DIRdudes: HMS Repulse

HMS Repulse was one of two very fast battlecruisers ordered by the Admiralty in 1915 the other was HMS Renown.

In World War I, Repulse's combat service with the Battle Cruiser Squadron was limited to a skirmish with German light cruisers in the Helgoland Bight on November 17, 1917. Following the war, her belt armor was increased to nine inches.

During the interwar period she made several long cruises, including one around the world, and she served with the Home and Mediterranean fleets.

When World War II began, Repulse served on convoy duty in the Atlantic, and in April 1940 she took part in various actions during the German invasion of Norway.

In October 1941, she was sent to the Far East with HMS Prince of Wales as the nucleus of the Eastern Fleet under Admiral Sir Tom Phillips. They arrived at Singapore on December 2. Six days later, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and began their drive into Southeast Asia.

On December 8, Force "Z"—the two capital ships and destroyers HMS Electra, Express, and Tenedos, and HMAS Vampire—sortied to attack Japanese forces in southern Thailand. Force "Z" was sighted by submarine I-68 the next afternoon, but avoided further detection until 02:20 on December 10.

December 10, 1941

Shortly before dawn, the Japanese launched thirty-four land-based bombers and fifty-one torpedo-bombers, which attacked the two capital ships at 11:15. The planes made three separate attacks, and Repulse sank at 12:35, an hour before Prince of Wales.

The Dives

	Dive 1	Dive 2	Dive 3	Dive 4
Date:	16/10/2008	16/10/2008	17/10/2008	17/10/2008
Max:	54m	53m	52m	53m
Avg:	25m	23m	23m	26m
BT:	21mins	20mins	20mins	22mins
RT:	50mins	54mins	53mins	47mins
BG:	21/35	21/35	21/35	21/35
Deco:	EAN 50	EAN50	EAN50	EAN50