Scrapping HMS Warspite: Stubborn Until the Last
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2024
- In early February 1945, the Admiralty confirmed that HMS Warspite would be paid off and put into reserve. Due to the war's direction and her deteriorating condition, further service was deemed pointless. Warspite had endured significant damage over the past two years. While operating in Salerno Bay, she was hit by an FX-1400 guided bomb, causing severe damage and putting X turret out of action for the remainder of her service. Additionally, on June 13, 1944, she struck a mine, further compromising her structure. Between 1945 and 1947, she sat near Portsmouth, having her guns and fittings removed.
Despite calls to preserve her as a museum ship, the Royal Navy decided to send her to the breakers. On March 12, 1947, Warspite began her final journey from Portsmouth to the River Clyde for scrapping. However, she faced rough weather and slipped her tow on April 20th. After temporary respite and securing a new tow, another storm on April 23rd caused her to break free again, and she ran aground in Prussia Cove. This marked the end of her service after earning 15 battle citations and becoming the most decorated ship in the Royal Navy.
Warspite had not been in great condition since early 1945 due to hasty repairs aimed at keeping her operational for the Normandy landings. Post-D-Day, she sustained further damage from a ground mine, reducing her speed and operational capacity. Despite this, she continued to serve in the North Sea bombardment force until November 1944.
In November 1944, it was decided that Warspite would only be needed if the army advanced into Germany and required naval support. However, as the war progressed, this need did not arise, leading to the February 1945 decision to pay her off. By July 31, 1946, she was placed on the disposal list, with her guns and other salvageable items removed.
On March 12, 1947, Warspite was towed to Spithead. In April, two tugs, Myinda the Third and Bustler, began towing her to the River Clyde. A storm on April 20th caused her to slip her tow, and despite efforts to control her, she ran aground in Prussia Cove on April 23rd. The storm tore her bows open, and she sank by the bows. Her skeleton crew of eight men managed to escape in treacherous conditions. The ship’s final stand was national news, highlighting her stubborn refusal to leave her native southwest England.
Efforts to refloat her in 1950 failed, and she was eventually towed to Marazion Beach, where she was gradually scrapped over several years. Warspite veterans commissioned a memorial on the shore at Marazion, which can be visited today.
While it is unfortunate that Warspite was not preserved as a museum ship, given her storied career and numerous battle citations, the cost of repairs was prohibitive. In being scrapped, she continued to serve by providing jobs and resources. Nonetheless, her legacy endures as a symbol of resilience and service.
0:00 Intro
2:04 Background
3:32 Towing Warspite
6:15 Stuck in Prussia Cove and Final Scrapping
8:24 Conclusion
Sources/Other Reading:
www.amazon.com/British-Battle...
www.amazon.com/British-Battle...
www.amazon.com/Warspite-Warsh...
www.amazon.com/British-Battle...
Video Information:
Copyright fair use notice. All media used in this video is used for the purpose of education under the terms of fair use. All footage and images used belong to their copyright holders, when applicable.
![ความรักของยักษ์เขียว (ทศกัณฐ์) - เดี่ยว ไออุ่น [OFFICIAL MUSICVIDEO 4K]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yCCy-QVHqK8/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for watching everyone! I hope you found the video interesting, I won’t be at the premiere unfortunately as I’ll be in the air.
"The Subject - Lieutenant-Commander R.A.B.Mitchell"
You say you have no subject And your brushes all have dried;
But come to Marazion At the ebbing of the tide.
And look you out to seaward, Where my Lady battle scarred
Hugs the rock that is more welcome, Than the shameful breakers yard.
Paint her there upon the sunset In her glory and despair,
With the diadem of victory Still in flower upon her hair.
Let her whisper as she settles Of her blooding long ago,
In the mist than mingles Jutland With the might of Scapa Flow.
Let her tell you, too, of Narvick With its snowy hills, and then
Of Matapan, Salerno And the shoals of Walcheren;
And finally of Malta, When along the purple street
Came in trail the Roman Navy To surrender at her feet.
Of all these honours conscious, How could she bear to be
Delivered to the spoiler Or severed from the sea ?
So hasten then and paint her In the last flush of her pride
On the rocks of Marazion, At the ebbing of the tide.
My dad served on Warspite from early 41 till mid 43.
Built at Devonport Royal Dockyard in 1912. The year is now 2024 & I’m proud to say that I’ve been working there since 2002 maintaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent, the Vanguard Class submarines. 🇬🇧
Your point about Britain needing its money to rebuild the country after the war is well made. Britain was broke and there really was nothing left over for 'luxuries' like museum ships. Many years later, BELFAST was sold for £1 to get it off the Royal Navy's books, which allowed it to become a museum ship (thank goodness!). At the time of WARSPITE's demise, this kind of sale was not an option. This is not to say that the Royal Navy has not sentiments for its ships; rather, their Lordships have to fight the Treasury for every penny to crew and build its ships and there is no fat left over for historical endeavours. You might be surprised how much work is done by all the forces 'off the books' and individually-funded to preserve their histories. Onward.
Hard nosed Whitehall Civil Servants who have never put their life in danger are the people who let Warspite go.
Scrapping the Warspite was unforgivable, who ever was responsible may there soul forever get it's ass kicked by those that served on her.
Instead of stubborn to the last, the Royal Navy should just admit, “Charming to the last. You don't know how hard I found it, signing the order to terminate your life.” She tried to break away from the foul stench of being broken up.
