H.M.S. Prince of Wales Witnesses (Name, rank, service and pertinent question numbers)
- Lieutenant-Commander George William Rowell, R.N. / question 33
- Lieutenant Commander Anthony Hunter Terry, R.N. / question 53
- Petty Officer George Henry Goff, D/JX. 143304 / question 69
- Petty Officer John Herbert Blockley, J. 110775 / question 95, questions101-103
- Acting Petty Officer Frederick Sweett, J. 108267. / question108
- Lieutenant Clement Richard Bateman, R.N. / questions121-125
- Sub. Lieutenant John Bassett Womersley, R.N.V.R. / questions 131 & 132
- Chief Petty Officer William Henry George Mockridge, J.104763 / question 166
- Petty Officer Edgar Holt, J.J.103114 / question 208
- Sergeant Terrance Charles Frederick Brooks, R.M. Ply.G.X.1209 / question233
- Chief Petty Officer (O. ) William Henry Westlake, DMX.46253 / question 266
- Lieutenant (E) Peter John Allan Slade, R.N. / question 286
- Chief Petty Officer Frederick Albert French, DJ.94677 / questions 300 & 301
- Petty Officer Arthur Brokenshire, J.110880. / question 332
- Petty Officer Harold Pickard, J.108011 / question 356
- Leading Seaman William Charles Henry Wonnacott, JX.139781 / question 362
- Leading Seaman Thomas Evans, JX. 142848 / question 380
- Able Seaman Cornelius O'Driscoll, SSX.16573 / question 394
- Petty Officer William George Bray, J.23325 / question 416
- Leading Seaman Hubert Ernest Edmund Fackrell. D.JX.140789 / questions 420 & 425
- Petty Officer Cyril Henry Coates, DJ.106924 / question 449
- David Wilson Boyd, Ply. X.3052 R.M. / question 469
- Able Seaman Philip Smalley, JX.190211. / question 475
- A.B. Richard Thomas Knott, DJX.27571 / question 499
- A.B. Harry Gordon Bartlett, DSSX.18353 / question 522
- A.B. William Usher, D/JX.153984 / question 534
- A.B. William Burgess Jessop, D.JX.149590 / question 540
- A.B. Harry Eastwood, SSX.44308 / question 550
- A.B. Robert Abbott, SSX.22114 / question 597
- A.B. Alfred James Priddey, SSX.19041 / question 607
- A.B.Alister Paton, DJX.151642 / question 615
- Boy Ivan Lean, DJX.177455 / question 623
- A.B. Clive Sutton, DJX. 212782 / question 638
- Boy Leonard Burchell, D/JX.177445 / question 646
- Ordinary Seaman John Brodie, JX.213502 / question 658
- A.B. Walter Marshall, D/SSX. 26564 / question 665
- A.B. Geoffrey Gibson, D/SSX.D/SSX.18614 / question 678
- Stoker 1st Class Norman Richard Greening, DKX.88680 / question 690
- Boy Royston Frederick Allen, D/JX.183693 / question 730
- A.B. George Robert Ernest Pegg. D/X.9503 / question 751
- Marine Ernest David Harry, R.M. PL.X.3051 / questions 756 & 757
- A.B. Robert E. Tilburn, PJX.153249. Late of H.M.S. HOOD / questions 30 & 31
- Ord. Signalman Albert Edward Briggs, PJX. 157404 Late of H.M.S. HOOD / questions 96 & 97
- Lieutenant Esmond Knight, R.N.V.R., H.M.S. Prince of Wales / questions 187 & 188
I. Amount of Bow Visible
1. To Bridge and Aft
- Able Seaman GRE Pegg, PofW: Q 751- "When I next looked, the bows appeared to have slewed to port and the after part of the ship had gone. The bows as far back as the fore bridge and the fore top appeared to be intact. That is all I saw."
- Able Seaman W Marshall, PofW: Q665- "The fore-top appeared to be shattered, the focsle deck before "A" turret seemed to be all blistered and "A" turret seemed to be melting."
- Able Seaman C Sutton, PofW: Q 638- "Just about from the foremost funnel to the eyes of the ship. They seemed to carry on and then it heeled to port. Then it tilted up and sank at a steep angle."
- Lieutenant E Knight, PofW: Q187- "I could see her completely from the bow to just aft of the foremost funnel and remember immediately before, or even at the time, she fired her last salvo with those forward turrets."; Q 188- "Yes, it was certainly aft of the foremast anyway, and as I remember the construction of the HOOD her foremost funnel was pretty near up against the foremast. I would like to emphasize that the effect of the explosion was vertical."
2. To "A"/"B"
- Chief Petty Officer WH Westlake, PofW: Q 266- "The bow from between "A" and "B" turrets was blown out of the water and then slid directly back."
