HMS Malaya: A Warship Gift from the Sultan of Perak
Perak was the wealthiest state among the Malay states during the British colonial era. The abundant natural resources in Perak drove rapid economic growth compared to other states in Malaya at the time. This is evident as Perak was the first state to have a network of railways, hospitals, museums, zoos, and more.
In recognition of the progress brought by the British to the state of Perak in 1912, Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Sultan Idris Murshidul Adzam Shah proposed during a Federated Malay States meeting that the Federated Malay States should gift the British government a state-of-the-art first-class warship as a token of support for the British Empire. The proposal was supported by the Sultan of Selangor, and the Federated Malay States council approved funds amounting to £2,945,709 (25,000,000 Straits Dollars) for the construction of the warship.
Construction of the ship began in 1913 and was fully completed in 1915. The ship was commissioned as HMS Malaya in 1916, flying the flag and bearing the crest of the Federated Malay States in appreciation of the gift from the people of the Federated Malay States to the British. As a gesture of gratitude from the British government for the generosity of the Sultan and the other rulers of the Federated Malay States, the British covered the construction costs of the Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar with a fund of 200,000 Straits Dollars. In 1921, HMS Malaya visited Malaya, stopping at Port Swettenham, Singapore, Malacca, Port Dickson, and Penang. HMS Malaya conducted the majority of its military operations in the Mediterranean Sea and the British Isles. King George, who was the British King and Emperor of India, once served on this warship. This capital ship was equipped with eight 15-inch guns placed in four main rotating turrets and had a displacement of 33,020 tons. The ship was 196.82 meters long and 27.58 meters wide. It was powered by 56,600 horsepower coal-fired steam engines capable of a maximum speed of 25 knots. During the First World War, HMS Malaya was involved in the Battle of Jutland.
This battle is famous for successfully limiting the involvement of the German Imperial Navy to its own territorial waters. In this battle, HMS Malaya suffered severe damage after being hit 8 times. Among the injured was Able Seaman Willie Vicarage. He was one of the first individuals to receive plastic surgery to repair his face due to severe injuries. Some of the metal from the German warship's shelling was later gifted to the Federated Malay States during the 1921 visit. Uniquely, during the Battle of Jutland, HMS Malaya was the only warship to fly the flag of the Federated Malay States instead of the British flag. This flag measured 15 feet in length. In 1922, HMS Malaya transported Sultan Mehmed VI, the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who was exiled by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, to Malta. In 1936, HMS Malaya was sent to Palestine to counter the Arab uprising against the influx of Jews brought in by the British. Several mines carried by HMS Malaya were used to blow up houses belonging to Arab insurgents.
In 1941, during the Second World War, HMS Malaya suffered severe damage from a U-Boat torpedo attack. It was repaired in the port of New York and subsequently became a convoy escort for cargo ships across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1948, HMS Malaya was decommissioned by the British Royal Navy and converted into a target ship for an aerial bombing training school. On April 12, 1948, it was scrapped as junk in Faslane, Scotland. On September 12 of the same year, in conjunction with the British victory celebrations for the Second World War in Malaya, the bell of HMS Malaya was gifted by the British Royal Navy to the Victoria Institution school. This bell was rung every morning to signal the start of the school session. It was gifted to the V.I. because, at that time, it was the best school in Malaya, and it was hoped that the historic prestige of HMS Malaya would serve as an example for the students.
In 1983, the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) attempted to obtain this bell from the school to be placed in the TLDM Museum. The V.I. refused to hand it over because it was a gift from the British Royal Navy and not the property of the TLDM. TLDM failed to obtain custody of the bell after the V.I. Old Boys' Association successfully provided authentic proof of the bell's handover to the school for safekeeping. Nevertheless, in 2007, the bell was finally handed over to the TLDM after being requested by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. At that time, His Majesty had just discovered the original flag used by HMS Malaya while it was still serving with the British Royal Navy. His Majesty gifted this flag to the TLDM Museum. In his view, it was fitting that the flag and the bell of HMS Malaya be reunited after being separated for decades.
