1943
JANUARY
1943
Battle
of
the Atlantic - Severe weather
and evasive convoy routing kept
losses down in January 1943. However, south of
the
Azores, out of range of air cover,
Trinidad/Gibraltar
tanker convoy TM1 lost seven out of nine ships
to
U-boats.
Monthly Loss Summary,
including Russian Convoys
- 30
British, Allied and neutral ships of 189,000
tons in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 4
U-boats including 1 by RAF in North Atlantic; 2
by US
aircraft off Brazil; 1 by unknown causes
|
PROSPECTS
FOR ALLIED
VICTORY -
The
Russians gained a famous victory
with the German surrender at
Stalingrad in January 1943. Taken
with the October 1942 British Battle
of
El Alamein and
June 1942 American Battle of Midway,
the three Allied
successes are usually considered as
marking the
turning point in the 40 month old
war against the
Axis powers. The Battle for
Guadalcanal, ending as it did
Japanese
hopes of controlling the South West
Pacific
should also be added to this
roll-call of
victory. However, more than 30
months of struggle
and bloodshed had to be endured
before victory
was certain. Even then, one Battle
was not over
until the very end - the Battle
of the
Atlantic, although it did
peak over the
next four months.
|
FEBRUARY
1943
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 50
British, Allied and neutral ships of 310,000
tons in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 corvette
- 15
U-boats including 5 by RAF in North Atlantic and
off
Portugal and Gibraltar; 2 by RAF and US aircraft
on Bay
of Biscay patrols; 1 by US Navy in North
Atlantic.
MARCH
1943
Battle
of
the Atlantic - Throughout
the war a large proportion of the losses
due to U-boats were among independently routed
merchantmen and stragglers from convoys, but in
March
1943 the Germans came close to overwhelming well
escorted
convoys. Between the 7th and 11th, slow convoy
SC121 lost
13 ships. Worse was to come between the 16th and
20th in
the largest convoy battle of the war - around
HX229 and
SC122. Over 40 U-boats were deployed against the
two as
they slowly coalesced in the mid-Atlantic air
gap until
there were 100 ships plus their escorts. Twenty
U-boats
took part in the attacks and sank 21 merchantmen
before
additional air and surface escorts finally drove
them
off. A RAF Sunderland accounted for the one
U-boat
destroyed. Again the German B-Service was
responsible for
providing Doenitz' packs with accurate convoy
details and
routeing. These losses took place at another
turning
point in the secret war around the Enigma codes.
Early in
the month the U-boats changed from three-rotor
to the far
more complex four-rotor 'Triton' code. Yet by
month's end
this had been broken by the men and women of
Bletchley
Park and their electromechanical computers. The
Allies'
tremendous advantage was restored.
This came at the same
time as a number of other developments which
together
brought about a complete reversal in the war
against the
U-boats. (1) The
first five Royal Navy support groups
with modern radars, anti-submarine weapons and
HF/DF were
released for operation in the North Atlantic.
Two were
built around Home Fleet destroyers, two around
Western
Approaches escorts, including Capt Walker's 2nd
Escort
Group, and one with escort carrier "Biter".
Escort carriers "Archer" and the American
"Bogue" were also ready for action, but "Dasher"
was
unfortunately
lost in UK waters.
Nevertheless, the mid-Atlantic air gap was about
to be
finally closed. (2)
Another major breakthrough was again
in the air war. Aircraft were being fitted with
the 10cm
wavelength radar which was undetectable by
U-boat Metox
receivers. The new radar and the Leigh light
made a
powerful weapon against surfaced submarines,
especially
as they tried to break out through the Bay of
Biscay air
patrols. (3) More
VLR aircraft were also joining Coastal
Command to further extend the Allies grip on the
convoy
routes throughout their length.
Monthly Loss Summary
- 90
British, Allied and neutral ships of 538,000
tons in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 destroyer
- 12
U-boats including 4 by the RAF in North
Atlantic; 1 by
RAF Bay of Biscay patrols; 1 by US aircraft off
Barbados;
2 by US forces off the Azores and Canary
Islands; 1 by
unknown causes
APRIL
1943
Battle
of
the Atlantic - U-boat
strength was up to 425 with 240 boats
operational, and over half of them on passage
through or
on patrol throughout the North Atlantic.
