After the Battle of Jutland, 1 inch (25mm) of high-tensile steel was added to the main deck over the magazines and additional anti-flash equipment was added in the magazines. 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. It is the first wreck in his consultancy career "which I've identified from my armchair, so to speak". They even attempted to blame the sinking on Winston Churchill, who on that very day - 3 September, 1939 - was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. [80], Barham, two cruisers, and three destroyers also assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet were designated Force F as part of Operation Coat, one of a complex series of fleet movements in the Mediterranean. They and the sacrifice they made will never be forgotten. 271, 275, 27980, 284, 286290, Campbell 1986, pp. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross that day. 1,306 individuals were successfully pulled off the Athenia in deteriorating seas. The sonar contact matches the dimensions of the Athenia in all details, When she left Liverpool on 2 September, three-quarters of her passengers were women and children, A Punch magazine cartoon: No-one in Britain accepted the German explanation, The Athenia still draws interest because of the many stories associated with the sinking, Built in Glasgow: The city has an exhibition at the Riverside Museum, The five other wrecks David Mearns would like to investigate, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. At the going down of the SUN, AND in the MORNING; WE WILL REMEMBER THEM, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM!! [54] Reinforced by the battleship Resolution and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal from Force H, Barham departed Gibraltar for Freetown, Sierra Leone, four days later. BARHAM's explosion after being torpedoed. The destroyer Hotspur rescued 337 survivors, including Vice-Admiral Henry Pridham-Wippell and the pair who later died of their wounds, while the Australian destroyer Nizam reportedly rescued 150 men. "It was by an air vent from the engine room that was hit and all this smoke came pouring up. The ships were fitted with four submerged 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, two on each broadside. [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. In preparation for Operation Menace, a British naval attack on Dakar, Senegal, prior to a planned landing by the Free French, the ship was detached from the Home Fleet on 28 August and was assigned to Force M, the Royal Navy component of the operation. [54] Dalglish was relieved in his turn by Captain Percy Noble on 18 October 1922. Naval Historical Review, Biographies and personal histories, WWII operations Ship sinking, Survivor, HMS Barham, Australian Naval History Podcasts Goebbels has a reputation as a skilful propagandist but on this occasion he was ineffective, at least as far as international opinion was concerned. It proved to be worse than expected and Barham had to be repaired at Durban, South Africa, as she was unfit to make the trans-Atlantic crossing for repair in the United States. Lemp fired four torpedoes at the two capital ships,[64] and one struck Barham on her port side, adjacent to the shell rooms for 'A' and 'B' turrets. [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. https://www.britishpathe.com/ Print This Page. "It was the strangest thing. Of the 1,184 officers and men on board, 841 were killed. 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. Battleship sunk on 25 of November 1941. Rawlings took over temporarily from P-W who became Vice Admiral Light Forces. 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. It is just over 49 years since H.M.S. [51], Barham became flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet in April 1919, and made a port visit to Cherbourg, France that month together with the rest of the squadron. Hindered by poor visibility, no significant damage was inflicted and Richelieu was not hit before the bombardment was called off after 20 minutes. The impacts drove in the plates and fragments caused much flooding by damaging the surrounding structure. "We've got several items on display including the watch from the ship's cook. These two hits were ultimately responsible for the massive flooding that nearly sank the ship after the battle. This increased her metacentric height to about 7 feet (2.1m) at deep load, despite the increase in her deep displacement to 35,970 long tons (36,550t). She was present when the High Seas Fleet surrendered for internment on 21 November. You can see all the lifeboats. [25] On 21 May, the 5th Battle Squadron was attached to Beatty while his 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron was detached for gunnery training and arrived at Rosyth the following day. On the night of 25 March, Barham and the rest of the fleet sailed from Scapa Flow to support Beatty's battlecruisers and other light forces raiding the German Zeppelin base at Tondern. None of the men were ever found alive, and the expedition is considered one of the worst disasters in the history of polar exploration. BARHAM was torpedoed by U.331 and lost off the Western Desert of Egypt - off Sollum and Sidi Barrani. During the next eighteen months or so, the 1st B.S. Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. 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. The list of men lost is at this link. 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. 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. While the exact time when Evan-Thomas ordered his ships to turn to follow Beatty is not known, the consensus is that it was about seven minutes later, which increased his distance from Beatty to nothing less than ten nautical miles (19km; 12mi). "By the time we got on deck, the ship was listing at a 45 degree angle. The ship was in the Mediterranean when the Second World War began in September 1939, on her voyage home three months later, she accidentally collided with and sank one of her escorting destroyers, HMSDuchess. Three minutes later another shell hit the aft superstructure, severing the antenna cables of the main wireless station. "I remember so many faces of my friends and shipmates who weren't as fortunate as me.". "It was a shocking event," said Riverside curator Emily Malcolm. The main armament could be controlled by 'B' turret as well. The ship was not hit, but was forced to return to port under the cover of a heavy smoke screen. HMS Barham was one of five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the early 1910s. 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. 2 six-inch gun. [91] Due to the speed at which she sank, 862 officers and ratings were killed,[54][92] including two who died of their wounds after being rescued. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [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. Beatty then ordered Evan-Thomas to turn his ships in succession to follow the battlecruisers three minutes later. Something went wrong, please try again later. 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 enemy struck at 4.25pm as Richard was on a tea break and talking with a friend. 11/25/2022, @ 13:16-Still stands thine ancient sacrifice, a humble and a contrite heart; Lord God of Hosts be with us yet, LEST WE FORGET, LEST WE FORGET!! "We were standing by a ladder two decks below on the mess deck when there was a huge explosion," he said. The ships had multiple armoured decks that ranged from 1 to 3 inches (25 to 76mm) in thickness. [35], At 16:30, the light cruiser Southampton, scouting in front of Beatty's ships, spotted the lead elements of the High Seas Fleet coming north at top speed. He replied, 'it's gone'.". U.331 was under the command of Freiherr Diedrich von Tiesenhausen who was a lieutenant of 26 years of age. Experience the HMS Barham explosion after being struck by torpedo in 4K resolution at 50 fps and in color! 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. 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). Huge palls of smoke rising from the stricken ship. [44], Hipper turned his ships southward around 18:05 to fall back upon Scheer's advancing battleships and then reversed course five minutes later. Most of those who died were in two lifeboats that were smashed just as they were about to be saved. She was the flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron and of the Second in Command of the Mediterranean Fleet, 1941. Shipwreck-hunter David Mearns says sonar data shows the transatlantic passenger liner Athenia to be lying 200m down on Rockall Bank, off Ireland. The torpedo from U-30 struck the Athenia at 7:38 that evening. [33] About three minutes later, the ship opened fire on the battlecruiser SMSvon der Tann at a range of about 23,000 yards (21,000m). 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. [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. On 25 November 1941 one of the heaviest losses of life, and the only loss of a Royal Navy battleship to a submarine at sea, occurred off Bardia, when HMS Barham was torpedoed at extremely short range by U-331, and sank within four minutes. [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. During her early-1930s refit, the platforms were removed from the turrets and a retractable catapult was installed on the roof of 'X' turret, along with a crane to recover a floatplane. Chamberlain's famous "this country is at war with Germany" broadcast was delivered shortly after 11 in the morning. The Germans opened fire first at 15:48, followed by the British battlecruisers. The remains of the first British ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified on the Atlantic seabed. The full truth only emerged at the Nuremberg Trials. How surprising were the M3 Grant tanks to the Germans? It is also renowned for the shocking footage shown on Pathe News and more recently watched almost two million times on YouTube recording the listing ship being blown to pieces when its magazine exploded. Barham was not hit during this time and she and Valiant, later joined by their sister Warspite, continued to fire at Hipper's 1st Scouting Group until 18:02 when Valiant lost sight of the Germans. [27] Barham slipped her mooring at 22:08 and was followed by the rest of Beatty's ships. The rescue effort by six other ships was nothing short of heroic, according to testimony. 