Battleship Losses to Aviation: World War II

Since the first wooden-hulled, sail-powered warships, countries - particularly maritime nations - have vied with one another to build the largest, most heavily-armed ships. Politically, they served to give notice that the building country had claimed a place on the world stage:

"My country built this ship and put a name on it, which tells us a great deal about how we see ourselves in the world; not at home, but in the world. A country with a battlefleet is more than a country, it's an empire."

- Andrew Lambert, Naval Historian, Kings College, London

In time, wood and sail gave way to steel and steam; muzzle-loading cannon to the breech-loading naval rifle. Later, the turreted gun became the standard mounting, allowing greater flexibility of use. The first modern battleship was the British HMS Dreadnought, commissioned in 1906. But these modern battleships were hugely expensive to build and operate:

"The naval powers decided that they would build these big, expensive monsters because other people were building the big, expensive monsters and the only thing you could be sure that really could kill the other person's big, expensive monster was a big, expensive monster of your own."

- Eric Grove, Naval Strategist, University of Hull

One way to reduce the expense was embodied in a type of ship called the battlecruiser. The same size as a battleship and mounting the same weapons, the battlecruiser economised by sacrificing armor and occasionally fuel tankage and supply storage, making the ship lighter and consequently slightly faster than the pure battleship, if shorter-ranged.

At the beginning of World War II, the steel-hulled, oil-fired, steam turbine-driven battleship with huge naval rifles mounted in turrets was generally considered to be the ultimate naval warship, despite that fact that battleships had actually faced each other in combat only twice: at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, when the Japanese fleet defeated a Russian fleet, and at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, when the British Home Fleet fought the German High Seas Fleet in what has come to be regarded as a tactical defeat for the British, although a strategic victory. Indeed, some strategists already considered the battleship to have been outmoded. At a naval conference in London in 1935, the Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (later the architect of the carrier raid on Pearl Harbor) proposed that the battleship, as a class, be abandoned:

"These ships are like elaborate religious scrolls, which old people hang up in their homes. They are purely a matter of faith, not reality."

He said the battleship was as useful in modern warfare as a Samurai sword. However, Yamamoto's words were dismissed by the governments participating in the conference. They still held to the belief that the battleship was the ultimate expression of naval power. Indeed, even Yamamoto's own country shortly afterward began construction of what would become the largest, most powerful battleships in the world - Yamato and Musashi. But the days of the battleship as the Queen of the Fleet were numbered by the appearance of a new warship - the aircraft carrier. The carrier, though new and untried in battle, had a single great advantage over the battleship. The battleship's main guns had a maximum range measured in tens of miles, which meant that it was within the range of the enemy's battleships as well. Additionally, the battleship was limited in the number of targets that it could engage at any given time. The carrier, on the other hand, had as it's main battery not guns, but aircraft - dozens of them. These aircraft, considerably less expensive than the ships that carried them or the ships they targetted, had ranges measured in hundreds of miles, and each one could carry bombs or torpedoes capable of severely damaging, if not sinking, battleships. And each aircraft could attack an individual ship, or several aircraft could engage a single ship from multiple directions. The ability of aircraft to best battleships was proven at places called Taranto, the North Atlantic, Pearl Harbor, the South China Sea and the Sibuyan Sea.

Below is list of all battleships (BB) and battlecruisers (BC) sunk from 1939 through 1945. Those not involving aircraft in a decisive role are faded.

