Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms Space By Flag By Year By Tag

HMS Prince of Wales (53)

1941 WORLD WAR 2

Prince of Wales (53) History

The Prince of Wales served the British Navy for just a few years during World War II and was involved in the destruction that culminated in the sinking of the mythical KMS Bismarck. She was a member of five ships of the King George V class, which included the Duke of York, HMS Hall, HMS King George V and HMS Anson.

She joined HMS Hood in the first cat-and-mouse battle of the mighty German battleship. The Prince of Wales (or "Prisoner of War") survived long enough to transport Prime Minister Winston Churchill to Newfoundland, meet US President Roosevelt on the Atlantic Charter, and encounter Japanese torpedo bombers on the way out of Singapore for the United States. destiny.

American Pacific Theater.

By WWII battleship standards, the Prince of Wales was thinly designed considering the monsters that violated the naval treaty became the German KMS Bismarck and the Japanese IJN Yamato. She was equipped with a 10 x 14 inch main gun, which was behind even the American Iowa-class battleships, which were keel laid, but thus provided higher sustained firepower.

While the Germans, Japanese, and Americans either worked covertly to build their new warships, bending or completely disregarding treaty restrictions, or designing the ships when the war was in full swing, the Prince of Wales either worked covertly, or the construction of the Prince of Wales was in line with current The naval treaty limited the construction of battleships to about 35,000 tons. /p]

The armament was a mix of offensive and defensive systems, starting with a 14-inch main gun mounted in two front turrets and one rear turret. In addition, no less than 16 x 5.25 guns have been added for added punch. Defense is provided by a 32 x 2 pound dual-purpose "pom-pom" cannon and a 16 x 12.7 mm (0.50 caliber) heavy anti-aircraft machine gun. Power comes from 4 x Parsons geared turbines powered by 8 x Admiralty three-drum small tube superheated boilers.

Total output is 110,000 shaft horsepower and a reasonable surface speed of 28 knots. Two Supermarine Walrus amphibious aircraft were used for patrol, reconnaissance and search and rescue missions and were launched from a double-ended catapult system amidships.

Double masts characterize the typology and install each superstructure.

The newly completed HMS Prince of Wales was equipped with new technology, uninterrupted systems and untrained gunners and was called into action almost immediately. The Prince of Wales fought a mythical and historic battle with the help of HMS Hood. In the heat of the Battle of Bismarck, HMS Hood was decommissioned by KMS Prinz Eugen, leaving the Prince of Wales to defend herself from two German ships. HMS Prince of Wales suffered a catastrophic direct blow to her bridge, forcing her to withdraw from the battle to live another day.

This was not in vain, however, as the Prince of Wales managed to hit the Bismarck, which contaminated her fuel supply and forced her to begin repairs at Brest. This seemingly arbitrary act would destroy Hitler's pride, as the Bismarck would soon be hunted down and sunk miles from her French target.

The Prince of Wales was later stationed in the Pacific Ocean near Singapore in October 1941. In December of the same year, she was captured by more than 80 Japanese bombers and torpedo bombers aboard HMS Repulse.

The enemy torpedo slammed into her port propeller shaft, forcing the spinning propeller to cut into the hull. This caused uncontrollable flooding and also cut power to her 5.25-inch gun batteries and her pumps, leaving the blind, helpless and stunned crew of the Prince of Wales on the brink of collapse.

Unmaneuverable, at the mercy of further torpedo attacks, and with four more by her side, the Prince of Wales was officially incapacitated and joined her hundreds of British men in just one hour and twenty minutes. Soul, her admiral (Phillips) and her captain (Leach) perished).

The Prince of Wales was ordered in 1936 and built in 1937 by Cammell Laird and Company. Launched in 1939, officially commissioned in March 1941, and lived until December of that year.