The Tragic End of HMS Barham - The Sinking of HMS Barham 1941
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- On the 25th of November 1941, the Royal Navy’s 1st Battle Squadron consisting of HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Valiant and HMS Barham along with 8 destroyers were on a hunt in the central Mediterranean looking for Italian convoys.
Also on the hunt was a German U-Boat and their paths were on a collision course. A collision that would send HMS Barham to the floor of the Mediterranean Sea along with over 800 of her crew.
HMS Barham had begun her service with the Royal Navy during World War 1 and played a role during the Battle of Jutland.
Following World War 1, HMS Barham had several refits and operated in the Atlantic Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet during the inter-war years.
During World War 2, HMS Barham took part in the the Battle of Dakar before taking part in escort convoys in the Mediterranean.
In November of 1941, during an escort mission, HMS Barham was attacked by U Boat U-331 under the command of Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen.
The attack caused a huge explosion in her magazine and rapidly sank, killing over 800 men.
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I had an uncle on board her, he still is. I never met Uncle Charlie, he was a stoker, that's about all I know. Thank you for a respectful and informative video.
You're very welcome.
Wow. My uncle Bill was also a stoker and he went down on the Hood. My mother said that he was so proud to serve on Hood. Such brave young men!
My Uncle Patrick, also a Stoker, also perished.
I wonder why they still called them stokers on oil fired ships!.
@@Digmen1 why do the call them sailors long after steam superseded sail?
My uncle went down with HMS Barham. My mum told me that he had just come off watch and had gone below not long before the torpedoes hit. There is also a memorial in the Royal Naval Cemetery in Lyness, Hoy to the men who lost their lives from Barham in the Battle of Jutland. I remember sitting as a ten year old with my mum watching All our Yesterdays or World at War when she started crying. They were showing the sinking of HMS Barham.
I recall as a kid of your age, watching my mother cry on remembrance day as she had lost her brother at Anzio. He died on his 19th birthday. There must have been tens of thousands of us watch our mothers cry. They were as stolid as our menfolk but with bigger hearts as is the case with all mothers
God bless your brave brave uncle
My late father served on HMS Jervis and witnessed the massive explosive and sinking .That scene stayed with him for the rest of his life! RIP and thoughts to the survivors and families.
There was a clip of the sinking of the Barham included in the title sequence of the TV series "The World at War". My late Father-in Law survived the sinking and was able to point to himself escaping down the ship's side. The Barham was the first of three sinkings which he survived.
3 sinkings, wow! He went through a lot.
What was the other two sinkings he survived?
@@Hanaa_ishere Unfortunately, neither my wife nor I can remember.
Cool story. Reminds of that famed nurse, who survived the sinking of both the Titanic and the Britannic, plus another one. One cannot call it luck, but life does have a special place for people like her and your late father in law
He must have got used to sleeping with his life jacket on. I joined the Air Force, I am terrified of being a victim of a ship sinking.
The cameraman had just started filming when the ship was turning over. He was professional enough to keep filming when the ship exploded. Most people would put the camera down, but he was focused enough to keep filming. The film wasn't released until after the war.
The camera man did an excellent job of recording this awful event.
@@TheNorthernHistorian Has the film been computer colourised? I have seen it many times but only in black and white.
@@fredericksaxton3991 : Aye it has been.
@@fredericksaxton3991 Cheapens it by colourising ...should have used the original black & white in my opinion
My uncles, twins James and William Littleford, died on the HMS Barnham. Heartbreaking to see the footage.
everyone had a uncle and grandfather on this channel..died on hms barham..i mean everyone...rip to your uncles
Lest we forget.
🇦🇺🦘👍
Good to hear the actual HMS Barham story. The clip of her capsize & magazine explosion gets shown for almost every warship that has ever been sunk.
My Uncle - William Dodsworth, from West Hartlepool, was one of the few that survived the sinking of HMS Barham, like so many men that came back from the war, he suffered bad health due to the sinking. He died a few years later, in the old Ministry of Pensions Hospital at Dunston Hill, in Gateshead, from health issues caused by the sinking.
My father's best friend "Harold Blackwell" known as "Max" was a stoker on board HMS Barham, and he was on board when she exploded, this really affected my father, and my brother was named Max in his honour.
I'm glad that TH-cam's algorithm suggested this video. I found it to factual without being dry or boring, the images were pertinent, and the narration was clear and pleasant to my ear. I'll certainly check out the rest of this channel's offerings.
