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00:00It's the early dawn on the 10th of December 1941.
00:04A task force of ships are off the coast of Malaya.
00:09They're hoping to launch a surprise attack against the Japanese,
00:12who they think are in Kuantan.
00:19The head of the task force is the HMS Prince of Wales
00:22and its captain, John Jack Leach.
00:26Sir, Tenedos is signaling distress.
00:29Bloody fools! We're under radio silence.
00:32This better be good.
00:41Leach speaks urgently with Admiral Phillips.
00:44Sir, Tenedos is under a Japanese bomber attack.
00:52It's the worst possible situation.
00:56With horror, they need to accept that the Japanese have found them
00:59and the entirety of Task Force Z is within range.
01:07Outside, the air trembles with the engines of Japanese aircraft.
01:11They come through the clouds and line up their target.
01:15First, they go for the aging battlecruiser, HMS Repulse.
01:19The bombs are away.
01:21They scream down towards the ship.
01:25And a tall column of water erupts on the starboard side,
01:28followed by several more on the port side.
01:31Captain Tennant of Repulse orders…
01:33All hands to action stations!
01:35A 250 kg bomb screams down.
01:41There's an enormous explosion as the bomb hits the Repulse amid ships.
01:47The captain is thrown to the floor as are the rest of the bridge.
01:51The bomb has penetrated through the port seaplane hangar and devastated the armored deck below.
01:59It's a scene of carnage as the fallen lie around the hangar.
02:04Repulse emerges from the fray with a plume of smoke coming from her upper deck where she'd been struck.
02:09Damage report. No critical damage.
02:13Her speed though is unaffected and she steams on, emitting just the faintest smoke curl.
02:20On the Prince of Wales, Leech turns and gives an order.
02:24Action stations, propel aircraft.
02:30More shapes emerge from the clouds.
02:32It's 67 Japanese bombers.
02:35Two squadrons separate and approach the capital ships in a pincer formation
02:41designed to reduce the effectiveness of the British anti-aircraft gunfire.
02:46From 8 miles away, they begin their dive.
02:49Philip's demeanor hardens as he broadcasts the order.
02:52All ships increase speed to 25 knots.
02:55All captains are granted freedom to maneuver.
02:58An officer hunches over his radio.
03:00For a message, over.
03:02His face drops.
03:03Sir, the aircraft to port appeared to be carrying torpedoes.
03:07There is no such aircraft around.
03:12Philips observes the sight through binoculars and watches aghast.
03:19The Japanese aircraft continue to lose height and fly into some low cloud
03:24before peering off the Prince of Wales port bow.
03:269 Japanese planes start their approach.
03:31They see the British ship in the distance as they come in skimming the waves.
03:36There's a flash as one by one the British anti-aircraft guns open fire.
03:41Tracers arc up towards the black dots in the sky and after 12 salvos the guns switch from controlled fire at individual planes to barrage fire.
03:52Hurling a curtain of bursting shells to provide a flak barrier for the hostile planes desperately trying to force them to drop their torpedoes early.
04:01The Japanese planes keep coming.
04:04The loaders begin trembling as they push shells into the magazine feeds hoping that something, anything will down just one of the planes.
04:12The British anti-aircraft gunners, however, are unprepared for the sheer speed of the Japanese planes.
04:18Most of the British anti-aircraft shells burst well behind the aircraft as they bear down upon the British ships.
04:25Battered but still flying, the Japanese pilots bravely push on until their torpedoes are in range.
04:33They drop.
04:35The fish are away.
04:37On the Prince of Wales there's horror as Captain Leach barks the order
04:42Hard support!
04:43Attempting to slip through the tracks of the torpedoes.
04:45Meanwhile, the Japanese bombers are too large and too fast to pull away quickly.
04:54And they fly straight at the Prince of Wales machine gunning as they go.
05:00Reaching the battleship well before their torpedoes do.
