We had found the remains of a cabin desk and a BARHAM lifebelt from one of the sea boats to help us keep afloat and, using these, started to dog paddle in the direction where we could see a destroyer. The British captured the submarine and took possession of its Enigma cipher machine. She became a private ship on 1 December and departed Alexandria to join the Home Fleet that same day. Searching the seafloor for sunken ships in this way is usually a wasted pursuit because of the dearth of high-resolution sonar data. First published on Mon 12 Sep 2016 11.41 EDT. The interrogation report following the sinking of U-331 in late 1942 give further detail of the sinking of HMS Barham at this link. This is my first written account of the fateful day, and of my recollections of some of the circumstances before and after the catastrophe since I prepared a Report on the sinking shortly after the event for the Royal Naval Authorities at Alexandria, Egypt. 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. [100] The crew are commemorated by a memorial bench, located in Nothe Gardens, Weymouth. [88] Repairs were completed six weeks later on 30 July and the ship returned to Alexandria in August where she resumed her role as flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron. Print This Page. David Mearns: "My research rules out all other shipwrecks in this area". [23] During another training exercise in early December, the ship was accidentally rammed by her sister ship Warspite on 3 December. The torpedo from U-30 struck the Athenia at 7:38 that evening. Quora User The German objective was to bombard Sunderland on 19 August, based on extensive reconnaissance conducted by Zeppelins and submarines. 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. Website with searchable ship database about warships, passenger liners, merchant ships, photo galleries, technical details, stories, news and much more. 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. As a result, the operation was confined to the northern end of the sea. She was hit six times during the battle, five times by 30.5cm shells and once by a 28.3cm shell, suffering casualties of 26 killed and 46 wounded. [78] The severe damage to Resolution caused Operation Menace to be abandoned and Barham had to tow her to Freetown for temporary repairs, before escorting a convoy to Gibraltar where she arrived on 15 October where her own damage was repaired. last updated: andrew gillespie P.W and staff moved to MALAYA and QUEEN ELIZABETH, and Rear Admiral B.S. "By the time we got on deck, the ship was listing at a 45 degree angle. Everything fits," said Mr Mearns, who sets out the case in his book The Shipwreck Hunter. Shipwreck-hunter David Mearns says sonar data shows the transatlantic passenger liner Athenia to be lying 200m down on Rockall Bank, off Ireland. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. 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. While covering the evacuation of Crete the following day, the ship was attacked by Junkers Ju 88 bombers from II./LG (Demonstration Wing) 1 and Heinkel He 111 bombers of II./KG (Bomber Wing) 26. Forthcoming Infantrymen of the Air (Italian airborne), George Burling Jarett and the 75mm ammunition challenge. Read about our approach to external linking. [101], Helen Duncan, considered the last person to be imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act 1735, came to the attention of the authorities after claiming to have contacted the spirit of a sailor of Barham, at the time when the ship's sinking was being hidden from the general public. However, as the ship plunged to the sea floor, a surge of water pushed Richard upwards. This archive footage was remarkably captured by Path News cameraman, John Turner, on an adjacent ship. Clinging to a piece of wreckage, Richard was picked up by an Australian destroyer, along with other survivors. British Path was at the forefront of cinematic journalism, blending information with entertainment to popular effect. [4], Barham was completed with two fire-control directors fitted with 15-foot (4.6m) rangefinders. Shortly after 4.00 pm I was on the Admirals Bridge. [54] Willis was relieved by Captain Thomas Walker on 31 January 1939. The latter was succeeded by Captain Richard Horne on 1 October. She started off World War II by being torpedoed off Liverpool, and after being patched up was in trouble again during a bombardment of Oran, when she was hit by Free French shore batteries. 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. [54] Captain Henry Horan assumed command on 28 July 1937, although he only remained in command until 22 April 1938 when he was relieved by Captain Algernon Willis. 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. When VE Day arrived, he was escorting an Arctic convoy north of Norway. