 Repulse with other capital ships of theAtlantic Fleet on manoeuvres in the 1920s | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Repulse |
| Ordered | 30 December 1914 |
| Builder | John Brown & Company, Clydebank |
| Laid down | 25 January 1915 |
| Launched | 8 January 1916 |
| Commissioned | 18 August 1916 |
| Identification | Pennant number: 34 |
| Motto |
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| Nickname(s) | Repair[1] |
| Fate | Sunk by Japanese bombers, 10 December 1941 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Renown-classbattlecruiser |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 90 ft 1.75 in (27.5 m) |
| Draught | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 4 × shafts, 2 ×steam turbine sets, |
| Speed | 31.5knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph) |
| Crew |
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| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
| General characteristics (1939) | |
| Displacement | 34,600 long tons (35,155 t) |
| Draught | 29 ft 8 in (9 m) |
| Installed power | 8 × boilers, 112,000 shp (84,000 kW) |
| Propulsion | 4 × shafts, 4 × steam turbines |
| Speed | 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) |
| Range | 6,650 nmi (12,320 km; 7,650 mi) |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Armour | |
| Aircraft carried | 4 ×seaplanes |
| Aviation facilities | 1 ×aircraft catapult |
HMSRepulse was one of twoRenown-classbattlecruisers built for theRoyal Navy during the First World War. Originally laid down as an improved version of theRevenge-class battleship, her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war because she would not be ready in time.Admiral Lord Fisher, upon becomingFirst Sea Lord, gained approval for her to resume construction as a battlecruiser that could be built and enter service quickly. TheDirector 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. They did not quite meet that ambitious goal, but the ship was delivered a few months after theBattle of Jutland in 1916.Repulse and hersister shipRenown were the world's fastestcapital ships upon completion.
Repulse participated in theSecond Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1917, the only combat she saw during the war. She was reconstructed twice between the wars; a reconstruction in the 1920s increased her armour protection and made lesser improvements, while another in the 1930s was much more thorough.Repulse accompanied the battlecruiserHood during theCruise of the Special Service Squadron on a round-the-world cruise in 1923 to 1924 and protected international shipping during theSpanish Civil War in 1936 to 1939.
The ship spent the first months of theSecond World War hunting for German raiders and blockade runners. She participated in theNorwegian Campaign of April to June 1940 and searched for theBismarck in 1941.Repulse escorted a troop convoy around theCape of Good Hope from August to October 1941 and was transferred to theEast Indies Command. She was assigned in November toForce Z, which was supposed to deter Japanese aggression againstBritish possessions in the Far East.Repulse and herconsort, the battleshipPrince of Wales, were sunk by Japanese aircraft on 10 December 1941 when they attempted to intercept landings inBritish Malaya.
In December 2023, a memorial was erected atTeluk Cempedak beach, commemorating bothRepulse andPrince of Wales. The memorial was unveiled byKingAbdullah of Pahang.[3]
Admiral Lord Fisher first presented his requirements for the new ships to theDirector of Naval Construction (DNC) on 18 December 1914, before the ships had even been approved. He wanted a long, flared bow, like that on thepre-dreadnoughtRenown but higher, four 15-inch guns in two twin-gun turrets, an anti-torpedo boat armament of twenty 4-inch (102 mm) guns mounted high up and protected bygun shields only, a speed of 32 knots using oil fuel and armour on the scale of the battlecruiserIndefatigable. Within a few days Fisher increased the number of guns to six and added two torpedo tubes. Minor revisions in the initial estimate were made until 26 December and a preliminary design was completed on 30 December.[4]