However, there
was somewhat of a lull until the end of the
month with
the start of the ONS5 battle. A group also
operated once
again in the weakly defended Sierra Leone area.
In just
one night "U-515" sank seven of the 18 ships in
Takoradi/Sierra Leone convoy TS37. Changes were
again
made in the Allies' responsibility for the North
Atlantic
routes. As agreed at the March 1943 Atlantic
Convoy
Conference in Washington:
(1) Royal Canadian Navy was to
exercise full control of the northerly routes
west of the
47-00'W CHOP line - approximately south of
Greenland. (2)
Royal Navy took over to the east of 47-00'W. (3)
US Navy
looked after the southerly convoys,and also the
CU/UC
tanker routes between the West lndies and UK.
With these
organisational changes, the far more effective
convoy
Escort Groups, and the developments described in
March, the scene was set for the
decisive convoy battles of May 1943.
Monthly Loss Summary
- 40
British, Allied and neutral ships of 242,000
tons in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 destroyer and 1
submarine
- 14
German and 1 Italian U-boats including 3 by the
RAF in
the North Atlantic and off the Canaries; 1 by
RAF Bay of
Biscay patrol; 1 by RAF-laid mine in the Bay of
Biscay; 1
by RAAF north of the Faeroes; 3 to US forces in
the North
and South Atlantic, including the one Italian
MAY
1943
Victory
of
the Escorts - The May 1943 Convoy Battles
were a
major victory. Summary statistics for the main
battles
are:
15
convoys totalling 622 merchantmen, protected
by seven
British B and five Canadian C convoy groups,
six
British and one US supporting Escort Group,
three
escort carriers
Well
over 70 German U-boats at sea; 23 sunk
11
convoys were unscathed, four convoys lose 19
ships - a loss rate of 3 percent
Without
the heavy losses of ONS5, loss rate was 1
percent
Without
the U-boats sunk in attacks on OSN5, 16
U-boats
were lost in exchange for 6 merchantmen
Monthly Loss Summary
- 40
British, Allied and neutral ships of 204,000
tons in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 37
German and 1 Italian U-boats. In addition to
those lost
in or around the convoy battles: 3 by RAF in
North
Atlantic; 6 by RAF and RAAF Bay of Biscay
patrols; 4 by
US forces in the North Atlantic, off Florida and
Brazil;
2 by collision in the North Atlantic
DEFENCE
OF TRADE - January 1942 to May
1943
Total
Losses = 2,029 British, Allied and
neutral ships of 9,792,000 tons ( 576,000 tons
per month)
By
Location
|
Location
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
| North
Atlantic |
1,234
|
6,808,000
tons
|
| South
Atlantic |
97
|
611,000
tons
|
|
UK waters |
105
|
248,000
tons
|
|
Mediterranean
|
129
|
598,000
tons
|
|
Indian Ocean
|
230
|
873,000
tons
|
|
Pacific
Ocean |
234
|
654,000
tons
|
By
Cause
Causes *
in order of tonnage sunk
(1. 4. ...
- Order when weapon first introduced)
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
|
1.
Submarines |
1,474
|
8,048,000
tons
|
|
4. Aircraft
|
169
|
814,000
tons
|
|
5. Other
causes |
228
|
348,000
tons
|
| 6. Raiders
|
31
|
202,000
tons
|
|
2. Mines |
71
|
172,000
tons
|
|
3. Warships
|
31
|
130,000
tons
|
| 7. Coastal
forces |
25
|
78,000
tons
|
JUNE
1943
Battle
of
the Atlantic - The Royal Navy had finally
changed
the convoy codes and made them secure against
the work of
the German B-Service.
