HMS Repulse (1916)
Originally laid down as an improved version of the Revenge-class battleship, her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war because she would not be ready in time.The Director of Naval Construction (DNC), Eustace Tennyson-d'Eyncourt, quickly produced an entirely new design to meet Admiral Lord Fisher's requirements and the builders agreed to deliver the ship in 15 months.Repulse escorted a troop convoy around the Cape of Good Hope from August to October 1941 and was transferred to the East Indies Command.Repulse and her consort, the battleship Prince of Wales, were sunk by Japanese aircraft on 10 December 1941 when they attempted to intercept landings in British Malaya.The usable material was transferred to the builders who had received enough information from the DNC's department to lay the keels of both ships on 25 January 1915, well before the altered contracts were completed on 10 March.[5] The Brown-Curtis direct-drive steam turbines were designed to produce 112,000 shaft horsepower (84,000 kW), which would propel the ship at 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph).The British continued in pursuit, but lost track of most of the smaller ships in the smoke and concentrated fire on the light cruisers as opportunity permitted.[15] The ship fired a total of 54 15-inch shells during the battle and scored one hit on the light cruiser Königsberg that temporarily reduced her speed.[19] The Battlecruiser Squadron visited Lisbon in February 1925 to participate in the Vasco da Gama celebrations before continuing on to the Mediterranean for exercises.[20] A squash court was added on the starboard side between the funnels, and a sauna and bubble bath on the quarterdeck for the Prince of Wales' tour of Africa and South America[19] that lasted from March to October.[22] A fixed catapult replaced the midships 4-inch triple mount and a hangar was built on each side of the rear funnel to house two of the ship's Fairey III aircraft.She transported 500 refugees from Valencia and Palma de Mallorca to Marseilles, France in late 1936 after the start of the Spanish Civil War.The King and Queen ultimately travelled aboard the liner RMS Empress of Australia while Repulse escorted them on the first half of the journey.She patrolled off the Norwegian coast and in the North Sea in search of German ships, as well as to enforce the blockade for the first couple months of the war.In February 1940, she accompanied the aircraft carrier Ark Royal on a fruitless search for six German blockade runners that had broken out of Vigo, Spain.On 7 April, Repulse, along with the bulk of the Home Fleet, was ordered to sea to intercept what was thought to be another attempt to break-out into the North Atlantic.[28] Repulse escorted a troop convoy around the Cape of Good Hope from August to October and was transferred to East Indies Command.[35] In late 1941 Winston Churchill decided to send a small group of fast capital ships along with one modern aircraft carrier to Singapore, to deter expected Japanese aggression.At 00:50 on 10 December, Admiral Philips received a signal of enemy landings at Kuantan and correspondingly altered course so that he would arrive shortly after dawn.This inflicted a number of casualties and damaged the ship's Supermarine Walrus seaplane, which was then pushed over the side to remove a fire hazard.In the ensuing attacks, Repulse was skilfully handled by her captain, Bill Tennant, who managed to avoid 19 torpedoes as well as the remaining bombs from the G3Ms.[47] In October 2014, The Daily Telegraph reported that both Prince of Wales and Repulse were being "extensively damaged" with explosives by scrap metal dealers.
HMS RepulseAtlantic FleetUnited KingdomJohn Brown & CompanyPennant numberRenown-classbattlecruiserlong tonsdeep loadwater-tube boilerssteam turbine15 in (381 mm) guns4 in (102 mm) guns3 in (76 mm)AA guns21 in (533 mm)torpedo tubesBarbettesGun turretsConning towerBulkheadsseaplanesaircraft catapultbattlecruisersRoyal Navy during the First World WarRevenge-classAdmiral Lord FisherFirst Sea LordDirector of Naval ConstructionEustace Tennyson-d'EyncourtBattle of Jutlandsister shipRenowncapital shipsSecond Battle of Heligoland BightCruise of the Special Service SquadronSpanish Civil WarSecond World WarNorwegian CampaignBismarckCape of Good HopeEast Indies CommandForce ZBritish possessionsconsortPrince of WalesBritish MalayaTeluk CempedakAbdullah of Pahangpre-dreadnoughttorpedo boatgun shieldsIndefatigableoverall lengthdraughtsteam turbinesfuel oilcalibreBL 15-inch Mk I gunsBL 4-inch Mark IX gunsQF 3-inch 20 cwtanti-aircraft21-inch (533 mm)waterlineKrupp cemented armourmagazinesanti-torpedo bulgeSquadron LeaderFrederick RutlandSopwith PupfighterWorld War IJohn BrownClydebankScotlandGrand FleetNorth Sea1st Battlecruiser SquadronFirth of ForthHigh Seas Fleetsubmarinesminesweeperslight cruisers1st Cruiser Squadronbattleships1st Battle SquadrondestroyersSperrbrecherstrawlersCourageousCardiffsmoke screenSMS KönigsbergSMS KaiserSMS KaiserinHMAS AustraliaPortsmouthAlmirante Cochraneaircraft carrierRamilliesmetacentric heightVancouver Harbourworld tourDanae-class1st Light Cruiser Squadronon a world cruisePanama CanalLisbonVasco da Gamahangardual-purpose guns2-pounder0.5-inch Vickers Mark IIIHigh-Angle Control SystemArab RevoltValenciaPalma de MallorcaMarseillesFleet ReviewSpitheadGeorge VIRMS Empress of AustraliaHome FleetHalifaxFuriousGerman battleship Scharnhorst