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. Everything fits," said Mr Mearns, who sets out the case in his book The Shipwreck Hunter. Fritz Julius Lemp commanded submarines for another two years. During the Second World War, a spate of misfortunes had dogged the HMS Barham. 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". HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites, Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications, Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT, 81st. 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. Thanks to the advancements in artificial intellige. Actually, my last time in Pearl (around 1994) I saw petrol bubbles coming from the wreck. Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. Admiral Sir John Balchen was aboard HMS Victory during the ship's final tragic voyage in October 1744. A near miss ruptured her portside bulge over an area 20 by 16 feet (6.1 by 4.9m) and caused a 1.5 degree list that was easily corrected by pumping oil. Casualties: 861. 1. Shipwreck H.M.S. Her complete service history can be found. Duchess capsized and sank, with the loss of 124 of her crew. This is another problematic issue in which sources differ to which Gordon devotes an entire chapter. Searching the seafloor for sunken ships in this way is usually a wasted pursuit because of the dearth of high-resolution sonar data. Required fields are marked *. [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). The third shell detonated on the face of the starboard wing turret, although some fragments entered the turret and caused minor damage. While making the turn,[40] Barham was struck by two 30.5-centimetre shells beginning at 16:58, probably from the battlecruiser SMSDerfflinger. 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). Within four minutes, the battleship had listed over to Port and the. A salvo of torpedoes from a German submarine struck from close range on HMS Barham on November 25, 1941 in the Mediterranean. [53] Barham participated in the Fleet review on 26 July 1924 at Spithead. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Wikipedia. [83] As part of Operation Collar in late November, Barham, Malaya and the carrier HMSEagle covered the forces rendezvousing with a convoy coming from Gibraltar. (Cdr. Barham, now assigned to the 1st BS, and Malaya were detached to refuel at Souda Bay, Crete, before sailing for Alexandria, reaching there on 14 November. "It would be at such resolution that anyone could look for shipwrecks like the Athenia from their desk. [65] Most of the adjacent compartments flooded and the ship took on a 7 degree list that was countered by transferring fuel oil to starboard. 2023 BBC. Guy Morris), S.O.O./S.N.O. On 24 May, the fleet conducted another demonstration off Horns Reef to keep German attention focused on the North Sea. Tiesenhausen was not certain of the results of his attack and radioed that he had hit a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship with one torpedo. [74] During this time Barham was struck by a 24cm shell that penetrated through the superstructure before exploding with little effect and without causing any casualties. Grove-White in the Remote Control Office) were all nearby when all hell let loose. [46], Following Jutland, Barham was under repair until 5 July 1916. The S.G.O (Cdr. 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. Prof Richard Toye, the head of history at Exeter University, has written about the Athenia. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 2. Three minutes later, she sighted the topmasts of Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer's battleships, but did not report this for another five minutes. The Royal Navy's Room 40 had intercepted and decrypted German radio traffic containing plans of the operation. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 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. Neilson Larry 05/01/2011. [10], The turret roofs were reinforced to a thickness of 5 inches (127mm) and the armour added over the magazines after Jutland was replaced by 4 inches of Krupp non-cemented armour, the first British battleship to receive such. Life on the Line Podcasts She became the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet on 9 June until relieved by Warspite on 8 February 1938. 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. [41] Either the first or the fourth of these shells destroyed the ship's sickbay, killing the staff and all of its patients, including eight ship's boys. Website with searchable ship database about warships, passenger liners, merchant ships, photo galleries, technical details, stories, news and much more. 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. Shortly afterwards, she was deployed to Gibraltar for several months after the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in July. The anti-torpedo bulge was essentially destroyed adjacent to the strike, with four men killed and two wounded. [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. 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