The Queen Elizabeth-class battleship that survived a world war only to face a submarine

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Built to outrun and outgun any rival, HMS Barham was a cornerstone of the British Grand Fleet. From the massive scale of the Battle of Jutland to complex Mediterranean convoys, this vessel saw the breadth of global conflict before meeting a sudden, violent end off the Egyptian coast.

Launched in late 1914, HMS Barham was a key member of the Queen Elizabeth-class, a group of ships designed for high-speed offensive operations. These vessels were engineered to outpace the enemy battleline, utilizing powerful Brown-Curtis steam turbines to reach speeds of 25 knots. During her 1916 sea trials, Barham achieved a mean top speed of 23.91 knots. Her primary firepower consisted of eight 15-inch breech-loading guns, distributed across four twin-gun turrets.

The ship's service spanned two world wars. She acted as a flagship throughout the First World War and fought in the Battle of Jutland. In the interwar years, Barham was deployed to the Atlantic and Mediterranean, even being used to help manage unrest in Palestine during the late 1920s and throughout the late 1930s. By the start of the Second World War in September 1939, she was already a seasoned veteran, though she suffered an accidental collision with the destroyer HMS Duchess while returning home three months later.

Barham's final chapter was marked by intense Mediterranean service, including the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941 and the evacuation of Crete. Her end came in November 1941, when she was sunk off the Egyptian coast by the German submarine U-331. The attack resulted in the loss of 862 crewmen, representing approximately two-thirds of the ship's total complement. This loss highlights the devastating impact of submarine warfare even against heavily armored, high-speed battleships.

Throughout her life, Barham underwent significant technological shifts, including the addition of torpedo bulges in the 1930s to improve stability and underwater protection. These modifications increased her displacement to 35,970 long tons at deep load and widened her beam by nearly 14 feet to 104 feet. Despite her immense defensive and offensive capabilities, the ship's vulnerability to modern sub-surface threats remained a critical reality of naval warfare.

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