Summary

Model of the Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth class battleship HMS Warspite (30,600 tons). Built by HM Dockyard, Devonport, Warspite was commissioned in 1915 and saw action at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916.
Despite serious battle damage Warspite survived and after repair continued to serve with the Grand Fleet. During the 1930s Warpite was extensively modified and her fire control and armament were modernised. Warspite served as part of the neutrality patrol off the coast of Spain during the civil war.
In World War II, Warspite took part in the Norwegian Campaign where her aircraft sunk U-64 and the ship played a leading part in the destruction of a force of eight German destroyers. Subsequently, Warspite served in the Mediterranean alongside HMAS Sydney (II) against the Italian navy at the 1940 Battle of Calabria.
Later Warpite was present at the Battle of Cape Matapan and the Battle of Crete in 1941. After serving with the Eastern Fleet in 1942, Warspite returned to the Mediterranean in 1943 taking part in invasion support tasks against Sicily and the Italian mainland.
After suffering major damage resulting from being hit by a German glide bomb near Salerno, Warspite was partially repaired and served during the D-Day landing to provide fire support with some of her 15-inch guns. By early 1945, Warspite had been put in reserve and was scrapped in situ post-war after running aground while being towed off the Cornish coast.

This 1:194 scale model was built by Mr C.W. Samson of Footscray and was purchased by the Museum in 1941. The model is painted to represent Warspite during her service as part of the neutrality patrol during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) with tricolour identification stripes on her 'B' turret.

Physical Description

Wooden model ship painted green and grey with four large guns at the front and rear and a small biplane in the middle

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