Table of contents

1 History 2 Ships of the Class 3 Queen Elizabeth Class Statistics (original configuration) 4 See Also

History

HMS Warspite

The Queen Elizabeths were a truly magnificent and elegant looking class, and the first super-dreadnoughts. The ships of the class all became iconic, becoming synonymous with British naval dominance, and the prowess of the Royal Navy. The class had been originally intended to have more ships than the five that were built, three were to be funded by the Canadians, but the Canadian Naval Aid Bill 1913 failed to be passed.

The Queen Elizabeths boasted an almost perfect combination of weaponry, armour and speed, indeed they were the first fast battleships. They completely dwarfed their German counterparts, such as the Konig and Bayern classes in almost every respect.

They were the first battleships to be armed with the potent 15-in guns, which indeed forced the Germans to alter the Bayern class armament from it's original 12-in guns to the 15-in guns, in respose to the powerful Queen Elizabeths.

They performed with distinction in WWI. At Jutland, four of the ships used their guns with deadly precision, helping in the destruction and damage of a number of German warships. Three of the ships received a number of hits from German warships during the engagement, which reached into double figures, yet they all returned home, though Warspite had been heavily damaged, taking fifteen hits, coming close to foundering.

In World War II, the class performed, as they did in WWI, with distinction, though their age, and the battleships increasing obsolescence was beginning to show. In November 1941, Barham was torpedoed and sunk in just five minutes, with the loss of over 800 of her crew.

They were truly majestic looking battleships, at least in their original configuration, and captured the imagination of much of the British public, who at that time, loved the Royal Navy and the endearing belief that Britannia ruled the waves.

Ships of the Class

• Barham - In 1915, Barham collided with her sister-ship Warspite. She also took part in the Battle of Jutland, receiving five hits and firing 337 shells. In WWII, She took part in the destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir as well as the Battle of Cape Matapan, along with other actions off North Africa. On the 25th November 1941, she was struck by three torpedoes from U-331 and subsequently sank within 5 minutes with the loss of over 800 of her crew.
• Malaya - She was paid for by the Federated Malay States, as a gift from it's government. Took part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916, being hit eight times, though only receiving minor damage. Took part in a number of operations during WWII, being torpedoed by U-106in 1941. She received repairs for damage she had received in the USA.
• Queen Elizabeth - Took part in the Dardanelles Campaign. Unlike her sister-ships, Queen Elizabeth did not take part in the Battle of Jutland, due to her being in maintenance. In WWII, she was mined by Italian frogement at Alexandria in 1941, which sunk her. She was subsequently raised and underwent temporary repair. After further repairs in the US, she took part in Far East operations, from 1944 to her return to Britain in July 1945.
• Valiant - Took part in the Battle of Jutland, astonishingly receiving no hits, though her guns proved deadly in it's accuracy. In WWII, like her sister-ship Queen Elizabeth, she was sunk by Italian frogmen at Alexandria in 1941. She was subsequently raised and sent to South Africa for repairs. Was then sent to the Far East in 1944, taking part in a number of operations there. While in maintenance at Ceylon, she was severely damaged when a drydock collapsed. She was not repaired, and was used as a training hulk at Devonport for the rest of her career.
• Warspite - Collided with both Barham and Valiant during WWI. She took part in the Battle of Jutland, receiving 15 hits which caused severe damage, which caused her to nearly founder. In WWII, Warspite took part in many operations, including the Battle of Narvik, the Battle of Cape Matapan, the Battle of Crete and the Salerno Landings. During that operation, Warspite was hit by an FX1400 guided missile, which heavily damaged her. She was not fully repaired. She became a bombardment ship, covering the Normandy Landings, as well as further operations in other parts of France.

List of battleships of the Royal Navy