HMS Duke of York (17): Difference between revisions

In October 1942, ''Duke of York'' was involved in the [[Operation Torch|Allied invasion of North Africa]], but saw little action as her role only required her to protect the accompanying [[aircraft carrier]]s. HMS ''Duke of York'' stopped the Portuguese vessel {{ship||Gil Eannes|ship|2}} on 1 November 1942 and a [[commando]] arrested [[Gastão de Freitas Ferraz]]. The British had picked up radio traffic indicating [[naval espionage]], possibly compromising the secrecy of the upcoming [[Operation Torch]].

On 26 December 1943 ''Duke of York'' was part of a task force which encountered the {{ship|German battleship|Scharnhorst}} off the [[North Cape, Norway|North Cape]] of Norway. During [[Battle of North Cape|the engagement]] that followed, ''Scharnhorst'' hit ''Duke of York'' twice with little effect, but was herself hit by several of ''Duke of York''{{'}}s 14-inch shells, silencing one of her turrets and hitting a boiler room. After temporarily escaping from ''Duke of York''{{'}}s heavy fire, ''Scharnhorst'' was struck several times by torpedoes, allowing ''Duke of York'' to again open fire, contributing to the eventual sinking of ''Scharnhorst'' after a running action lasting ten-and-a-half hours.

In 1945 ''Duke of York'' was assigned to the [[British Pacific Fleet]] as its [[flagship]], but suffered mechanical problems in [[Malta]] which prevented her arriving in time to see any action before [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender|Japan surrendered]].

In the aftermath of the First World War, the [[Washington Naval Treaty]] was drawn up in 1922 in an effort to stop an [[arms race]] developing between Britain, Japan, France, Italy and the United States. This treaty limited the number of ships each nation was allowed to build and capped the [[tonnage]] of all [[capital ships]] at 35,000 tons.<ref>Raven and Roberts, p. 107</ref> These restrictions were extended in 1930 through the [[London Naval Treaty|Treaty of London]], however, by the mid-1930s Japan and Italy had withdrawn from both of these treaties and the British became concerned about a lack of modern battleships within their navy. As a result, the [[Admiralty]] ordered the construction of a new battleship class: the {{sclass-|King George V|battleship (1939)|4}}. Due to the provisions of both the Washington Naval Treaty and the [[London Naval Treaty|Treaty of London]], both of which were still in effect when the ''King George V''s were being designed, the main armament of the class was limited to the {{convert|14|in|mm|sing=on|0}} guns prescribed under these instruments. They were the only battleships built at that time to adhere to the treaty and even though it soon became apparent to the British that the other signatories to the treaty were ignoring its requirements, it was too late to change the design of the class before they were laid down in 1937.<ref name=K20>Konstam, p. 20</ref>

She was powered by [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, driving four propeller shafts. Steam was provided by eight Admiralty 3-drum [[water-tube boiler]]s which normally delivered {{convert|100000|shp|lk=in}}, but could deliver {{convert|110000|shp|abbr=on}} at emergency overload.{{#tag:ref|The [[King George V-class battleship (1939)#Machinery|''King George V''-class]] battleships had their steam plant specifications revised during the building phase, and as built the ships actually produced {{convert|110,000|shp|abbr=on}} at 230 rpm, and were designed for an overload power of {{convert|125,000|shp|abbr=on}}, which was exceeded in service.<ref>Raven and Roberts, p.284 and 304</ref><ref>Garzke, p. 191</ref>|group=N}}

This gave ''Duke of York'' a top speed of {{convert|28|kn|lk=in}}.<ref name="K20"/><ref>Garzke, p. 238</ref> The ship carried {{convert|3700|LT|t|-2}} of fuel oil, which was later increased to {{convert|4030|LT|t|-2}}.<ref name=C15/> She also carried {{convert|183|LT|t|-2}} of diesel oil, {{convert|256|LT|t|-2}} of reserve feed water and {{convert|430|LT|t|-2}} of freshwater.<ref>Garzke, p. 253</ref> At full speed ''Duke of York'' had a range of {{convert|3100|nmi}} at {{convert|27|kn}}.<ref name=C6>Chesneau, p. 6</ref>

''Duke of York'' mounted 10 [[BL 14 inch Mk VII naval gun|BL {{convert|14|in|mm|sing=on|0}} Mk VII guns]], which were mounted in one Mark II twin turret forward and two Mark III quadruple turrets, one forward and one [[aft]]. The guns could be elevated 40 degrees and depressed 3 degrees, while their [[training arc]]s varied. Turret "A" was able to traverse 286 degrees, while turrets "B" and "Y" could both move through 270 degrees. Hydraulic drives were used in the training and elevating process, achieving rates of two and eight degrees per second, respectively. A full gun [[broadside]] weighed {{convert|15950|lb|kg}}, and a [[salvo]] could be fired every 40 seconds.<ref>Garzke, p. 227</ref> The secondary armament consisted of 16 [[QF 5.25 inch Mark I naval gun|QF {{convert|5.25|in|mm|sing=on}} Mk I]] [[dual purpose gun|dual purpose]] guns which were mounted in eight twin turrets.<ref name=G229>Garzke, p. 229</ref> The maximum range of the Mk I guns was {{convert|24070|yd|m|1}} at a 45-degree elevation, the anti-aircraft ceiling was {{convert|49000|ft|m|1}}. The guns could be elevated to 70 degrees and depressed to 5 degrees.<ref>Garzke, p. 228</ref> The normal rate of fire was ten to twelve rounds per minute, but in practice the guns could only fire seven to eight [[rounds per minute]].<ref name="G229"/>