05:03And causing disorder on her decks, killing and wounding sailors as they approach.
05:07The British gunners are now firing at near point blank range.
05:10A Betty bomber takes a flak shell to the wing which snaps it from the body causing it to spin and dramatically slam into the water.
05:21But there's no time to celebrate.
05:23Two torpedoes move straight towards the ship and there's no avoiding a hit.
05:29All the men aboard brace for impact.
05:31Down!
05:33The first one strikes.
05:35A pillar of water erupts on the port side of the Prince of Wales and punches through the outer hull.
05:41But thankfully there's only limited flooding.
05:44Moments later the second torpedo strikes the Prince of Wales under her stern.
05:50Blasting open a hole some 4 meters high and 6 meters wide.
05:53It's a critical blow.
05:56There's now a direct route for water into the very heart of the ship.
06:00Sweeping sailors off their feet and drowning the ship's engine roof.
06:04Her speed immediately starts dropping.
06:08As water floods into her, emergency pumps are unable to stop the steady rise.
06:13The sailors continue to attempt repairs.
06:16Wading through water now waist deep to get to the hull.
06:18She begins listing the port.
06:21On the deck the gunners keep shooting to the point where the air can almost burn the skin.
06:28But their rounds explode behind the Japanese planes and the men brace for another impact.
06:34Brace for impact!
06:36All the sailors can do is watch, wait, hold on and hope!
06:39The tracks zip towards the ship and a torpedo strikes the Prince of Wales.
06:51Her electrical system at the stern suffers massive damage.
06:56Without power both the steering motors are dead.
06:59The Prince of Wales is a sitting duck.
07:02She's now a death trap.
07:04Captain Leach orders
07:05Flood the void spaces of the starboard torpedo defense system.
07:10We need the ship level.
07:12He needs the ship level, or almost level, so that his men can train their anti-aircraft guns,
07:17which are currently pointing too high.
07:19But this also makes the ship more vulnerable should she receive another torpedo strike.
07:24The sailors strap on any small arms they can to the side of the ship in a last ditched defense.
07:29By 1219 the Prince of Wales is left with little anti-aircraft protection.
07:35The gunners pour water on their boiling barrels and the loaders scramble to and from the magazine,
07:41knowing this will be a gamble at best.
07:44A gunner looks up.
07:46Contact due east.
07:48A huge formation of aircraft sweep down like a cloud, losing height and once again splitting into two attack formations.
07:56Six Betty bombers come in low and race towards the Prince of Wales on a raised starboard side,
08:03flying under the anti-aircraft fire she could offer on that side.
08:07The sailors begin firing with anything they could raise from below, but it's to no avail.
08:11All the fire goes harmlessly above the attackers.
08:15Torpedoes drop in quick succession.
08:18The sailors watch in horror as three torpedo tracks come straight for them.
08:22There's a hit.
08:29A jagged hole tears right through the ship as the first torpedo blows clean out through the other side.
08:36The force of the current dragging sailors under and out of the ship.
08:41The second torpedo strikes almost directly on the B turret, shooting a plume of oil and water up the side of the ship.
08:48The final torpedo strikes the unarmored section of the hull where there is only one inch thick steel.
08:56There's nothing Captain Leach can do.
08:59The steering gear of his ship is completely useless.
09:03Meanwhile, the repulse is putting up a valiant defense against her attackers.
09:08Captain Tennant turns his great ship swiftly towards the diving aircraft readying his vessel to pass through the tracks of the torpedoes that he knows are coming.
09:19The torpedoes drop and as they run in the water they leave a telltale trail of white bubbles.
09:25Captain Tennant brings all his seamanship to bear as he manages to dodge the tracks of every one of the torpedoes dropped by the two Japanese squadrons.
09:36As well as the others coming from the attack on the Prince of Wales going on at the same time.
09:41Each member of the bridge holds on as the ship leans and lists from Tennant's audacious steering.
