Battleship HMS Duke of York

HMS Duke of York

HMS Duke of York was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy. Laid down in May 1937 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 4 November 1941, she subsequently saw combat service during the Second World War.

In October 1942, Duke of York was involved in the Allied invasion of North Africa, but saw little action as her role only required her to protect the accompanying aircraft carriers.

On 26 December 1943 Duke of York was part of a task force which encountered the German battleship Scharnhorst off the North Cape of Norway. During 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 Japan surrendered.

After the war, Duke of York remained active until she was laid up in November 1951. She was eventually scrapped in 1957.