During the following week the DNC's department examined the material delivered for the two battleships and decided what could be used in the new design. The usable material was transferred to the builders who had received enough information from the DNC's department to lay thekeels of both ships on 25 January 1915, well before the altered contracts were completed on 10 March.[5]
Repulse had anoverall length of 794 feet 2.5 inches (242.1 m), abeam of 89 feet 11.5 inches (27.4 m) and a maximumdraught of 29 feet 9 inches (9.1 m). She displaced 26,854 long tons (27,285 t) at normal load and 31,592 long tons (32,099 t) atdeep load.[6] The Brown-Curtis direct-drivesteam turbines were designed to produce 112,000shaft horsepower (84,000 kW), which would propel the ship at 32knots (59 km/h; 37 mph). During trials in 1916,Repulse's turbines provided 118,913 shp (88,673 kW), allowing her to reach a speed of 31.73 knots (58.76 km/h; 36.51 mph).[7] The ship normally carried 1,000 long tons (1,016 t) offuel oil but had a maximum capacity of 4,289 long tons (4,358 t). At full capacity, she could steam at a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) for 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 km; 4,603 mi).[6]
The ship mounted six 42-calibreBL 15-inch Mk I guns in three twin hydraulically powered gun turrets, 'A', 'B' and 'Y' from front to rear.[6] Her secondary armament consisted of 17BL 4-inch Mark IX guns, fitted in five triple and two single mounts.Repulse mounted a pair ofQF 3-inch 20 cwt[Note 1]anti-aircraft guns mounted on the shelter deck abreast the rear funnel.[8] She mounted two submergedtubes for21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes, one on each side forward of 'A' barbette.[9]
Repulse'swaterlinebelt ofKrupp cemented armour measured 6 inches (152 mm) thick amidships. Her gun turrets were 7–9 inches (178–229 mm) thick with roofs 4.25 inches (108 mm) thick. As designed the high-tensile-steeldecks ranged from 0.75 to 1.5 inches (19 to 38 mm) in thickness. After theBattle of Jutland in 1916, while the ship was still completing, an extra inch of high-tensile steel was added on the main deck over themagazines.[10]Repulse was fitted with a shallowanti-torpedo bulge integral to the hull which was intended to explode the torpedo before it hit the hull proper and vent the underwater explosion to the surface rather than into the ship.[11]
Despite these additions, the ship was still felt to be too vulnerable to plunging fire andRepulse was refitted in Rosyth between 10 November 1916 and 29 January 1917 with additional horizontal armour, weighing approximately 504 long tons (512 t), added to the decks over the magazines and over the steering gear.[10]Repulse was the first capital ship fitted with aflying-off platform when an experimental one was fitted on 'B' turret in the autumn of 1917.Squadron LeaderFrederick Rutland took off in aSopwith Pup on 1 October. Another platform was built on 'Y' turret and Rutland took off from it on 8 October. Onefighter and a reconnaissance aircraft were normally carried.[12]
Repulse was laid down byJohn Brown,Clydebank,Scotland on 25 January 1915. The ship was launched on 8 January 1916 and completed on 18 August 1916, after the Battle of Jutland. Her construction cost £2,829,087 (£200,250,000 in 2023).[6] She served with theGrand Fleet in theNorth Sea during the remaining two years of the First World War.Repulse relievedLion as flagship of the1st Battlecruiser Squadron for the duration of the war.[13]
Over the course of 1917 the Admiralty became more concerned about German efforts in the North Sea to sweep paths through the British-laid minefields intended to restrict the actions of theHigh Seas Fleet and Germansubmarines. A preliminary raid on German minesweeping forces on 31 October by light forces destroyed ten small ships and the Admiralty decided on a larger operation to destroy theminesweepers and their escortinglight cruisers. Based on intelligence reports the Admiralty decided on 17 November 1917 to allocate two light cruiser squadrons, the1st Cruiser Squadron covered by the reinforced 1st BCS (lessRenown) and, more distantly, thebattleships of the1st Battle Squadron to the operation.[14]