Along with her main and secondary batteries, ''Duke of York'' carried 48 [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2 pdr ({{convert|40|mm|in|adj=on|1}}) Mk.VIII]] "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns in six octuple, power-driven, mountings. These were supplemented by six [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|in|adj=on|1}} Oerlikon]] light AA guns in single, hand-worked, mounts.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 287, 290</ref>

On 1 March 1942 she provided close escort for [[Convoy PQ 12]] in company with the [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Renown|1916|2}}, the cruiser {{HMS|Kenya|14|2}}, and six destroyers. On 6 March that force was reinforced with one of ''Duke of York''{{'}}s sister-ships, {{HMS|King George V|41|2}}, and the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Victorious|R38|2}}, the [[heavy cruiser]] {{HMS|Berwick|65|2}}, and six destroyers as a result of [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] [[John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey|John Tovey]]'s concerns that the {{ship|German battleship|Tirpitz}} might attempt to intercept the convoy. On 6 March the German battleship put to sea and was sighted by a British [[submarine]] around 19:40; no contact was made, however, except for an unsuccessful aerial torpedo attack by aircraft from ''Victorious''.<ref name=G216/>

With her refit completed, ''Duke of York'' resumed her status as flagship from 14 May 1943 pending the departure of ''King George V'' and ''Howe'' for [[Operation Husky]], the Allied invasion of [[Sicily]]. Operation Gearbox in June 1943 involved a sweep by ''Duke of York'' and {{HMS|Anson|79|2}}, in company with the US battleships {{USS|Alabama|BB-60|2}} and {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|2}}, to provide distant cover for minor operations in [[Spitsbergen]] and the [[Kola Inlet]], while the following month diversionary operations, code-named "Camera" and "Governor of Norway," were carried out in order to draw the Germans' attention away from [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Operation Husky]].<ref name=C14/> On 4 October, ''Duke of York'' and ''Anson'' covered a force of Allied cruisers and destroyers and the American carrier {{USS|Ranger|CV-4|2}} under [[Operation Leader]], which raided German shipping off Norway. The attack resulted in the sinking of four German merchant ships and damage to seven others, which forced many of them to be grounded.<ref>Rohwer, p. 280</ref>

=== Action with ''Scharnhorst'' ===

In 1943 the German battleship ''Scharnhorst'' moved to [[Norway]], a position whence she could threaten the [[Arctic convoys of World War II|Arctic convoys]] to [[Russia]]. With ''Tirpitz'' and two armoured ships{{Citation needed|date=August 2016}} also in Norwegian [[List of Norwegian fjords|fjords]], it was necessary for the [[Royal Navy]] to provide heavy escorts for [[List of Allied convoys during World War II by region|convoys]] between Britain and Russia. One of these was sighted by the Germans in early December 1943, and Allied intelligence concluded that the following convoy, [[Convoy JW 55B]], would be attacked by the German surface ships. Two surface forces (Forces 1 and 2) were assigned to provide distant cover to JW 55B, which had left [[Loch Ewe]] on 22 December. On 25 December 1943, ''Scharnhorst'' was reported at sea, escorted by five [[Type 1936A-class destroyer|Narvik-class destroyer]]s (''[[German World War II destroyers|Z-29]]'', ''Z-30'', ''Z-33'', ''Z-34'', and ''Z-38''). Force 1, comprising the {{sclass2-|County|cruiser|0}} heavy cruiser {{HMS|Norfolk|78|2}}, and the {{sclass2-|Town|cruiser (1936)|0}} [[light cruiser]]s {{HMS|Belfast|C35|2}} and ''Sheffield'', made contact shortly after 0900 on 26 December. A brief gunnery engagement followed, without damage to Force 1, but two hits from a cruiser's guns upon ''Scharnhorst'' resulted in the destruction of her radar controls. In worsening weather, unable to effectively control her fire, ''Scharnhorst'' was unable to convert a tactical advantage of greater range and weight of shot. Fearing she was in a gunnery duel with a battleship, ''Scharnhorst'' turned away, outdistancing her pursuers. She again outran Force 1 after a second brief skirmish around noon that did not further damage ''Scharnhorst'', but did result in hits on ''Norfolk'' which disabled a main battery turret and her radar.<ref>Garzke, p. 218</ref> [[Kriegsmarine]] [[Konteradmiral]] ([[Rear admiral|Rear Admira]]<nowiki/>l) [[Erich Bey]], aboard ''Scharnhorst'', having already detached his destroyers to independently seek out Convoy JW 55B, ordered ''Scharnhorst'' to return to port at [[Altafjord]], Norway.{{cn|date=January 2019}}

