Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:14:41-1:16:08

Warspite was refitting at Puget Sound

HMS Warspite was in a long Puget Sound refit during the Pearl Harbor attack, not operating from Hawaii.

Eastern FleetHMS WarspiteNaval RepairPuget SoundRoyal NavyTrincomalee
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Question

Was HMS Warspite near Pearl Harbor and available when Japan attacked?

Short answer

No. She was still refitting at Puget Sound and did not sail for her Eastern Fleet assignment until late January 1942.

Notes

The ship's timeline rules out the suggestion that HMS Warspite visited Pearl Harbor shortly before the raid. Her Puget Sound refit began on 11 August 1941 and kept her unavailable through December. She was recommissioned on 28 December, did not sail until 23 January, and was then assigned toward Trincomalee. The battleship reached that theater only on 22 March. The dates illustrate how a major refit and Pacific distances can make a ship present on a regional map but unavailable for an immediate contingency.