HMS Resolution (09)

HMS Resolution (09) was a Revenge-class battleship built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s. Commissioned in 1937, she served extensively in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea during the Second World War. The ship survived being torpedoed by a French submarine in 1940 and later supported Allied operations in the Indian Ocean. After the war, she was relegated to training duties before being sold for scrap in 1948.

Design and description

The *Resolution* was a member of the five-ship *Revenge* class, designed as slower, more heavily armored contemporaries to the preceding *Queen Elizabeth*-class fast battleships. Her primary armament consisted of eight 15-inch guns mounted in four twin gun turrets, a layout proven during the First World War. Secondary armament included fourteen 4-inch guns and lighter anti-aircraft weapons like the 2-pounder "pom-pom". Protection was a key feature, with a thick waterline belt of Krupp cemented armour and substantial armored decks designed to withstand plunging fire. Propulsion was provided by Parsons steam turbines fed by Admiralty three-drum boilers, giving a top speed of 21 knots, which was considered adequate for service with the main fleet.

Construction and career

*Resolution* was ordered under the 1933 Naval Estimates and her keel was laid on 21 November 1933 at the Jarrow yard of Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company. She was launched on 14 January 1936 and commissioned on 7 May 1937. After initial work-ups with the Home Fleet, she was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet in early 1938. During the Spanish Civil War, she participated in non-intervention patrols off the coast of Spain. In 1939, as tensions rose in Europe, she was transferred back to Home Fleet duties at Scapa Flow, joining the 2nd Battle Squadron under Admiral Sir Charles Forbes.

World War II service

At the outbreak of war, *Resolution* was engaged in North Sea patrols and convoy protection duties. In April 1940, she provided naval gunfire support during the Norwegian Campaign, including operations off Narvik. Following the Fall of France, she was assigned to Force H at Gibraltar and participated in the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir against the French Navy in July 1940. Later that year, while operating with the Dakar expedition (Operation Menace), she was severely damaged by a torpedo from the Vichy French submarine *Bévéziers* on 25 September. After extensive repairs at Portsmouth, she returned to service in 1941 for Atlantic convoy escort. From 1942 to 1944, she served with the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean, based at Kilindini and Trincomalee, providing cover for operations against Japanese-occupied territories.

Post-war fate

With the end of hostilities, the aged battleship was deemed obsolete. She returned to the United Kingdom in 1945 and was briefly used as a accommodation ship and training hulk at Portland Harbour. In 1946, she was placed in reserve at Portsmouth Naval Base. Having been rendered surplus by the rapid post-war drawdown and the advent of new aircraft carriers and battleship designs, *Resolution* was sold to Metal Industries on 5 May 1948. She was subsequently towed to Faslane for dismantling, a process completed later that year.

Category:Revenge-class battleships Category:Ships built on the River Tyne Category:World War II battleships of the United Kingdom