RN ship losses
@rnshiplosses.bsky.social
Recording ship losses of the Royal Navies of Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand day by day, remembering the fallen and honouring all who served. Corrections and additions welcome. No official affiliations. No AI used here! Also at Twitter/X.
15 Nov 1940 // HM Tug Guardsman, in use as an examination vessel at Gravesend, detonated a mine off North Foreland and sank with the loss of two of her crew of nine. The seven survivors were rescued by the Margate lifeboat. #RoyalNavy #WW2
November 15, 2025 at 5:37 PM
15 Nov 1940 // HM Tug Guardsman, in use as an examination vessel at Gravesend, detonated a mine off North Foreland and sank with the loss of two of her crew of nine. The seven survivors were rescued by the Margate lifeboat. #RoyalNavy #WW2
15 Nov 1940 // HM Trawler Dungeness was run ashore at Happisburgh, Norfolk, after being bombed by German aircraft off Hammonds Knoll and seriously damaged by near misses. There were no casualties, but the trawler was written off as a total loss. #RoyalNavy #WW2
November 15, 2025 at 5:36 PM
15 Nov 1940 // HM Trawler Dungeness was run ashore at Happisburgh, Norfolk, after being bombed by German aircraft off Hammonds Knoll and seriously damaged by near misses. There were no casualties, but the trawler was written off as a total loss. #RoyalNavy #WW2
15 Nov 1918 // HM Yacht Goissa struck a mine in the Dardanelles while sailing to Constantinople, and sank with the loss of five men. The enquiry found that the loss of the Goissa was due to the chart of the swept channel being unclear and confusing. #RoyalNavy #WW1
November 15, 2025 at 5:35 PM
15 Nov 1918 // HM Yacht Goissa struck a mine in the Dardanelles while sailing to Constantinople, and sank with the loss of five men. The enquiry found that the loss of the Goissa was due to the chart of the swept channel being unclear and confusing. #RoyalNavy #WW1
15 Nov 1915 // HM Drifter Silvery Wave, a Lowestoft boat in #RoyalNavy service as an anti-submarine net tender, was driven ashore on St Mary's Island in the Scilly Isles during a gale and was declared a total loss. There were no casualties. #WW1
November 15, 2025 at 5:34 PM
15 Nov 1915 // HM Drifter Silvery Wave, a Lowestoft boat in #RoyalNavy service as an anti-submarine net tender, was driven ashore on St Mary's Island in the Scilly Isles during a gale and was declared a total loss. There were no casualties. #WW1
15 Nov 1745 (O.S.) // Armed vessel HMS Baltimore ran aground and broke up on Point Lynas, Anglesey, while sailing westward along the coast of North Wales in bad weather. 19 men lost their lives in the wreck. #RoyalNavy
November 15, 2025 at 5:33 PM
15 Nov 1745 (O.S.) // Armed vessel HMS Baltimore ran aground and broke up on Point Lynas, Anglesey, while sailing westward along the coast of North Wales in bad weather. 19 men lost their lives in the wreck. #RoyalNavy
15 Nov 1667 (O.S.) // 22-gun 5th-rate HMS Sorlings ran aground off Reculver and was wrecked, with no loss of life. The court martial put all blame for the loss on 'the wilfulness, ignorance and ill-grounded confidence of Aaron Johnson the pilot'. #RoyalNavy
November 15, 2025 at 5:32 PM
15 Nov 1667 (O.S.) // 22-gun 5th-rate HMS Sorlings ran aground off Reculver and was wrecked, with no loss of life. The court martial put all blame for the loss on 'the wilfulness, ignorance and ill-grounded confidence of Aaron Johnson the pilot'. #RoyalNavy
14 Nov 1941 // Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sank south-east of Gibraltar: she had been torpedoed by German submarine U.81 on 13 Nov, and capsized and sank despite efforts to save her. One member of her crew died in the initial explosion. (Imperial War Museum A 6334) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:20 PM
14 Nov 1941 // Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sank south-east of Gibraltar: she had been torpedoed by German submarine U.81 on 13 Nov, and capsized and sank despite efforts to save her. One member of her crew died in the initial explosion. (Imperial War Museum A 6334) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
14 Nov 1940 // HM Drifter The Boys sprang a leak at about midnight while patrolling off Dungeness in poor weather. A tug came out and took her in tow, but she gradually flooded, finally sinking at 8am. All her crew were safely taken off. #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:19 PM
14 Nov 1940 // HM Drifter The Boys sprang a leak at about midnight while patrolling off Dungeness in poor weather. A tug came out and took her in tow, but she gradually flooded, finally sinking at 8am. All her crew were safely taken off. #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
14 Nov 1940 // HM Drifter Shipmates was sunk by a direct hit during a German air raid on Dover, where she was birthed at the West Pier. The bomb hit the foredeck and blew her bows apart, and she quickly sank with the loss of one of her crew, the only man on board. #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:18 PM