Thank you very much. My channel is quite new and still developing so receiving comments such as yours is very helpful in letting me know that what I am creating is working and building an audience. It's very much appreciated.
@@TheNorthernHistorian Where's your accent from? Scotland? Excellent video! Subscribed!
@@javiergilvidal1558 His accent is from the North East of England, Not far from Scotland !
@@kougerat5388 Thanks. The variations of English accents is mind-boggling!
Ditto
A sidebar to this interesting video clip: I met the daughter of one of the crew lost on HMS Barham a few months ago in Victoria, British Columbia. Our conversation led to her experiences during WWII in England. Laura was born in 1938 and lived in poverty in East London with her mum and siblings. Her Dad had enlisted with the Royal Navy and joined the crew of HMS Barham when war broke out. Consequently Laura never really knew her dad. At the onset of the Blitz, Laura and her family were billeted out to a home in West England. Unable to live under the severe restrictions placed upon them by the landlady, Laura's mum opted to return to East London where they endured relentless bombing by the Luftwaffe. It was during that time when news arrived of her father's death aboard HMS Barham. Laura is aware of the clip showing the battleship exploding, but has not brought herself to being able to watch it.
A touching story
Must’ve been a really nice place to be billeted to choose going back to be bombed over staying there. My Nan went through the blitz in Coventry, while my Grand father was a Royal Marine manning AA guns at the time.
Thanks The Northern Historian, from one Geordie to another. My Granddad is in A turret, able seaman, gun loader John McHugh. He survived otherwise I wouldn't be typing this. The demise of the Barham is pitifully cruel when you look in to the finer details: It's difficult to comprehend the desperate catalogue of sequential horrors experienced by the survivors. The torpedoes blast, the magazine detonation, the barnacle injuries, the ghoulish rain of heads which often occurs after bomb blasts involving human bodies then the final insult: The flotsam from the sunken ship ,accelerating up from the depths, generating extreme blunt force trauma injuries to those floating above. My Grandad had to have his lungs pumped out due to being unconscious in the water inhaling fuel oil...and he was one of the lucky ones! The more you research the worse the situation appears. RIP to those boys.
Your Grandad went though a horrific experience and is indeed one of the lucky ones. We will truly never know what those young men really experienced but I am trying to keep their stories and their memories alive. I'm a former serviceman myself as well as a fellow Geordie.
@@TheNorthernHistorian I'm writing a book about my Granddad and his struggle. I applied for his service record and it lead to this Barham story, very humbling. I'm 30 thousand words in and your video inspires me to finish it. Thank you.
@@waynesimpson2074 Glad to have helped. Good luck with your book.
Thank you for your Granddad's service
@@waynesimpson2074 Please post when your book is ready.
I forget how many times I have seen the explosion of HMS Barham ( sometimes mislabelled as other battleships ) on various videos , and this is the first time I have actually seen the history of the ship , you have now closed a circle - may the memory of those lost on the 25th of November 1941 , be commemorated forever
My uncle sadly died on board. My grandmother apparently had a premonition of the ships sinking as he left home at the age of 21. She just said to my aunt at the time "We won't be seeing our Albert again".
As a historian formerly with the Cdn military I am thoroughly impressed with your reference to the battle of Dakar, at little point in history that needs to be explored.
375 meters…..that’s a ballsy attack by that Uboat Skipper as that’s crazy close for a torpedo attack.
Seen that explosion a bunch of times, never ceases to amaze with the power of it. Poor Barham just blew her guts out for sure. RIp to the crew killed
Boilers by the look of it. Cold water and boilers is a bad combination because the metal gets so cold so fast the metal gets brittle and contracts. If I remember the pressure of the steam was something like 600psi in standard trim. I'd hate to imagine the point pressure when the water hit.
@@rosiehawtrey It was the ammunition magazines that exploded, not the boilers.
My Grandfather William Horne Fraser served aboard HMS Barham , he was one of the lucky ones he ran up the hull as she went over dragging his mate cookie with him . I still have his Barham Survivors Association badge . I want to thank you for this video as he never went into much detail of that day as it was too emotional for him . Now as I myself am a lot older I understand so much more than I did as a kid .
Yes we do that.
I am from Uruguay, 84. I understand the film of the HMS Barham sinking (black & white, later artificially coloured) was shot by a war correspondent aboard another warship; most impressive scenes I have ever seen on the WW2 subject.