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. Casualties: 861. Beatty continued south for another two minutes to confirm the sighting before ordering his force to turn north, towards the Grand Fleet in what came to be known as the "Run to the North". The Royal Navy's Room 40 had intercepted and decrypted German radio traffic containing plans of the operation. [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. https://www.britishpathe.com/ [54] Captain James Somerville relieved Monroe on 1 December and he was relieved in his turn on 16 March 1929 by Captain John C. The sea, which had fortunately been smooth as BARHAM sank was, as far as I could see, a vast area of oil fuel and debris, with at that time no signs of life. 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. During the next eighteen months or so, the 1st B.S. 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. She was present when the High Seas Fleet surrendered for internment on 21 November. The British and the German fleets returned home; the British lost two cruisers to submarine attacks, and one German dreadnought had been torpedoed. The Germans opened fire first at 15:48, followed by the British battlecruisers. She sailed south through the Suez Canal to Mombasa, Kenya, where her damage was inspected. 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. "There was my friend Ted Clow, from Oadby, but he died last December, aged 93.". By this time the 5th Battle Squadron was about seven point five nautical miles (13.9km; 8.6mi) northwest of Beatty. 137144, 2-pounder (40mm (1.6in)) Mk VIII "pom-pom", https://www.navy.gov.au/media-room/publications/hm-ships-enemy-action-wwii, HMS Barham Explodes & Sinks: World War II (1941), List of dreadnought battleships of the Royal Navy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMS_Barham_(04)&oldid=1131403965, World War I battleships of the United Kingdom, World War II battleships of the United Kingdom, Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II, World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 5,000nmi (9,260km; 5,750mi) at 12 knots (22km/h; 14mph), This page was last edited on 4 January 2023, at 00:34. Of the 1,184 officers and men on board, 841 were killed. 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. While sailing eastwards, the aircraft carrier Illustrious was detached from the main body to attack Taranto on the night of 11/12 November, damaging three Italian battleships. Richard Laland is one of only two survivors from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today. This required maximum offensive power and a speed several knots faster than any other battleship to allow them to defeat any type of ship. Beatty then altered course to the east, as he was still too far north to cut Hipper off. This sent splinters in every direction and started a small fire, but otherwise did no significant damage. The resulting shockwave pushed the bulge inwards for a length of 7 feet (2.1m) and it started to slowly flood. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Her complete service history can be found at this link. However, I can vividly recall the sinking as though it were yesterday. Pridham-Wippell), and Squadron Signal Officer of the 1st Battle Squadron. "I was disorientated but reached out and felt the ship. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The ship had been hit amidships by torpedoes on the port side. LOVE YOU ALL: Yours Aye-Brian CANUCK Murza, W.W.II Naval Researcher-Published Author, Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. For Archive Licensing Enquiries Visit: https://goo.gl/W4hZBv Explore Our Online Channel For FULL Documentaries, Fascinating Interviews \u0026 Classic Movies: https://goo.gl/7dVe8r #BritishPath #History #WWII #Navy #RoyalNavySubscribe to the British Path YT Channel: https://goo.gl/hV1nkf Dramatic Newsreel footage captured the sinking of the Queen Elizabeth Battleship. Two of the others detonated upon striking the waterline armour, but failed to penetrate. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1939, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1941. Neilson Larry 05/01/2011. How surprising were the M3 Grant tanks to the Germans? Print This Page. 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. [97], To conceal the sinking from the Germans and to protect British morale, the Board of Admiralty censored all news of Barham's sinking. 1,306 individuals were successfully pulled off the Athenia in deteriorating seas. [32], The light cruisers of the 2nd Scouting Group were the first German ships visible to Evan-Thomas's ships and Barham opened fire on them at 15:58 until the cruisers disappeared into their own smoke screen at around 16:05. Adjacent ship when the High Seas Fleet surrendered for internment on 21 November did no damage! 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