|
| |
| Information
| Reports | Media Coverage
|
Sinking the Unsinkable
It was something new in the memory of man when the Japanese
Sea Eagles torpedoed the mighty dreadnoughts Prince of Wales
and Repulse, much vaunted as unsinkable, and sent them to the
bottom of the South China Sea. It was the same at the Pearl
Harbour. This episode we will investigate the story of these
two once great warship and uncover the event of the fateful
day that leads to their sinking both above and beneath the watery
grave.
The HMS Repulse
 |
HMS Repulse, a 26,500-ton
Renown class battlecruiser, was built at Clydebank, Scotland
in 1916. In 1933-36, Repulse was modernized, emerging
with improved deck armor, a hangar and catapult for aircraft,
and a greatly increased anti-aircraft gun battery.
She operated with the Home Fleet in the North Sea and
Atlantic during the first two years of the Second World
War, taking part in the pursuit of the German battleship
Bismarck in May 1941. |
Later in the year she was sent to the Far East, accompanying
the new battleship Prince of Wales. The two ships arrived
at Singapore just before Japan began the Pacific War. As soon
as hostilities commenced, both steamed northwards to intercept
a reported invasion force. While returning to Singapore on
10 December 1941, Repulse and Prince of Wales were attacked
by Japanese high-level bombers and torpedo planes.
Repulse was moderately damaged by bombs early in the action
and was later hit by several torpedoes. After receiving this
heavy underwater damage, she sank rapidly, followed less than
an hour later by the Prince of Wales.
|
|
| |
The
HMS Prince of Wales
 |
HMS Prince of Wales, a 35,000-ton King George
V class battleship built Birkenhead, England, was completed
in March 1941. Sent to the Far East with the battlecruiser
HMS Repulse to counter the swiftly developing Japanese
threat in the region, she arrived on 2 December 1941.
On 8 December, the day of the Pearl Harbor Raid on the
other side of the International Date Line, the Japanese
landed in northern Malaya. Prince of Wales, Repulse and
four destroyers were sent to attack the invasion force. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
After finding
no targets, the British ships were returning to Singapore
when, late in the morning of 10 December, they were
attacked by a strong force of Japanese high-level bombers
and torpedo planes. With no friendly planes to protect
them, both heavy ships were hit several times. Repulse
sank at about 1230. Prince of Wales capsized and followed
her to the bottom less than an hour later. The first
capital ships to be sunk by air attack while operating
on the high seas, their loss further shocked a naval
world already stunned by the events at Pearl Harbor
only a few days earlier.
|
Loss of HMS Prince of Wales
and HMS Repulse
10 December 1941
Photograph taken from a Japanese aircraft during
the initial high-level bombing attack. Repulse ,
near the bottom of the view, has just been hit by
one bomb and near-missed by several more. Prince
of Wales is near the top of the image, generating
a considerable amount of smoke.
Japanese writing in the lower right states that
the photograph was reproduced by authorization of
the Navy Ministry. |
|
|
Loss of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse
10 December 1941
Photograph taken from a Japanese plane, with Prince
of Wales at far left and Repulse beyond her. A destroyer,
either Express or Electra , is maneuvering in the
foreground.
Dulin and Garzke's "Allied Battleships in World
War II", page 199, states that this photograph
was taken "after the first torpedo attack,
during which the Prince of Wales sustained heavy
torpedo damage." |
 |
"Sea Battle off Malaya"
Japanese war art painting by Nakamura Kanichi,
1942, depicting Japanese Navy aircraft making successful
torpedo attacks on the British battleship Prince
of Wales (center) and battlecruiser Repulse (left)
on 10 December 1941.
Planes shown include "Betty" bombers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
