HMS King George V (41)

Design

The King George V-class were larger than previous British battleships but smaller than British battlecruisers after the Renown-class and battleships of other nations. She was smaller than the Italian Littorio-Class, the German Scharnhorst-Class and the French Richelieu-Class. The class was the last completed battleship class, preceding the unbuilt Lion-class and the sole battleship Vanguard, the world’s last battleship.

History

After her commissioning on 1^st October 1940, King George V joined the British Home Fleet based at Scapa Flow, and was based there until 1944. She began her action the following year, conducting cross-Atlantic duties and protecting an east-bound trans-Atlantic convoy as well as providing distant cover during Operation Claymore.

On 22^nd of May, King George V sailed with aircraft carrier HMS Victorious and a force of 11 cruisers and destroyers to support cruiser patrols off Iceland. The force was still far away when the Battle of the Denmark Straits occurred on 24^th, and the two German ships from the battle, heavy cruiser KMS Prinz Eugen and battleship KMS Bismarck, escaped into the Atlantic. The Royal Navy was ordered to hunt down and sink the Bismarck, and on the 27^th, King George V, together with battleship HMS Rodney, eventually sank the mighty German battleship.

In May the next year, she was escorting convoy PQ 15 when she accidentally rammed the destroyer HMS Punjabi which crossed her bow when evading a mine, and broke in two and sank afterwards. King George V was repaired until July and returned to Scapa Flow but did not leave until December when she returned to convoy escort duties, providing cover for Arctic convoy JW 51A.

In 1943, King George V fought in the Mediterranean and was involved in the invasion of Italy and escorted part of the Italian Fleet to Malta after the Armistice. She also provided cover with her sister HMS Howe in Operation Slapstick (Landings at Taranto) and escorted surrendered Italian ships to Alexandria.

In February until July 1944, King George V remained in Liverpool and was redeployed for Pacific operations later in the year. On 16th January 1945, King George V set off with her flotilla, TF 63, with four aircraft carriers, four cruisers and ten destroyers. They bombarded oil refineries in Sumatra (Operation Meridian) and later joined by Howe and aircraft carrier HMS Formidable and re-designated Task Force 57. In late March and early May the fleet launched attacks on Sakishimo-Gunto airfields and air facilities in the Ryukyu islands respectively. In mid-July, King George V joined American battleships in the bombardment of Honshu, Japan at Hitachi, before moving on to Hamamatsu, where she conducted the last British battleship offensive action. After the atomic bombings, King George V moved into Tokyo Bay with other units of the British Pacific Fleet to be present at the surrender ceremonies.

Post-war, King George V transported the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester on their official visit to Australia in late January 1946 and returned to Portsmouth in March. Then she became the flagship of the British Home Fleet until December. Her active naval career was terminated in June 1950 when she and her sister ships went into reserve. King George V was scrapped in 1958.