HMS Malaya

HMS Malaya

Company type	Battleship
Industry	Naval warfare
Founded	March 1915 (1915-03)
Headquarters	Newcastle upon Tyne , United Kingdom
Products	Queen Elizabeth-class battleship

HMS Malaya Overview

HMS Malaya was among the quintet of Queen Elizabeth-class super-dreadnoughts constructed for the Royal Navy during the 1910s. Shortly after her commissioning in early 1916, she took part in the Battle of Jutland as a component of the Grand Fleet during the First World War.

During the interwar years, Malaya was assigned to various fleets including the Mediterranean Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, and Home Fleet. Notably, she transported the exiled Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI and was active during the Arab revolt in Palestine between 1936 and 1939. Aside from these duties, her service in the interwar period remained largely uneventful.

With the onset of the Second World War, Malaya operated within the Mediterranean Fleet, undertaking convoy escort missions and participating in engagements such as the Battle of Calabria and Operation Grog. In March 1941, she was redeployed to the North Atlantic for convoy protection. During this time, she successfully deterred attacks by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. That same month, Malaya sustained torpedo damage inflicted by the German submarine U-106, necessitating repairs at the New York Naval Yard.

By late 1944, Malaya was withdrawn from front-line service and repurposed as an accommodation vessel for the training establishment HMS Vernon. Ultimately, she was dismantled and sold for scrap in 1948.

Design and description

The Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were conceived to serve as a swift squadron within the fleet, tasked with engaging the foremost vessels of the enemy's battleline and countering German battlecruisers attempting similar maneuvers. This role demanded superior offensive capability combined with a speed advantage of several knots over other battleships, enabling them to outpace and overcome any adversary. To meet these requirements, the breech-loading (BL) 15-inch (381mm) Mk I artillery was selected, representing a considerable enhancement compared to the 13.5-inch Mk V guns installed on the earlier Iron Duke-class. Additionally, a last-minute choice by the Admiralty to utilize oil-fired boilers contributed to increased vessel speed.Template:Fact

The Malaya measured 639 feet 9 inches (195 m) in overall length, had a beam of 90 feet 7 inches (27.6 m), and drew 33 feet (10.1 m) at deep load. Its standard displacement was 32,590 long tons (33,113 t), rising to 33,260 long tons (33,794 t) when fully loaded. Propulsion came from two sets of Parsons steam turbines, producing 75,000 shaft horsepower (56,000 kW) and turning two shafts powered by steam from 24 Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Although designed for a top speed of 25 knots (46.3 km/h; 28.8 mph), operational speeds typically reached between 23–24 knots (42.6–44.4 km/h; 26.5–27.6 mph). The vessel could cover 5,000 nautical miles (9,260 km; 5,754 mi) at a steady pace of 12 knots (22.2 km/h; 13.8 mph). In 1919, its complement consisted of 1,217 officers and ratings.

File:HMS Malaya guns.jpg

15-inch guns of 'A' and 'B' turrets trained to starboard, 6-inch guns in casemates below, c. 1920

Armament on the Queen Elizabeth class featured eight breech-loading (BL) 15-inch (381 mm) Mk I guns arranged in four twin-gun turrets. These were placed in two superfiring pairs both forward and aft of the superstructure, labeled 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from bow to stern. The secondary battery included twelve out of fourteen BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk XII guns mounted within casemates along the ship’s midsection broadside; the remaining two were positioned on the forecastle deck near the aft funnel and shielded by protective gun shields. For anti-aircraft defense, two quick-firing (QF) 3-inch (76 mm) 20 cwt Mk I guns were installed. The design also incorporated four submerged 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes—two per broadside.

Upon completion, Malaya was outfitted with two fire-control directors, each equipped with 15-foot (4.6 m) Rangefinding telemeter rangefinders. One director was situated above the armored conning tower beneath an armoured hood, while the other was placed in the spotting top atop the tripod foremast. Every turret also contained its own 15-foot rangefinder. Control of the main battery could be exercised from 'B' turret as well. After April 1917, secondary weapons were mainly directed by fire-control directors installed on either side of the compass platform on the foremast.

