The battleship HMS Barham exploded because torpedoes from the German U-331 hit her port side, causing her to capsize rapidly, and the resulting fire spread to her main ammunition magazine, triggering a catastrophic detonation of the cordite propellant, which broke the ship apart and sank her in minutes on November 25, 1941. Sequence of Events: Torpedo Hits: The U-331 fired three torpedoes, striking Barham's port side near the main gun turrets. Rapid Capsizing: The damage caused Barham to list he