HMS Valiant (02): The Only Ship Undamaged at Jutland, Later Sunk at Her Own Mooring

HMS Valiant (02)

Built by Fairfield

HMS Valiant was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company at Govan, laid down on 31 January 1913, launched on 4 November 1914 and commissioned on 19 February 1916, a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship that joined the 5th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet just in time for the war's greatest naval clash.

The Only Ship Untouched at Jutland

At the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, Valiant opened fire on the German battlecruiser SMS Moltke and engaged enemy battleships through the afternoon action, and in a genuinely remarkable feat came through the entire battle as the only British ship present to sustain no damage whatsoever, a distinction few other capital ships in either fleet could claim.

Mutiny at Invergordon

Between the wars, Valiant served with various fleet squadrons and was present during the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931, when sailors across the fleet went on strike in protest at proposed pay cuts, a rare and striking episode of industrial unrest within the Royal Navy's ranks.

Mers-el-Kebir and Cape Matapan

Valiant saw extensive Mediterranean service in the Second World War, opening fire alongside HMS Hood and HMS Resolution during the attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir in July 1940. At the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941, a young Prince Philip, later Duke of Edinburgh, served aboard as a midshipman, controlling the battleship's searchlights during the night action against the Italian fleet.

Crippled by Italian Frogmen

In December 1941, Italian frogmen of the Decima Flottiglia MAS penetrated Alexandria harbour and severely damaged Valiant with limpet mines while she lay at her own mooring, a daring and highly effective attack that this account records honestly as one of the more remarkable special operations of the naval war. After repairs at Durban, Valiant eventually joined the Eastern Fleet for operations against Japanese bases.

A Dockyard Accident and Retirement

A drydock accident in Ceylon in August 1944 damaged Valiant's propulsion and effectively ended her active career; she returned to the United Kingdom, was decommissioned in July 1945, and spent her final months in a training capacity before being sold for scrap on 19 March 1948 and broken up later that year, closing out the career of one of the Royal Navy's most consistently active battleships of both world wars.