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Allied Ships hit by U-boats


HMS Barham (04)


HMS Barham (04) sinking after U-331īs torpedo hits

NameHMS Barham (04)
Type:Battleship (Queen Elizabeth)
Tonnage31.100 tons (one of the largest ships sunk).
Completed1915 - John Brown & Co Ltd, Clydebank 
OwnerThe Admiralty 
Homeport 
Date of attack25 Nov, 1941Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-331 (Freiherr Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen)
Position32.34N, 26.24E - Grid CO 6858
- See location on a map -
Complement1311 officers and men (862 dead and 449 survivors).
Convoy 
RouteAlexandria - Alexandria 
Cargo 
History

Completed in October 1915 and took part in the Battle of Skaggerak/Jutland on 31 May/1 June 1916.
Between 1924 and 1933 reconstructed with new machinery and twin funnels trunked into one.
On 12 Dec, 1939, HMS Barham (04) collided in the Northern Channel with one of her screening destroyers. The HMS Duchess (H 64) (LtCdr R.C.M. White) sank some 9 miles off the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland.

At 15.45 hours on 28 Dec, 1939, the HMS Barham (04) was damaged by a torpedo from U-30 (Lemp) off the Hebrides in 58°47N/08°05W (Grid AM 3540). The ship was out of action for six months while she was being repaired at Birkenhead by Cammell Laird.

In September 1940, HMS Barham (04) engaged the Richelieu at Dakar, Senegal. In 1941, the battleship was in the Mediterranean, taking part in the Battle of Cape Matapan in March and receiving bomb damage in May. 

Notes on loss At 16.29 hours on 25 Nov, 1941, the HMS Barham (04) (Capt. G.C. Cooke, RN) was hit by three torpedoes from U-331 north of Sidi Barrani. As the ship rolled over to port, her after magazines exploded and she quickly sank. The battleship was sailing with the Mediterranean Fleet (Force A) from Alexandria to cover sorties by Malta and Alexandria-based cruiser forces against Italian convoys heading for Libya. 


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