Interesting note: My father was a cadet in the Kriegsmarine at the time and was with Von Tiessenhausen on U-331 for his cadet cruise. He basically kept out of the way during the attack but remembered distinctly that the boat almost popped to the surface as the torpedoes were fired because they were a bit slow on flooding to counter act the loss of weight. He returned back to Germany for another year at Flensburg, then was posted to Danzig and was there during construction of several boats. Got some great photos of the commissionings. He finally ended up as 3rd watch officer on U-969 in the Med. The boat was sunk at the dock and as he described it, the crew ran of a town as the Americans were coming in the other side and "Was chased all the way back to Germany". By that time the war was going in the toilet and there were not enough boats for him to get another one. They put him into infantry training for a few months and was then handed a company and sent to the Hurtgen Wald (the Americans called it Green Hell). He was in a bunker somewhere just south of Vossenack and was badly wounded in the battle and was evaced to Berlin where they managed to save him. He just got out of Berlin before the Soviets surrounded it.
Fascinating, thanks so much for sharing .
Thank-you
Thanks very much, my dad was on HMS Barham from 1937 until 1941. While Barham was in Durban my dad met and married my mom who was a South African. A couple of days before Barham was due to return to the Med my dad was knocked down by a speeding car and very seriously injured and so Barham left Durban without him. I grew up with loads of stories about life on this ship, she was definitely my dad's favourite.
Did Mum and Dad ever go back to South Africa ? my aunt was stationed there and never went back to GB.
@@unclestuka8543 My dad finished off his service with the RN in 1947 then went back to South Africa and in 1948 moved to what was then Southern Rhodesia, (now Zimbabwe) where I was born. It's a long interesting story. In 1993 I emigrated to the Uk and my dad and mom followed soon after.
@@Rhodie56 Thanks Ian, I guessed your Mum and Dad returned to ZA . It was a different country then. In the end my aunt returned to GB. ( I had some great times in P.E. and Durban )
@@unclestuka8543 Interesting, we used to holiday in Durban when I was a kid, that beachfront was fantastic. Funnily enough, the last place my mom and dad lived in SA was PE.
@@Rhodie56 BA opened a direct flight from LHR to Durban then covid hit ! Happy days. Cheers stay safe.
My heart goes out to the families of the gallant sailors who lost their lives aboard this most unfortunate of dreadnoughts. The film of the catastrophic explosion that sent HMS Barham to the bottom is one of the most famous of WW II and has been shown all over the world. It is even stock footage for Hollywood films and is likely to turn up unexpectedly as part of programming completely unrelated to the history of the war. Imagine having lost a loved one and seeing the last moment of his life replayed over and over again, sometimes crashing into your consciousness at the most unexpected moment. For us, that film may be a vivid record of a stunning moment in history, but for the families of the lost it must have been like the further reopening of a wound never allowed to heal. My prayers and sympathies go to them as much as to the sailors who never made it back home.
These 'gallant sailors' were lambs to be slaughtered while the Admiralty safely ashore ate turkey and guzzled gin. Unbelievable - well, almost.
I really like how you stay focused on the ship, leading us through the battles and other happenings of her life, while resisting constantly zooming out to the big picture. There are plenty of Big Picture channels on TH-cam and they often lack the feeling of continuity that comes with the kind of story you’re telling.
Thanks, it is one of my aims when I script these videos. The temptation to go off an tangents is there but I do try to remain focused.
Why is it that Barham received so little attention compared with other ships? She served with bravery and distinction. She and her crew deserve better.
Because Warspite made her look like a little bitch.
@@ironmantooltime that's hardly fair. The crew of Barham died for their country. Their sacrifice is just as worthy as anyone else's.
@@sophiepaterson7444 this is true, but Warspite was a complete badass
@@ironmantooltime no question there. 👍
@@ironmantooltime Show some reverence. It could've been Warspite there... it just came down to circumstance. I know what you're saying, but HMS Barham and her crew were out there hunting down the enemy, not cowering.
We shall not see the likes of them again. RIP to all who fought for freedom in WW2 whether they died in combat, or of old age. HEROES ALL!
Well said
My father in-law survived the bombings aged 16. He was in a documentary about what happened. Unfortunately I can't find the documentary. X
Quite a while ago, there was a tv interview with a survivor, in which he said that he was scrambling over the hull as she capsized when the detonation occured.
He went on to say that the explosion threw him up so high, that he had time enough to check to see if he still had his legs.
