List of sunken battlecruisers
Encyclopedia
The battlecruiser
s listed are grouped according to how they came to be sunk. In each category, they are listed in chronological order by date sunk.
HMS Invincible
Destroyed by a salvo from the battlecruiser SMS Lützow
at the Battle of Jutland
on May 31, 1916.
HMS Indefatigable
Destroyed by a salvo from the battlecruiser SMS Von der Tann
at the Battle of Jutland
on May 31, 1916.
HMS Queen Mary
Destroyed by a salvo from the battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger
at the Battle of Jutland
on May 31, 1916.
SMS Lützow
Heavily battered by the British battleships and battlecruisers at the Battle of Jutland
, Lützow was returning home when she finally succumbed to severe flooding and had to be scuttled by her crew on June 1, 1916.
HMS Repulse
Destroyed by Japanese aerial torpedo
es on December 10, 1941, while deployed in defense of Singapore.
HMS Hood
Designed and laid down as a battlecruiser, she did undergo some redesign following the Battle of Jutland
while still under construction. Though popularly referred to as a battleship, she remained classified as a battlecruiser by the Royal Navy, and is still generally recognized to be one of the last battlecruisers.
Destroyed by gunfire on May 24, 1941, while attacking the German warships Bismarck and Prinz Eugen during the Battle of the Denmark Strait
.
Destroyed by gunfire and torpedoes from an Allied task force off the coast of Norway on December 26, 1943 during the Battle of North Cape
.
were designed and built as battlecruisers, and were all destroyed in battle during the Second World War. These ships were heavily rebuilt during the inter-war years, and it is generally agreed that these ships were upgraded to fast battleships. These ships were the Kongō
, the Hiei
, the Kirishima
, and the Haruna
.
Six American ships of the Lexington class
were designed and laid down as battlecruisers, but four were canceled and two completed as aircraft carriers under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
. The USS Lexington (CV-2)
was destroyed by aerial torpedoes and aerial bombs during the Battle of the Coral Sea
. The USS Saratoga (CV-3)
survived World War II
, but was used as a target ship
for Operation Crossroads
, an atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll
in 1946. Her wreckage still lies at the bottom of the Bikini lagoon.
Two Japanese ships of the Amagi class were designed and laid down as battlecruisers, with the Akagi
completed as an aircraft carrier. The Amagi was destroyed in an earthquake in Japan
. The IJN carrier Akagi was destroyed by aerial bombs and fires during the Battle of Midway
.
Three British ships of the Glorious class
were designed and built as battlecruisers, and later converted into aircraft carriers. The HMS Glorious (77)
was sunk by the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau while evacuating British soldiers from Norway. The HMS Courageous (50)
was sunk by a U-boat in 1939 while escorting a convoy. The third ship, the HMS Furious (47)
, survived the war, and she was scrapped in 1948.
HMAS Australia
Scuttled at sea in accordance with the disarmament terms of the Washington Naval Treaty on April 12, 1924.
SMS Von der Tann
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa Flow
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later raised and scrapped.
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later raised and scrapped.
SMS Seydlitz
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa Flow
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later raised and scrapped.
SMS Derfflinger
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa Flow
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later raised and scrapped.
SMS Hindenburg
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa Flow
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later, she was raised and scrapped.
The target of frequent and massive Allied bombing raids, Gneisenau was eventually decommissioned and scuttled as a blockship in Gotenhafen. Later raised and scrapped.
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
s listed are grouped according to how they came to be sunk. In each category, they are listed in chronological order by date sunk.
Sunk in combat
The following ships were destroyed in battle. These ships are considered war graves.HMS InvincibleHMS Invincible (1907)HMS Invincible was a battlecruiser of the British Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class of three, and the first battlecruiser to be built by any country in the world. She participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight in a minor role as she was the oldest and slowest of the British battlecruisers...
Destroyed by a salvo from the battlecruiser SMS LützowSMS Lützow
SMS Lützow"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was the second built by the German Kaiserliche Marine before World War I. Ordered as a replacement for the old protected cruiser , Lützow was launched on 29 November 1913, but not completed until 1916...
at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
on May 31, 1916.
- Navy:
- Casualties: Six survivors out of 1,021 crewmen.
- Location: North Sea
- Status: Official war grave site.
- Condition: The Invincible lies in two pieces in 180 feet (54.9 m) of water.
HMS IndefatigableHMS Indefatigable (1909)HMS Indefatigable was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy and the lead ship of her class. Her keel was laid down in 1909 and she was commissioned in 1911...
