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World War 2 at Sea


MAJOR BRITISH and DOMINION WARSHIP LOSSES


Links to Main World War 2 Pages:
- Royal Navy Organisation
- Casualties - killed, died, missing
- 1,000 Warship Service Histories
- Convoy Escort Movements
- Battles, Major Warship Losses
- Naval & Military Campaigns
- Navies Daily, 1939-42
- Admiralty War Diaries

HMS Fiji, light cruiser, lost 22 May 1941 (NavyPhotos, click to enlarge)

on to Battleships, Battlecruisers, Monitors
or return to World War 2, 1939-1945


with commanding officers, loss locations and casualties

 


Introduction

These losses were originally researched at the Naval Historical Branch of the Ministry of Defence in the 1980's. They have since been expanded with further information on commanding officers, loss locations and casualties, courtesy of Don Kindell, and submarine loss information updated and corrected, courtesy of the RN Submarine Museum website


Photographs are courtesy of Steve Johnson of Cyberheritage, Michael Pocock of Maritime Quest, and David Page of  NavyPhotos.  My thanks to them and their contributors.






     


Battleships, Battlecruisers, Monitors

 
Aircraft Carriers, including Fleet, Escort, Merchant Aircraft Carriers & CAM-ships
 
Cruisers - Heavy, Light, AA & Minelayer
 
Destroyers, including Escort Destroyers & ex-US Flushdeckers
 
Submarines, including Midget Submarines & Human Torpedoes
 
Royal Navy Losses and Losses Inflicted by the Royal Navy on the Axis Navies
 

 

Key to Warships Main Characteristics

 

Tonnage

standard displacement

 

Speed

designed speed at standard displacement, rarely attained in service

 

Main armament

sometimes changed as the war progressed; secondary armament usually changed

 

Complement

normal peacetime. Exceeded in war with consequent reduction in living space and higher battle casualties

 

Year

year or years class completed and normally entered service. Only includes ships completed up to war's end

 

Casualties

totals of men lost plus saved will often exceed peacetime complements. Cross (+) after commanding officer indicates killed or lost in the sinking. Crew who died of wounds are usually included in the total lost

   

on to Battleships, Battlecruisers, Monitors
or return to World War 2, 1939-1945

revised 1/12/10