During the 1920s and 1930s, the ship was assigned to the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Home Fleets. "Barham" played a minor role in quelling the 1929 Palestine riots and the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. The ship was in the Mediterranean when the Second World War began in September 1939 and accidentally collided with and sank one of her escorting destroyers, HMS "Duchess", on her voyage home three months later. She participated in the Battle of Dakar in mid-1940, where she damaged a Vichy French battleship and was slightly damaged in return. "Barham" was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she covered multiple Malta convoys. She helped to sink an Italian heavy cruiser and a destroyer during the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941 and was damaged by German aircraft two months later during the evacuation of Crete. "Barham" was sunk off the Egyptian coast the following November by the with the loss of 862 crewmen, approximately two thirds of her crew.