09:47The crew speak later with pride of 19 torpedoes missing due to the maneuver and how the huge ship had been thrown about like a destroyer.
09:59Incredibly he also avoids all the bombs from high level bombers dropped from 12,000 feet.
10:05But at 12.20 on the Prince of Wales Phillips is left with no option.
10:11Reluctantly he orders his radio signalers to break radio silence and transmit to the rest of the task force to come to the aid of the Prince of Wales and the repulse.
10:22At 12.23 the remaining 20 or so torpedo bombers almost simultaneously pounce on repulse from different directions.
10:30Her main guns keep firing against the incoming enemy.
10:36The 15 inch shells fly straight into the water hoping to create a splash powerful enough to get enemy planes into the waves.
10:44But the repulse crew is out of luck today.
10:47The first eight aircraft drop their torpedoes on her starboard side.
10:52Captain Tennant turns repulse to starboard to dodge the torpedoes again.
10:56But then the three aircraft attack repulse on her port side.
11:03Captain Tennant can do no more than continue his turn to starboard to avoid the first eight torpedoes.
11:09The deckhands and gunners keep up as much fire as they can but they know it will make little difference.
11:15Men fall to the floor and cover their heads.
11:18A torpedo hits repulse and midships on the port side.
11:20But does little significant damage.
11:24She continues maneuvering and steams at 25 knots.
11:28Tennant is not going to stop.
11:30Set a new heading for…
11:33He never finishes his sentence as a torpedo hits.
11:38Immediately nine aircraft attack repulse from different angles.
11:42Six planes attempt to work their way round to her starboard side while the remaining three Betty bombers go straight in at her port side.
11:51It's a skillfully executed attack.
11:54Repulse's engines are still fully functioning but with her rudder jammed she's simply steaming in a circle.
12:02The gunners don't know what to do.
12:04Tell the bridge we can't get a good view of the planes. We need to change course.
12:10Enemy incoming!
12:12The three Betty bombers fly forward seemingly unfazed by the Akak fire the British can muster.
12:18And they drop their torpedoes in a slow sequence as if contemptible of the Navy's attempts to fend them off.
12:24And they continue their course strafing the deck and scattering the sailors as they overfly.
12:30I bet he ignites and spins rapidly out of control and thumps into the water.
12:39Shortly after, a gunner leveling his weapon at the approaching bomber sends a shell straight through the cockpit.
12:46And the Japanese aircraft explodes in mid-air.
12:51It's a small constellation.
12:55Two explosions tear through the lower decks, immediately causing catastrophic flooding and destroying the engines.
13:04Repulse lists the port and looks done for.
13:08But the Japanese are not finished yet.
13:11At 12.25 the other six torpedo bombers skim the waves towards Repulse's starboard side.
13:18The men on deck watch helplessly before scattering for cover.
13:22All six planes release their torpedoes at once.
13:27The weight is agonizing.
13:29Two rudimentary shots ring from the guns as the planes fly overhead.
13:35But the torpedoes are still coming.
13:37They're silent.
13:38A rating puts his head over the rail.
13:42He's rocked by a pummeling explosion.
13:48Even though five missed, a final torpedo scored the single hit.
13:53Over the last four to five minutes Repulse had been hit by four, possibly five torpedoes.
13:58Very quickly the list to port starts to increase with men leaning and staggering their way through the ship.
14:06All 51 of the Japanese torpedo bombers had now completed their attacks.
14:12But only eight of the 34 high-level bombers had done so.
14:15Two squadrons of high-level bombers remain that had not yet attacked and each plane carries a single, huge, 500 kg bomb.
14:26At 12.33 pm the first nine of these bombers starts a high-altitude attack.
14:32But their bombs are released too early and fail to find their target, missing by a considerable distance.
14:37Repulse with multiple large holes in her hull now is quickly sinking.
14:43The other ships from Task Force Z have now come to their aid.