In
contrast, the British 'Ultra' work was fully
integrated into the Admiralty U-boat Tracking
Room, and
an almost complete picture of German Navy and
U-boat
operations was available. Not one North Atlantic
convoy
was attacked during the month although U-boats
were
operating around the Azores. As Allied air and
sea forces
grew in strength and effectiveness, especially
through
the use of 10cm radar and 'Ultra', Adm Doenitz
sought
other ways to regain the initiative. This he was
never
able to do, although right through until the
last day of
the war, the Allies coulld not relax their
efforts, and
continually introduce new detection systems,
weapons and
tactics. Against numerous, well-trained and
effectively
used escorts, the day of the conventional
submarine was
drawing to a close. The Germans placed much
faith in the
Walther hydrogen peroxide boat now under
development,
which with its long underwater endurance and
high speed,
would have proved a formidable foe. It did not
get beyond
the experimental stage by war's end. An interim
step on
the road towards the 'true' submarine started at
the end
of 1943 with the design and building of Type XXI
ocean
and XXIII coastal boats. Using the streamlined
hull of
the Walther and high capacity batteries, their
underwater
speed made them faster than most escorts.
Fortunately for
the Allies they did not enter service in numbers
until
too late in 1945.
For now the Germans
had to
rely on the U-boats currently in service and
building.
Total numbers stayed at around the 400 mark for
the
remainder of the war, in spite of a 40 boat per
month
construction programme, and various steps were
taken to
improve their offensive and defensive
capability. Apart
from extra AA armament, the Gnat acoustic
torpedo was
introduced specifically to combat the convoy
escorts. Its
first test came in September 1943. Before then
in July,
the schnorkel, a Dutch development that allowed
batteries
to be recharged at periscope depth, started
trials. It
did not enter general service until mid-1944,
but then
went quite some way to nullifying the radar of
the air
escorts and patrols. Even now the German Navy
was unaware
that the Allies were using short wavelength
radar, but
when they did, early in 1944, an effective
detector was
shortly introduced.
Monthly Loss Summary
- 7
British, Allied and neutral ships of 30,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes,
- 16
German and 1 Italian U-boats including 4 by US
and RAF
aircraft off Iceland and the Strait of
Gibraltar, and the
Italian boat in the North Atlantic; 3 by the US
Navy, one
off the east coast of America and two to escort
carrier
"Bogue" off the Azores; 1 by French aircraft
off Dakar.
JULY
1943
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- 29
ships British, Allied and neutral ships of
188,000 tons
in the Atlantic from all causes
- 34
U-boats including 3 by RAF and US aircraft off
Portugal;
7 by US escort carrier groups south and west of
the
Azores (6 of these by aircraft from "Core",
"Santee" or "Bogue"); 9 by US
aircraft in the Caribbean and off Brazil.
AUGUST
1943
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- 4
British, Allied and neutral ships of 25,000
tons, 1
escort
- 20
U-boats including 6 by aircraft of US escort
carriers
Card and Core off the Azores and in
mid-Atlantic; 2 by US
aircraft in the Caribbean area; 1 by RAF and
French
aircraft off Dakar; 1 by US forces in the South
Atlantic
SEPTEMBER
1943
Assault
on the Escorts: Convoys ONS18 and
ON202 - The
German
wolf-packs returned to the North Atlantic armed
with Gnat
acoustic torpedoes to home on and disable the
escorts so
they could reach the merchantmen. In attacks on
these
convoys, three U-boats were lost in exchange for
six
merchant ships and escorts "LAGAN", Canadian "ST
CROIX", "POLYANTHUS" and "ITCHEN". Fortunately
the Allies had
anticipated the introduction of acoustic
torpedoes and
soon put into service 'Foxer' noisemakers, towed
astern
to attract the Gnat away from the vessel. The
U-boats did
not repeat their successes.
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- 11
ships of 54,000 tons and 4 escorts
- 6
U-boats including one each by RAF and RCAF Bay
of Biscay
patrols, and one by US aircraft off Brazil
OCTOBER
1943
Battle
of the Atlantic - After lengthy
negotiations ending in
August 1943, Portugal granted the Allies the
right to
establish air and sea bases in the Azores
as from October. This greatly extended the
Allies'
ability to cover the central Atlantic and the
convoy
routes between Britain and North and West
Africa; also
between North America and the Mediterranean.
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- 13
ships of 61,000 tons and 1 destroyer
- 23
U-boats including 4 by RAF and US aircraft in
North
Atlantic and off Portugal; 6 by US escort
carriers Card,
Core and Block Island off the Azores and in
mid-Atlantic.