- Petty Officer JH Blockley, PofW: Q 95-". . .everything was enveloped in flame and smoke except the bow which was sticking up at an angle of about 10 deg. The "Prince of Wales" passed her and on looking back the foremost part of the "Hood" had turned turtle, and that is all I could see."; Q 101- I should say to the after end of "A" turret."
- Able Seaman G Gibson, PofW: Q678- "I just saw the bows come out of the smoke as far as "A" turret. "
- Petty Officer WG Bray, PofW: Q416- "Just a part before "A" turret, I should say, which was sticking up out of the water."
- Able Seaman W Usher, PofW: Q534- "I saw the focsle deck about "A" and "B" turrets between the two breakwaters.
3. To Forward Breakwater or Less
- Lieutenant CR Bateman, PofW: Q 122- "About from the forward breakwater to the stem."
- Sub Lieutenant JB Womersley, PofW: Q131- ". . .when the smoke had cleared away I could see a piece of the bow from the stem to the forward breakwater and tilted at an angle of about 20 deg. to the horizontal. It slipped backwards."
- Lieutenant PJA Slade, Pof W: Q 285- "Shortly afterwards I saw about the last 30 feet of the bows actually sinking when we passed the smoke pall."
- Chief Petty Officer FA French, PofW: Q300- "From the fore part of the fumes the bows of the "Hood" were broken off abaft number one breakwater and came up to an angle of about 40 deg. and then slid straight back into the water."; Q 301- "The reason I am sure was because I could see a portion of the focsle. I am quite clear in my mind that it was broken off. "
- Able Seaman A Paton, PofW: Q 615- "I could also see part of the bows about 70 feet, I saw them tilt up and disappear almost vertically."
- Petty Officer CH Coates, PofW: Q449- ". . .all I recognised was the bows forepart. They appeared to be turned completely round."
- Able Seaman RT Knott, PofW: Q499- "I next saw the bows of the "Hood" sticking, not as far aft as the guns of "A" turret. She appeared to list to starboard and then disappear."
- Able Seaman WB Jessop, PofW: Q540- "When the smoke cleared away I could see about 150 feet of the focsle just going down at a steep angle with the keel towards "Prince of Wales". "
- Able Seaman RE Tilburn, Hood: Q 30- ". . .when I came to the top just the bows were stuck out of the water, practically vertical, and then she slid under."; Q 31- "Before the foremost breakwater."
4. Amount of Bow Unclear
- Lt Commander AH Terry, PofW: Q 53- "Shortly after this I observed "Hood's" bows sticking vertically out of the water and sinking rapidly, I think on an even keel."
- Petty Officer GH Goff, PofW: Q 69- "As we passed close by all I could see was the bows of the "Hood" going down."
- Acting Petty Officer F Sweett, PofW: Q 108- "The last part seen was the bows to stem piece, this became submerged and the last part seen was the stem piece above water with burning wreckage floating about. "
- Chief Petty Officer WHG Mockridge, PofW: Q166- "The only part I saw of the sinking was that the bows appeared out of the smoke. That was the last part I saw. After the bows had disappeared all I could see was the flames on the water and a great pall of smoke at least 100 feet high. "
- Petty Officer E Holt, PofW: Q208- ". . .the after part came up and the bows went straight down."
- Stoker 1st Class NR Greening, PofW: Q 690- "When the "Hood" appeared again I saw her bows sticking vertically out of the water. It was a very large piece of her bow sticking out of the water. That is all I saw.
- Sgt TCF Brooks, PofW: Q233- "When I elevated the periscope again we were slewing round what appeared to me to be part of the forecastle of the "Hood". The remains of the "Hood" then passed out of my view."
- Boy RF Allen, PofW: Q730 - "Then the explosion took place and all that was left then was the bows sticking out of the water as it floated past on our port side."
- Marine ED Harry, PofW: Q 756- ". . .and the focsle tilted up and gradually disappeared with the bridge part. "; Q757- "I saw that she was fairly intact as far back as the forward turret and that there seemed to be a sort of gap and I could not see anything further aft as our superstructure obscured the view. "
- Able Seaman W Marshall, PofW: Q665- "I next saw the bows in the air nearly vertical which then went over vertical and slipped backwards into the water. I could then see the keel."
- Ordinary Seaman J Brodie, PofW: Q 658- ". . .when everything cleared away I noticed the bows of the "Hood". It then went vertical and slid backwards."
- By L Burchell, PofW: Q646 - "The bows seemed to come up out of the smoke and sink."
- Boy I Lean, PofW: Q623- When the smoke cleared I just saw the bows, all blackened, slide away and sink.
- Able Seaman AJ Priddey, PofW: Q607- "It seemed to have slewed to starboard and as we went past her bows seemed to be tilted almost vertically."