The German ships, four light cruisers of II Scouting Force, eightdestroyers, three divisions of minesweepers, eightSperrbrechers (cork-filledtrawlers, used to detonate mines without sinking) and two trawlers to mark the swept route, were spotted at 7:30 a.m.,[Note 2] silhouetted by the rising sun. The light battlecruiserCourageous and the light cruiserCardiff opened fire with their forward guns seven minutes later. The Germans responded by laying an effectivesmoke screen. 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.Repulse was detached not long after and raced forward at full speed to engage the enemy ships. She opened fire at about 9:00,[15] scoring a single hit on the light cruiserSMS Königsberg during the battle.[13] When the German battleshipsSMS Kaiser andSMS Kaiserin were spotted about 9:50 the British broke off their pursuit andRepulse covered their retreat, aided by a heavy fog that came down around 10:40.[16] The ship fired a total of 54 15-inch shells during the battle and scored one hit on the light cruiserKönigsberg that temporarily reduced her speed.[17]
On 12 December 1917,Repulse was damaged in a collision with the battlecruiserHMAS Australia.[18] The ship was present at the surrender of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow on 21 November 1918.[13]
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Repulse began a major refit atPortsmouth on 17 December 1918[13] intended to drastically improve her armour protection. Her existing six-inch armour belt was replaced by 9-inch (229 mm) armour plates made surplus by the conversion of the battleshipAlmirante Cochrane (originally ordered by Chile and purchased after the war began) to theaircraft carrierEagle. The original armour was fitted between the main and upper decks, above the new armour. Additional high-tensile plating was added to the decks over the magazines. The ship's anti-torpedo bulge was deepened and reworked along the lines of that installed on the battleshipRamillies. The bulge covered her hull from the submerged torpedo room to 'Y' magazine, the inner compartments of which were filled with crushing tubes. The bulges added 12 feet 8 inches (3.9 m) to her beam and 1 foot 4 inches (0.4 m) to her draught. The refit added about 4,500 long tons (4,600 t) to her displacement and raised hermetacentric height to 6.4 feet (2 m) at deep load. Three 30-foot (9.1 m) rangefinders were also added as well as eight torpedo tubes in twin mounts on the upper deck. Both flying-off platforms were removed.[19] This refit cost £860,684.
Repulse was recommissioned on 1 January 1921 and joined the Battlecruiser Squadron of theAtlantic Fleet. In November 1923,Hood, accompanied byRepulse and a number ofDanae-class cruisers of the1st Light Cruiser Squadron, set outon a world cruise from west to east via thePanama Canal. They returned home ten months later in September 1924.[13] Shortly after her return the ship's two three-inch AA guns and her two single four-inch gun mounts were removed and replaced with four QF four-inch Mark V AA guns.[20] The Battlecruiser Squadron visitedLisbon in February 1925 to participate in theVasco da Gama celebrations before continuing on to the Mediterranean for exercises.[21] 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[20] that lasted from March to October.[22] Upon her return, she was refitted from November 1925 to July 1926 and had a high-angle control position (HACP) added to her fore-top.[20]
AfterRepulse completed her 1926 refit, she remained in commission, aside from a brief refit from July to September 1927, with the Battlecruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet until she was paid off in June 1932 prior to beginning her reconstruction in April 1933. Most of the existing layers of high-tensile steel that constituted the ship's horizontal armour were replaced by non-cemented armour plates 2.5–3.5 inches (64–89 mm) in thickness and the torpedo control tower was removed from the aft superstructure.[23] A fixed catapult replaced the midships 4-inch triple mount and ahangar was built on each side of the rear funnel to house two of the ship's Fairey III aircraft. One additional aircraft could be carried on the deck and another on the catapult itself. Electric cranes were mounted above each hangar to handle the aircraft.[24]