Battleships/Battlecruisers Sunk in World War II
Date & Location	Ship (Flag denotes nationality)	Circumstances of Sinking	Additional Notes
14 Oct 1939 Scapa Flow, Scotland	HMS Royal Oak (BB)	Torpedoed by the German u-boat U-17 while at anchor.
3 Jul 1940 Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria	Bretagne (BB)	Sunk by naval gunfire from British ships HMS Hood, HMS Barham and HMS Resolution.	Later raised and scrapped.
	Dunkerque (BB)	Sunk by naval gunfire from British ships.	Raised and moved to Toulon for repair, she was scuttled on 27 Nov 1942 to avoid capture by the Germans.
11/12 Nov 1940 Taranto, Italy	Conte di Cavour (BB)	Hit by a single torpedo dropped from a Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber operating off the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. Cavour sinks in relatively shallow water.	Two other battleships, Caio Duilio and Littorio, are also damaged by torpedoes. Both are repaired and returned to service. Cavour is refloated, but is captured by the Germans before repairs are completed. Never returned to service, she is scrapped after the war.
23 April 1941 Salamis Channel, Greece	Kilkis (BB)	Bombed and sunk by Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers.	Formerly the USS Mississippi. Salvaged and scrapped in the 1950s.
	Limnos (BB)		Formerly the USS Idaho. Salvaged and scrapped in the 1950s.
24-27 May 1941 North Atlantic	Bismarck (BB)	Damaged in battle with HMS Hood (BC) and HMS Prince of Wales (BB), Bismarck turns toward the Occupied France port of Brest for repairs. Located by a British Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat and attacked by Swordfish torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, Bismarck is crippled by a torpedo hit in her stern, which damages her rudders. This allows British surface forces to intercept her and sink her with gunfire and torpedoes. Had Bismarck not been crippled by the Swordfish torpedo, it is likely that she would have outrun her pursuers and safely made port.	Some German sailors claim that Bismarck's scuttling charges were deliberately detonated; if true, this only hastened her inevitable end. The wreck of Bismarck was discovered in 1989 by an American expedition headed by ocean explorer Dr. Robert Ballard; Ballard kept the exact location secret to deter treasure hunters and salvagers. She was rediscovered in 2001 by an Anglo-American expedition under the direction of David Mearns.
	HMS Hood (BC)	Struck by a salvo from Bismarck early in the battle, Hood blew up, split in two and sank within minutes. Of the approximately 1,500 crew, only three survived.	Hood was discovered in 2001 by the Mearns expedition.
23 Sep 1941 Kronstadt Harbor (near Leningrad)	Marat (BB)	Marat is sunk in shallow water by a 1,000 lb. bomb dropped from a Junkers JU-87 Stuka dive domber piloted by Hans-Erich Rudel.	Most of her main battery remains operational and is used as long-range artillery against German ground forces. She is later refloated and repaired.
25 Nov 1941 Mediterranean Sea off Egyptian coast	HMS Barham (BB)	Torpedoed by the German u-boat U-331 while en route to attack Italian convoys.	Film of Barham rolling over and exploding is often used in documentaries about battleships and World War II.
7 December 1941 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii	USS Nevada (BB)	The only battleship to get under way during the attack, she was damaged by one torpedo and two or three bombs and deliberately grounded to avoid sinking.	The Japanese task force that attacked Pearl Harbor was built around six fleet carriers: Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku. The aircraft used were Nakajima B5N Kate torpedo bombers, Aichi D3A Val dive bombers and Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters. In addition to the ships sunk or grounded, battleships USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee and USS Maryland receive varying degrees of damage. All ships except Arizona, Oklahoma and Utah are repaired, modernised and returned to service. Fittingly, several of the ressurrected battleships of Pearl Harbor participate in the last battleship vs battleship gun duel at the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944. Oklahoma is righted and refloated, then moved to drydock for salvage. Sold for scrap in 1947, she sinks while under tow to San Francisco. Both Arizona and Utah remain in Pearl Harbor as permanent memorials.
	USS Oklahoma (BB)	Struck by five torpedoes, Oklahoma rolled over and sank at her berth.
