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

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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