![\"British](\"https:\/\/secondbysecondworldwar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Wbarham.jpg\")
<\/a>British battleship HMS Barham explodes, 25 November 1941 [Public domain wiki]<\/p><\/div>This week in the war, on the afternoon of 25 November 1941, the British battleship HMS Barham<\/em> was torpedoed and sunk by the U-331, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen. The event took place in the eastern Mediterranean north of Sollum in western Egypt.<\/p>\n HMS Barham<\/em> was a World War I vintage battleship, launched on Clydebank on 31 December 1914. She served as a flagship with the Grand Fleet and took part in the Battle of Jutland. She was refitted between the wars, and anti-torpedo blisters were added.<\/p>\n During World War II, she was part of Admiral Cunningham’s eastern Mediterranean battle-squadron, which included her sister ships HMS Queen Elizabeth<\/em> and HMS Valiant<\/em>.<\/p>\n The U-331 penetrated the battle-squadron’s destroyer screen and fired three torpedoes at the Barham<\/em>. All of them struck home. The ship’s magazine exploded and the Barham<\/em> sank with great loss of life: over 800 sailors killed.<\/p>\n Once again, the wisdom of Hitler’s decision to send additional U-boats to the Mediterranean was confirmed. The loss of the Barham<\/em> was a severe blow to British sea power in the Mediterranean, coming so soon after the loss of the Ark Royal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This week in the war, on the afternoon of 25 November 1941, the British battleship HMS Barham was torpedoed and sunk by the U-331, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen. The event took place in the eastern Mediterranean north of … Continue reading