|
ROYAL
NAVY
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
(Can)
|
1
|
10
(1
Can)
|
|
Cruisers
|
-
|
3
|
11
(1
Aus)
|
13
(2
Aus)
|
4
|
3
|
-
|
34
(3
Aus)
|
|
Destroyers
|
3
|
37
(2
Can)
|
22
(1
Aus)
|
51
(3
Aus,
2
Can)
|
18
(1
Can)
|
20
(2
Can)
|
2
|
153
(4
Aus,
7
Can)
|
|
Submarines
|
1
|
24
|
11
|
19
|
13
|
5
|
3
|
76
|
|
TOTALS
|
6
|
65
(2
Can)
|
50
(2
Aus)
|
86
(5
Aus,
2
Can)
|
36
(1
Can)
|
29
(3
Can)
|
6
|
278
(7
Aus,
8
Can)
|
|
Ocean
Escorts (a)
|
-
|
6
(1
Ind)
|
11
(1
Aus,
2
Can)
|
14
(1
Aus,
2
Can,
1
Ind)
|
9
(2
Can)
|
29
(6
Can)
|
12
(2
Can)
|
72
(2
Aus,
14
Can,
2
Ind)
|
(a)
Includes
sloops, corvettes, frigates and cutters,
but NOT fleet and sloop minesweepers and
armed merchant cruisers. A number of
casualties towards the end of the war
were not considered worth repairing.
LOSSES
BY THEATRE
LOSS
BY ENEMY
(a)
Includes
accidental explosion and fire, collision
with British or Allied ships,
deliberately expended, and marine
loss from grounding or weather
(b)
French
shore batteries
(c)
Submarines
‘presumed’ or ‘possibly’ lost due to
various causes have been allocated to
the Axis power most likely to have been
responsible
CAUSE
OF LOSS
|
Warship
types
|
Surface
forces
|
Submarine
|
Mines
|
Aircraft
|
Shore
defences
|
Marine
accident (& unknown)
|
Total
|
|
Capital
ships
|
1
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
|
Carriers
|
1
|
7
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
10
|
|
Cruisers
|
8
|
9
|
2
|
12
|
-
|
3
|
34
|
|
Destroyers
|
22
|
33
|
26
|
55
|
2
|
15
|
153
|
|
Submarines
|
29
|
5
|
26
|
7
|
-
|
4
(+ 5)
|
76
|
|
Totals
|
61
|
56
|
54
|
77
|
2
|
23
(+5)
|
278
|
TOTAL AXIS NAVY LOSSES and THOSE INFLICTED BY
THE ROYAL NAVY
GERMAN NAVY
ALL MAJOR
WARSHIPS
|
Warship
types
|
1939
|
1940
|
1941
|
1942
|
1943
|
1944
|
1945
|
Totals
|
|
Capital
ships
|
1
(Br)
|
-
|
1
(Br)
|
-
|
1
(Br)
|
1
|
3
(a)
|
7
(3
Br)
|
|
Cruisers
|
-
|
3
(2
Br)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
(a)
|
6
(2
Br)
|
|
Raiders
|
-
|
-
|
3
(Br)
|
3
(1
Br)
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
7
(4
Br)
|
|
Destroyers
(b)
|
-
|
12
(Br)
|
-
|
4
(3
Br)
|
2
(1
Br)
|
7
(2
Br)
|
2
|
27
(18
Br)
|
|
Submarines
|
9
(Br)
|
22
(17
Br)
|
35
(28
Br)
|
86
(34
Br)
|
237
(61
Br)
|
242
(85
Br)
|
149
(41
Br)
|
780
(275
Br)
|
|
Totals
|
10
(Br)
|
37
(31
Br)
|
39
(32
Br)
|
93
(38
Br)
|
241
(63
Br)
|
250
(87
Br)
|
157
(41
Br)
|
827
(302
Br)
|
(a) All lost
in port in bombing raids or scuttled
(b) Excludes
large torpedo boats and ex-enemy destroyers
GERMAN
NAVY - U-BOAT SUMMARIES
(a)
|
|
1939
|
1940
|
1941
|
1942
|
1943
|
1944
|
1945
|
Totals
|
|
German
U-boat losses in total
|
9
|
22
|
35
|
86
|
237
|
242
|
149
|
780
|
|
By
Theatre
|
|
Atlantic
|
5
|
11
|
27
|
69
|
202
|
111
|
16
|
442
|
|
Europe
|
4
|
11
|
3
|
3
|
10
|
98
|
132
|
260
|
|
Mediterranean
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
