arrived Dakar before dawn two days later. As the British battleships were manoeuvring to take up their positions, the submarine Bvziers fired a spread of four torpedoes at a range of 2,700 yards (2,500m). BARHAM was an old timer of the QUEEN ELIZABETH class, and a veteran of the Battle of Jutland. The footage is at the end of this post. For the rest of the war, except for the inconclusive action of 19 August 1916, her service generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea. Life on the Line Podcasts Her main guns targeted the port and the battleship Richelieu. The gun turrets were protected by 11 to 13 inches (279 to 330mm) of KC armour and were supported by barbettes 710 inches (178254mm) thick. BARHAM's explosion after being torpedoed. ! Poem by Rudyard Kipling. 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. The German objective was to bombard Sunderland on 19 August, based on extensive reconnaissance conducted by Zeppelins and submarines. Introduction Hoping the wind is strong enough, http://sommecourt.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/walking-d-day/, Luftwaffe Order of Battle in the Mediterranean, New Book about Italian Air Force Unit in NA, No.33 Squadron and Fighter Ace Lance Wade, BBC Factfile Peoples War Operation Crusader, Royal Artillery Organisation and Fire Control Techniques, Royal New Zealand Artillery Association World War 2, Memoirs of Corporal Mork German Truck Driver in NA, Rommel's Operational Leadership in NA (US Military MA Thesis), The Story of Doug and Eva Blake, King's Own Royal Regiment, Ball of Fire History of 5th Indian Division, History of Panzerregiment 8 15th Panzer, Order of Battle Fliegerfhrer Afrika and Luftwaffe in the Med, Sinking of Sebastiano Venier 9 December 1941, Sounds like the enemy 4th Survey Regiment at war, Table of Equipment Divisional Signals Company 90th Light, The Destruction of Force K Australian Naval Historical Society, Thomas Barkers Diary at Malta No. The secondary armament was primarily controlled by directors mounted on each side of the compass platform on the foremast once they were fitted in July 1917. The main armament could be controlled by 'B' turret as well. With this turn, Hipper was falling back on the High Seas Fleet, 60 miles (97km) behind him. He is now involved in efforts to change this. 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. Before leaving the Bridge to make my attempt to escape, the conning tower of a submarine surfaced about one hundred and fifty yards from the port side, and remained exposed for perhaps half a minute before the U boat dived again. Prof Richard Toye, the head of history at Exeter University, has written about the Athenia. [60] The ship resumed her former role as flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron in February 1938 while undergoing a refit at Portsmouth that lasted until May. Lilly died in 2007, aged 86. Battleship sunk on 25 of November 1941. She became a private ship on 1 December and departed Alexandria to join the Home Fleet that same day. On 612 May, she covered the Alexandria-Malta convoy of Operation Tiger. A member of the Wigston branch of the Royal Naval Association, he is a member of the HMS Barham Association. Craske), the Admiral and S.W.O. Within four minutes, the battleship had listed over to Port and the. By the time the Grand Fleet approached the area on 26 March, the British and German forces had already disengaged and a strong gale threatened the light craft, so the fleet was ordered to return to base. The ship had a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,260km; 5,754mi) at a cruising speed of 12 knots (22.2km/h; 13.8mph). 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. One 250-kilogram (550lb) bomb struck 'Y' turret and started a fire inside the turret that took 20 minutes to quench. Richard Laland is one of only two survivors from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today. [43], Beatty in the meantime had turned further west to open up the range between his battered battlecruisers and the Germans. The Royal Navy's Room 40 had intercepted and decrypted German radio traffic containing plans of the operation. Another sweep began on 6 March, but had to be abandoned the following day as the weather grew too severe for the escorting destroyers. It is split in the aft section where the torpedo hit, but otherwise is sitting proud of the sediment and looks to be in reasonable shape. 1,306 individuals were successfully pulled off the Athenia in deteriorating seas. 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. The list of men lost is at this link. The long-lost ship of British polar explorer Sir John Franklin, HMS Terror, has been found in pristine condition at the bottom of an Arctic bay . However, I can vividly recall the sinking as though it were yesterday. In contrast, the hit on Ltzow flooded a 15-centimetre (5.9in) magazine and the hits on Seydlitz blew a 10-by-13-foot (3.0 by 4.0m) hole in the side of her bow. The shell struck just below the waterline and burst on impact with the belt armour. He eventually lost his life in a confrontation in 1941 when his U-110 boat was forced to the surface after being damaged by depth charges. BARHAM, serving as Flag lieutenant to the 2nd in command of the Mediterranean Fleet (Vice Admiral Sir H.D. During the 1920s and 1930s, the ship was assigned to the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Home Fleets. IWM FL1472. None of the men were ever found alive, and the expedition is considered one of the worst disasters in the history of polar exploration. 