List of Royal Navy losses in World War II
This is a list of Royal Navy ships and personnel lost during World War II, from 3 September 1939 to 1 October 1945.
The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sinking after being torpedoed by a German submarine in November 1941, the assisting destroyer HMS Legion was sunk in 1942.
See also List of ships of the Royal Navy.
Personnel losses
The Royal Navy lost 50,758 men killed in action, 820 missing in action and 14,663 wounded in action.[1] The Women's Royal Naval Service lost 102 killed and 22 wounded.[1]
Battleships
The Royal Navy lost 3 battleships:
| Name | Location | Date | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Royal Oak (08) | Scapa Flow | 14 October 1939 | Sunk by U-47 |
| HMS Barham (04) | off the coast of Sidi Barrani, Egypt | 25 November 1941 | Sunk by U-331 |
| HMS Prince of Wales (53) | South China Sea | 10 December 1941 | Sunk by Japanese aircraft |
Battlecruisers
The Royal Navy lost 2 battlecruisers:
| Name | Location | Date | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Hood (51) | Denmark Strait | 24 May 1941 | Sunk by naval gunfire from Bismarck |
| HMS Repulse (26) | South China Sea | 10 December 1941 | Sunk by Japanese aircraft |
Aircraft carriers
The Royal Navy lost 5 fleet carriers:
| Name | Location | Date | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Courageous (50) | off the coast of Ireland | 17 September 1939 | Sunk by U-29 |
| HMS Glorious (77) | Norwegian Sea | 8 June 1940 | Sunk by naval gunfire from Scharnhorst and Gneisenau |
| HMS Ark Royal (91) | south east of Gibraltar | 13 November 1941 | Sunk by U-81 |
| HMS Hermes (95) | Sri Lanka | 9 April 1942 | Sunk by Japanese aircraft |
| HMS Eagle (94) | south of Cape Salinas | 11 August 1942 | Sunk by U-73 |
Escort aircraft carriers
The Royal Navy lost 3 escort carriers:
| Name | Location | Date | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Audacity (D10) | Atlantic Ocean | 21 December 1941 | Sunk by U-751 |
| HMS Avenger (D14) | off Gibraltar | 15 November 1942 | Sunk by U-155 |
| HMS Dasher (D37) | Firth of Clyde | 27 March 1943 | Sunk by internal explosion |
Cruisers
The Royal Navy lost 28 cruisers according to Roskill,[2] and 34 including Commonwealth/Dominion ships, according to the Naval-History project. 27 are listed; in addition HMS Carlisle (D67) was severely damaged by German air attack on 9 October 1943, not fully repaired, and became a base ship at Alexandria, Egypt.
| Name | Location | Date | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Dunedin (96) | Atlantic Ocean | 24 November 1941 | Sunk by U-124 |
| HMS Durban (D99) | off Normandy | 9 June 1944 | Deliberately scuttled as breakwater |
| HMS Neptune (20) | off Tripoli | 19 December 1941 | Sunk by Italian cruiser-laid mine |
| HMS Calypso (D61) | off Crete | 12 June 1940 | Sunk by Italian submarine Bagnolini |
| HMS Coventry (D43) | off Crete | 14 September 1942 | Scuttled following German air attack |
| HMS Curacoa (D41) | off Ireland | 2 October 1942 | Rammed by RMS Queen Mary |
| HMS Curlew (D42) | off Narvik | 26 May 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Cairo (D87) | off Bizerte | 12 August 1942 | Sunk by Italian submarine Axum |
| HMS Calcutta (D82) | off Alexandria | 1 June 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Galatea (71) | off Alexandria | 15 December 1941 | Sunk by U-557 |
| HMS Penelope (97) | off Naples | 18 February 1944 | Sunk by U-410 |
| HMS Edinburgh (16) | Arctic Ocean | 2 May 1942 | Sunk by German destroyers |
| HMS Southampton (83) | off Malta | 11 January 1941 | Scuttled following German air attack |
| HMS Manchester (15) | Cap Bon | 13 August 1942 | Scuttled following Italian motor torpedo boat attack |
| HMS Gloucester (62) | off Crete | 22 May 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Charybdis (88) | Battle of Sept-Îles | 23 October 1943 | Sunk by German torpedo boat destroyers |
| HMS Hermione (74) | off Crete | 16 June 1942 | Sunk by U-205 |
| HMS Bonaventure (31) | off Crete | 31 March 1941 | Sunk by Italian submarine Ambra |
| HMS Naiad (93) | off Crete | 11 March 1942 | Sunk by U-565 |
| HMS Spartan (95) | off Anzio | 29 January 1944 | Sunk by German aircraft (glide bomb) |
| HMS Fiji (58) | off Crete | 22 May 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Trinidad (46) | off North Cape | 15 May 1942 | Scuttled following German air attack |
| HMS Effingham (D98) | off Bodø | 18 May 1940 | Ran aground |
| HMS Cornwall (56) | off Ceylon | 5 April 1942 | Sunk by Japanese aircraft |
| HMS Dorsetshire (40) | off Ceylon | 5 April 1942 | Sunk by Japanese aircraft |
| HMS York (90) | Crete | 26 March 1941 | Scuttled following Italian explosive boat attack |
| HMS Exeter (68) | Battle of the Java Sea | 1 March 1942 | Sunk by Japanese naval gunfire and torpedoes |
Destroyers
The Royal Navy lost 132 destroyers, according to Roskill[2] and 153 including Commonwealth/Dominion ships, according to the Naval-History project.
