British battleships Malaya, Barham Royal Sovereign probably underway towards Egypt according to the Dutch newspaper Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië dated 30 May 1927

Quuen Elizabeth-class

Revenge-class

An item dated Malta 29th reported the immediately departure of the British battleships Malaya (1), Barham (2) Royal Sovereign (3) after received superior orders It was common believed that their destination was Egypt.(4)

Notes
1. Of the Queen-Elizabeth-class consisting of the Queen Elizabeth, Malaya, Warspite, Valiant, Barham, Malaya and the in 1914 cancelled Agincourt. Preceded by the Iron Duke-class and succeeded by the Revenge-class. Pennant 01. Laid down at Armstrong Whitworth and Company, High Walker, Tyneside, England on 20 October 1913, launched on 18 March 1915, commissioned on 1 February 1916, in reserve since end of 1943, used as target in Loch Striven 15/17 May 1944, decommissioned to be used if needed as bombardment battleship, decommissioned becoming accommodation ship for torpedo school  end 1944 and sold to Metal Industries on 20 February 1948 and broken up at Faslane, Scotland in 1948. Building costs 2.045.709 pond sterling.
2. Part of the Queen Elizabeth, Malaya, Warspite, Valiant, Barham, Malaya and the in 1914 cancelled Agincourt. Preceded by the Iron Duke-class and succeeded by the Revenge-class. Pennant 04. Laid down at John Brown, Clydebank, Scotland on 24 February 1913, launched on 31 October 1914, commissioned on 19 October 1915, modernized 1921-1922, November 1924-January 1925, begin 1928 and January 1931-January 1934 and sunk in the Mediterranean after leaving Alexandria, Egypt on the 24th taking with her 862 men after she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-311 on 25 November 1941. Building costs 2.470.113 pond sterling.
3. Of the Revenge-class. Laid down at the Navy Dockyard, Devonport, England on 15 January 1914, launched on 39 April 1915, commissioned on 18 April 1916, in Russian navy as the Akhangelsk serving 30 May 1944-January 1949 and broken up at Inverkeiting, Scotland where she arrived on 18 May 1949. Pennant 05. Building costs 2.570.504 pound sterling.
4. Egypt was until 5 November 1914 part of the Ottoman Empire and since then a British protectorate. After a revolt decided the British cabinet to declare unilateral the independence of Egypt on 22 February 1922 followed by a constitution a year later. England however kept armed troops in Egypt until the Anglo-Egyptian treaty ratified on 22 December 1936. All British troops were to be withdrawn except for the ones protecting the Suez Canal and surroundings.