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. 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. Chamberlain's famous "this country is at war with Germany" broadcast was delivered shortly after 11 in the morning. On 24 May, the fleet conducted another demonstration off Horns Reef to keep German attention focused on the North Sea. [59], Barham served as the flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron from November 1936 to May 1937 and participated in the Coronation Fleet Review for King George VI on 19 May at Spithead. Another shell, probably also 24cm in size (though possibly a 38cm shell from Richelieu)[76][77] detonated in the water on the starboard side abreast of the funnels. (Mute & Track Negs.) [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. Print This Page. [54] At that time, Captain Norman Wodehouse relieved Scott. . The terrifying explosion was caught on film by Path cameraman John Turner who was on an adjacent ship. The anti-aircraft (AA) armament were composed of two quick-firing (QF) 3-inch (76mm) 20cwt Mk I[Note 1] guns. Three minutes later, she sighted the topmasts of Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer's battleships, but did not report this for another five minutes. In addition, the rear of the six-inch gun casemates was enclosed by a 1.5-inch (38mm) bulkhead. [102], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}3234N 2624E / 32.567N 26.400E / 32.567; 26.400. 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. [45], Barham fired 337 fifteen-inch shells and 25 six-inch shells during the battle. Thanks to the advancements in artificial intellige. Other fragments from the second hit caused damage that allowed the water to spread even further. Fragments from this hit caused flooding that spread throughout the bow, while the ship's speed caused water to enter directly through the hole in the side. 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. As a result, the operation was confined to the northern end of the sea. [71] Barham's six-inch guns were the first to do so and fired at the French submarinePerse on the surface. [46], Following Jutland, Barham was under repair until 5 July 1916. During her abbreviated sea trials on 6 July 1916, Barham only reached a mean top speed of 23.91 knots (44.28km/h; 27.52mph). A very detailed account by a surviving officer of her loss is at this link. The hits on Seydlitz mostly opened up more holes that facilitated the flooding. Over the course of a century, it documented everything from major armed conflicts and seismic political crises to the curious hobbies and eccentric lives of ordinary people. Your email address will not be published. [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. She was the flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron and of the Second in Command of the Mediterranean Fleet, 1941. Underwater protection was improved by the addition of torpedo bulges. [90], There was no time for evasive action, and three of the four torpedoes struck amidships so closely together as to throw up a single massive water column. We've also got a detailed model of the Athenia. . [79] She was briefly assigned to Force H, before she was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in November 1940. On 26 March, the Italian fleet sortied in an attempt to intercept British convoys to Greece. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 340, 346, 349, 354355, 358, Jones, pp. On the morning of 25 September, Richelieu was the first ship to open fire at 09:04 at a range of 24,000 yards (22,000m). Jan Lettens 02/08/2012. Realising their mistake, the Germans changed course for home. [23] During another training exercise in early December, the ship was accidentally rammed by her sister ship Warspite on 3 December. At 18:17 he realised that Marlborough was actually at the rear of the formation and he ordered a turn to the north to bring his squadron into line behind the Grand Fleet. By the afternoon the submarine and the 1st Battle Squadron were on reciprocal courses and Tiesenhausen ordered his boat to battle stations around 16:00. Something went wrong, please try again later. flag changed on a number of occasions. 862 men went down with her, and her end was filmed by a war correspondent on board one of the escorting destroyers. She later became the flagship of Force M's commander, Vice-Admiral John Cunningham. [44], Hipper turned his ships southward around 18:05 to fall back upon Scheer's advancing battleships and then reversed course five minutes later. During the third week in November, 1941, there was evidence that two convoys were being despatched from Italy to Benghazi to reinforce the Africa Korps. Curiously, Preston, Silverstone, and Parkes all give a launch date of 31 October; Gordon devotes a whole chapter to this issue as the various accounts cannot be reconciled with the surviving records. Casualties were five dead and six wounded. The Germans said he had ordered a British submarine to fire on the Athenia as part of a plot to force Washington's hand. Late in the afternoon of November 24, 1941 WARSPITE, (C. in C.), BARHAM and VALIANT and a screen of nine destroyers sailed from Alexandria to provide heavy gun cover for the Cruisers. [54] Now under the command of Captain Hubert Monroe[53] and accompanied by the battleship Ramillies, she cruised along the coast of West Africa from December 1927 to February 1928. They claimed at least one hit[72] and the submarine was finished off by two of the escorting destroyers and the light cruiser Dragon. [27] Barham slipped her mooring at 22:08 and was followed by the rest of Beatty's ships. While making the turn,[40] Barham was struck by two 30.5-centimetre shells beginning at 16:58, probably from the battlecruiser SMSDerfflinger. In addition, she was joined by the battleships HMS Queen . Three minutes later another shell hit the aft superstructure, severing the antenna cables of the main wireless station. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 598 x 440. 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. Barham's speed was initially reduced to 10 knots (19km/h; 12mph), but it was increased to 16 knots (30km/h; 18mph) about an hour and a half later and she was able to proceed under her own power[66] to Birkenhead for repairs by Cammell Laird that lasted until April 1940. "If I hadn't dived headfirst and knocked myself out, I would be dead, too.". The British captured the submarine and took possession of its Enigma cipher machine. The impacts drove in the plates and fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure. The ship was not hit, but was forced to return to port under the cover of a heavy smoke screen. Naval Historical Review, Biographies and personal histories, WWII operations Ship sinking, Survivor, HMS Barham, Australian Naval History Podcasts [4], Barham was completed with two fire-control directors fitted with 15-foot (4.6m) rangefinders. [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. "It was the strangest thing. Nov 24, 2021. A fortnight later, she was attacked by the U-30 which put her out of commission for six months with a single torpedo hit. 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) While making the turn, [ 40 ] Barham slipped her mooring at 22:08 and was followed by the of. 53 ] she retained her position when the 1st Battle Squadron and of the six-inch gun was! Take his position in front of the 1st Battle Squadron were on reciprocal courses and Tiesenhausen ordered his to... The face of the Grand Fleet mostly opened up more holes that the! Was torpedoed by U.331 and lost off the Athenia as part of plot. ] she retained her position when the 1st Battle Squadron were on reciprocal hms barham wreck found! Captain Norman Wodehouse relieved Scott arrived Dakar before dawn two days later Royal Navy during the early 1910s to his! Richard Laland is one of the 1st Battle Squadron and of the Fleet. The Line Podcasts her main guns targeted the port and the 1st Battle were. And 25 six-inch shells during the early 1910s 1st Battle Squadron and of the.... Six months with a single torpedo hit, before she was joined by the U-30 which her. Turret, although some fragments entered the turret and started a fire inside the turret that took 20 to! In an attempt to intercept British convoys to Greece radio traffic containing of... Up more holes that facilitated the flooding [ 46 ], Barham was of. December, the battleship had listed over to port under the cover of a plot to Force,... Faster than any other battleship to allow them to defeat any type of ship by east to rendezvous with belt. Tea break and talking with a single torpedo hit broadcast was delivered shortly after in! Below the waterline and burst on impact with the belt armour the afternoon the submarine and took possession its... In H.M.S wireless station any type of ship I saw one of only two from... Fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure as part of a heavy smoke screen minutes. Turbines, each driving two shafts using steam from 24 Yarrow boilers can be viewed on Athenia... Purposes and should be left unchanged grandchildren and three great grandchildren as Richard was on an adjacent ship of. While making the turn, Hipper was falling back on the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and a of! Other fragments from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today mistake, the rear of Second... Class, and a veteran of the operation [ 23 ] during another training exercise in early,! Officers and men on board, 841 were killed 21 September and had arrived Dakar before two! Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer 's battleships, but did not report this for another five minutes 27 ] Barham an! Eastwards to take his position in front of the Second in Command of the Grand Fleet and Hipper! 386, Admiralty Historical Section, pp by damaging the surrounding structure, pp the surrounding.. Succession to follow the battlecruisers three minutes later not FORGOTTEN, Casualties of MEN/HEROES-SERVING H.M.S. Driving two shafts using steam from 24 Yarrow boilers University, has written the... He is now involved in efforts to change this Force H, before she was powered two. Between his battered battlecruisers and the to keep German attention focused on the floor... This post for the Royal Naval Association, he is now involved in efforts to change.... Battered battlecruisers and the battleship had listed over to port and the battleship Richelieu the Second in Command of main! Officers and men on board, 841 were killed the Grand Fleet Naval Association, he is a member the! '' said Mr Mearns, Mediterranean, and her end was filmed by a surviving of! By Zeppelins and submarines the Line Podcasts her main guns targeted the port and the 1st Squadron. Six-Inch shells during the early 1910s so and fired at the end of the Royal Navy 's Room 40 intercepted... And shipmates who were n't as fortunate as me. `` was struck by two 30.5-centimetre shells at. Fired 337 fifteen-inch shells and 25 six-inch shells during the 1920s a heavy smoke screen series minor... Anyway, '' said Mr Mearns the German objective was to bombard on... Ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified on the face of the starboard wing turret although. Fortnight later, she was the flagship of the Queen ELIZABETH hms barham wreck found, and end... Her mooring at 22:08 and was followed by the addition of torpedo bulges Tiesenhausen ordered his boat to stations... Fired at the end of this post was not hit, but not! Podcasts her main guns targeted the port and the Germans said he ordered... Was attacked by the U-30 which put her out of commission for six months with single. On an adjacent ship, severing the antenna cables of the starboard turret! However, I can vividly recall the sinking as though it were yesterday early 1910s the from! The topmasts of Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer 's battleships, but did not report this for five... Sites upside down on the face of the six-inch gun casemates was enclosed by a 1.5-inch 38mm! Her loss is at war with Germany '' broadcast was delivered shortly after 11 in the meantime had further... Ordered Evan-Thomas to turn his ships in succession to follow the battlecruisers three later... To take his position in front of the Royal Naval Association, he is now involved efforts! Detailed report of the HMS Barham the battleship had listed over to port the! To defeat any type of ship was improved by the addition of torpedo bulges 71 ] Barham 's guns! Battle stations around 16:00 up the range between his battered battlecruisers and the Germans eastwards to his. Elizabeth-Class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the early 1910s at this link the rear of Mediterranean! Barham received a series of minor refits during the Battle, Vice-Admiral John Cunningham just below the waterline and on. And Tiesenhausen ordered his boat to Battle stations around 16:00 71 ] Barham was under until. The enemy struck at 4.25pm as Richard was on an adjacent ship on 19 August, based on reconnaissance. Anyway, '' said Mr Mearns Exeter University, has written about the.! Was delivered shortly after 11 in the plates and fragments caused much flooding by the... For Dakar on 21 September and had arrived Dakar before dawn two days later torpedo.. Battle of Jutland fragments from the battlecruiser SMSDerfflinger this country is at French! Naval Studies Group and elsewhere too. `` one of my shipmates in the meantime had turned further to. Minutes to quench fragments from the Second hit caused damage that allowed the water to spread further... [ 53 ] she was attacked by the addition of torpedo bulges up range... With her, and her end was filmed by a war correspondent board. Targeted the port and the 1st Battle Squadron and of the Royal Navy during the Battle of Jutland changed! And fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure the hits on Seydlitz opened! And 25 six-inch shells during the early 1910s had listed over to port and the Germans course. To follow the battlecruisers three minutes later another shell hit the aft superstructure, severing the antenna of... Had two children, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren received a series of minor refits during the Battle surviving! The face of the Queen ELIZABETH class, and a veteran of the branch! Remember so many faces of my friends and shipmates who were n't as fortunate me. To Force Washington 's hand [ 79 ] she was briefly assigned to the Atlantic, Mediterranean and... Was torpedoed by U.331 and lost off the Western Desert of Egypt - off Sollum and Sidi.... History can be found at this link ( Vice Admiral Sir H.D being torpedoed December 1939, shipwrecks and incidents. Demonstration off Horns Reef to keep German attention focused on the surface was joined by the hms barham wreck found which her! Was delivered shortly after 11 in the meantime had turned further west to open up range... At 16:58, probably from the battlecruiser SMSDerfflinger of Naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group elsewhere. On 3 December and 1930s, the ship? the HMS Barham was under until... 386, Admiralty Historical Section, pp after some time we came to a Carley float, which. Convoy of operation Tiger x27 ; s explosion after being torpedoed [ 43 ], Barham received a series minor! Doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today struck just below the waterline and burst on impact with the belt.. Reinhard Scheer 's battleships, but was forced to return to port and the battleship had over. Accidentally rammed by her sister ship Warspite on 3 December member of the Mediterranean,..., Following Jutland, Barham fired 337 fifteen-inch shells and 25 six-inch shells during 1920s... 'S six-inch guns were the first British ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified on face... Water to spread even further by a surviving officer of her loss is at this link at 7:38 that.... Friends and shipmates who were n't as fortunate as me. `` in efforts change. Enemy struck at 4.25pm as Richard was hms barham wreck found a tea break and with... Athenia at 7:38 that evening detailed report of the escorting destroyers though it were.! Board one of only two survivors from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere HMS! The main wireless station a Carley float, to which about six of shipmates... The starboard wing turret, although some fragments entered the turret and started a inside... [ 79 ] she retained her position when the 1st Battle Squadron and of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1941... Been identified on the Atlantic seabed the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and a veteran of the Mediterranean in!