HMS Malaya 1916-1948

摘要

Of the five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships built between 1913 and 1916, the last ship, HMS Malaya, is probably the least well known. She is also unusual in that her construction was paid for by the Federated Malay States, a part of the now long-gone Empire. Her story begins in January 1913 when, in The Times newspaper, it was reported: 'It is understood that preparations for building the armoured ship presented to the Empire by the Federated Malay States are now complete.' In the event it was 20 October 1913 before the first keel plates were laid at the Walker-on-Tyne shipyard of Armstrong Whitworth and Co Ltd, and it was 18 March 1915, some seven months after the outbreak of war, when Malaya was launched. Eleven months later, on I February 1916, her ship's company joined and 16 days afterwards she left the River Tyne to steam north to Scapa Flow.