Destroyed by a salvo from the battlecruiser SMS Von der TannSMS Von der Tann
SMS Von der Tann"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine, as well as Germany's first major turbine-powered warship. At the time of her construction, Von der Tann was the fastest dreadnought-type...
at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
on May 31, 1916.
- Navy:
- Casualties: Two survivors out of 1,017 crewmen.
- Location: North Sea
- Status: Official war grave site.
- Condition: The Indefatigable was extensively scavenged and salvaged prior to being declared a protected war grave. Only large pieces of metal remain on the sea floor.
- Relics: One of the ship's life savers that survived the sinking is on display at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester.
HMS Queen MaryHMS Queen MaryHMS Queen Mary was a battlecruiser built by the British Royal Navy before World War I, the sole member of her class. She was similar to the s, though she differed in details from her half-sisters. She was the last battlecruiser completed before the war and participated in the Battle of Heligoland...
SMS Derfflinger
SMS Derfflinger"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was a battlecruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine built just before the outbreak of World War I. She was the lead vessel of her class of three ships; her sister ships were and...
at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
on May 31, 1916.
- Navy:
- Casualties: Nine survivors out of 1,266 crewmen.
- Location: North Sea
- Status: Official war grave site.
- Condition: The Queen Mary lies upside down in 200 feet (61 m) of water.
SMS LützowSMS LützowSMS Lützow"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was the second built by the German Kaiserliche Marine before World War I. Ordered as a replacement for the old protected cruiser , Lützow was launched on 29 November 1913, but not completed until 1916...
Heavily battered by the British battleships and battlecruisers at the Battle of JutlandBattle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
, Lützow was returning home when she finally succumbed to severe flooding and had to be scuttled by her crew on June 1, 1916.
- Navy:
- Location: North Sea
- Status: Official war grave site.
- Condition: The Lützow is relatively intact, upside down, in 160 feet (48.8 m) of water.
HMS RepulseHMS Repulse (1916)HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
Destroyed by Japanese aerial torpedoAerial torpedo
The aerial torpedo, airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo is a naval weapon, the torpedo, designed to be dropped into water from an aircraft after which it propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torpedoes were used extensively in World War II, and remain in limited...
es on December 10, 1941, while deployed in defense of Singapore.
- Navy:
- Casualties: 327 men lost and 1,285 survivors
- Location: Near Kuantan in Malaysia
- Status: Official war grave site.
- Condition: On her side in 180 feet (54.9 m) of water.
HMS HoodHMS Hood (51)HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. One of four s ordered in mid-1916, her design—although drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction—still had serious limitations. For this reason she was the only ship of her class to be...
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
while still under construction. Though popularly referred to as a battleship, she remained classified as a battlecruiser by the Royal Navy, and is still generally recognized to be one of the last battlecruisers.
Destroyed by gunfire on May 24, 1941, while attacking the German warships Bismarck and Prinz Eugen during the Battle of the Denmark Strait
Battle of the Denmark Strait
The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a Second World War naval battle between ships of the Royal Navy and the German Kriegsmarine, fought on 24 May 1941...
.
- Navy:
- Casualties: 3 survivors out of 1,418 crewmen.
- Location: Denmark Strait, North Atlantic Ocean
- Status: Official war grave site.
- Condition: In pieces in 10000 feet (3,048 m) of water.
- Relics: Two of the Hood's 5.5-inch (140 mm) guns, removed earlier during a refit, were installed on Ascension Island where the battery still exists today in a largely intact condition. A single gun mounting survives on the Faroe Islands.
Scharnhorst
Though classified by the Germans as a battleship, some argue the Scharnhorst and her sister ship represent the ultimate example of the German theory of battlecruiser design. On a platform with high-speed machinery and battleship-class armor, the Germans installed guns that were smaller than contemporary battleships. However, this was not due to a desire to reduce weight to increase speed, it was due to the Versailles Treaty, which limited German production of 15" guns to one per year.Destroyed by gunfire and torpedoes from an Allied task force off the coast of Norway on December 26, 1943 during the Battle of North Cape
Battle of North Cape
The Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle which occurred on 26 December 1943, as part of the Arctic Campaign. The German battlecruiser , on an operation to attack Arctic Convoys of war materiel from the Western Allies to the USSR, was brought to battle and sunk by superior...
.
- Navy:
- Casualties: Only 36 survivors out of 1,968 men
- Location: Arctic Ocean, approximately 66 miles (106.2 km) off the North Cape of Norway.
- Status: Official war grave site.
- Condition: The Scharnhorst lies upside down in 900 feet (274.3 m) of water.