It's a real pity and tragic that Britain was so cash strapped that the Royal Navy had no means to even fund her as a hulk. Then the cost of restoration would have been enormous. That said, if any ship in the Royal Navy ought to have been preserved, it was HMS Waspite. She is my favorite battleship and over the course of 60 years, I have built no less than 5 models of the ship. From the 1/600 scale Airfix model to the 1/250 scale example. As an aside, Waspite had earned 15 battle honours, and her crest was a woodpecker. You may have seen it on her 15 inch gun tompions in some photos.
"Her oldest loves, the wind and the sea, have helped the Old Lady of the Fleet to cheat the executioner. She is ashore, apparently for good..."
After she broke away from her tugs to ram Prussia Cove, Warspite had at least 4 more casualties, which is more than what many ships could claim in their entire careers:
Barnet (trawler), found with a huge hole after spending a night tied up next to Warspite's wreck. She was allowed to drift off and sank 5 July 1950.
Masterman (tugboat used in salvage operation), struck rocks. Survived until 1973.
Tradesman (tugboat, sister to Masterman), had her propellers tangled in ropes trying to pull her sister free and damaged. Survived until 1974.
Albatros (Dutch steamship carrying scrap metal from Warspite), ran aground in thick fog and had to be scrapped on the shore 23 December 1952.
Interesting as always! Thank you.
My dad was a radio op on HMS Gazelle, a minesweeper which escorted HMS Warspite while she bombarded Le Havre. Several shell passed over Gazelle trying to get at the grand old lady, but no hits were scored!
Last year I purchased a 1/1250 model of a Tug, whose significance was not apparent - HMS Bustler. Thanks for the Video explaining Her role in the`Grand Old Lady`s` Fate.
The Grand Old Lady. The spirit of defiance, and even mother nature sought to free her from her fate. It is a shame that she was never preserved but anyone who looks into the finances of the foundation for USS Texas, knows just how probitively expensive maintaining an aged and worn out battleship is.
Though i have no personal connections to her myself as far as i know, i do wish to visit that memorial and see just how much of her left, still defying her fate.
Thanks!
Thank you!
My all-time favorite British warships will always be spread amongst first and foremost, HMS Rodney and Nelson due to their layout (definitely NOT their speed capabilities), also HMS Prince of Wales, HMS King George V, and HMS Ark Royal. There were also some small and heavy cruisers spread out among the Home Fleet that deserve mention due to the sinking of the Bismarck and other battles (like the scuttling of the Graf Spee in Montevideo Harbor).
So sad she wasn't preserved and we have no British WW2/WW1 battleship left. She was the obvious one to keep because of her history in both wars.
She was full of concrete,patched up and a worn out hulk.
If you were to pick a WW1 / 2 battleship then HMS Queen Elizabeth was in far,far better condition.
But didn’t have the history.
Fritz X was more dangerous than we thought.
I will cry watching this Vid
Shame on the UK and crown for destroying the most decorated warship they had in the modern era. She outclassed the Rodney and KGV classes by a mile. This even though she was much older.
She was worn out, badly damaged and 30 years old. Britain was flat broke (not as badly as now) and rebuilding battered and bombed towns for the future was far more important than preserving an obsolete old wreck.
Personally I would have liked to see The Grand Old Lady survive but it never happened for millions of pounds worth of reasons. At least Belfast is still with us.
@@philhawley1219 Then stick her on a sandbar somewhere until you have the means. The British people should never forget how much this one old battleship and her crew did to turn the tide of the war. It would make a people proud to have her sitting right next to the Golden Hinde (even though she is a replica) on the Thames. For Belfast, I'm glad she survived. She was not quite as decorated and only a cruiser. It really doesn't matter as the choice was made several years ago and you can never go back and undo the past.
Thank You .
grand old lady
I'm surprised that scraps aren't recovered and sold off
Probably a mercy for the Japanese that Warspite never joined the British Pacific Fleet. As I suspect that had the Atomic bombs and Soviets not persuaded them to surrender. The next plan before Operation Downfall would have been her and Enterprise joining forces.
Now that would have been a war crime lol
They should have stored her until the economy was better.
That still takes money. What the video didn't say was that they used concrete, not steel, to patch the underwater damage and keep her afloat. To keep her in storage they would have had to dry dock her, remove the concrete patch and repair the underwater damage just to keep her afloat long enough to become a museum.
Seeing that thumbnail hurts my soul and I'm American.
How about Enterprise should have been a museum ship
Someone in Gov should have overridden the Admiralty.
What? In a Labour government? Highly unlikely.
How many WWI ships were still in service in 1945?
She was one!
In the Royal Navy, in 1945, WW1 Battleships alone there were --
1, HMS Queen Elizabeth (QE Class)
2, HMS Warspite (Obviously) (QE Class)
3, HMS Valiant (QE Class)
4, HMS Malaya (QE Class)
5, HMS Revenge (R Class)
6, HMS Resolution (R Class)
7, HMS Royal Sovereign (R Class)
8, HMS Ramillies (R Class)
And one and a half Battlecruiser, HMS Renown. (Renown Class), HMS Furious (Courageous class), half as Furious wasn't reclassified as an Aircraft Carrier until 1925.
Hope this helps.......
@@joewalker2152 more than I would've expeted!
Any preserved?
🛟⚓️🤗
You forgot
HMS CAROLINE ww1 ship
Don't forget the V & W class destroyers, a few of which dated from WW1.
Or the early C class cruisers. Or the monitor HMS Erebus.
So little of the RN of this period remains, a pity. Post war Britain had rationing and bombed out areas, that remain a childhood memory. No money or thoughts for posterity.
The UK government had loads of money and misspent most of it.