John Catterral Leach ( born John Catterall Leach ; September 1, 1894 - December 10, 1941 ) is a British Navy officer, the only Prince of Wales battleship commander during his short military service.
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Captain Leach received the Prince of Wales battleship shortly after it was commissioned in 1941, and already in May 1941 took part in the battle in the Danish Strait , in which he caused such damage to the German battleship Bismarck that he could not continue performance of a combat mission.
At the end of 1941, the “Prince of Wales” as part of Compound Z was sent to Singapore . The day after Japan entered the war, the battleship was sunk off the coast of the Malay Peninsula . Captain Leach left the ship at the last minute, but did not survive; his body was seen on the surface of the water for a short time after the ship hid under the water.
John Leach's son was Henry Leach , who served as First Sea Lord during the Falkland War .
Literature
- Houtermann, Hans. "Royal Navy (RN) Officers - 1939-1945."