HMS KING GEORGE V

King George V Class Battleship

This page is not meant to be a comprehensive history of HMS KING GEORGE V, but a record of sailors of the ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY who served in her, photos they took and stories they may have shared with their families.

HMS King George V (pedant number 41) was the lead ship of the five British King George V class battleships of the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940, King George V operated during the Second World War in all three major theatres of war, the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific, as well as part of the British Home Fleet and Pacific Fleets. In May 1941, along with HMS Rodney, King George V was involved in the hunt for and pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck, eventually inflicting severe damage which led to the German vessel's sinking. On 1 May 1942 the destroyer HMS Punjabi sank after a collision with King George V in foggy conditions. King George V took part in Operation Husky (the allied landings in Sicily) and bombarded the island of Levanzo and the port of Trapani. She also escorted part of the surrendered Italian Fleet, which included the battleships Andrea Doria and Duilio, to Malta. In 1945 King George V took part in operations against the Japanese in the Pacific. King George V was made flagship of the British Home Fleet on 1 April 1941, she remained so during the rest of the war and became a training battleship in November 1947.

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

Photos and Documents

HMS KING GEORGE V - A Canadian Connection

From the collection of Douglas H. Giles, C1ER, RCN / C.A.F. (Navy)

HMS KING GEORGE V on Russian Convoy duty circa 1941-1942

HMS KING GEORGE V on Russian Convoy duty circa 1941-1942

HMS KING GEORGE V on Russian Convoy duty circa 1941-1942

(RHD013) Forth Bridge

(RHD014) Lord Halifax and Winston Churchill on board HMS KING GEORGE V

(RHD015) After 14-inch gun turret on HMS KING GEORGE V

(RHD016) Mascot of HMS KING GEORGE V sleeping on the deck

(RHD017-RHD019) HMS KING GEORGE V at Scapa Flow.

(RHD019) HMCS KING GEORGE V foreground, HMS RODNEY background

Pom-Poms on HMS KING GEORGE V

(RHD020)  No 2 pom-pom 

(RHD021) No 3 pom-pom

(RHD022) No 4 pom-pom

Photos taken of other ships from HMS KING GEORGE V

(RHD023) HMS RENOWN

(RHD024) HMS RENOWN and HMS DUKE OF YORK

(RHD025) HMS COURAGEOUS

(RHD026) HMS RODNEY

(RHD027) HMS VICTORIOUS

Photos taken of other ships from HMS KING GEORGE V

(RHD028 - RHD029) Unknown aircraft carrier

From the collection of LS.AA Robert Devlin, Royal Navy

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