Really excellent video Northern Historian( s)! You have done honour to the crew who lost their lives with your excellent editing, commentary, and appropriate selection of music at the end. That film of the Barham turning over and exploding is one of the most terrible films to come out of the war, I cannot stop thinking about the blokes trapped inside. Coming on the heels of the sinking of HMS Hood in May 1941, the Admirality were afraid of the effect on public morale; maybe fair enough, but not fair to the families who were hoping to see their loved ones again. Those battleships were the 'ICBM's of their time, symbols of prestige and power but- oh, so vulnerable!
Thanks very much Ron. I am pleased how this one turned out. As a former serviceman I will always give as much respect as possible to those who took part, on both sides.
The only blessing for them is that in such a huge explosion, death would have been instant, no suffering. That is what all Military personal want, if they are going to die, make it quick.
Most of the men still alive inside the Barham when it rolled over would've been killed instantly by the concussion from the 15" magazine detonation.
Those battleships also starved Germany in the first world war and helped protect convoys in the second of course.
Thank you for this very interesting and comprehensive account. My Dad's brother Fred Talbot was the ship's blacksmith and was sadly lost during this action.
You're welcome
The names off the lost hero's have a special place at Southsea memorial
My husband's half uncle Eric Diggle Dodds was also blacksmith and died aged only just 20
@@pauladiggle7983 Shipmates to the end. Such a sad event. It's nice of you to have posted, Paula - another link to the past. Best wishes, Keith
@@BIG-K It just breaks my heart every time I watch the film of the Barham. I have one photograph of Eric in his naval uniform so at least we know what he looked like.
Omg I wish you'd posted this last year while my uncle frank loy was still alive.
He served on her but fate had him sent to gunnery school 2week previous to her sinking.
Finished his service on MTB's from weymouth.
I must visit the memorial.
Well done video. Such a tragedy to the Royal Navy and the families. It still amazes me that anyone could survive that explosion
The trick is explosion and shock wave go up. Some people have survived shells mortars or landmines because they were laid flat on the ground - including things like SC250/500 bombs. It's one of the reasons veterans are veterans - they don't stop to think what the strange whistling noise means... They just dive for the ground.
That is incredible, you can see people jumping into the sea before it explodes.
My grandad was a survivor, the sinking of HMS Barham haunted him until the day he died, he passed away 2016, what a superb video, thank you
Best doco of HMS Barham to date. My grandad went down with Barham after 18 years service in the RN. Was witnessed making it out, but didn't survive the explosion. Which considering Barham was under sustained torpedo attack, I know to be a torpedo explosion.
Thanks very much for your comment
My Father's cousin was on the Barham when she blew up and survived.
He's very lucky to have survived that.
@@TheNorthernHistorian it's amazing anyone survived. Good luck to them
That is a coincidence may father had a cousin who served on Barham as a Royal Marine, sadly he did not survive. One cannot imagine how terrifying it must have been to be trapped under those circumstances. The film of all the men going into the water is quite horrifying.
Wow!😲 Amazing footage of the ship capsizing and exploding! I'd never seen that film before. It's striking just how huge the loss of life was on many of those battleships when they sank. The battleship was thoroughly obsolete by 1940 but no one realized it at the time.
@David Rawsthorn True, but the battleships worked pretty well into the 40s for pre invasion off shore shelling while island hopping and Dday. But to your point, yes, sea power was taken over by the aircraft carrier and her faster escorts.
I think you underestimate the effectiveness of battleships. Recall that the four Iowa's, which served periodically until the late 20th century, were not commenced until after 1940, and that all the battleships of the RN had very active wars, Barham's sister ship Warspite is a prime example.
Excellent production. My grandfather served aboard Barham in the early 20's when she was ex Atlantic and part of the Mediterranean Fleet.
Thanks very much Brad, appreciate your comment.
@@TheNorthernHistorian Got a few cracking photos! My dad always thank god he became a policeman after his navy days as whn war broke out, he would amost certainly been called-up to the navy and most probably been posted back to Barham as he was a trained electrician, which were in short supply.
That poor ship saw a lot of action.What an awful ending for the crew.Superb film yet again.👏
My landlord (RIP Frank) served in the Kriegsmarine during WWII and was sunk three times. Twice he was rescued by German ships, but the third time he was rescued by the British and spent two years in a POW camp in Egypt. He didn't like to talk about it, but he opened up briefly one time when he saw I was building a large model of the Bismarck. He was an honest, generous and kind man, and I have no reason to doubt his story.
Rip Frank, it’s not to know he was a kind landlord and served his country. My kinda people
May all those that lost their lives RIP. 🌼
There is a very sad but beautiful poem that recalls the names of Barham and her sisters.
