The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
At Sea. The battle cruiser HMS Repulse built in 1916 of 26,500 tons displacement and reconstructed in the period 1936-1939 to 32,000 tons. Repulse had taken part in the Battle of Heligoland in 1917 and in 1923 was one of a group of Royal Navy ships which completed a worldwide cruise during which a visit was made to Australia. During the Second World War, Repulse operated in the Atlantic and Mediterranean areas before being ordered to Singapore in October 1941. She was soon joined by the newly commissioned battleship HMS Prince of Wales and on 8 December 1941, the two ships sailed north east into the South China Sea in company with four destroyers. Two days later, 10 December 1941, this fleet was located by Japanese forces and came under heavy attack by bombers and torpedo bombers based at Saigon. Several attacks by the Japanese strike forces inflicted severe damage on Repulse and Prince of Wales and the two ships were sunk. Some 796 officers and men from Repulse were picked up by HMAS Vampire, one of the supporting destroyers. In addition, ninety officers and 1196 men from Prince of Wales were saved.
BAY OF BISCAY. 1943-05-29. SUNDERLAND T9114-E OF NO 461 SQUADRON RAAF, UNDER TOW BY THE FRENCH DESTROYER 'LA COMBATTANTE'. THE AIRCRAFT HAD LANDED TO PICK UP SIXTEEN SURVIVORS FROM TWO OTHER AIRCRAFT
AT SEA, OFF MALAYA, 1941-12-10. THE BRITISH BATTLESHIP HMS PRINCE OF WALES SINKING AFTER BEING HIT BY JAPANESE BOMBS AND TORPEDOES ON 1941-12-10. Z FORCE, COMPRISING THE BATTLESHIPS PRINCE OF WALES AN
East Coast of Malaya. 1941-12-10. The new RN battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battle cruiser HMS Repulse were sunk by Japanese air attack on 1941-12-10. 800 lives were lost. HMS Prince of Wales
East Coast of Malaya. 1941-12-10. Heads of crew members of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse bobbing in the water as a destroyer moves in for the rescue. Some 2320 men from both ships were saved aft
Correspondence and related research papers on the sinking of HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales, 1941 - 1942. Other items include a photograph of the HMS Repulse.
SOUTH CHINA SEA. 1941-12-10. LAST MOMENTS OF BRITISH BATTLE CRUISER "REPULSE" (ABOVE) AND BRITISH BATTLESHIP "PRINCE OF WALES" SUNK BY JAPANESE NAVAL AIRCRAFT, DURING THE JAPANESE INVASION OF MALAYA.
In Harbour. The battle cruiser HMS Renown in company with other warships during the Second World War. In the right background is a Queen Elizabeth class battleship. Renown was commissioned in 1916 and
