Which British battleship hosted Churchill and Roosevelt for the Atlantic Charter?

The story behind the answer

The British battleship that hosted Churchill during the Atlantic Charter meeting with Roosevelt was HMS Prince of Wales.

In August 1941, Churchill sailed aboard HMS Prince of Wales to Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, where the ship met the American heavy cruiser USS Augusta, carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The two leaders held their historic discussions from 9 to 12 August, leading to the Atlantic Charter, a statement of shared Allied principles for the postwar world.

The charter addressed ideas including self-determination, freer trade, disarmament, and opposition to territorial expansion. It was not a formal treaty, but its principles later influenced the Declaration by United Nations and the development of the United Nations itself.

A common mix-up is that Roosevelt was not transported on the British battleship: he arrived aboard USS Augusta. Churchill was aboard Prince of Wales, making that ship the correct British-battleship answer. HMS King George V, HMS Warspite, and HMS Hood were all famous Royal Navy ships, but none hosted this particular meeting.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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