14 Nov 1940 // HM Drifter Shipmates was sunk by a direct hit during a German air raid on Dover, where she was birthed at the West Pier. The bomb hit the foredeck and blew her bows apart, and she quickly sank with the loss of one of her crew, the only man on board. #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
14 Nov 1940 // HM Trawler Ristango, serving as a gate tender at the Medway boom, sank in bad weather. No lives were lost but her wreck blocked the boom and preventing shipping passing through until it was cleared on the following day. #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:18 PM
14 Nov 1940 // HM Trawler Ristango, serving as a gate tender at the Medway boom, sank in bad weather. No lives were lost but her wreck blocked the boom and preventing shipping passing through until it was cleared on the following day. #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
14 Nov 1918 // Armoured cruiser HMS Cochrane ran aground in the Mersey on approach to Liverpool due to an error by the pilot. It was decided that salvage was not worthwhile and she was emptied of stores and equipment and broken up where she lay. (Imperial War Museum Q 21094) #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:17 PM
14 Nov 1918 // Armoured cruiser HMS Cochrane ran aground in the Mersey on approach to Liverpool due to an error by the pilot. It was decided that salvage was not worthwhile and she was emptied of stores and equipment and broken up where she lay. (Imperial War Museum Q 21094) #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
14 Nov 1917 // HM Drifter John Mitchell, a Lowestoft boat in #RoyalNavy service as a net barrier tender, sank off St Alban's Head, Dorset, after a collision with steamship Bjerka. All her crew were safely picked up. #WW1 #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:16 PM
14 Nov 1917 // HM Drifter John Mitchell, a Lowestoft boat in #RoyalNavy service as a net barrier tender, sank off St Alban's Head, Dorset, after a collision with steamship Bjerka. All her crew were safely picked up. #WW1 #NavalHistory
14 Nov 1854 // Screw steamer transport HMS Prince was lost in a violent storm which struck French and British vessels assembled off Balaklava. She had just disembarked troops but was still loaded with desperately needed winter supplies for the soldiers engaged in the Crimean War. [1/2]
November 14, 2025 at 12:15 PM
14 Nov 1854 // Screw steamer transport HMS Prince was lost in a violent storm which struck French and British vessels assembled off Balaklava. She had just disembarked troops but was still loaded with desperately needed winter supplies for the soldiers engaged in the Crimean War. [1/2]
14 Nov 1781 // Leaky 8-gun fireship HMS Conflagration flooded unstoppably off Cape Henry, Virginia, and was abandoned. Her wreck was set on fire, thus fulfilling the promise of her name despite her waterlogged state. All her crew were safely taken off by HMS Aeolus. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM
14 Nov 1781 // Leaky 8-gun fireship HMS Conflagration flooded unstoppably off Cape Henry, Virginia, and was abandoned. Her wreck was set on fire, thus fulfilling the promise of her name despite her waterlogged state. All her crew were safely taken off by HMS Aeolus. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
14 Nov 1779 // 24-gun HMS Penelope captured a Spanish ship west of Puerto Rico on this date and then disappeared with all hands. Some sources suggest she might have been captured by her Spanish prisoners, but there seems to be no direct (or indirect) evidence of this. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:12 PM
14 Nov 1779 // 24-gun HMS Penelope captured a Spanish ship west of Puerto Rico on this date and then disappeared with all hands. Some sources suggest she might have been captured by her Spanish prisoners, but there seems to be no direct (or indirect) evidence of this. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
14 Nov 1745 (O.S.) // 14-gun brig sloop HMS Fox, part of a squadron in the North Sea intended to interdict French attempts to supply Jacobite forces in Scotland, was driven ashore near Dunbar in bad weather and was wrecked, with only 9 survivors from around 140 on board. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
November 14, 2025 at 12:12 PM
14 Nov 1745 (O.S.) // 14-gun brig sloop HMS Fox, part of a squadron in the North Sea intended to interdict French attempts to supply Jacobite forces in Scotland, was driven ashore near Dunbar in bad weather and was wrecked, with only 9 survivors from around 140 on board. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
13 Nov 1943 // Destroyer HMS Dulverton was struck off Kos in the Dodecanese by a German aircraft-launched glider bomb. She was severely damaged by a magazine explosion and fire, and was scuttled on the same day by HMS Belvoir. 78 officers and men lost their lives. #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 13, 2025 at 1:26 PM
13 Nov 1943 // Destroyer HMS Dulverton was struck off Kos in the Dodecanese by a German aircraft-launched glider bomb. She was severely damaged by a magazine explosion and fire, and was scuttled on the same day by HMS Belvoir. 78 officers and men lost their lives. #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
