AIMS
Journeying through the
immensity of World War 2, the main aim of this book is
simply to answer the questions what Royal Navy warships
were lost, when, where and in what circumstances? And
what else of significance was taking place in the naval
and maritime, military and political spheres. To balance
this picture, German, Italian and Japanese losses
inflicted by the Royal Navy are also included.
There are two other aims:
First to acknowledge the
part played by all the navies (and other armed forces) of
the then British Empire, now the Commonwealth of Nations,
and especially the Royal Australian, Canadian, Indian and
New Zealand Navies. Collectively they are referred to, as
they would have been at the time of World War 2, as the
Dominion Navies.
Secondly to ensure a more
balanced account by summarising the operations of the US
Navy in the Atlantic, European and Mediterranean areas,
as well as their overwhelming role in the Pacific, the
theatre most important to Australia and New Zealand.
FORMAT
To convey all this
information, the background events and major warship
losses on both sides are shown month-by-month across the
four main theatres of the world. The result is not so
much a reference book as a framework within which the
reader can better appreciate the overall war at sea, and
place his, and increasingly her own particular interests.
By major warships are
meant capital ships, aircraft carriers, cruiser,
destroyers and submarines. To reflect the importance of
the Battle of the Atlantic and in part, the role of the
Royal Canadian Navy, losses in ocean escorts are also
included in the text.
Although the emphasis is
on warships sunk (in large capital letters - blue for
British
and Allied, red for Axis powers) or so badly damaged (in
lower
case letters) that repair was not worthwhile, the
greatest loss was in the men of the Royal and Dominion
Navies killed in action. These totalled over 50,000, or
nearly 50% of the prewar strength of the Service, and
understanding how just one of these men was lost, in this
case my father, gave me the reason for tackling this vast
subject in this way.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Any book of this nature
builds on the work of many others. Some were more
invaluable than others and to these a special debt of
gratitude is due. On the naval side, Capt Roskill's
monumental four volumes of "The War at Sea" set
a standard for any writer on maritime matters, and Rohwer
and Hummelchen's encyclopaedic "Chronology of the
War at Sea" has no obvious equal. Understanding
something of this great conflict is no easy task, and any
guides through the maze are to be welcomed. Amongst these
must be mentioned Simon Goodenough's "War
Maps", Basil Liddell Hart's "History of the
Second World War" and "The Almanac of World War
II" edited by Brigadier Young.
The Naval Historical
Branch of the Ministry of Defence kindly allowed me to
check the details of all major Royal Navy warship losses,
and special thanks are offered for their help and
patience.
After all these
acknowledgements are made, there is still one more, and
that is to accept that any errors or misinterpretations
remain mine.
Gordon
Smith, Penarth, UK 1989