Major British Warship Losses in World War 2 by Gordon Smith, Naval-History.Net LOSS SUMMARY TABLES Total strength and losses - by year - by theatre - by enemy - by cause

HMS Repulse, battlecruiser, lost 10 December 1941

return to Major British Losses contents or return to Naval History Homepage

TOTAL STRENGTH AND LOSSES

ROYAL NAVIES	Strength as of Sept 1939	Commissioned to Aug 1945	Total in service (a)	Losses of pre-war ships (as % of 1939 strength) (b)	Total losses (as % of total in service) (b)
Capital ships	15	5	20	4 (27%)	5 (25%)
Carriers	7	58(c)	65 (c)	5 (70%)	10 (15%)
Cruisers	66	35	101	24 (36%)	34 (34%)
Destroyers	184	277	461	94 (51%)	153 (33%)
Submarines	60	178	238	34 (57%)	76 (32%)
Totals	332	553	885	161 (48%)	278 (31%)

(a) Includes ships lost, transferred from US Navy and later returned, transferred from Royal Navies to Allies, captured from the Axis powers, and old vessels scrapped before end of war

(b) British & Dominion Navies only; excludes British Navy warships manned by or transferred to Allies. Also includes ships badly damaged and not repaired or fully re-commissioned. The percentage (in brackets) of pre-war ships lost gives an indication of just how heavy casualties were in the early years of World War 2

(c) Includes 2 escort carriers manned by Royal Canadian Navy

(-)   Many Dominion officers and men served in and sometimes commanded Royal Navy ships

OF THE ABOVE TOTALS:

	Strength, Sept 1939	Commissioned to Aug 1945	Total in service	Losses, pre-war ships	Losses in total
Australian
Cruisers	6	1	7	3	3
Destroyers	5	13	18	3	4
Canadian
Carriers	-	2	2	-	1
Cruisers	-	2	2	-	-
Destroyers	6	29	35	4	7
New Zealand
Cruisers	2	1	3	-	-

---

LOSSES BY YEAR, including Not Repaired

Warship types	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	Totals
Capital ships	1	-	4	-	-	-	-	5
Carriers	1	1	2	3	1	1 (RCN)	1	10 (1 RCN)
Cruisers	-	3