I believe in As I looked down from the Tamar Bridge or something similar. It is perhaps the most poignant of all the poems commemorating the loss of such great ships and their gallant crews
I love new Content creators like this that share history that has been forgotten. Give a whole new perspective
I met a gent in 1988 in Ruchill Glasgow resplendent in his Blazer going to their annual reunion. I had my "Jaws" moment in the Bus when he said it was the Barnham.
"You were on the Barnham????"
After a 10 minute chat I got up to leave and asked " What was the Bang like"
He turned his head to reveal a hearing aid.
He pointed and said" it was on that side" !
Privileged to say the least. See that clip somewhere almost every year
Barham, not Barnham. Named after Lord Barham, Nelson's boss as First Lord of the Admiralty, better known as Admiral Charles Middleton.
My late Grandad's best mate was on that ship. He received a letter from his mate on the Barham a month before he was sadly killed. My Grandad never got over his best friends death, but my mother still has that letter.
I remember seeing this sinking used in the opening of ( I think ) "The War at Sea" TV programme many years ago. It always stuck in my memory but it took a long time for me to find out which ship it was.
Congratulations on your clear diction and voice, especially for a "northerner"! A story well enough told too, so thank you! In watching such content over the years, I can't help but notice the precise times mentioned, and so often. Is there one crew member running around with a watch, officer-of-the-watch perhaps, or does the whole crew participate with such rigorous timekeeping,? Maybe to report on such matters to ensure it's confirmation upon on the occasion of at least one member surviving? Keep up the excellence, it's tRICKy here!
One of my grandfather’s brothers was a midshipman on board and went down with the ship. I was the only one to join the Navy, the rest joined the Army (4) and survived the war.
My uncle Tom Barnacott went down in the Barnham. My father was based in Alexandria at the time. Heartbreaking to watch but interesting to learn more about the story. My mother remembers meeting Tom in Alexandria shortly before leaving port.
My uncle served on HMS Barham as a stoker, he was one of the lucky ones who survived
God Bless HMS Barham and all those young men lost.
And years later I find out that one of my all time favourite clients, who died in 2000, in Vancouver, B.C., was the Kaptain of U-331. A very quiet intelligent man, fabulous photographer and landscape architect..
Wow, what are the chances of that?
@@TheNorthernHistorian Weĺl I was reading a most excellent web site, dedicated to U-boats and as I browsed one day, I came across Allied Warships, then clicked on the HMS BARHAM and thought, lets read the details as to her infamous sinking. Clicked U-331 and read her history. Then saw the Katains name. After the sinking, his ship went around the Med until bombed and sunk a year later, off of Algeria.Part of the crew including Von Tiesenhausen (Only commander) was captured. He ended up in a POW camp in Canada. Eventually repatriated but like many others, had fallen in love with Canada. So he waited his time, then applied to immigrate. Probably 1951-52. I met him and his lovely wife, Maria in the early 80's when they became bank clients and more specifically mortgage clients as they invested smartly into newer buildings. I found out about his death years at the same time discovering his military past, at that same reading.
@@Cdntrvler54 It's fascinating to read of these people in later years. Because WW2 is moving further into the past it can be easy to sometimes think of these people as characters in a play or Hollywood style movie but they were real, very real people. They lived in a time that called on them to go to war, something I'm sure very few revelled in but none the less, they did as their commanding officers expected of them. When the war finally ended, these people on both sides would go back to 'normal' life and I'm happy to think that they lived full lives, getting married, having children and all the things that we take for granted today.
@@TheNorthernHistorian I also had a neighbour, who when I was young spoke very little about the war as he lost some close to him.. He did not fight as he was "JUST" too young but her being from Glasgow, told me that as kids, they had a vantage point to marvel at the construction of the Duke of York.. And as well that sad point when she was scrapped.. He said took a couple years to build but about 6 months to scrap.. My late Uncle flew Lancs.. Was in the 617 that took out the "KMS TIRPITZ".. Interesting in that he was de-mobbed shortly there after as he had made his magic number a couple months or so later.. My Father, RNVR-FAA. Pilot.. His brother worked directly under Montbattan.
My partner's father was an aide to Rommel. My German was very poor so the conversations with him were difficult though he spoke some English having been a POW here during the war.
What was interesting was his true love was horses and Rommel also loved horses so he chose to have this man around to run messages and so forth.
