This sent splinters in every direction and started a small fire, but otherwise did no significant damage. Casualties were five dead and six wounded. 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. . [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. BARHAM, on November 25, 1941!!!. Within four minutes, the battleship had listed over to Port and the. 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. . Our C. in C. (Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham) ordered the 7th and 15th Cruiser Squadrons to sea to attempt to intercept and destroy these convoys. On December 12 1939, she collided with a destroyer, the HMS Duchess, sinking her in the mishap. 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They hit Ltzow, Derfflinger and Seydlitz three times each between 17:19 and about 18:05. Tiesenhausen was not certain of the results of his attack and radioed that he had hit a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship with one torpedo. "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.". No. At 14:32, Beatty ordered a course change to south-southeast in response to the spot report. 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. It was something Donaldson had made when the ship was built," she told BBC News. 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. U.331 was under the command of Freiherr Diedrich von Tiesenhausen who was a lieutenant of 26 years of age. The BdU (Commander Submarines) noted in his war diary the rather jubilant: U331 1 battleship torpedoed in the Mediterranean. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. [7], Barham received a series of minor refits during the 1920s. Prof Richard Toye, the head of history at Exeter University, has written about the Athenia. [18][19][Note 2] Barham cost a total of 2,470,113. Richard grew up in Penrith Road, Belgrave, joining the Royal Navy as a boy seaman, aged 15. Aquarian Press, pp. Duchess capsized and sank, with the loss of 124 of her crew. The fleet sailed in concert with Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper's five battlecruisers and supporting cruisers and torpedo boats. 862 men went down with her, and her end was filmed by a war correspondent on board one of the escorting destroyers. [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. "I saw one of my shipmates in the water and asked him, 'where's the ship?' The marine scientist first got involved in the search for the wreck in a commission from the BBC. It is just over 49 years since H.M.S. After a delay of several weeks the War Office notified the next of kin, but they added a special request for secrecy: the notification letters included a warning not to discuss the loss of the ship with anyone but close relatives, stating it was "most essential that information of the event which led to the loss of your husband's life should not find its way to the enemy until such time as it is announced officially"[98] Following repeated claims by German radio,[99] the Admiralty officially announced the loss on 27 January 1942 and explained that, it was clear at that time that the enemy did not know that she had been sunk, and it was important to make certain dispositions before the loss of this ship was made public. At 14:15, Beatty ordered a turn north by east to rendezvous with the Grand Fleet. 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. Multiple air strikes by Formidable's Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers damaged the battleship Vittorio Veneto and crippled the heavy cruiser Pola later that evening. It is just over 49 years since H.M.S. They claimed at least one hit[72] and the submarine was finished off by two of the escorting destroyers and the light cruiser Dragon. Senior figures in the German navy were convicted at Nuremberg for war crimes in relation to the Athenia affair. Naval Historical Society of Australia Inc. [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. After temporary repairs at Scapa, Barham was sent to Cromarty Firth for more permanent repairs in the floating dry dock there that lasted until 23 December. The following morning, they were spotted by an aircraft from the carrier Formidable and the Battle of Cape Matapan began. Barham's signallers were unable to read the signal and her officer of the watch presumed that it was the expected point zigzag to the left of the base course and signalled that course change to the rest of the squadron. With this turn, Hipper was falling back on the High Seas Fleet, 60 miles (97km) behind him. 2023 BBC. [84] Barham became the flagship of the 1st BS in December. [67] Barham played no role in the Norwegian Campaign although some of her crew and marines participated. Rawlings took over temporarily from P-W who became Vice Admiral Light Forces. During the next eighteen months or so, the 1st B.S. (Cdr. 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. [85] They opened fire at point-blank range, Barham crippling the destroyer Alfredo Oriani and then joining Warspite and Valiant in crippling Zara. On 26 March, the Italian fleet sortied in an attempt to intercept British convoys to Greece. The remains of the first British ship to be sunk in WW2 appear to have been identified on the Atlantic seabed. HMS Barham was a 35,000-ton battleship built for World War I but had had an extensive refit in the 1930s. Huge palls of smoke rising from the stricken ship. [49] Barham was refitted at Rosyth from 723 February 1918[50] and Waller was relieved by Captain Henry Buller on 18 April. The turbines were rated at 75,000 shaft horsepower (56,000kW) and intended to reach a maximum speed of 25 knots (46.3km/h; 28.8mph). The start date is universally agreed to be 17 November 1941, while the end date is 15 January for the British (thus excluding the Axis counter-offensive of late January), while it is 6 February for the Axis, including the counteroffensive. A member of the Wigston branch of the Royal Naval Association, he is a member of the HMS Barham Association. A salvo of torpedoes from a German submarine struck from close range on HMS Barham on November 25, 1941 in the Mediterranean. 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. To control these guns a temporary High-Angle Control Position was mounted above the torpedo-control tower aft. Barham was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she covered multiple Malta convoys. Richard Laland is one of only two survivors from the doomed battleship HMS Barham still alive today. And now within range of the battleships of the 3rd Squadron which opened fire on the 5th Battle Squadron as they made their turn. HMS Barham was one of five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the early 1910s. She became the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet on 9 June until relieved by Warspite on 8 February 1938. 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. "If I hadn't dived headfirst and knocked myself out, I would be dead, too.". She reached Alexandria later that day, but she was too large for the floating dock there and had to be sent elsewhere for repairs. The report that it had been found was made in 2017 This find is one that has been anticipated heavily for many years and we are ecstatic to have found it here at Merlin Burrows. 203, 205, Jellicoe, pp. [46], Following Jutland, Barham was under repair until 5 July 1916. She participated in the Battle of Dakar in mid-1940, where she damaged a Vichy French battleship and was slightly damaged in return. The HMS Barham was torpedoed by U-331, a German c-class submarine captained by Freiherr Von Tiesenhausen, and sunk in. 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). Other fragments from the second hit caused damage that allowed the water to spread even further. (Lt. Cdr. Thanks to the advancements in artificial intellige. In addition the torpedo-control tower aft was replaced by an air-defence position during that same refit. The main conning tower was protected by 13 inches (330mm) of armour. Lilly died in 2007, aged 86. 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. [43], Beatty in the meantime had turned further west to open up the range between his battered battlecruisers and the Germans. Read more 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. 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. Produced by the Naval Studies Group in conjunction with the Submarine Institute of Australia, the Australian Naval Institute, Naval Historical Society and the RAN Seapower Centre. ", Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. 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. [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. The S.G.O (Cdr. [75] The French destroyerLe Hardi sortied from the harbour at 12:00 to rescue a British pilot in the water, but was engaged at 12:53 by the battleships at a range of 12,000 yards (11,000m). The loss of the crew was sensational news in the mid-19th . 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