	USS Arizona (BB)	A bomb hit, between and to starboard of turrets 1 & 2, penetrated to the area of her forward magazine and detonated the ammunition stored there, which destroyed the forward part of the ship. Never refloated, her superstructure and main guns were removed.
	USS California (BB)	Hit by two bombs and sunk, due to internal watertight doors being opened for an inspection.
	USS West Virginia (BB)	Hit by five torpedoes and two bombs and sunk.
	USS Utah (ex-BB)	Previously converted to a gunnery training and target ship, the former battleship was hit by a torpedo and capsized. It is thought that she was mistaken by the Japanese pilots for an aircraft carrier: she was moored in a berth normally used by carriers and her deck was covered by heavy timbers to prevent damage from practice rounds when used as a target ship.
10 Dec 1941 South China Sea off Malaya	HMS Prince of Wales (BB) HMS Repulse (BC)	Attacked and sunk by bombs and torpedoes from Japanese Mitsubishi G3M Nell land-based bombers.	Both ships lie near each other in relatively shallow water. Both are nearly inverted. They are favored sites for wreck divers using SCUBA equipment. As a courtesy, and to honor the crews of the ships, these divers routinely inspect and repair or replace British Naval Ensigns that are attached to bouy lines on both ships.
18 Dec 1941 Alexandria, Egypt	HMS Queen Elizabeth (BB) HMS Valiant (BB)	Mined by Italian frogmen and sunk in shallow water.	Raised, repaired and returned to service during WWII.
25 May 1942 Cape Paderan, Vietnam	Asahi (ex-BB)	Torpedoed by U.S. submarine USS Salmon.	The former pre-dreadnought battleship had been converted to non-combat use and was serving as a transport when she was sunk.
9 Sep 1942 Mediterranean Sea near Sardinia	Roma (BB)	Hit by two Ruhrstahl SD 1400 "Fritz-X" missiles launched from German Dornier Do217-K-2 bombers.	Roma is the first capital ship to be sunk by guided missile.
10 Nov 1942 Casablanca, Morocco	Jean Bart (BB)	Sailed to Casablanca while still under construction to avoid capture by the Germans. Damaged by gunfire from USS Massachusetts (BB) and bombs from aircraft off aircraft carrier USS Ranger on the 8th. Bombed again on the 10th, causing leaks that required her to be run aground to avoid sinking.	Finally siding with the Allies under Free French command, she remained in Casablanca, in a non-functional condition. Returned to France in 1945, Jean Bart was modernized and completed in 1949. Scrapped in 1969.
12/13 Nov 1942 Guadalcanal	Hiei (BB)	Heavily damaged by gunfire during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. After daybreak, she was repeatedly attacked by USMC Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers from Henderson Field, USN Douglas SBD Dauntless torpedo bombers from USS Enterprise and USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers from Espiritu Santo.	As Hiei was not observed to sink, the exact cause of her sinking is unknown. However, she had been damaged so severely that sinking was inevitable.
15 Nov 1942 Guadalcanal	Kirishima (BB)	Heavily damaged by gunfire from USS Washington during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Scuttled by her crew.	Discovered by Dr. Robert Ballard in 1992, the wreck lies upside down 4,000 feet below the surface of Ironbottom Sound.
27 Nov 1942 Toulon, France	Strasbourg (BB)	Scuttled to avoid capture by the Germans. Raised in 1943 by the Italians, she was sunk again on 18 Aug 1944 by U.S. bombers.	Raised again in Oct 1944, she was used for explosives testing, then sold for scrap in 1955.
	Provence (BB)	Scuttled to avoid capture by the Germans.	Raised, but disarmed, by the Germans, later recaptured by the Allies. Sunk as a blockship after D-Day.
8 Jun 1943 Off Oshima, Japan	Mutsu (BB)	Destroyed by an unexplained magazine explosion.	Only battleship accidentally sunk during WWII.
26 Dec 1943 off North Cape, Norway	Scharnhorst (BB)	Sunk by gunfire and torpedoes at the Battle of North Cape.	The wreck lies upside down in 900 feet of water.
15 Mar 1944 Toulon, France	Ocean (BB, ex-Jean Bart)	Captured by the Germans on 27 Nov 1942 and later sunk in explosives tests.	Scrapped post-war.
7 Jun 1944 Off Normandy, France	HMS Centurion (BB)	Deliberately scuttled as part of the breakwater for the Mulberry artificial harbor at Avaranches.
	Courbet (BB)	Deliberately scuttled as part of the breakwater for the Mulberry artificial harbor at Ouistreham.