| Name | Location | Date | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Tenedos (H04) | Colombo Harbour | 5 April 1942 | Sunk by Japanese aircraft |
| HMS Thanet (H29) | off Singapore | 27 January 1942 | Sunk by naval gunfire from Japanese cruiser Sendai |
| HMS Thracian (D86) | Hong Kong | 25 December 1941 | Scuttled to avoid capture by Japanese forces |
| HMS Stronghold (H50) | off Sunda Strait | 2 March 1942 | Sunk by naval gunfire from Japanese ships Maya, Nowaki and Arashi |
| HMS Sturdy (H28) | off Tiree | 30 October 1940 | Ran aground |
| HMS Keith (D06) | off Dunkirk | 1 June 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Basilisk (H11) | off Dunkirk | 1 June 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Blanche (H47) | Thames Estuary | 13 November 1939 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Boadicea (H65) | Lyme Bay | 13 June 1944 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Brazen (H80) | English Channel | 20 July 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Beverley (H64) | Atlantic Ocean | 11 April 1943 | Sunk by U-188 |
| HMS Broadwater (H81) | Atlantic Ocean | 18 October 1941 | Sunk by U-101 |
| HMS Belmont (H46) | Atlantic Ocean | 31 January 1942 | Sunk by U-82 |
| HMS Broke (D83) | off Algiers | 8 November 1942 | Sunk by French shore batteries |
| HMS Cameron (I05) | Portsmouth | 5 December 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Campbeltown (I42) | St Nazaire Raid | 28 March 1942 | Intentional explosion after ramming St Nazaire dry dock |
| HMS Gallant (H59) | Malta harbour | 5 April 1942 | Hit an Italian mine off Panteleria/bombed by German aircraft (constructive total loss) |
| HMS Rockingham (G58) | Atlantic Ocean | 27 September 1944 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Stanley (I73) | Atlantic Ocean | 19 December 1941 | Sunk by U-574 |
| HMS Valentine (L69) | off Terneuzen | 15 May 1940 | Beached after damaged by German aircraft |
| HMS Venetia (D53) | Thames Estuary | 19 October 1940 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Vimiera (L29) | Thames Estuary | 9 January 1942 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Wakeful (H88) | Dunkirk evacuation | 29 May 1940 | Sunk by torpedo from an E-boat |
| HMS Warwick (D25) | Atlantic Ocean | 20 February 1944 | Sunk by U-413 |
| HMS Wessex (D43) | off Calais | 24 May 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Whirlwind (D30) | Atlantic Ocean | 5 July 1940 | Sunk by U-34 |
| HMS Whitley (L23) | off Ostend | 19 May 1940 | Beached after being damaged by German aircraft |
| HMS Wryneck (D21) | off Crete | 27 April 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Wren (D88) | off Aldeburgh | 27 July 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Veteran (D72) | Atlantic Ocean | 26 September 1942 | Sunk by U-404 |
| HMS Wild Swan (D62) | Atlantic Ocean | 17 June 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Codrington (D65) | off Dover | 27 July 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Acasta (H09) | off Narvik | 8 June 1940 | Sunk by naval gunfire from Scharnhorst and Gneisenau |
| HMS Achates (H12) | Barents Sea | 31 December 1942 | Sunk by naval gunfire from German cruiser Admiral Hipper |
| HMS Ardent (H41) | off Narvik | 8 June 1940 | Sunk by naval gunfire from Scharnhorst and Gneisenau |
| HMS Acheron (H45) | off Isle of Wight | 17 December 1940 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Jackal (F22) | off Crete | 12 May 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Jaguar (F34) | off Sollum | 26 March 1942 | Sunk by U-652 |
| HMS Juno (F46) | off Crete | 21 May 1941 | Sunk by Italian aircraft |
| HMS Janus (F53) | off Anzio | 23 January 1944 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Jersey (F72) | off Malta | 2 May 1941 | Sunk by mine (Italian) |
| HMS Jupiter (F85) | off Java | 27 February 1942 | Sunk by mine (Dutch) |