The four 4-inch AA guns were moved, one pair abreast the rear funnel at the level of the hangar roof and the other pair abreast the fore funnel on the forecastle deck. Four prototype QF 4-inch Mark XVdual-purpose guns were added in twin-gun Mark XVIII mounts abreast the mainmast. Two octuple Mark VI2-pounder mounts were fitted on extensions of the conning-tower platform abreast the fore funnel. Above these a pair of quadruple Mark II* mountings for the0.5-inch Vickers Mark III machine gun were added.[24] These mounts could depress to −10° and elevate to a maximum of 70°. The machine guns fired a 1.326-ounce (37.6 g) bullet at a muzzle velocity of 2,520 ft/s (770 m/s). This gave the gun a maximum range of about 5,000 yd (4,600 m), although its effective range was only 800 yd (730 m)[25]Repulse received twoHigh-Angle Control System anti-aircraft directors, one Mark II on the fore-top and a Mark I* mounted on a pedestal above the rear superstructure. The two submerged torpedo tubes were removed and the vacant spaces sub-divided and turned into store-rooms.[26]
Repulse was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet when she recommissioned in April 1936. She transported 500 refugees fromValencia andPalma de Mallorca toMarseille, France in late 1936 after the start of theSpanish Civil War. The ship was present at the CoronationFleet Review atSpithead on 20 May 1937 for KingGeorge VI.Repulse was sent toHaifa in July 1938 to maintain order during theArab Revolt. She was selected to convey the King and Queen during their May 1939 Canadian Tour and she was refitted between October 1938 and March 1939 for this role. The twin 4-inch AA guns were replaced by two more Mark V guns and two additional quadruple .50-calibre mounts were added. The King and Queen ultimately travelled aboard thelinerRMS Empress of Australia whileRepulse escorted them on the first half of the journey.[27]
At the beginning of the Second World War,Repulse was part of the Battlecruiser Squadron of theHome Fleet. 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.[28] Early in the war, the aft triple 4-inch gun mount was replaced with an 8-barrel 2-pounder mount.[29] In late October, she was transferred toHalifax with the aircraft carrierFurious to protect convoys and search for German raiders.Repulse andFurious sortied from Halifax on 23 November in search of theGerman battleship Scharnhorst after it had sunk thearmed merchant cruiserRawalpindi, butRepulse was damaged by heavy seas in a storm and was forced to return to port.[30]Repulse escorted the convoy bringing most of the1st Canadian Infantry Division to Britain from 10 to 23 December 1939 and was reassigned to the Home Fleet. In February 1940, she accompanied the aircraft carrierArk Royal on a fruitless search for six Germanblockade runners that had broken out ofVigo, Spain.[31]
Repulse was assigned to support Allied operations during theNorwegian Campaign in April–June 1940. 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. The ship was detached the following day to search for a German ship reported by the destroyerGlowworm, but the destroyer had been sunk by theGerman cruiser Admiral Hipper beforeRepulse arrived and she was ordered to rendezvous with her sisterRenown south of theLofoten Islands, off the Norwegian coast.[32] On 12 April,Repulse was ordered to return toScapa Flow to refuel and she escorted a troop convoy upon her return.[33] In early June the ship was sent to the North Atlantic to search for German raiders and played no part in the evacuation of Norway.[34]
Accompanied byRenown and the 1st Cruiser Squadron,Repulse attempted to intercept theGneisenau as it sailed fromTrondheim to Germany in July. Until May 1941, the ship escorted convoys and unsuccessfully searched for German ships. On 22 May,Repulse was diverted from escorting Convoy WS8B to assist in the search for theBismarck, but she had to break off the search early on 25 May as she was running low on fuel. The ship was refitted from June–August[35] and received sixOerlikon 20-millimetre (0.79 in)autocannon as well as aType 284 surface gunneryradar.[29]Repulse escorted a troop convoy around theCape of Good Hope from August to October and was transferred toEast Indies Command.[36]
