HMS Prince of Wales

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Though short, lasting only 8 months, HMS Prince of Wales was a creation of British might and saw combat in some of the most infamous battles. She stood as a symbol of power and control, but would come to represent the end of the battleship era

Construction

HMS Prince of Wales was a King George V class battleship, designed as a response to the growing naval forces and increasing tensions of other imperial empires in the late 1930s. She was laid down on January 1st, 1937, in Birkenhead, and would be launched on the 3rd of May, 1939. 

Prince of Wales faced early combat when she was attacked by German aircraft before being completed in August 1940. A bomb exploded near her port side at the aft of the ship, causing damage to the plating and flooding. She did not have operational pump systems at the time, and it took considerable effort to drain her. This attack extended her construction time. 

Battle of the Denmark Strait

On the 22nd of May, 1941, Prince of Wales was ordered to sail alongside HMS Hood and a supporting destroyer fleet with the goal of intercepting the German battleship Bismark.