NOVEMBER
1943
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- 7
ships of 28,000 tons and 1 US destroyer off the
Azores
- 16
U-boats including 2 by RAF and US Bay of Biscay
air
patrols; 2 by RAF in North Atlantic and off the
Azores; 3
by US forces in mid-Atlantic and off Ascension
in the
South Atlantic.
DECEMBER
1943
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 7
ships of 48,000 tons and 2 destroyers including
one US in
the North Atlantic
- 1
German battlecruiser ("Scharnhorst" in the
Battle of North Cape) and 5 U-boats including 1
by RAF
Bay of Biscay patrol; 3 by US Navy in Azores and
Madeira
areas; 1 scuttled after storm damage in
mid-Atlantic
1944
JANUARY
1944
Battle
of
the Atlantic - Over
the next five months U-boat losses were
so heavy that by May 1944, North Atlantic
operations had
virtually ceased. In this period only 25
merchant ships
were lost in the North and South Atlantic at a
cost of 77
U-boats from all causes. At the same time the
Allies were
not so successful against them as they passed
through the
Bay of Biscay from French bases, the Northern
Transit
Area from Norway, and direct from Germany. Now
equipped
with 10cm radar detectors they only lost five of
their
number in the Bay, but in mid-May were badly hit
by RAF
Coastal Command off Norway. By then the whole
complexion
of the U-boat war near the shores of Europe
changed with
the invasion of Normandy.
Monthly Loss Summary,
including Russian Convoys
- 5
British, Allied and neutral ships of 36,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes, 2 destroyers including
one US
off New York, and 1 frigate
- 14
U-boats including 2 by RAF and RAAF Bay of
Biscay
patrols; 1 by RAF-laid mine in Bay of Biscay; 1
by US
escort carrier Guadalcanal off the Azores
FEBRUARY
1944
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 2
British, Allied and neutral ships of 12,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 destroyer and 1
sloop
- 15
U-boats including 2 by RAF to the west of
Scotland; 1 by
US Navy aircraft off Ascension Island
MARCH
1944
Battle
of
the Atlantic - To make
more efficient use of available tonnage,
trans-Atlantic convoys were now designated Fast,
Medium
or Slow. All this time great numbers of US
servicemen
were being carried across to Britain in
preparation for
the invasion of Europe, many by the fast,
unescorted
liners "Queen Elizabeth" and "Queen
Mary" each carrying 15,000 men every trip.
Monthly Loss Summary,
including Russian Convoys
- 8
British, Allied and neutral ships of 41,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes, 2 escorts and 1 US
destroyer
off Iceland
- 17
U-boats including 1 by RCAF off Ireland; 4 by
the
aircraft and ships of USS Block Island off the
Azores and
Cape Verde Islands; 1 by unknown causes in the
North
Atlantic; 1 by SAAF off South Africa
APRIL
1944
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 7
British, Allied and neutral ships of 48,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 16
U-boats including 2 by RAF in North Atlantic; 1
by RAF
Bay of Biscay patrol; 6 by US Navy forces off
America,
Madeira, Cap Verde Islands and in North
Atlantic.
MAY
1944
Battle
of
the Atlantic - RAF
Coastal
Command and one of its Norwegian squadrons were
particularly successful between the 16th and
27th against
the U-boats passing through the Northern Transit
Area off
south and west Norway. In the space of 12 days,
"U-240",
"U-241", "U-476", "U-675",
"U-990" and "U-292"
were
sunk.
Monthly Loss Summary,
including Russian Convoys
- 3
British, Allied and neutral ships of 17,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 frigate and 1 US
escort
carrier
- 15
U-boats including 1 by RCAF Bay of Biscay patrol
DEFENCE
OF TRADE - June 1943 to May 1944
Total
Losses = 324 British, Allied and
neutral ships of 1,733,000 tons (144,000 tons
per month)
By
Location
|
Location
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
|
North
Atlantic |
76 |
443,000
tons |
|
South
Atlantic
|
27 |
147,000
tons |
|
UK
waters
|
23 |
31,000
tons
|
|
Mediterranean
|
105
|
550,000
tons
|
|
Indian
Ocean
|
87
|
532,000
tons
|
|
Pacific
Ocean
|
6 |
30,000
tons
|
By
Cause
|
Causes*
in order of tonnage sunk
(1. 4. ...