He had a lot of love for Rommel but also a lot of respect for Monty
Your voice was perfect for this intriguing narration of gallant men who sail the seas and sometimes become a part of that sea for eternity
Thanks very much, kind of you.
Interesting My brother was on the HMS Hermes 9 April 1942 when Sunk -I was on HMS Pioneer Air craft Maintenance in Pacific Fleet .Fleet Air Arm 1943.
What a sad loss of 800 sailors. Rip. It is a miracle that so many survived the magazine detonation when only 3 survived Hoods explosion.
I think the water temperature had much to do with that
@@oceanhome2023 Yes that and the fact the crew on Hood were at their stations within the ship when the magazine detonated.
The Hood exploded without turning upside down. Nobody expected that, the Sea was more rough and much colder. On Barham crew started to abandon the ship...
Big difference between the Mediteranean and the Denmark strait in the high Atlantic
EXCELLENT narration. Very good editing. Clear, concise, factual and overview of the times.
Much appreciated!
Very good indeed. Excellent commentary and use of archive photos. My dear dad was in the RN 1944-46, mainly on small ships, and I have had a life-long fascination with naval history. I look forward to more.
Thanks you very much for your comment.
Has to be the most devastating ship explosion ever recorded. Amazing anyone survived. Great video, well narrated. Royal Navy took a beating early in ww2.
Thanks very much.
We're they unable to counter flood
Thank you for producing this excellent video, I've seen just the final explosion before but always wanted to know her history. It remains a miracle 487 survived, 4 minutes is no time to do anything on a vessel of that size, shame the magazine didn't flood first. God bless all those lost at sea, both naval and merchant to keep us free, plus those in the air and in foreign lands.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Looking at the explosion, it is amazing anyone survived....
My late father, Stanley Read survived the sinking of HMS Barham. He was 17 at the time. He also survived the sinking of HMS Naiad and one other ship whose name eludes me at this point. He didn't talk about it very much at all. It's little wonder.
A difficult time for the Royal Navy. HMS Barham lost suddenly, followed the next month by HMS Ark Royal, shortly these events were followed by Italian frogmen successfully damaging HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Valiant in Alexandria harbour. Despite all these major losses the Italians still didn't want to risk their fleet when they would no doubt have had superiority in any encounter with the Royal Navy.
No matter how many times i listen tonthe battlenof Jutland it amazes me how the german battle cruisers survived and how much damage the dealt.
Poor safety practices and duff shells didn't help the R.N. either.
The Germans had a much better position and line of sight. The British ships couldn't see very well because all of the smoke from their funnels was obscuring their vision. This changed later on in the battle and the British had the upper hand, the Germans noticed this and wisely decided to head home.
Film of Barham's explosion was used as a stand-in for the sinking of the Hood in the movie "Sink the Bismarck!"
I came to know HMS Barham from a video, and thanks to you there is a fuller story of this ship, and a remembrance of her crew and tragic end.
my Paternal Grandfather was a Chief on Barham in 1938...fortunately for him he had his next draft before 1941
I remember seeing a TV program on the Mediterranean war and Barham was mentioned as a part of the program. A survivor did say that nearly 800 crew did survive.
The news of the sinking of Barham had been kept secret for so long because it had been nearly contemporary to the crippling of Force K on an Italian minefield (with the loss of 767 men only on the light cruiser Neptune), and the Raid on Alexandria (that took two BBs out of action for two years). It could give the impression things in the Med were not going so well.
I'm sure it also didn't help that Prince of Wales and Repulse were also lost in December 1941. It must have felt like everything was going wrong.
Nothing like a battleship to help you lose the battle.
3000 years earlier the lesson was presented to all western peoples, the story is called “David and Goliath.“
Humans are stupid, for the most part, and the military cadre, the stupidest of all.
My proposed solution, privatize the military with several competing forces that have to exercise against each other, those who continually lose get defunded, to bring on more innovative newcomers.
Look at the old farts and goddamn idiots that ran this war. We won the war only because the other side had equally, or at least almost as bad leader ship. We had more resources, that is the only reason we won.
@@sophiepaterson7444 yes but the Brits kept up the fight in the face of appalling loses. You will never see their like again.
@@steveperreira5850
"Privatise the military with several competing forces"
That worked so well for Nazi Germany, didn't it?
Thank you for your excellent documentary. I have watched it twice through and will no doubt watch it again. I have a framed photo of her in my hallway - my grandfather served in her. Beautiful ship.
Stunning footage of the sinking of the Barham. Very informative video.
