HMS Malaya (1915)

HMS "Malaya" was a "Queen Elizabeth" class battleship of the Royal Navy built by Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company at High Walker and launched in March 1915. She was named in honour of the Federated Malay States in British Malaya, whose government paid for her construction.

In World War I she served in Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas's 5th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet. She took part in the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916, where she was hit eight times and took major damage and heavy crew casualties.

In 1922 Malaya carried the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed VI into exile.

In World War II she served in the Mediterranean in 1940, escorting convoys and operating against the Italian fleet. On one occasion her presence in a convoy was sufficiently discouraging to the German commerce raiders "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" that they withdrew rather than risk damage in an attack. [ [http://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhorst/history/scharnberlin.html www.scharnhorst-class.dk] ]

She was damaged by a torpedo from "U-106" at 2323 on 20 March 1941. U-106 attacked the shadow of a merchant ship with a spread of two stern torpedoes in bad light from the port side of the convoy SL-68 about 250 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Kptlt Jürgen Oesten (Knight's Cross) heard hits after 2 minutes 37 seconds and 3 minutes 35 seconds. One torpedo damaged "Malaya" and the other the "Meerkerk." "Malaya" was hit by the torpedo on the port side, causing considerable damage. Due to the flooding of some compartments the ship took a list of 7 degrees, but safely reached Trinidad. After temporary repairs were made, she continued to the New York Navy Yard, where she was docked for four months.

On 9 July, under the command of Captain Cuthbert Coppinger R.N., the battleship left New York on trials and steamed to Halifax, Nova Scotia to provide protection for an urgent fast convoy. On this Atlantic crossing no ships were lost and "Malaya" arrived on 28 July in Rosyth. Thereafter "Malaya" escorted convoys from the UK to Malta and Cape Town until summer 1943. "Malaya" was withdrawn from service at the end of 1944 and placed in reserve and served as an accommodation ship. Sold on 20 February 1948 to Metal Industries, she arrived at Faslane on 12 April 1948 for scrapping. The ship's bell can be seen in the East India Club, London.

External links

* [http://www.royal-navy.org/warships/period-11/index.php?name=2 Royal Navy History, HMS Malaya, Institute of Naval History]
* [http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/malaya.htm Page about the ship from battleships-cruisers.co.uk]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/battleships/malaya/hms_malaya.htm Maritimequest HMS Malaya Photo Gallery]