- Able Seaman H Eastwood, PofW: Q550- "The whole ship from the after funnel right aft seemed to go up and left the bows remaining which tilted up and sank at a steep angle."
- Petty Officer A Brokenshire, PofW: Q332- "It was then she seemed to break in two and her bows appeared to come straight up into the air."
- Leading Seaman WCH Wonnacott, PofW: Q362- "The next thing I saw was the bows of the "Hood" just sticking up out of the water."
- Leading Seaman T Evans, PofW: Q380- "A part of the bow; the keel."
- Able Seaman C O'Driscoll, PofW: Q394- "I saw part of her focsle which I thought was on its side listing away from me."
- Able Seaman HG Bartlett, PofW: Q522- "After this I just saw the bows going down below the water."
- Ordinary Signalman AEP Briggs, Hood: Q 96- "The bows of the HOOD were vertical with the water about 50 yards away."; Q 97- "No, when I looked the bows were vertical with the water. I was looking at the bottom of the ship."
5. Broken Off (Specific or Otherwise Clearly Implied)
- Chief Petty Officer WH Westlake, PofW: Q266- "The bow from between "A" and "B" turrets was blown out of the water and then slid directly back."
- Commander GW Rowell, PofW: Q 33- "The fact that the fore-mast was still visible made me hope that she had not gone, but as I remarked to the Captain that her top was still standing it fell backwards towards us and I then saw that the after part of the ship was also plunging forwards. We put the wheel over to starboard to give us a greater clearance from the wreckage and by the time we were abreast of her all that apparently remained were three large sections of the hull which were unrecognisable and themselves slipping into the water. "
- Chief Petty Officer FA French, PofW: Q300- "From the fore part of the fumes the bows of the "Hood" were broken off abaft number one breakwater and came up to an angle of about 40 deg. and then slid straight back into the water."; Q 301- "The reason I am sure was because I could see a portion of the focsle. I am quite clear in my mind that it was broken off. "
- Petty Officer Harold Pickard, PofW: Q356- "A piece of the bow from the stem to just abaft the forward breakwater. The after end of this piece was in the water, and the bow was standing up to about 45 deg."
- Leading Signalman HEE Fackrell, PofW: Q420- ". . . and part of her bow was still floating. It was just a wreck, I could not recognise it."; Q425- "Nothing at all, only the bow."
- Marine David Wilson Boyd, PofW: Q469- "It appeared to be just one mass of black smoke and part of her bows went up into the air and slid back into the water. It was a very small part of her bows."
II. Bow Orientation to Viewer
1. Starboard Side
- Sub Lieutenant JB Womersley, PofW: Q132- No, it appeared to have no list. The only other thing was a patch of what I took to be burning oil floating on the surface.
2. Deck Visible
3. Bottom Visible
- Petty Officer JH Blockley, PofW: Q 95- ". . . on looking back the foremost part of the "Hood" had turned turtle, and that is all I could see."; Q 102-"There is a possibility it may have turned turtle on it's (sic) side but the upper deck was not visible."
- Lieutenant CR Bateman, PofW: Q123- "I could not see the deck. I thought I could see the underside of the ship. "; Q 124- "I think I could see the bottom and the side. I could not see anything of the deck."
- Able Seaman W Marshall, PofW: Q665- "I next saw the bows in the air nearly vertical which then went over vertical and slipped backwards into the water. I could then see the keel."
- Able Seaman R Abbott, PofW: Q597- "I just saw her bows coming out of the smoke and she turned right over and capsized turning her bottom towards me and sank at a steep angle."
- Leading Seaman T Evans, PofW: Q380- "A part of the bow; the keel."
- Able Seaman C O'Driscoll, PofW: Q394- "I saw part of her focsle which I thought was on its side listing away from me."
- Able Seaman WB Jessop, PofW: Q540- "When the smoke cleared away I could see about 150 feet of the focsle just going down at a steep angle with the keel towards "Prince of Wales". "
- Ordinary Signalman AEP Briggs, Hood: Q 97- "No, when I looked the bows were vertical with the water. I was looking at the bottom of the ship."
4. Port Side
- Acting Petty Officer F Sweett, PofW: Q108- "The remaining part of the "Hood" immediately swung to port and bow was in reverse position to course."
- Able Seaman GRE Pegg, PofW: Q 751- "When I next looked, the bows appeared to have slewed to port and the after part of the ship had gone. The bows as far back as the fore bridge and the fore top appeared to be intact. That is all I saw."
- Petty Officer CH Coates, PofW: Q449- ". . .all I recognised was the bows forepart. They appeared to be turned completely round."