| HMS Kelly (F01) | off Crete | 23 May 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Kandahar (F28) | Mediterranean Sea | 19 December 1941 | Sunk by Italian cruiser-laid mine |
| HMS Kashmir (F12) | off Crete | 23 May 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Khartoum (F45) | Perim | 23 June 1940 | Sunk by internal explosion after surface engagement with Italian submarine Torricelli |
| HMS Kingston (F64) | Malta | 11 April 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft at dry dock after being damaged by Italian battleship Littorio |
| HMS Kipling (F91) | off Mersa Matruh | 11 May 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Berkeley (L17) | off Dieppe | 19 August 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Exmoor (L61) | off Lowestoft | 25 February 1942 | Sunk by mine or torpedo |
| HMS Quorn (L66) | off Normandy | 3 August 1944 | Sunk by "Linse" explosive-motorboat |
| HMS Tynedale (L96) | off Jijel | 12 December 1943 | Sunk by U-593 |
| HMS Dulverton (L63) | off Kos | 13 November 1943 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Heythrop (L85) | off Bardia | 20 March 1942 | Sunk by U-652 |
| HMS Eridge (L68) | off El Daba | 29 August 1942 | Torpedoed by Italian motor torpedo boat (constructive total loss) |
| HMS Puckeridge (L108) | off Gibraltar | 6 September 1943 | Sunk by U-617 |
| HMS Grove (L77) | off Egypt | 12 June 1942 | Sunk by U-587 |
| HMS Hurworth (L28) | off Turkey | 22 October 1943 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Southwold (L10) | off Malta | 24 March 1942 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Airedale (L07) | off Malta | 15 June 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Aldenham (L22) | off Škrda | 14 December 1944 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Holcombe (L56) | Mediterranean Sea | 12 December 1943 | Sunk by U-593 |
| HMS Limbourne (L57) | off Guernsey | 23 October 1943 | Sunk by torpedo from T22 |
| HMS Penylan (L89) | off English Channel | 3 December 1942 | Sunk by torpedo from an E-boat |
| HMS Laforey (G99) | off Palermo | 30 March 1944 | Sunk by U-223 |
| HMS Lance (G87) | Malta | 9 April 1942 | Sunk by aircraft |
| HMS Gurkha (G63) | off Sidi Barrani | 17 January 1942 | Sunk by U-133 |
| HMS Legion (G74) | Malta | 26 March 1942 | Sunk by aircraft |
| HMS Lightning (G55) | Bône | 12 March 1943 | Sunk by torpedo from German E-boat |
| HMS Lively (G40) | Mediterranean Sea | 11 May 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Mahratta (G23) | Atlantic Ocean | 25 February 1944 | Sunk by U-990 |
| HMS Martin (G44) | off Algiers | 10 November 1942 | Sunk by U-431 |
| HMS Pakenham (G06) | off Sicily | 16 April 1943 | Scuttled after being disabled by naval gunfire from Italian torpedo boat Cassiopea |
| HMS Panther (G41) | Aegean Sea | 9 October 1943 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Partridge (G30) | off Oran | 18 December 1942 | Sunk by U-565 |
| HMS Quail (G45) | Gulf of Taranto | 18 May 1944 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Quentin (G78) | off North Africa | 2 December 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Swift (G46) | off Normandy | 24 June 1944 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Glowworm (H92) | off Norway | 8 April 1940 | Sunk from damage taken after ramming by German cruiser Admiral Hipper |
| HMS Gipsy (H63) | off Harwich | 21 November 1939 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Grafton (H89) | off Nieuwpoort | 29 May 1940 | Scuttled after being torpedoed by U-62 |
| HMS Grenade (H86) | off Dunkirk | 29 May 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Grenville (H03) | off Kentish Knock | 19 January 1940 | Sunk by mine |
| HMS Greyhound (H05) | off Crete | 22 May 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Hardy (R08) | North Atlantic Ocean | 30 January 1944 | Sunk by U-278 |
