posted by author Charles McCain www.charlesmccain.com
Battleship HMS Prince of Wales
HMS Prince of Wales
Donation of Vice Admiral Harry Sanders, USN(Retired), 1969.
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
HMS Prince of Wales on sea trials shortly before her engagement with the Bismarck.
(Official US Navy photo)
Before going into action against the Bismarck, the officers and crew ofHMS Prince of Wales were as emotionally wound up tight as cat gut on a tennis racket. Most of the crew were young, “Hostilities Only” ratings as opposed to regular, long service Royal Navy sailors. This would be their first time in action.
Realizing this several minutes before the Prince of Wales engaged the Bismarck in the Battle of the Denmark Strait, Captain John Leach, RN, sent for the ship’s chaplain. Upon his breathless arrival on the open bridge, the Captain told the Padre that they were going into action and he wanted him to read a specific prayer over the public address system or tannoy. And the prayer the Captain wanted was “Sir Jacob Astley’s Prayer Before (the battle of) Edgehill.
The chaplain dashed to his cabin where he had the exact words of this prayer which would have been familiar to most of the crew. Upon returning to the bridge, the Padre took up the microphone and prayed:
“O Lord, Thou knowest how busy we must be today, if we forget Thee, do not Thou forget us; for Christ’s sake. Amen.”
Seconds later the main batteries fired. Amen.
One of the most iconic photographs of World War Two shows American and British officers and men at a church service on the quarterdeck of HMS Prince of Wales.
Atlantic Charter Conference, 10-12 August 1941
Church service on the after deck of HMS Prince of Wales, in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, during the conference. Seated in the center are President Franklin D. Roosevelt (left) and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Standing behind them are Admiral Ernest J. King, USN (between Roosevelt and Churchill); General George C. Marshall, U.S. Army; General Sir John Dill, British Army; Admiral Harold R. Stark, USN; and Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, RN.
USS Arkansas (BB-33) is in the center distance.
Donation of Vice Admiral Harry Sanders, USN(Retired), 1969.
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.