HMS Howe (32)
| HMS Howe HMS Howe
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Howe |
| Namesake | Admiral Richard Howe |
| Ordered | 28 April 1937 |
| Builder | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company |
| Laid down | 1 June 1937 |
| Launched | 9 April 1940 |
| Commissioned | 29 August 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 1950[clarification needed] |
| Refit | October 1943—June 1944 |
| Motto | Utcumque placuerit deo (God's will be done) |
| Fate | Scrapped at Inverkeithing in 1958 |
| Badge | In front of a circle of chain Gold, a sword erect point upwards with a diamond studded hilt proper, surmounted by a wolf's head couped Black |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | King George V class battleship |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 36,727 long tons (37,316 t) standard 42,076 long tons (42,751 t) full |
| Length | 227 m (745 ft) |
| Beam | 31.4 m (103 ft) |
| Draught | 10.5 m (34 ft) |
| Propulsion | 110,000 hp to four shafts |
| Speed | 29.5 knots (55 km/h) |
| Range | 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h) |
| Complement | 1,422 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 10 × 14 inch guns 16 × 5.25 inch guns 32 × 2-pounder anti-aircraft guns 14 × 40 mm Bofors AA guns 65 × Oerlikon 20 mm guns |
| Aircraft carried | 2[clarification needed] |
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Home Fleet (1942—1943) Force H (1943) British Pacific Fleet (1944—1945) |
| Commanders: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Captain H. C. L. Woodhouse Captain H. McCall (May 1944) |
| Operations: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Arctic convoys Invasion of Sicily Taranto landings Surrender of Italian Fleet various operations in Bay of Bengal Okinawa |
| Awards: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Battle honours: Arctic 1942-43 Sicily 1943 Okinawa 1945 |
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HMS Howe (pennant number 32) was the last of the five British King George V-class battleships of the Royal Navy (RN). Laid down in 1937 and commissioning in 1942, Howe operated during World War II as part of the British Home Fleet, the Mediterranean Force H, and the British Pacific Fleet. With the cancellation of the planned Lion class battleships, Howe would ultimately become the penultimate battleship to be commissioned by the Royal Navy, prior to HMS Vanguard.
Following the end of the war, Howe spent four years as flagship of the Training Squadron at Portland, before she was placed into reserve in 1950. The battleship was marked for disposal in 1957, sold for scrap in 1958, and completely broken up by 1961.
Design
HMS Howe, as one of the King George V class battleships, was subject to the design constraints of international Naval Treaties.[note 1] These affected the timing of her construction, delaying it to 1937, as well as her displacement (ship) and weaponry.[1]
The Treaty displacement limit of 35,000 tons in effect restricted the weight of armour (and weaponry) that could be used. The approach was to establish an armoured citadel, proof against 16 inch gunfire, while superstructure, including the conning tower and turrets, protection was less than Howe's contemporaries.[1] Torpedo protection was a developed version of the Nelson class' system,[1] using Side Protection System (SPS) to dissipate explosive force away from the hull. The sinking of the HMS Prince of Wales raised questions about SPS' effectiveness and further armour was worked into the Howe.[2] Subsequent examination of the wreck of the Prince of Wales, however, showed that SPS had worked.[3]
Although Treaty restrictions would have allowed a 16-inch main battery, 14-inch guns had been chosen, anticipating international acceptance of this as a maximum calibre. When this failed, the 14-inch guns were retained, so as not to delay completion at a time when international relations were deteriorating. Although Howe never saw major ship to ship action, experience with the class' quadruple mountings proved them to be unreliable. Secondary armament was the 5.25-inch dual purpose gun which was, however, slow firing and mounted in cramped gunhouses.[1] On her assignment to the Mediterranean, her anti-aircraft defences were augmented by Oerlikon 20mm cannons.[2]
Machinery was installed in four self-contained units, one to each propeller shaft, so that an unlucky hit would not completely disable her. Improvements in machinery design allowed greater power output.[1]
Construction
Ordered on 28 April 1937, the warship was laid down at the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. shipyard in Govan on 1 June 1937.[2] Originally to be named HMS Beatty, after Admiral David Beatty, commander of the British battlecruiser squadron at the Battle of Jutland, the name was changed to HMS Howe, (after Admiral Richard Howe; the sixth warship to carry the name) on 21 February 1940, and she was launched under this name on 9 April 1940.[2]
Howe was commissioned into the RN on 29 August 1942.[2] The battleship had been adopted by the community of Edinburgh following a Warship Week savings campaign in December 1941.[2] Construction time was lengthened by the need to make modifications following the loss of sister ship HMS Prince of Wales on 10 December 1941.[2]
Operational history
Home Fleet
Howe commenced sea trials in August 1942, but was made available for operations with the Home Fleet from November onwards.[2] Her main duties were to provide cover for Arctic convoys and to intercept any major German warships attempting to enter the Atlantic.[2] On 31 December, following the Battle of the Barents Sea, Howe was part of a multi-ship force that sailed to protect Convoy RA 51 and intercept, if possible, the German pocket battleship Lützow.[2]
In late February, Howe joined the escort screen of Convoy JW 53 to the Soviet Union, and the return Convoy RA 53.[2]
In May 1943, Howe was visited by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill, then a few days later by King George VI.[2]
Mediterranean
At the start of May, Howe was marked for deployment to the Mediterranean to support Allied landings.[2] After taking on several 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, she departed from Rosyth for Gibraltar on 21 May, and arrived five days later.[2] Howe was assigned to Force H, and operated in support of the landings at Sicily and Italy.[2]
After Force H was transferred to Algiers in early June, Howe was again visited by King George.[2]