- Order when weapon first
introduced)
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
|
1.
Submarines |
216
|
1,219,000
tons
|
|
4. Aircraft
|
64
|
378,000
tons
|
|
2. Mines |
19
|
55,000
tons
|
|
6. Raiders |
4
|
35,000
tons
|
|
5. Other
causes |
9
|
20,000
tons
|
|
7. Coastal
forces |
11
|
18,000
tons
|
|
3. Warships
|
1
|
8,000 tons
|
JUNE 1944
Battle
of
the Atlantic - U-boats
passing through the Bay of Biscay were
the target for aircraft covering the Normandy
invasion,
and also continued to suffer badly at the hands
of the
aircraft of the Northern Transit Area patrol.
Throughout
the month, seven were sunk and one severely
damaged by
RAF, RCAF and Norwegian aircraft. In the case of
"U-1225" to the
northwest of Bergen on the
24th, the attacking Canadian Canso (or Catalina)
was
badly hit and crashed but not before sinking
her. + Flt
Lt David Hornell RCAF, pilot of the Canso of No
162
Squadron, Coastal Command, was posthumously
awarded the
Victoria Cross.
Monthly Loss Summary
- 3
British, Allied and neutral ships of 7,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 13
U-boats excluding those sunk in Bay of Biscay
6th
of June 1944 - Normandy Invasion:
Operation 'Overlord'
JULY
1944
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- 4
British, Allied and neutral ships of 29,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 7
U-boats including one each by task groups of US
escort
carriers "Wake Island", "Croatan" and
"Card" off the Canaries, Madeira and Nova
Scotia respectively
AUGUST
1944
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 1
ship of 6,000 tons, 1 escort carrier, 2 escorts,
1 US
destroyer escort off Azores
- 3
U-boats including 1 by aircraft of escort
carrier
"Bogue" off Newfoundland
SEPTEMBER
1944
U-boat
Inshore Campaign - With the
start of the British Isles Inshore Campaign,
U-boats sunk off Norway and in the Western
Approaches as
well as the Bay of Biscay are no longer included
in the
Battle of the Atlantic, but in the European
theatre. The
same applies to the Royal Navy and German
surface
warships lost. See
Western
Europe - Normandy to Berlin
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 3
British, Allied and neutral ships of 17,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 US destroyer in a
hurricane
off Bahamas
- 7
U-boats including 1 cause unknown and 1 mined
off
Iceland; 1 by RAF off the Azores; 1 by US Navy
off Cape
Verde Islands; 1 by US aircraft in South
Atlantic
OCTOBER
1944
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- For
the first time since September 1939, no merchant
ships
were lost throughout the length and breadth of
the North
and South Atlantic in October 1944
- 1
U-boat in the North Atlantic due to schnorkel
defect.
NOVEMBER
1944
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- 3
British, Allied and neutral ships of 8,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 corvette
DECEMBER
1944
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 1
merchant ship of 5,000 tons in the Atlantic
- 3
German U-boats
1945
JANUARY
1945
Monthly
Loss
Summary
- 5
British, Allied and neutral ships of 29,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 1
U-boat by USN in mid-Atlantic
FEBRUARY
1945
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 6
British, Allied and neutral ships of 39,000 tons
in UK
waters, 3 escorts
- 3
U-boats including 1 by US and French escorts off
Morocco
MARCH
1945
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian convoys
- 4
British, Allied and neutral ships of 27,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 sloop
- 1
U-boat by USN off Nova Scotia
APRIL
1945
Monthly
Loss
Summary, including Russian Convoys
- 5
British, Allied and neutral ships of 32,000 tons
in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 frigate and 1 US
destroyer
off the Azores
- 9
U-boats including 7 by USN off east coast of
USA, off the
Azores and in mid-Atlantic
MAY
1945
|
Battle
of
the Atlantic - Conclusion -
Just 68
months before,
northwest of the British Isles liner
"Athenia" was torpedoed by
"U-30" and 11 days later
"U-39" sunk by Royal Navy
destroyers.