III. Bow Angle (to Water's Surface)
1. Less than 45 Deg
- Sub Lieutenant JB Womersley, PofW: Q131- ". . .when the smoke had cleared away I could see a piece of the bow from the stem to the forward breakwater and tilted at an angle of about 20 deg. to the horizontal. It slipped backwards."
- Petty Officer E Holt, PofW: Q208- ". . .the after part came up and the bows went straight down."
- Chief Petty Officer FA French, PofW: Q300- "From the fore part of the fumes the bows of the "Hood" were broken off abaft number one breakwater and came up to an angle of about 40 deg. and then slid straight back into the water."
- Able Seaman C O'Driscoll, PofW: Q394- "I saw part of her focsle which I thought was on its side listing away from me."
- Able Seaman WB Jessop, PofW: Q540- "When the smoke cleared away I could see about 150 feet of the focsle just going down at a steep angle with the keel towards "Prince of Wales". "
2. Roughly 45 Deg
- Petty Officer Harold Pickard, PofW: Q356- "A piece of the bow from the stem to just abaft the forward breakwater. The after end of this piece was in the water, and the bow was standing up to about 45 deg."
3. Vertical/Near-Vertical
- Lieutenant CR Bateman, PofW: Q 121- "Of the end of the "Hood" I only saw the plunge of her bows. I had to abandon my aircraft and I saw the bows of the "Hood" sinking rapidly. The bows were standing up very steeply and sinking very rapidly."
- Lt Commander AH Terry, PofW: Q 53- "Shortly after this I observed 'Hood's' bows sticking vertically out of the water and sinking rapidly, I think on an even keel."
- Lieutenant PJA Slade, Pof W: Q 286- "They were practically vertical."
- Stoker 1st Class NR Greening, PofW: Q 690- "When the "Hood" appeared again I saw her bows sticking vertically out of the water. It was a very large piece of her bow sticking out of the water. That is all I saw. "
- Able Seaman W Marshall, PofW: Q665- "I next saw the bows in the air nearly vertical which then went over vertical and slipped backwards into the water. I could then see the keel."
- Ordinary Seaman J Brodie, PofW: Q 658- ". . .when everything cleared away I noticed the bows of the "Hood". It then went vertical and slid backwards."
- Able Seaman A Paton, PofW: Q 615- "I could also see part of the bows about 70 feet, I saw them tilt up and disappear almost vertically."
- Able Seaman R Abbott, PofW: Q597- "I just saw her bows coming out of the smoke and she turned right over and capsized turning her bottom towards me and sank at a steep angle."
- Able Seaman H Eastwood, PofW: Q550- "The whole ship from the after funnel right aft seemed to go up and left the bows remaining which tilted up and sank at a steep angle."
- Petty Officer A Brokenshire, PofW: Q332- "It was then she seemed to break in two and her bows appeared to come straight up into the air."
- Able Seaman RE Tilburn, Hood: Q 30- ". . .when I came to the top just the bows were stuck out of the water, practically vertical, and then she slid under."; Q 31- "Before the foremast breakwater."
- Ordinary Signalman AEP Briggs, Hood: Q 96- "The bows of the HOOD were vertical with the water about 50 yards away."; Q 97- "No, when I looked the bows were vertical with the water. I was looking at the bottom of the ship."
4. Bow Capsized, Fell-Over, Turned Turtle, etc.
- Petty Officer JH Blockley, PofW: Q 95- ". . . on looking back the foremost part of the "Hood" had turned turtle, and that is all I could see."; Q 102- "There is a possibility it may have turned turtle on it's (sic) side but the upper deck was not visible".
- Able Seaman W Marshall, PofW: Q665- "I next saw the bows in the air nearly vertical which then went over vertical and slipped backwards into the water. I could then see the keel."
- Able Seaman R Abbott, PofW: Q597- "I just saw her bows coming out of the smoke and she turned right over and capsized turning her bottom towards me and sank at a steep angle."
5. Bow Damage Noted (Fire, bubbling paint, blackened surfaces, damaged/missing plating, etc.)
- Petty Officer JH Blockley, PofW: Q103- "Rather blackish."
- Able Seaman W Marshall, PofW: Q665- "The fore-top appeared to be shattered, the focsle deck before "A" turret seemed to be all blistered and "A" turret seemed to be melting."
- Boy I Lean, PofW: Q623- When the smoke cleared I just saw the bows, all blackened, slide away and sink.
- Able Seaman AJ Priddey, PofW: Q607- "I noticed as we went past that the ship's side had all been blackened."
- Leading Signalman HEE Fackrell, PofW: Q420- ". . . and part of her bow was still floating. It was just a wreck, I could not recognise it.";
- Able Seaman P Smalley, PofW: Q475- "I noticed that the guns of "A" and "B" turrets were bent down. Forward of that the focsle seemed to buckle up."