14:46Captain Tennant orders
14:48All hands to the main deck. Life rafts cut loose. Abandon ship.
14:53Not one man had left his place of duty until being ordered to do so.
14:58But now dozens of men pour up through the hatches from below
15:02or scramble down ladders from stations high in the superstructure.
15:05The crew start jumping over the side into a spreading pool of oil.
15:10As the ship lists further, men begin climbing up the sloping deck and start to slide down the huge raised starboard side of the battlecruiser.
15:19Hundreds of men get away in minutes.
15:22However, below decks many loudspeakers are not working and the men don't hear the order to abandon ship.
15:28As she continues rolling over to port, the huge torpedoed bulge and its jagged torpedo hole emerge out of the water and the stern rears up to expose her still turning propellers.
15:42The stern then slips below the waves and disappears, leaving her bow hanging in the air before it too vanishes beneath the waves.
15:57Just 11 minutes after the first torpedo had struck her, Captain Tennant fights his way to the surface, emerging by a nearby raft.
16:08There's another attack. The Japanese are still not done.
16:11A 500kg bomb hits the Prince of Wales adding to its inevitable defeat.
16:19By 12.50pm the end is nigh for the Prince of Wales.
16:23She's taken on an estimated 18,000 tons of water.
16:27Captain Leach orders all the wounded to leave the ship.
16:30This is the end.
16:33No.
16:35He leaves the bridge and comes down to the quarterdeck, where a large group of his crew had congregated.
16:42Gentlemen, she's been badly riddled. We need men to try and manoeuvre back to Singapore.
16:48If you go, that's fine. His Majesty needs every sailor possible.
16:53But let's help our old girl out one last time, eh?
16:56There's a slight hesitation.
17:01Surely the ship is sinking?
17:03They haven't got a hope of navigating to a friendly port.
17:09A silence follows before two men let go of the rail and salute.
17:13A petty officer and several other ratings also step forward, salute and fall in behind Leach.
17:20Captain Leach smiles and declares an order to those present.
17:23Aside from gunners, marines and officers, those who wish to board the Express can do so.
17:28God save the King!
17:30He then climbs back up to the bridge to join Admiral Phillips.
17:36Hundreds of men started crossing over to Express on makeshift lines and gangplanks.
17:40But as the Prince of Wales rolls further over onto her port side and her starboard side lifts, the gap between her and Express starts to widen.
17:58The gangplanks fall into the sea, but men continue to swing across on ropes and the cable that still join the two ships.
18:09Under the incredible strain, the cable finally snaps.
18:12The Lister port starts to worsen.
18:15It was clear the ship was now beyond any help from aircraft, destroyers or tugs.
18:20Leach comes to the realization that his ship's not going anywhere and reluctantly gives the order.
18:28Abandon ship.
18:31The battleship's starboard bilge keel rises.
18:37The skipper of Express skillfully judges the last moment before he's forced to pull away.
18:42Her hull bumping and grinding on the battleship's heaving keel and almost getting overturned herself.
18:47The destroyer suffers a 20-foot gash in her hull from the contact, but many men have been saved.
18:55Admiral Sir Tom Phillips remains on the bridge almost to the end.
19:00He and Captain Leach silent, contemplating their defeat.
19:08The last reports seeing them alive are at 13.24 when the two men are on the side of the horizontal ship.
19:15Just before she rolls over and capsizes.
19:27The destroyer Electra sent a simple signal to headquarters in Singapore.
19:31HMS Prince of Wales sunk.
19:38Tragically, in 2023 the Malaysian Coast Guard seized a Chinese ship on suspicion of looting the wrecks.
19:45The Chinese dredger Chuan Hong 68 was detained.
19:49On board were found shells suspected to be from the HMS Prince of Wales and the HMS Repulse.
19:56Thanks again to World of Warships.
19:58Check out the link in the description.
19:59Link in the description.
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20:09You