HMS Warspite

Brit csatahajó

April 1941. British Movietone News. Footage of the British battleship, HMS Warspite, following the battle of Cape Matapan against the Italian navy. HMS Warspite (pennant number 03) was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was launched on 26 November 1913 at Devonport Royal Dockyard. She was, and is, one of the most famous and glamorous of names in the Royal Navy. Warspite would, during World War II, gain the nickname "The Grand Old Lady", after a comment made by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham in 1943.From 27 to 29 March, 1941, Warspite took part as the flagship of Admiral Cunningham in the Battle of Cape Matapan, in which three Italian heavy cruisers and two destroyers were sunk in a night action. On 21 April, 1941, still under Cunningham's command, Warspite along with battleships Barham and Valiant, as well as the cruiser Gloucester and various destroyers, attacked Tripoli harbour. Warspite also took part in the naval portion of the Battle of Crete, where she was badly damaged by German bombers. Warspite's sister ships were all sunk or heavily damaged during their time in the Mediterranean. HMS Barham was torpedoed and sunk by a submarine, and Valiant and Queen Elizabeth both spent time resting on the bottom of Alexandria harbour after their hulls were holed in an attack by Italian frogmen. Warspite stayed afloat but was damaged several times.