Dates: 1941 - 1951
HMS Duke of York (pennant number 17) was a King George V class battleship of the Royal Navy, and the second of the name. Complement: 1,556.
She was laid down at the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank in May 1937 and launched in September 1939. On her shakedown cruise in December, 1941, she embarked Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill for a trip to confer with United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, arriving in Annapolis on 22 December 1941. In March, 1942, she escorted the Russia-bound convoy PQ-12 with the intention of intercepting the German battleship Tirpitz. On 6 March, Tirpitz did put to sea, but no contact was made.
In late December 1943, Duke of York was part of the Home Fleet, covering convoys between the UK and the Soviet Union. German surface vessels based in Norway were a constant threat to these convoys, and the German fleet-in-being forced the retention of powerful naval forces in British home waters.
One of those vessels was the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. During the passage of convoy JW55B, Scharnhorst left her base and steamed to engage. In the unfolding battle, Duke of York scored a vital hit in Scharnhorst’s boiler room which prevented her escape and led to her destruction in the Battle of North Cape. After the sinking of Scharnhorst and the retreat of most of the other German heavy units from Norway, the need to maintain powerful forces in British home waters was diminished.
After a modernization in Liverpool during 1944 which included the enhancement of her anti-aircraft armament, Duke of York joined the British Pacific Fleet. The ship performed a vital anti-aircraft protection role for the aircraft carriers of the fleet and also bombarded Japanese positions on several occasions. She was flagship of the British Pacific Fleet when Japan surrendered.
Association:
HMS Duke of York Association
E-mail: Sporkeye@hotmail.com
Web Page: http://www.geocities.com/hmsdukeofyork/