| HMS Hardy (H87) | Narvik | 10 April 1940 | Beached after being disabled by naval gunfire from five German destroyers |
| HMS Hasty (H24) | Mediterranean Sea | 15 June 1942 | Sunk by torpedo from German E-boat |
| HMS Havock (H43) | Cap Bon | 6 April 1942 | Ran aground |
| HMS Hereward (H93) | off Crete | 29 May 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Hostile (H55) | off Cap Bon | 23 August 1940 | Scuttled after hitting a mine (Italian) |
| HMS Hunter (H35) | Narvik | 10 April 1940 | Sunk by German destroyers |
| HMS Hyperion (H97) | off Pantelleria | 22 December 1940 | Sunk by mine (Italian) |
| HMS Harvester (H19) | Atlantic Ocean | 11 March 1943 | Sunk by U-432 |
| HMS Havant (H32) | off Dunkirk | 1 June 1940 | Scuttled after being bombed by German aircraft |
| HMS Hurricane (H06) | Atlantic Ocean | 25 December 1943 | Scuttled after torpedoed by U-415 |
| HMS Afridi (F07) | off Norway | 3 May 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Bedouin (F67) | off Pantelleria | 15 June 1942 | Sunk by naval gunfire from Italian cruisers Montecuccoli, di Savoia and aerial torpedo |
| HMS Cossack (F03) | Atlantic Ocean | 27 October 1941 | Sunk by U-563 |
| HMS Gurkha (F20) | off Norway | 9 April 1940 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Maori (F24) | Malta | 12 February 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Mashona (F59) | Atlantic Ocean | 28 May 1941 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Matabele (F26) | North Atlantic Ocean | 17 January 1942 | Sunk by U-454 |
| HMS Mohawk (F31) | off Kerkennah Islands | 16 April 1941 | Sunk by torpedo from Italian destroyer Luca Tarigo |
| HMS Punjabi (F21) | Atlantic Ocean | 1 May 1942 | Rammed by HMS King George V |
| HMS Sikh (F82) | off Tobruk | 14 September 1942 | Sunk by German and Italian shore batteries |
| HMS Somali (F33) | North Atlantic Ocean | 25 September 1942 | Sunk by U-703 |
| HMS Zulu (F18) | off Tobruk | 14 September 1942 | Sunk by German aircraft |
| HMS Electra (H27) | First Battle of the Java Sea | 27 February 1942 | Sunk by Japanese naval gunfire |
| HMS Encounter (H10) | Second Battle of the Java Sea | 1 March 1942 | Scuttled following Japanese naval gunfire |
Submarines
The Royal Navy lost 74 submarines.[2]
Minelayers
The Royal Navy lost 8 minelayers.[2]
Minesweepers
The Royal Navy lost 32 minesweepers.[2]
Others
The Royal Navy lost 10 frigates, 22 corvettes, 10 sloops, 15 auxiliary cruisers and 1,035 smaller units, including those lent to Commonwealth and other allied naval forces.[2]
Damage Caused
Surface ships caused the loss of 63 warships, comprising:
- 1 capital ship
- 1 aircraft carrier
- 8 cruisers
- 24 destroyers
- 29 submarines
Enemy submarines sank 54 warships, including:
- 2 capital ships
- 5 carriers
- 9 cruisers
- 33 destroyers
- 5 submarines
Enemy aircraft sank 77 warships, including:
- 2 capital ships
- 1 carrier
- 12 cruisers
- 55 destroyers
- 7 submarines
Mines caused the loss of 54 warships, including:
- 2 cruisers
- 26 destroyers
- 26 submarines
Shore defenses sank two destroyers, while one carrier, three cruisers, 15 destroyers and nine submarines were lost to accidents or unknown causes.
Damage inflicted by enemy
German forces sank 162 warships, including:
- 2 battleships
- 1 battlecruiser
- 6 carriers
- 15 cruisers
- 114 destroyers
- 24 submarines
Italian forces sank 58 warships, including:
- 6 cruisers
- 15 destroyers
- 37 submarines
Japanese forces sank 19 warships, including:
- 1 battleship
- 1 battlecruiser
- 1 carrier
- 3 cruisers
- 10 destroyers
- 4 submarines
A further destroyer and two sloops were lost to Vichy French batteries and warships.
References
- Roskill: "Royal Navy - Britische Seekriegsgeschichte 1939-1945", page 403
- Roskill: "Royal Navy - Britische Seekriegsgeschichte 1939-1945", page 404
Literature
- Stephen Roskill: "Royal Navy - Britische Seekriegsgeschichte 1939-1945", Gerhard Stalling Verlag, 1961
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