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Grzegorz Nawrocki. Gouache on board, signed
The end of the Washington Treaty limitations on 31 December 1936 allowed Great Britain to start building battleships again. Two such ships with a displacement tonnage of 35,000, KING GEORGE V and PRINCE OF WALES were promptly laid down in January 1937, DUKE OF YORK, HOWE and ANSON following at monthly intervals from May 1937. Armed with ten 14 inch and sixteen 5.26 inch guns, these 5 ships represented compromise in many facets of their features, designed as they were during the Washington Treaty years. By the time the Treaty limitations had lapsed there was insufficient time to re-cast the arrangements already on the drawing boards as it was quite clear that sooner or later another war was looming: building needed to start promptly and long lead items such as main armament and main machinery had to be ordered swiftly if these ships were to be ready for service within a realistic timescale. And ready – nearly – 2 of them were when war broke out in September 1939: KGV commissioned in October 1940 and PRINCE OF WALES in March 1941 with the others following within the next 15 months. Once in service their tonnage increased swiftly and by 1945 they were registering some 44,000 tons at full load.

They were busy ships throughout the war, KGV and PRINCE OF WALES being heavily involved in the BISMARCK action, and DUKE OF YORK, wearing Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser’s flag, pursuing and playing a major part in the sinking of SCHARNHORST off North Cape in December 1943. ANSON saw service in, amongst other theatres, the North Atlantic and Russian convoys until March 1945 when she proceeded to the Pacific, being present at Hong Kong for the Japanese surrender there in September 1945. PRINCE OF WALES succumbed to Japanese bombers and torpedo bombers off Kuantan, Malaya and was sunk, together with HMS REPULSE, in December 1941, the only one of the class to be lost during the war. KING GEORGE V saw much service on the Russian convoys, in the Mediterranean and the Pacific; HOWE was equally busy with the Mediterranean and Eastern fleets. The four remaining ships of the class were placed in the Reserve fleet in the mid 1950s and by 1958 all had been scrapped.

Limited Edition: 49
Standard size: 9.5 x 10.5 ins (24 x 27 cms) approx.