Royal Navy Handbook 1939-1945 by David Wragg

Author:David Wragg
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780750954280
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2013-08-30T16:00:00+00:00

Surface ships

246

Shore-based aircraft (other than bombing raids)

245

Bombing raids

61

Accidents and scuttling

57

Shared between surface ships and aircraft

50

Ship-borne aircraft

43

Unknown causes

29

Mines

26

Submarines

21

Russian advance

7

Other German losses included 2 battleships, 2 battlecruisers, 3 ‘pocket’ battleships, 2 old battleships, the single uncompleted aircraft carrier, 8 cruisers, 101 destroyers and torpedo boats, 7 armed merchant cruisers used as commerce raiders, 23 minelayers, 25 smaller escort vessels, 282 minesweepers, 64 mine destructor boats or sperrbrecher, 146 E-boats (known to the Germans as S-boats), 860 miscellaneous craft and as many as 600 ferry barges, mainly in the surface follow-up to the invasion of Crete. The Italians lost a battleship, although two more were knocked out at Taranto, 14 cruisers, 85 destroyers and torpedo boats, 3 minelayers, 84 submarines, 35 minesweepers, 72 mis-cellaneous craft and about 60 barges.

BATTLESHIPS

Queen Elizabeth Class

Queen Elizabeth, Warspite, Valiant, Barham, Malaya

Built during the First World War but modernisation started before the Second World War, largely driven by the fact that new capital ships could not be laid down before 1 January 1937. On the outbreak of war, Warspite had been completely reconstructed, while work on Queen Elizabeth and Valiant was in hand, but Malaya and Barham had been only partly reconstructed. Attention was given to improving underwater protection and AA armament, but the main armament was also improved, using modern shells so that the range of the 15in guns went from 23,400 yards to 32,200 yards. Nevertheless, there were limitations on what could be achieved: while armour plating was improved by laying 2.5in armour on top of the original 1in, but this was, of course, far inferior to a single sheet of 3.5in had it been possible to retrofit this. Over the magazines, doubtless with the lessons of Jutland in mind, armour plating was 4in over the original 1in. Warspite was the first to receive attention, with torpedo bulges fitted as early as 1926, while funnels were merged into one to stop back draughts carrying gases to the bridge. There was an almost ten-fold increase in pump capacity to handle fires or flooding. Torpedo tubes were removed as part of the modernisation, which also saw a catapult added, plus accommodation for two Supermarine Walrus aircraft. Machinery was also improved, with the upgrading of the geared turbines, and as a result the maximum range increased from 4,400 miles at 10 knots to 13,500 miles. The number of boilers was reduced from twenty-four to eight of a much-improved design.

Barham torpedoed and sunk off Libya, 25 November 1941.

Displacement: The 1940 standard saw these ships displace 36,450 tons full load.

Armament: 8 × 15in; 20 × 4.5in HA guns; 32 × 2pdr HA guns in four mountings; 16 × 0.5in guns in four mountings.

Maximum speed: 25 knots.

Royal Sovereign Class

Royal Sovereign, Resolution, Revenge, Royal Oak, Ramillies (all 1916–17)

Built during the First World War, but their smaller size meant that less could be done to update them. Ramillies had underwater bulges fitted and in 1917 it was decided to extend this protection to the other four ships of the class. As war approached, efforts were

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