Meanwhile, Force 2, comprising ''Duke of York'', the {{sclass2-|Crown Colony|cruiser|0}} light cruiser {{HMS|Jamaica|44|2}}, and four destroyers (the [[S and T-class destroyer|S-class]] {{HMS|Saumarez|G12|2}}, {{HMS|Savage|G20|2}}, and {{HMS|Scorpion|G72|2}}, and the Norwegian destroyer {{HNoMS|Stord|G26|2}}), was closing, and it was estimated that a night action with ''Scharnhorst'' would commence around 1715. But ''Scharnhorst'' altered course, and ''Belfast'' regained radar contact, passing it to Force 2. ''Duke of York'' made her initial radar contact at 1617, at a distance of {{convert|45,500|yd|m}}, and Force 2 began to manoeuvre for broadside fire and torpedo runs by the destroyers. ''Belfast'' fired [[star shell]]s at 1648 to illuminate ''Scharnhorst'', followed by another star shell from one of ''Duke of York''{{'}}s {{convert|5.25|in|mm|sing=on|0}} guns, taking ''Scharnhorst'' by surprise with her main battery trained fore and aft. By 1650, ''Duke of York'' had closed to less than {{convert|12000|yd|m}} and opened fire with a full 10-gun [[broadside]], scoring one hit. Although under heavy fire, ''Scharnhorst''{{'}}s return fire straddled ''Duke of York'' a number of times and hit her twice. A {{convert|28.3|cm|adj=on|1}} shell passed through the mainmast and its [[Port and starboard|port]] leg without detonating,<ref>Raven and Roberts, &nbsp;p. 356</ref> but fragments from the hit destroyed the cable for the main [[search radar]]. A {{convert|15|cm|adj=on|1}} shell also pierced the port [[strut]] of the [[foremast]] without exploding.<ref name=G220>Garzke, &nbsp;p.220</ref> At 1655, a {{convert|14|in|mm|sing=on|0}} shell from ''Duke of York'' silenced ''Scharnhorst''{{'}}s forward main battery [[gun turret|turrets]] Anton and Bruno, but she maintained speed so that by 1824 the range had opened to {{convert|21400|yd|m}}, when ''Duke of York'' ceased fire after expending fifty-two broadsides.<ref>Garzke, &nbsp;p.219</ref> However, one shell from the final salvoes pierced ''Scharnhorst''{{'}}s armour belt and destroyed her No. 1 boiler room, slowing the ship and allowing the pursuing British destroyers to overtake her.<ref>{{cite book|title=Operation "Ostfront" - The Battle off the North Cape (25-26. December 1943)|url=http://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhorst/history/scharnostfront.html}}</ref>

Force 2's destroyers attacked at 1850 with [[torpedo]]es, launching 28 and scoring hits with four. This further slowed ''Scharnhorst'', and at 1901 ''Duke of York'' and ''Jamaica'' again opened fire, at a range of {{convert|10400|yd|m}}. At 1915, ''Belfast'' also began shelling ''Scharnhorst'', and both ''Belfast'' and ''Jamaica'' fired their remaining torpedoes. At least ten 14-inch shells had already hit the German battleship, causing fires and explosions, and silencing most of the secondary battery. By 1916, all three main {{convert|28.3|cm|1|adj=on}} turrets aboard ''Scharnhorst'' had ceased firing, and her speed had been cut to {{convert|10|kn}}. ''Duke of York'' ceased fire at 1930 to allow her escorting cruisers and destroyers to close on ''Scharnhorst''.<ref name=G220/> In the final stages of the battle, the destroyers {{HMS|Matchless|G52|2}}, {{HMS|Musketeer|G86|2}}, {{HMS|Opportune|G80|2}}, and {{HMS|Virago|R75|2}} fired a total of 19 torpedoes at ''Scharnhorst,'' causing her to [[Angle of list|list]] badly to port, and at 1945 ''Scharnhorst'' [[Capsizing|capsized]] and quickly sank after a running action lasting ten-and-a-half hours, taking with her 1,932 men (there were only 36 survivors).<ref>Chesneau, pp. 14–15</ref> Following her sinking, and the retreat of most of the remaining German heavy surface units from Norway, the need to maintain powerful surface forces in British home waters diminished.<ref name=G216/>

=== Subsequent operations ===

''Duke of York'' was [[flagship]] of the Home Fleet following the end of the war and remained in active service until April 1949.<ref name=G221/> She was laid up in November 1951, and on 18 May 1957, she was ordered scrapped. She was broken up by Shipbreaking Industries, Ltd., in [[Faslane]].<ref>Garzke, p. 222</ref> The ship's bell was salvaged and given to the Duke of York School [since renamed the [[Lenana School]]) in [[Nairobi, Kenya]].