Glad you enjoyed it
My grandad was on the Barham, he was witnessed by survivors making it out onto the hull but did not survive the blast. He was to transfer to Repulse so either way his fate was sealed. RIP grandad and all those in Davy's locker.
I knew one of the U boat captain's great nephews. He ended his days in Vancouver, BC.
Apparently he never got over what he had done.
Hmm what has the TH-cam mysterious algortihim recommended for me today - a superb video! Huzzah! :D Good job my northern cousin between you and Yammato30 (and Drach ofc) its great to see some of the more.. lesser known events covered. Good job.
Thank you very much. Your comment is very much appreciated.
Excellent documentary and vocal content. A moving appraisal well done.
Bow my head in humble gratitude to all of our courageous sailors and salute those here
who recall the memory of family and friends who suffered their lives lost like heroes. R.I.P..
Between the Barham, Hood, Prince of Wales, Repulse, Ark Royal, Hermes, and Glorious the Brit Navy sure took a beating in the early part of the conflict at sea.
Ark Royal being the only one that didn't take most of the crew down with her to boot.
It would be interesting to know the fate of the U-boat as well.
The majority of Repulse and Prince of Wales crew were rescued albeit over 800 died.. Royal Oak and Courageous also involved in high loses. Rest assured the Royal Navy or Allied air power got most of the subs involved in the end though. The German U Boat casualty rates were horrendous over 80% died.
@@johnholt9399
Forgot about the Royal Oak, and Courageous somehow.
The Royal Navy took a greater beating in WW2 than WW1, and the Mediterranean Theater was a big reason. Nearly 2/3 of her ship losses (95% of subs lost) occurred in the Med between Spring 1941 and the Italian Armistice in September 1943. And the main culprit for these losses were German and Italian bombers, with U-Boats in second. RN losses were heavy for two main reasons: the narrowness of the sea made it impossible to maneuver away from Axis forces, and the Royal Navy was confined to coastal waters on two occasions (Crete and Malta) that made their ships sitting ducks.
However, the Italian Navy suffered nearly 80 to 90% losses, and their merchant marine suffered nearly 100%, mostly due to the Royal Navy.
As for the U-331:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-331
*FOUR* minutes??? 😦😦😦
It's a miracle anybody made it out alive.
True, and that's without that huge explosion!
Found out today that my grandfather was on the Barham at Jutland. Discovered his service record n find my past
Great Doco, put together and narrated really well.
RIP Brave Sailors
Thanks very much!
What an excellent video, of a very sad event. Thank you.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Excellent mini doc- RIP to the fallen in this horrible attack by the Germans - war is truly cruel and evil - war has to be avoided at all costs
Thank you
10:17 That is not a magazine explosion. That is a boiler explosion ("BLEVE"). You can know that because it happens exactly the moment chimneys start taking water.
They are incredibly potent, as featured.
Wonderful doc and respectfully done- many thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks for that.
Very well done.
That footage of her exploding is the first time I've seen it in colour!
Glad you enjoyed it
That footage has been 'colourised', ie colour added to a black and white video. The original (in B+W) is widely available online.
Colour film in those days was the exclusive preserve of the movie film studios, the equipment needed was ridiculously expensive, there were no 'cheap and cheerful' options.
More interesting however is colour photography. It was actually quite widespread in the 1930s/1940s, however the plaques it used could only be developed to tiny photos that needed a diascope or projector to view at decent quality (the latter obviously was detrimental to the quality of the photograph). Its only in the last 10 or so years, when digital technology has advanced to the point all these old colour photos can be reliably digitised without damaging the originals, that many previously unseen colour photos from the first half of the 1900s have been made available.
A good ship with a good crew who did their duty for their country and each other. May they all truly rest in peace.
Salute to my Grand Pops Able Seaman Douglas W.Ralphs who jumped overboard and survived. He passed in 2007 ! He gives his personal account in the book & on the HMS Barham Association website.
The film of her sinking is quite dramatic.You can see part of her deck,or side being peeled away and the upturned bow section floating momentarily before sinking.There also seems to be something,possibly a boiler flying off to starboard.The colourised version of this film makes these points stand out better.
Those sailors who scrambled onto the hull probably thought how lucky they were to escape a rapidly sinking ship and then BOOM.
It makes the cruelty of the situation even worse
There is some small mercy in that they would likely have been killed instantly and probably didn't even hear the 'Boom'
wow not sure I've seen that footage before of it rolling over and exploding, it seems amazing that the people crawling around on the side of the ship didn't seem to get blown off into the water.
