HMS King George V was the lead ship of the five Royal Navy King George V class battleships. Laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940, King George V operated during WWII as part of the Home Fleet and Pacific Fleet. Along with HMS Rodney, King George V severely damaged the German battleship Bismarck which led to the German vessel's sinking in May 1941.

On 1 May 1942 destroyer HMS Punjabi sank after a collision with King George V in foggy conditions. King George V took part in Operation Husky (The allied landings in Sicily) and bombarded the island of Levanzo and the port of Trapini. She also escorted part of the surrendered Italian Fleet to Malta. In 1945 King George V took part in operations against the Japanese in the Pacific.

Following the war, King George V spent three years as the flagship of the  Home Fleet.  She was placed in reserve in 1949, and scrapped eight years later.