Seeschlacht bei Punta Stilo
By the Second World War, the class were showing their age. "Barham" and "Malaya", the least-modernized of the class, were at a disadvantage compared to modern battleships. In spite of this, "Malaya" prevented an attack on a transatlantic convoy by the modern German battlecruisers and by her presence. "Queen Elizabeth", "Warspite", and "Valiant", the more modernised of the class, fared better. With her modern fire control equipment, "Warspite" scored a hit on an Italian battleship during the Battle of Calabria at a range of more than 26,000 yards, one of the longest range naval artillery hits in history.