HMS Prince of Wales (53)

Battleship [ 1941 ]

HMS Prince of Wales was partially responsible for the containment and eventual sinking of the KMS Bismarck.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/29/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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HMS Prince of Wales served the British Navy for a few short years in World War 2 taking part in the damaging that would lead to the eventually sinking of the mythical KMS Bismarck. She was a class of five King George V-class ships that included HMS Duke of York, HMS Howe, HMS King George V and the HMS Anson. Together with HMS Hood, she took part in the initial cat and mouse engagement of the mighty German battleship. HMS Prince of Wales (or "PoW") survived long enough to ferry Prime Minister Winston Churchill to Newfoundland to meet with US President Roosevelt for the Atlantic Charter and suffered her fate at the hands of Japanese torpedo bombers on her way out of Singapore in the Pacific Theater.

By battleship standards in World War 2, HMS Prince of Wales was slight in design considering the naval treaty-violating monsters that became the German KMS Bismarck and the Japanese IJN Yamato. She was fielded with 10 x 14" main guns, putting her power behind even the American Iowa-class battleships being laid down but offering up of a higher rate of sustained fire as a result. Whereas the Germans, Japanese and Americans had the luxury of either operating in secrecy to create their new battleships, bending or completely disregarding treaty limitations or designing battleships with the war in full swing, the Prince of Wales was built and adhered to the naval treaties in place that limited battleship construction to around 35,000 tons.

Armament was a mix of offensive and defensive systems starting with the 14" main guns held in two forward and one aft turrets. This was augmented by the addition of no fewer than 16 x 5.25 guns for added effect. Defensive capabilities were accomplished through 32 x 2-pounder "pom-pom" dual-purpose cannons and 16 x 12.7mm (.50 caliber) anti-aircraft heavy machine guns. Power was derived from 4 x Parsons geared turbines fed by 8 x Admiralty three-drum small-tube superheated boilers. Total output was 110,000 shaft horsepower providing an adequate 28 knot surface speed. Two Supermarine Walrus type amphibious aircraft were carried aboard and used for patrol, reconnaissance and search & rescue duty and launched from a double-ended catapult system amidships. Twin masts characterized the type and mounted each superstructure.

HMS Prince of Wales, just barely out of construction, was called to action almost immediately with her new technology, unbroken systems and untrained gunnery crew. The Prince of Wales was joined by HMS Hood in a battle of mythical and historical proportions. In the heat of the Bismarck battle, HMS Hood was placed out of commission by the KMS Prinz Eugen, leaving the Prince of Wales to defend herself against the two German ships. HMS Prince of Wales caught a disastrous direct hit to her bridge that forced her to retire from the fight to live another day. All was not at a loss however, as HMS Prince of Wales managed to score hits on the Bismarck that would contaminated its fuel supply, forcing it to head towards Brest for repairs. This seemingly random act would become the undoing for Hitler's pride as the Bismarck would soon be hunted down and sunk miles away from her French destination.

HMS Prince of Wales was later stationed in the Pacific off Singapore by October of 1941. In December of that year, she was caught with HMS Repulse by over 80 Japanese bombers and torpedo bombers. A critical hit by an enemy torpedo against her port propeller shaft forced the spinning propeller to cut into the hull. This began uncontrollable flooding and furthermore cut power to her 5.25" gun batteries along with power to her pumps leaving a blind, helpless and shocked Prince of Wales crew on the brink. Without the ability to maneuver, HMS Prince of Wales was at the mercy of more torpedo attacks, receiving four more into her side. The Prince of Wales was officially out of action and would sink in a short hour and twenty minutes time taking with her hundreds of British souls and her Admiral (Phillips) and Captain (Leach).

HMS Prince of Wales was ordered in 1936 and laid down by the Cammell Laird and Company in 1937. She was launched in 1939 and officially commissioned in March of 1941 surviving until December of that year.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1941

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

LOST-IN-ACTION
No Longer in Service.

Complement

1,422
PERSONNEL

Class

King George V-class

Number-in-Class

5
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

HMS Duke of York (17); HMS Howe (32); HMS King George V (41); HMS Prince of Wales (53); HMS Anson (79)

United Kingdom

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.

✓ Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.

✓ Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.

✓ Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.

✓ Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.

✓ Flag Ship / Capital Ship
Serving in the fleet Flag Ship role or Capital Ship in older warship designs / terminology.

Length

745.1 ft
227.11 m

Beam

112.5 ft
34.29 m

Draught

32.6 ft
9.94 m

Displacement

43,350
tons

Installed Power: 8 x Admiralty three-drum small-tube superheated boilers with 4 x Parsons geared turbines generating 110,000shp.

Surface Speed

28.0 kts
(32.2 mph)

Range

3,099 nm
(3,566 mi | 5,739 km)

10 x 14" main guns

16 x 5.25" guns

32 x 2-pdr anti-aircraft guns

16 x 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine guns

Supported Types

Graphical image of a historical warship turreted main gun armament

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft heavy machine gun

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

2 x Supermarine Walrus amphibious aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs

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