Protection-wise, the Queen Elizabeth class featured a waterline belt made from Krupp cemented armour (KC) measuring 13 inches (330 mm) in thickness over critical areas. The main gun turrets boasted KC armor ranging from 11 to 13 inches thick and rested on barbettes armored between 7 and 10 inches. The ships included multiple armored decks varying from inches in thickness. The primary conning tower was shielded by armor up to 13 inches thick. Following lessons from the Battle of Jutland, an additional inch of high-tensile steel was applied over magazine decks along with enhanced anti-flash measures within magazines.

In 1918, flying-off platforms were installed atop 'B' and 'X' turrets to facilitate launching fighters and reconnaissance aircraft; however, these platforms were removed at some point before Malaya’s major reconstruction between 1934 and 1936.

1924 modernization

In the initial post-war overhaul carried out in 1924, Malaya underwent the removal of her 3-inch artillery pieces along with the searchlight platforms located on the main mast, which were replaced by 4-inch high-angle guns. The subsequent 1926 upgrade introduced an additional pair of 4-inch guns, the installation of the HACS anti-aircraft fire control apparatus, a new fore-top structure, a shortened fore-topmast, and repositioned the 15-inch gunnery director. A short-range wireless transmitter was incorporated either during this period or slightly earlier.

Between 1927 and 1929, Malaya underwent a major refit that included updated anti-torpedo bulges, enhancements to collective protection, and improved water defense systems. A torpedo-control station and an HACS Mk I director were added as part of this modernization. Additionally, storage facilities for aviation fuel were expanded, alongside upgraded compartments for 6-inch ammunition. Modifications to the ship's bridgework were implemented, the stump fore-mast was removed, and the funnels were combined into a single streamlined structure known as "trunking." These changes resulted in a silhouette resembling that of HMS Warspite. The two submerged torpedo tubes at the stern were taken out in 1931.

From 1934 to 1936, Malaya experienced a comprehensive refit that fortified armor protection over the deck, magazines, and machinery spaces. The original armored conning tower was replaced with a more compact version. The previous 4-inch high-angle guns were substituted with four twin mounts housing 4-inch Mk XIX guns. Alongside these, two 2-pounder (40 mm) Mk VIII "pom-pom" mounts and four Vickers 0.5 in (12.7 mm) anti-aircraft machine guns were installed. The addition of a pom-pom director necessitated relocating the 6-inch director. The bow torpedo tubes were removed, while an aircraft catapult and hangar were fitted to accommodate aircraft operations. Following this refit, Malaya achieved her highest recorded speed of 23.7 knots (43.9 km/h; 27.3 mph) during trials.

After sustaining damage from a torpedo attack by U-106 in March 1941, repairs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard incorporated new office spaces and mounting points for two Type 281 early-warning radars, two Type 285 anti-aircraft radar units, a Type 284 range-finding radar, and multiple Type 282 pom-pom directors. Further radar installations occurred during a July 1941 refit in Britain, which also saw the removal of the 0.5-inch machine-gun mounts and the addition of eleven 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons.

The 1942 upgrade saw the removal of the aircraft catapult and installation of two twin-mounted 4-inch guns, two additional 20 mm Oerlikons, two eight-barrelled pom-pom mounts, and a Type 273 surface search radar. To accommodate these new systems and their crews, all of Malaya’s 6-inch guns were taken out and sealed over in 1943, while twenty-two extra 20-mm Oerlikon cannons were installed. The final refit in 1944 added eight more 20 mm Oerlikons, enhanced radar equipment, and introduced a Type 650 radio jamming device.

First World War

The Malaya was constructed by Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company at their High Walker shipyard in Newcastle upon Tyne, with her launch taking place in March 1915. She received her name in recognition of the Federated Malay States within British Malaya, whose government financed her building.

During the First World War, Malaya was assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet under Rear-Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas. She participated in the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916. In the engagement, she initially confronted German battlecruisers, focusing fire on the battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz and successfully landing multiple hits with her 15-inch (381 mm) main artillery. As the German battle line advanced against the 5th Battle Squadron, Malaya sustained seven hits from 12-inch (305 mm) shells fired by several German battleships. While withdrawing to regroup with the remainder of the Grand Fleet, she suffered an additional battleship-caliber impact, totaling eight shell strikes that inflicted severe damage and caused substantial casualties among her crew. Sixty-five personnel lost their lives either during the battle or subsequently due to injuries sustained. Despite this, the ship’s armor remained intact enough to prevent critical failure. Among those wounded was Able Seaman Willie Vicarage, who became notable for being one of the earliest recipients of facial reconstruction through plastic surgery and the first to undergo the innovative "tubed pedicle" procedure developed by Sir Harold Gillies. Notably, HMS Malaya was unique among vessels at Jutland for flying the red-white-black-yellow ensign of the Federated Malay States.