14
|
23
|
26
|
-
|
68
|
|
Indian
Ocean
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
7
|
1
|
10
|
|
By
Main Forces Responsible
|
|
British
& Allied Navies*
|
9
|
17
|
28
|
34
|
61
|
85
|
41
|
275
|
|
British
& Allied Air Forces
|
-
|
1
|
3
|
27
|
91
|
72
|
50
|
244
|
|
US
& Allied Forces
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
-
|
18
|
72
|
44
|
41
|
175
|
|
Russian
Forces
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
4
|
6
|
12
|
|
Others
including scuttling (b)
|
-
|
4
|
3
|
6
|
12
|
37
|
11
|
73
|
|
*Of
British and Allied Navies
operating under British Command
|
|
British
|
9
|
17
|
24½
|
28
|
53
|
70½
|
37
|
239
|
|
Australian
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
½
|
-
|
-
|
1½
|
|
Canadian
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
4
½
|
4
|
11
|
3
|
23½
|
|
Indian
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
½
|
-
|
½
|
|
South
African
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
Dutch
|
n/a
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
|
French
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
½
|
2
½
|
½
|
-
|
3
½
|
|
Greek
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
-
|
-
|
½
|
-
|
-
|
½
|
|
Norwegian
|
n/a
|
-
|
½
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
2
½
|
|
Polish
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
½
|
½
|
-
|
1
|
|
German
U-boat losses in total
|
9
|
22
|
35
|
86
|
237
|
242
|
149
|
780
|
n/a Not
applicable as country then not at war with
the Axis powers
(a)
Sources
vary on the cause of loss of some U-boats.
This together with the difficulty of sharing
responsibility when two or more forces or
nations were involved means some of the
‘scores’ are somewhat arbitrary.
However, the main trends are clear
(b)
U-boats scuttled in the closing days of the
war are not included
ITALIAN NAVY
1940
to 8th September 1943
|
Warship
types
|
1940
|
1941
|
1942
|
1943
|
Totals
|
|
Capital
ships
|
1
(Br)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
(Br)
|
|
Cruisers
|
1
(Br)
|
6
(Br)
|
3
(2
Br)
|
2
|
12
(9
Br)
|
|
Destroyers
(a)
|
8
(Br)
|
14
(10
Br)
|
8
(4
Br)
|
13
(6
Br)
|
43
(28
Br)
|
|
Submarines
|
20
(12
Br)
|
18
(14
Br)
|
22
(17
Br)
|
25
(13
Br)
|
85
(56
Br)
|
|
Totals
|
30
(22
Br)
|
38
(30
Br)
|
33
(23
Br)
|
40
(19
Br)
|
141
(94
Br)
|
(a) Excludes
large torpedo boats and destroyer escorts
JAPANESE NAVY
|
Warship
types
|
1941
|
1942
|
1943
|
1944
|
1945
|
Totals
|
|
Capital
ships
|
-
|
2
|
1
|
4
|
4
|
11
|
|
Carriers
|
-
|
6
|
1
|
12
|
2
|
21
|
|
Cruisers
|
-
|
6
|
2
|
24
(1
Br)
|
9
(3
Br)
|
41
(4
Br)
|
|
Destroyers
|
4
|
18
|
34
|
61
|
18
|
135
|
|
Submarines
|
3
|
16
(2½
Br)
|
28
(2½
Br)
|
53
(3
Br)
|
27
|
127
(8
Br)
|
|
Totals
|
7
|
48
(2½
Br)
|
66
(2½
Br)
|
154
(4
Br)
|
60
(3
Br)
|
335
(12
Br)
|
Of 12
Submarines sunk by Royal Navies: Br - 4, Aus
- 2, Ind – ½, NZ – 1½
|
