At Sea. The battle cruiser HMS Repulse built in 1916 of 26,500 tons displacement and ...

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.