Naval Warfaretards/Churchillians, to me!

[CountDeMoney]

Need to settle an argument, and I have had a hell of a time trying to find the primary source material to verify:

What was the name of the ship that, when informed of its sinking, Churchill was reported to have said, "That's why she was built."

Was it the HMS Prince of Wales?  It certainly wasn't the Hood.  Was it even Churchill?  Does this quote even remotely sound familiar?  I don't think it was even Churchill.  I need to win this argument.

[mongers]

So I tried some google-fu to help you out and trying " sinking "That's why she was built" " produced just three results, with your OP top.   

[CountDeMoney]

SON OF A

[Richard Hakluyt]

The 4th search result from "That's why she was built." is an alt-sex story about a "Far Future Fembot" 

[mongers]

The 4th search result from "That's why she was built." is an alt-sex story about a "Far Future Fembot" 

Yeah I saw those couple of 'dodgy' ones and assumed ' hey CdM might well be into that as well' .   

[Neil]

I'd never heard this before, and after checking my Hood references and Churchill works, I can't find any reference to this.  It would be a surprising and uncharacteristic thing for Churchill to say, and the Prince of Wales would be just inappropriate, given the situation when she and Repulse were sunk.  At that time, the only operational battleships that weren't escorting a convoy were King George V and Renown (although Duke of York was fitting out and carry Churchill around), so the RN was in pretty desperate straits.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Churchill was utterly devastated by the sinking of the Prince of Wales, I can't imagine that he could have said this about that ship.

[Brazen]

Sorry Seedy, it was just a dream 

[Darth Wagtaros]

I'd never heard this before, and after checking my Hood references and Churchill works, I can't find any reference to this.  It would be a surprising and uncharacteristic thing for Churchill to say, and the Prince of Wales would be just inappropriate, given the situation when she and Repulse were sunk.  At that time, the only operational battleships that weren't escorting a convoy were King George V and Renown (although Duke of York was fitting out and carry Churchill around), so the RN was in pretty desperate straits.

I concur.  He was from the Navy world after all. 

Unless he was talking about like a practice boat that would be used for target practice.

[CountDeMoney]

Churchill was utterly devastated by the sinking of the Prince of Wales, I can't imagine that he could have said this about that ship.

My point exactly.

[Razgovory]

Could it have been from WWI?  On of those ships they sunk to close a harbor toward the end of the war?

[CountDeMoney]

Could it have been from WWI?  On of those ships they sunk to close a harbor toward the end of the war?

I was curious about that as well, if it was a WW1 reference; and if not Churchill, someone else?  I've checked Massie for Fisher quotes already.

And an American would never say that about a ship.  Ever.

[Neil]

That wouldn't have been Fisher's style.  If Churchill did say something like that, it would have been about one of the Fisher monstrosities.  Repulse, Glorious, Courageous.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Maybe something sunk in Normandy to make an artificial harbour during The Big One?

[Razgovory]

If anyone would know, (or at least claim to know), it would be Grumbler.  The closest I've found was a quote about the Lusitania "To me she's just another 45,000 tons of livebait."  I'd focus on those raids late in the war where they scuttled ships in German waterways as those ships had been modified for the purpose of scuttling.  Also I think they were neat operations.