13 Nov 1939 // Destroyer HMS Blanche, escorting (with HMS Basilisk) minelayer HMS Adventure from Grimsby to Portsmouth, hit a German mine in the Thames Estuary. 2 men were killed and 12 injured. She was taken in tow but capsized and sank. (Imperial War Museum: FL 2352) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 13, 2025 at 1:25 PM
13 Nov 1939 // Destroyer HMS Blanche, escorting (with HMS Basilisk) minelayer HMS Adventure from Grimsby to Portsmouth, hit a German mine in the Thames Estuary. 2 men were killed and 12 injured. She was taken in tow but capsized and sank. (Imperial War Museum: FL 2352) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
13 Nov 1805 // 12-gun brig HMS Woodlark, sailing from Lowestoft to Portsmouth with men for the Navy, unexpectedly ran aground at about 8.30pm. The weather was hazy with poor visibility. The pilot, John Steadman, assumed that they were off the Kent coast and had struck the Goodwin Sands. [1/4]
November 13, 2025 at 1:24 PM
13 Nov 1805 // 12-gun brig HMS Woodlark, sailing from Lowestoft to Portsmouth with men for the Navy, unexpectedly ran aground at about 8.30pm. The weather was hazy with poor visibility. The pilot, John Steadman, assumed that they were off the Kent coast and had struck the Goodwin Sands. [1/4]
13 Nov 1798 // 16-gun ship sloop HMS Peterel was captured off Minorca by three 34-gun Spanish frigates after a chase lasting from early afternoon on 12 Nov to 8am on 13 Nov. Once they overhauled and surrounded her and began to fire she had no choice but to surrender. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
November 13, 2025 at 1:13 PM
13 Nov 1798 // 16-gun ship sloop HMS Peterel was captured off Minorca by three 34-gun Spanish frigates after a chase lasting from early afternoon on 12 Nov to 8am on 13 Nov. Once they overhauled and surrounded her and began to fire she had no choice but to surrender. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
12 Nov 1945 // HM Trawler Eriskay ran aground in the early hours of the morning off the southern coast of San Jorge island in the Azores because of a navigational error. There were no casualties. The wreck was stripped of salvageable equipment and abandoned. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
November 12, 2025 at 6:54 PM
12 Nov 1945 // HM Trawler Eriskay ran aground in the early hours of the morning off the southern coast of San Jorge island in the Azores because of a navigational error. There were no casualties. The wreck was stripped of salvageable equipment and abandoned. #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory
12 Nov 1944 // HMAS Marlean, a patrol vessel serving as a tender to the base at Garden Island, Sydney, was destroyed without casualties in an accidental fire in Sydney harbour. #RoyalAustralianNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 12, 2025 at 6:53 PM
12 Nov 1944 // HMAS Marlean, a patrol vessel serving as a tender to the base at Garden Island, Sydney, was destroyed without casualties in an accidental fire in Sydney harbour. #RoyalAustralianNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
12 Nov 1943 // Minesweeper BYMS 2072 was captured by German motor launch R.210 at Leros in the Aegean in the early hours of 12 Nov after mistaking the German vessel for a British one. She had been damaged by aerial bombing on the previous evening, with four crewmen killed. [1/4]
November 12, 2025 at 6:52 PM
12 Nov 1943 // Minesweeper BYMS 2072 was captured by German motor launch R.210 at Leros in the Aegean in the early hours of 12 Nov after mistaking the German vessel for a British one. She had been damaged by aerial bombing on the previous evening, with four crewmen killed. [1/4]
12 Nov 1942 // Landing ship HMS Karanja, a requisitioned merchant ship, was sunk by German bombing off Bougie, Algeria. She was hit by two bombs at about 5.30am and was set ablaze, sinking about three hours later. 38 men lost their lives. (IWM images A 6752 & A 12831) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 12, 2025 at 6:46 PM
12 Nov 1942 // Landing ship HMS Karanja, a requisitioned merchant ship, was sunk by German bombing off Bougie, Algeria. She was hit by two bombs at about 5.30am and was set ablaze, sinking about three hours later. 38 men lost their lives. (IWM images A 6752 & A 12831) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
12 Nov 1942 // At about 7am landing ship HMS Cathay, a requisitioned merchant ship, which had been bombed (with one man killed) while landing troops at Bougie, Algeria, on the previous afternoon, exploded and capsized. By 10am she had sunk. (Imperial War Museum A 13020) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 12, 2025 at 6:45 PM
12 Nov 1942 // At about 7am landing ship HMS Cathay, a requisitioned merchant ship, which had been bombed (with one man killed) while landing troops at Bougie, Algeria, on the previous afternoon, exploded and capsized. By 10am she had sunk. (Imperial War Museum A 13020) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory