Royal Sovereign
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Ship Class | Revenge-class Battleship |
| Builder | Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Britain |
| Laid Down | 15 Jan 1914 |
| Launched | 29 Apr 1915 |
| Commissioned | 18 Apr 1916 |
| Decommissioned | 30 May 1944 |
| Displacement | 27,500 tons standard; 31,200 tons full |
| Length | 624 feet |
| Beam | 102 feet |
| Draft | 28 feet |
| Machinery | Steam turbines, 18 boilers, four shafts |
| Power Output | 40,000 shaft horsepower |
| Speed | 23 knots |
| Crew | 997 |
| Armament | 4x2x15in, 14x6in, 2x3in, 4x47mm, 4x21in torpedo tubes |
| Armor | 1-13in belt, 4-10in barbettes, 13in maximum turrets |
| Commissioned by Russian Navy | 30 May 1944 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseRoyal Sovereign was commissioned during WW1, but did not see combat. At the onset of the European War during WW2, she was with the Home Fleet. By mid-1940, she was transferred to the Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet. On 18 Jul 1940, she participated at the Battle of Calabria, where her slow speed prevented her from force Italian battleships Guilio Cesare and Conte di Cavour to a decisive confrontation. During the remainder of 1940 and most of 1941, she escorted convoys in the Mediterranean Sea. In Oct 1942, she served briefly in the Eastern Fleet, based out of Trincomalee, Ceylon and then out of Kilindini, Kenya after being deemed too old to face Japan's modern naval air power. After a year-long refit in the United States, she was transferred to the Russia, at which time she was renamed Arkhangelsk, in lieu of war reparations from Italy. On 24 Aug 1944, she sailed with convoy JW.59, which was to be her only mission. She was returned to the Royal Navy on 4 Feb 1949, and arrived at Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland on 18 May 1949 for scrapping.
ww2dbaseBetween 1955 and 1957, part of Royal Sovereign's gun turret mechanism reused in the construction of the 250-foot (76-meter) "Mark I" radio telescope at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, England, Britain.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.
Last Major Revision: Oct 2007
Photographs
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Royal Sovereign Operational Timeline
| 18 Apr 1916 | Royal Sovereign was commissioned into service. |
| 30 May 1944 | Royal Sovereign was decommissioned from service. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
29 Sep 2019 04:17:28 PM
My father was a Petty Officer/Cook on the Soverign,where can I find the crew lists for the period 1938-1944?
16 Apr 2020 12:46:15 PM
Looking for information on James Richard Mason. My father served on Royal Sovereign.Regards Russ Mason
5 May 2020 11:50:36 AM
My late father...Archie Herron was a Royal Marine from 1936 _1946. He sailed on several ships...but the Tiddly Quid/ Royal Sovereign was his favourite...amongst other things he was on North Atlantic escort duty...from Halifax Nova Scotia.
4 Feb 2023 08:19:45 AM
My late Father was a Royal Marine from 1937 -1947 when he transfered to the Royal.znavy.He was on the HMS Royal Sovereign
27 Dec 2023 09:47:27 PM
My uncle Harry Haswell was onboard in 1941 and went to USA for the refit.
I have his crossing the line certificate, but know nothing else about his time in the Royal Navy. Except for a letter from a priest to his mother to let her know he was ok
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943
1 Oct 2018 03:53:16 PM
My Father serverd on The battle ship during WW2. His Name eas Tetence Frank Arlow.He joined the Royal navy in 1937 as a boy Sailor. He was in New York when Pearl Harbour eas bombed. Cany pleade tell me if he had dailed there on the Royal Soverergn. All so i believe his brother Ceisel. Was on the. At the same time can you comfirm for me and my sister please. Loraine Arlow Mcgee.