During the landings on Sicily in July, Howe was positioned between Sicily and Sardinia to guard against any interference by the Italian fleet, and on 12 July joined HMS King George V to take part in diversionary bombardments of Trapani and the nearby islands of Favignana and Levanzo.[2]
After Husky (the allied landings on Sicily), Howe returned to Algiers for maintenance. Whilst there, on 4 August an ammunition ship, SS Fort Le Montee caught fire and exploded, seriously damaging a nearby destroyer, HMS Arrow, and causing a substantial number of casualties.[2] A party from Howe was sent to help in the dreadful task of gathering bodies and body parts.[4]
On 8 September, after the Italian surrender, Howe and King George V escorted a naval force[note 2] to land the British 1st Airborne Division at the important port of Taranto on 9 September and, while en route, an Italian squadron was encountered sailing to Malta to surrender.[note 3][2]
On 14 September, Howe and King George V escorted surrendered Italian warships[note 4] to Alexandria from Malta.[2] On 1 October, Howe arrived at Algiers, and departed for Scapa Flow to resume duties with the Home Fleet.[2]
Far East
Howe was refitted for service in the Far East at Plymouth Dockyard between October 1943 and June 1944,[2] then joined the British Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee on 3 August.[5] She provided protection for Fleet Air Arm (FAA) air attacks on targets at Padang (Operation Banquet) and Sigli (Operation Light) and for a United States Army Air Force (USAAF) air raid on north-west Sumatra (Operation Boomerang).[2]
On 22 November, she joined the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) on its foundation and, on 2 December, became flagship for Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser.[6] Howe and other BPF units left Trincomalee on 4 December, and arrived at Sydney on 18 January 1945.[2] After visiting Auckland, New Zealand from 2–10 February, Howe left Sydney with the BPF on 28 February and sailed for the Fleet's Forward Base at Manus in the Admiralty Islands.[2] Active service deployment was delayed until 15 March, awaiting formal approval by U.S. Naval Commander-in-Chief Admiral Ernest King.[2] (King's earlier opposition to the British deployment had been over-ruled by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. [note 5][7])
The BPF, designated Task Force 57, became part of the predominately U.S. allied naval force supporting the invasion of Okinawa, its specific task being the bombardment of the Sakishima Islands to restrict the passage of Japanese reinforcements (Operation Iceberg I).[2] Howe was on station from 26 March until 25 May, apart from a two-week visit to Leyte for repair and replenishment, providing protection for the aircraft carriers whose aircraft were performing raids on Japanese airfields.[2] Howe and other ships were briefly detached on 4 May to bombard Hiara, Miyako-jima[2] and on one occasion, Howe received a glancing blow from a kamikaze suicide plane which bounced into the sea before exploding.[8]
On 25 May, the BPF departed for Sydney; Howe was withdrawn from the BPF on their arrival on 5 June.[2] Howe continued to Durban for a refit, as no suitable facilities were available in Australia, arriving on 27 June.[2] The refit concluded on 10 September, after the end of World War II.[2] Howe was instructed to visit Cape Town before she returned to Britain.[2]
Post war
After the war, the changing character of naval warfare and the expense of battleships led to their demise as active units.[9] Howe became flagship of the Training Squadron at Portland in 1946, and remained in this role until she was reduced to reserve status in 1950.[2] Howe and became headquarters of the Devonport Division, Reserve Fleet.[2] She was listed for disposal in 1957, together with the other three ships of her class.[2]
Fate
Howe arrived at T. W. Ward's Inverkeithing yard for breaking up on 4 June 1958, assisted by the Rosyth dockyard tug Energy.[citation needed] Howe had grounded south of the entrance channel on 2 June and had to wait until the following day before being towed off by the tugs Welshman and Englishman.[citation needed] Another day's delay was incurred by fog.[citation needed] Demolition began on 6 June,[10] and was completed in September 1961.[citation needed] Total sales of scrap and reusable material were £719,810, and the costs incurred in demolishing her were £238,456.[11]
See also
Notes
- ^ These were the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the two London Naval Treaties of 1930 and 1935.
- ^ The cruisers HMS Aurora, Penelope, Dido, Sirius and USS Boise and minelayer HMS Abdiel.
- ^ The five Italian ships were the battleships Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio, the light cruisers Luigi Cadorna and Pompeo Magno and the destroyer Nicoloso da Recco
- ^ These included the battleships Italia and Vittorio Veneto, four cruisers, and four destroyers.
- ^ In Winston Churchill's words, Roosevelt "intervened to say that the British Fleet was no sooner offered than accepted. In this, though the fact was not mentioned, he overruled Admiral King's opinion".
References
- ^ a b c d e Chant, Chris (2007). The Complete Encyclopedia of Warships. Rebo International. pp. 168–171. ISBN 978-90-366-1719-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj Mason, HMS Howe
- ^ Death of a Battleship, Garzke, Dulin and Denlay
- ^ "Salient experiences of Richard Gould". WW2 People's War. BBC. 18 December 2003. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ Jackson, The British Empire and the Second World War, p. 304
- ^ "CHAPTER 24 With the British Pacific Fleet". The Royal New Zealand Navy. Victoria University of Wellington. 2008. p. 365. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Churchill, Winston. The Second World War, Volume VI. Cassell. pp. 134–5.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "HMS Howe". The Glasgow Story. 2004. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ "Research guide B9: The Royal Navy: HMS King George V". National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ Buxton & Warlow, To Sail No More p. 53
- ^ Buxton & Warlow, To Sail No More p. 34
Bibliography
- Buxton, Ian (1997). To Sail No More. Vol. I. Liskeard: Maritime Books. ISBN 0907771645.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Jackson, Ashley (2006). The British Empire and the Second World War. London: Hambledon Continuum. ISBN 1852854170.
- Mason, Lt. Cdr. Geoffrey B., RN (Rtd) (2003). "HMS Howe". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