24 Oct 1944 Sibuyan Sea, Philippine Islands	Musashi (BB)	The Japanese superbattleship is sunk after being hit by at least 17 bombs and 20 torpedoes from SB2C Helldiver dive bombers and TBM Avenger torpedo bombers from the fast carriers of the Third Fleet.	Musashi lies at a depth of approximately 4,400 feet, and has never been dived.
24 Oct 1944 Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands	Fuso (BB)	Torpedoed by a U.S. destroyer and split in half.	Both sections remained afloat for a time; the stern eventually sank on it's own while the bow was sunk by gunfire from the cruiser USS Louisville. There were no known survivors.
	Yamashiro (BB)	Heavily damaged by gunfire from U.S. battleships, then torpedoed by U.S. destroyers and sunk.	Some historians believe that Yamashiro split in half while Fuso was killed by the battleship gunfire. Until a systematic survey of the wrecks is conducted, the question remains open.
12 Nov 1944 Tromso, Norway	Tirpitz (BB)	Sister ship of Bismarck is sunk by British Lancaster heavy bombers flying from Scotland.	The bow of Tirpitz remains where it sank in 1944. Sections of her armor plate are still used by Norwegian road crews to cover repairs in progress.
21 Nov 1944 Taiwan Strait	Kongo (BB)	Torpedoed by U.S. submarine USS Sealion.	The first super-dreadnought battlecruiser in the Japanese fleet, later upgraded to full battleship status. Kongo was the only active battleship sunk by a submarine in the Pacific during WWII, and the last battleship sunk by a submarine to date.
18 Dec 1944 Gdynia, Poland	Zahringen (ex-BB)	Sunk in shallow water by British bombers.	Refloated, towed to the harbor entrance and scuttled as a blockship 26 Mar 1945. Raised and scrapped post-war.
19 Dec 1944 Gdynia, Poland	Schleswig-Holstein (BB)	Hit by three bombs dropped by British bombers and sunk in shallow water.	After WWII, raised and moved to Talinn, Estonia by the Soviets, then scuttled and used as a target.
20 Feb 1945 Genoa, Italy	Impero (BB)	Launched but not completed. Captured by the Germans in 1943 and sunk by Allied bombers.	Raised and scrapped in 1947.
23 Mar 1945 Gdynia, Poland	Gneisenau (BB)	Sunk as a blockship.	Gneisenau was damaged by a mine in 1942. While in drydock at Keil, she became the target of several raids by Allied heavy bombers. On 26/27 Feb 1942, one such raid specifically targeted her. A bomb struck her bow and touched off an explosion in her forward magazines, almost completely destroying her forward section. After minimal repairs, Gneisenau steamed to Gotenhaven (Gdynia) for major repair. After Scharnhorst was sunk in Dec 1943, repairs were discontinued. After the war, Gneisenau was raised and broken up.
7 Apr 1945 East China Sea	Yamato (BB)	Japanese superbattleship dispatched on a suicide run against the American fleet at Okinawa in the last days of World War II, attacked by F6F Hellcat fighters, SB2C Helldiver dive bombers, and TBM Avenger torpedo bombers. Hit by many bombs, torpedoes and 5 inch rockets, Yamato slowly capsized, then exploded after fires reached her ammunition magazines.	It was reported that the smoke plume from her final explosion was seen on mainland Japan, one hundred miles away. Her wreck lies in two pieces, broken at the #2 main turret. It has been surveyed on at least two occasions by remotely operated vehicles.
4 May 1945 Baltic Sea off Swinoujscie, Poland	Schlesien (BB)	Deliberately scuttled to avoid capture by Soviet forces.
24 Jul 1945 Eta Jima, Japan	Settsu (ex-BB)	Sunk by U.S. bombers.	Converted to target ship in 1924; radio control added in 1937. Raised and scrapped in 1947.
28 Jul 1945 Kure, Japan	Ise (BB) Hyuga (BB)	Sunk at moorings by U.S. bombers.	Both ships had been previously converted to hybrid battleship-carriers by removing the aft main turrets and replacing them with a short flight deck.
	Haruna (BB)	Sunk at moorings by Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers and carrier aircraft of Task Force 38.	Raised and broken up in 1946.

Summary: Causes of Battleship/Battlecruiser Sinkings in World War II
Combat Losses		Non-Combat Losses
Cause	No. Sunk	Cause	No. Sunk
Air Attack	25	Scuttled to avoid capture	4
Surface Attack	7*	Scuttled as blockship or breakwater	5*
Submarine Attack	4	Accident	1
Mines and Commando Raids	2	Other non-combat cause	1
Scuttled in battle	1
Grounded to prevent sinking	2	* With aviation assistance
Total Sinkings	41	Total Sinkings	11
Total Ships	47	Total Sinkings	52

Sources
List of sunken battleships List of sunken battlecruisers	The Complete History of the Battleship

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