Since then, tens of thousands of
lives, thousands
of ships and hundreds of U-boats had
been lost in
the battle to sustain Britain as the
base without
which the liberation of Europe would
had been
impossible. As the United States
took over from
Britain the mantle of the world's
most powerful
navy, so the last merchantmen and
U-boats of the
Battle of the Atlantic went to the
bottom in
American waters and involving
American ships. 6th
- "U-881" was sunk by the US
Navy south
of Newfoundland. On the same day,
"U-853" torpedoed freighter "Black
Point" off New York, was hunted down
and
sunk by US destroyer escort
"Atherton"
and frigate "Moberley".
The cost
of the
Battle is usually measured in terms
of the 2,400
merchantmen sunk in the North and
South Atlantic.
To this must be added one
battlecruiser, three fleet and
escort carriers,
two cruisers and 47 destroyers and
escorts of the Royal and Canadian
Navies lost in the Atlantic,
excluding the convoy
routes to Russia. Also the warships
lost by the
United States and other Allied
navies.
|
Monthly
Loss Summary
- 1
merchant ship of 5,000 tons in the Atlantic
- 2
German U-boats
DEFENCE
OF TRADE - June 1944 to May 1945
Total
Losses = 210 British, Allied and
neutral ships of 942,000 tons ( 78,000 tons
per month)
By
Location
|
Location
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
|
North
Atlantic |
31
|
177,000
tons
|
|
South
Atlantic |
5
|
28,000
tons
|
|
UK waters |
135
|
500,000
tons
|
|
Mediterranean
|
5
|
7,000 tons
|
|
Indian Ocean
|
21
|
134,000
tons
|
|
Pacific
Ocean |
13
|
96,000
tons
|
By
Cause
|
Causes*
in order of tonnage sunk
(1. 4. ...
- Order when weapon first
introduced)
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
|
1.
Submarines |
120
|
629,000
tons
|
|
2. Mines |
50
|
162,000
tons
|
|
4. Aircraft
|
14
|
96,000
tons
|
|
5. Other
causes |
15
|
28,000
tons
|
|
7. Coastal
forces |
11
|
27,000
tons
|
|
3. Warships
|
-
|
-
|
|
6. Raiders |
-
|
-
|
TOTAL
MERCHANT SHIP LOSSES - SEPTEMBER
1939 to
AUGUST
1945
Summarised here in
all its
immensity is the losses in ships suffered by
Britain, its
Allies and neutral countries throughout the war.
Of the
grand totals that follow, Britain's losses
amounted to
around 50% of tonnage, with a similar percentage
applying
to sinkings in the North and South Atlantic.
Both figures
point to the critical importance of the Battle
of the
Atlantic and to the price Britain paid for
keeping open
the sea-lanes. In concentrating on losses, it
should not
be overlooked that taking the war as a whole,
well over
99% of merchantmen reached their destination
safely. On
the other side of the balance sheet, more than
30,000
officers and men of the British Merchant Navy
did not
come home plus the many men of Allied and
Neutral
nations. Axis losses must have been comparable.
Total
Losses = 5,150 British, Allied and
neutral ships of 21,570,000 tons (300,000 tons
per month)
By
Location
|
Location
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral
ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
|
North
Atlantic
|
2,232
|
11,900,000
tons
|
|
South
Atlantic
|
174
|
1,024,000
tons
|
|
UK
waters |
1,431
|
3,768,000
tons
|
|
Mediterranean
|
413
|
1,740,000
tons
|
|
Indian
Ocean |
385
|
1,790,000
tons
|
|
Pacific
Ocean |
515
|
1,348,000
tons
|
|
By
Cause
|
Causes*
in
order of tonnage sunk
(1.
4. ... - Order when weapon
first
introduced)
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral
ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
|
1.
Submarines |
2,828
|
14,686,000
tons
|
|
4.
Aircraft |
820
|
2,890,000
tons
|
|
2.
Mines |
534
|
1,406,000
tons
|
|
5.
Other causes |
632
|
1,030,000
tons
|
|
6.
Raiders |
133
|
830,000
tons
|
|
3.
Warships |
104
|
498,000
tons
|
|
7.
Coastal forces |
99
|
230,000
tons
|
|