My grandfathers brother (Great Uncle?) was one of them, Leslie Howard Kirkland, he was 23. I was shown his photo as a kid.
A very interesting video. My uncle served aboard HMS Hood in the late 1930's and then HMS Belfast. He was a gunner and took part in the Battle of the North Cape and D-Day. Liked and subbed.
I can still remember the time I saw a brief video clip of a battleship on her side, with odd movements on her starboard hull which I later learned were Seamen running for their lives to get off the ship before she sank!
There was an enormous explosion which filled the air with debris and people, an act that doomed those in, on or near the stricken vessel!
Given the magnitude of the explosion taking place within the confines of the hull, I would imagine that the blast and shock wave would have immediately killed any person unfortunate enough to be still inside or on the hull at that time!
That would at least be a more humane ending than to be trapped inside the darkness of one's capsizing, flooding and sinking ship with no possibility of escape or rescue, amid the smoke, shrieks and screams of one's dying Crew members!
I don't think that I've ever seen such a horrific sight as that of the ship exploding as scores of men attempted to abandon ship across her now horizontal starboard hull plates!
My late Uncle was a Gun Layer in the Royal Navy during WW2 and he once spoke of a truly horrific incident after his ship had been damaged in combat, with many deaths and seriously injured Crewmen.
What he recalled happening has been successfully excluded from historical records published after the war, as those that took part in or witnessed it never spoke about it publicly both for personal reasons and because they were graphically informed of the consequences if they ever revealed what had taken place!
The industrialised levels of killing seen in WW2 and subsequent conflicts should have ensured lasting peace and a greater respect for human life, unfortunately, that has yet to occur!
Although it was our country´s enemy I can sense no feeling of victory or triumph. It is such a sad view and a terrible loss, as all the maritime victims are dreadful. May war between our two great nations never reappear and such losses never happen again.
I totally agree. War is a dreadful thing and we must learn from the past and find better ways to resolve differences.
Now that is a great comment. Also, the wars 1 and 2 could have been stopped, but the people who held the power wanted the wars. The Germans down fall was that they were good, and therefore threatened the existing power holds. Peace be unto you.
@@nledaig Show me a country that is not good at that. Peace brother.
@@martinwarner1178 Lots. Lots have not committed slaughter like the Huns.
Thank you,it is with great sadness that our countries people's who in many ways are related ever came to be puppets of leaders who used us for there own misguided and disastrous plans.That war is such a tragic mistake and continues to be propagated is the greatest blight on what is a great species with such immense potential.such that efforts so great would be put into benefits for us all is by our leaders is what we ask of them but they waste all in such destruction shows our trust is constantly misplaced.
In memory of Paymaster Commander Harry Gordon Williams from Weston Super mare Somerset.
Rest in peace and Respect.
Hi matey.
I've only just come across this and have subsribed and liked straight away. I too am from you neck of the woods, living in the top end of Newcastle. Some of the comments below are absolutely rediculous, but for me this was a great historical piece and I will be watching more. Take care matey and keep 'em comin'.
Thanks Tim. I appreciate it.
Excellent narration. He sounds like Jackie Stewart the famous Grand Prix driver.
The narrator is from the North East of England (Newcastle upon Tyne/Sunderland). Jackie Stewart is Scottish… quite different accents to the British ear… 😁
excellent presentation
Thank you! Cheers!
My long dead grandfather was serving as a stoker on Barham right up to two months before sinking, he was put ashore as to old to fight. He did talk about old mates who went down with the ship on occasion.
Ps the term 'battle stations' is American the RN use 'Action Stations'.
Nice work. It must've been such a frightening way to go. Awful to think about.
A sad story
I met a very old lady in the shopping center she saw my daughter's and said this
I never got married I was going to my husband to be was on HMS BARHAM
A stoker he died she told me she was working as a nurse at the time the sister came and told her her husband tobe was dead she could take the rest of the day of she said no I am needed here
Stiff upper lip 100%
Awesome! Very well done. I’ve not seen the Pathé footage of HMS Barham blowup colorized so well before. Subbed.
Thank you very much!
Can remember in the 70's when my old landlord Sam Ryall(Weymouth) told me was running down the side of the bow when she went up!
Impressive ship in 1915, museum piece in 1941.
Nonsense. Didn't you know she had been extensively modernised in 1937?
A succinct and detailed presentation.
Thanks.
Lest we forget….
Excellent video