Apart from her involvement at Jutland and the indecisive Action of 19 August 1916, Malaya’s wartime duties primarily involved standard patrols and training exercises across the North Sea.

Between the wars

On 17 November 1922, Malaya transported Mehmed VI, the final Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from Istanbul into exile on Malta. Later, during August and September 1938, she was stationed at Haifa amid the Arab revolt in Palestine that spanned from 1936 to 1939.

Second World War

File:HMS MALAYA leaving New York Navy Yard after four months of repairs following a torpedo hit while on convoy escort duty, 9 July 1941. A5439.jpg

Malaya departing New York after undergoing repairs, 9 July 1941

During 1940, Malaya operated in the Mediterranean, providing escort to convoys and engaging the Italian naval forces. Her second major combat engagement, and the first during World War II, occurred at the Battle of Calabria on 9 June 1940. British naval units confronted an Italian fleet that included the battleships Conte di Cavour and Giulio Cesare. Under fire from Conte di Cavour, Malaya discharged multiple main battery shells towards the Italian vessels. Although the majority of the battle was dominated by Warspite, Malaya contributed to driving off the Italian warships without sustaining damage or scoring hits herself.

In February 1941, as part of Operation Grog, she bombarded Genoa. However, an error by the crew led to a 15-inch armor-piercing shell striking the south-east corner of the nave of Genoa Cathedral, where it failed to explode.

File:Unexploded shell in the cathedral in Genoa (Italy).jpg

Armor-piercing shell – with cap (left) lodged in the nave of Genoa Cathedral after being fired on 9 February 1941

In March 1941, Malaya was redeployed to the North Atlantic to escort convoys. On 7 March while protecting Convoy SL 67, she encountered German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, which were conducting the Operation Berlin campaign targeting Allied shipping. The presence of Malaya compelled these warships to retreat, although a subsequent attack by a U-boat inflicted some damage on the convoy despite attempts to target Malaya.

Later that month, while escorting Convoy SL 68, on the evening of 20 March 1941 approximately 250 nmi (460 km; 290 mi) west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands, Malaya was struck by a torpedo launched from U-106. The hit caused damage to her port side and resulted in a seven-degree list due to flooding. Consequently, she was forced to detach from the convoy and head for port under escort by the corvette Crocus. She arrived safely at Trinidad on 29 March. After undergoing temporary repairs, she proceeded to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where she remained docked for four months. During this period, crew members transported ten Banff-class sloops back to Britain.

Commanded by Captain Cuthbert Coppinger, Malaya departed New York on trials on 9 July and sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia to provide protection for a critical fast convoy. No vessels were lost during this mission, and she reached Rosyth on 28 July. Following this, she undertook convoy escort duties between the United Kingdom and Malta as well as Cape Town until mid-1943.

At the close of 1943, Malaya was placed into reserve status. Her secondary battery comprising six-inch guns was removed at this time, while her anti-aircraft defenses were strengthened. Between 15 and 17 May 1944, she served as a target ship in Loch Striven for testing inert prototypes of the Highball bouncing bomb, one of which caused a breach in her hull. Just prior to the Normandy landings, Malaya was reactivated to serve as a reserve bombardment vessel.

Fate

By late 1944, Malaya was withdrawn from active duty and repurposed as an accommodation ship supporting a torpedo training school. She was sold on 20 February 1948 to Metal Industries, Limited and arrived at Faslane on 12 April that year for dismantling. The ship’s first watch bell was refurbished and donated to the Perak Council in Malaya, where it now hangs in their Council Chamber. The bell farthest aft is preserved at the East India Club, while the second watch bell was given to the Victoria Institution on 12 September 1947 before being transferred to the Royal Malaysian Navy in 2007.

External links

• Royal Navy History: HMS Malaya, Institute of Naval History
• Detailed ship profile on battleships-cruisers.co.uk
• HMS Malaya Photo Archive at Maritimequest
• NavalHistory.net page for HMS Malaya
• Crew List for HMS Malaya, Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project