In late 1941Winston Churchill decided to send a small group of fast capital ships along with one modern aircraft carrier to Singapore, to deter expected Japanese aggression. In November,Repulse which was in the Indian Ocean was ordered toColombo,Ceylon to rendezvous with the new battleshipPrince of Wales. The carrierIndomitable, which was assigned to join them, was delayed when she ran aground in the Caribbean.Prince of Wales andRepulse and their escorting destroyers comprisedForce Z, which arrived in Singapore on 2 December 1941. On the evening of 8 December, Force Z set out on an attempt to destroy Japanese troop convoys and protect the army's seaward flanks from Japanese landings in their rear.[37]
Force Z was spotted during the afternoon of 9 December by theJapanese submarine I-65, andfloatplanes from several Japanese cruisers spotted the British ships later that afternoon and shadowed them until dark.Admiral SirTom Phillips decided to cancel the operation as the Japanese were now alerted. Force Z turned back during the evening, after having tried to deceive the Japanese that they were heading toSingora. At 00:50 on 10 December, Admiral Philips received a signal of enemy landings atKuantan and correspondingly altered course so that he would arrive shortly after dawn.[38]
The crew ofI-58 spotted Force Z at 02:20, reported their position, and fired five torpedoes, all of which missed. Based on this report the Japanese launched 11 reconnaissance aircraft before dawn to locate Force Z. Several hours later 86 bombers from the 22nd Air Flotilla based inSaigon were launched carrying bombs or torpedoes. The crew of aMitsubishi G3M reconnaissance bomber spotted the British at 10:15 and radioed in several reports. The pilot was ordered to maintain contact and to broadcast a directional signal that the other Japanese bombers could follow.[39]
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The first attack began at 11:13 when 250 kilograms (551 lb) bombs were dropped from eight G3Ms from an altitude of 11,500 feet (3,505 m). The battlecruiser wasstraddled by two bombs, then hit by a third which penetrated through the hangar to explode on the armoured deck below. This inflicted a number of casualties and damaged the ship'sSupermarine Walrus seaplane, which was then pushed over the side to remove a fire hazard. Anti-aircraft fire damaged five of the Japanese bombers, two so badly that they immediately returned to Saigon. 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.[40] The gunners on theRepulse shot down two planes and heavily damaged eight more. However,Repulse was then caught by a synchronised pincer attack by 17Mitsubishi G4M torpedo bombers and hit by four or five torpedoes in rapid succession which proved fatal.[41] At 12:23,Repulse listed severely to port, quicklycapsized and went down by the stern[42] with the loss of 508 officers and men out of 1,309.[2] The destroyersElectra andVampire rescued the survivors, including Captain Tennant.[43]
HMS Repulse came to rest at 183 feet (56 m), almost upside down with her starboard side elevated and her port side buried in the seabed at3°37′N104°20′E / 3.617°N 104.333°E /3.617; 104.333.[44][45][46]The wreck site was designated as a 'Protected Place' in 2002 under theProtection of Military Remains Act 1986, 60 years after her sinking.[47]
Survivors described five torpedo hits onRepulse, four on the port side and one on the starboard side. The four portside hits purportedly were: two amidship, one abreast of the rear turret and one near the propellers. The starboard side hit was amidships. A 2007 diving expedition could confirm only two of the hits by examination of the wreck: the portside hit near the propellers and the starboard hit amidship. Unfortunately, at the time of the expedition, the portside midships section of the wreck was buried in the ocean floor thus the claimed hits there could not be confirmed. However, the area abreast of the port rear turret was accessible and no sign whatsoever of a torpedo hit, as described by survivors, was found.[48]
In October 2014,The Daily Telegraph reported that bothPrince of Wales andRepulse were being "extensively damaged" with explosives by scrap metal dealers.[49] In May 2023, it was reported that a Chinese ship,Chuan Hong 68, illegally scavenged the wreck for itslow-background steel.[50][51] In July 2024, this same vessel,Chuan Hong 68, suspected of not only looting the wrecks of Force Z[52] but other World War II wrecks in Asian waters, was back 'working' in the region and was subsequently detained by Malaysia authorities for 'paperwork violations'.[53]
3°33′36″N104°28′42″E / 3.56000°N 104.47833°E /3.56000; 104.47833