Other Ships, including an A-bomb test target
Four Japanese ships of the Kongo classKongo class battlecruiser
The were a class of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy constructed immediately before World War I. Designed by British naval architect George Thurston, the lead ship of the class was the last Japanese capital ship constructed outside of Japan. Displacing upon completion, the vessels of this...
were designed and built as battlecruisers, and were all destroyed in battle during the Second World War. These ships were heavily rebuilt during the inter-war years, and it is generally agreed that these ships were upgraded to fast battleships. These ships were the Kongō
Japanese battleship Kongo
Kongō was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. She was the first battlecruiser of the Kongō class, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Her designer was the British naval engineer George Thurston, and she was laid down in 1911 at...
, the Hiei
Japanese battleship Hiei
was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. Designed by British naval architect George Thurston, she was the second launched of four s, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Laid down in 1911 at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, Hiei was formally...
, the Kirishima
Japanese battleship Kirishima
was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. Designed by British naval engineer George Thurston, she was the third launched of the four Kongō-class battlecruisers, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built...
, and the Haruna
Japanese battleship Haruna
, named after Mount Haruna, was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during :World War I and :World War II. Designed by the British naval engineer George Thurston, she was the fourth and last battlecruiser of the , among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built...
.
Six American ships of the Lexington class
Lexington class battlecruiser
The Lexington-class battlecruisers were the only class of battlecruiser to ever be ordered by the United States Navy.The Lexington class were the only class of U.S. Navy ships to be officially referred to as battlecruisers. The World War II-era , officially classified as "large cruisers", but some...
were designed and laid down as battlecruisers, but four were canceled and two completed as aircraft carriers under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
. The USS Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
was destroyed by aerial torpedoes and aerial bombs during the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
. The USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Saratoga was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the fifth ship to bear her name. She was commissioned one month earlier than her sister and class leader, , which is the third actually commissioned after and Saratoga...
survived World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but was used as a target ship
Target ship
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing.-Rationale:Sinking redundant warships is an effective way of testing new weapons and warships in as realistic a manner as possible. Whilst practice torpedoes are fired...
for Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
, an atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
in 1946. Her wreckage still lies at the bottom of the Bikini lagoon.
Two Japanese ships of the Amagi class were designed and laid down as battlecruisers, with the Akagi
Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi
Akagi was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , originally begun as an . She was converted while still under construction to an aircraft carrier under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty...
completed as an aircraft carrier. The Amagi was destroyed in an earthquake in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The IJN carrier Akagi was destroyed by aerial bombs and fires during the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
.
Three British ships of the Glorious class
Glorious class aircraft carrier
The Courageous class, sometimes called the Glorious class, was the first multi-ship class of aircraft carriers to serve with the Royal Navy. The three ships were originally laid down as "large light cruisers" to be used in the Baltic Project during the First World War...
were designed and built as battlecruisers, and later converted into aircraft carriers. The HMS Glorious (77)
HMS Glorious (77)
HMS Glorious was the second of the cruisers built for the British Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord, Lord Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Glorious was completed in late 1916...
was sunk by the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau while evacuating British soldiers from Norway. The HMS Courageous (50)
HMS Courageous (50)
HMS Courageous was the lead ship of the cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord, John Fisher, the ship was very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Courageous was completed in late...
was sunk by a U-boat in 1939 while escorting a convoy. The third ship, the HMS Furious (47)
HMS Furious (47)
HMS Furious was a modified cruiser built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, Lord John Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Furious was modified while...
, survived the war, and she was scrapped in 1948.
Scuttled in deep water
The following ships were intentionally sunk while not engaged in battle. HMAS AustraliaHMAS Australia (1911)HMAS Australia was one of three s built for the defence of the British Empire. Ordered by the Australian government in 1909, she was launched in 1911, and commissioned as flagship of the fledgling Royal Australian Navy in 1913...
Scuttled at sea in accordance with the disarmament terms of the Washington Naval Treaty on April 12, 1924.
- Navy:
- Location: Pacific Ocean, approximately 24 miles (38.6 km) from Sydney Harbour.
- Relics: A number of relics were saved and are distributed around Australia. The admiral's table is displayed at Parliament House in Canberra.
Scuttled and later salvaged for scrapping
The following ships were sunk, but were later salvaged and scrapped. SMS Von der TannSMS Von der TannSMS Von der Tann"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was the first battlecruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine, as well as Germany's first major turbine-powered warship. At the time of her construction, Von der Tann was the fastest dreadnought-type...
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later raised and scrapped.
- Navy:
SMS Moltke
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later raised and scrapped.
- Navy:
SMS SeydlitzSMS SeydlitzSMS Seydlitz"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was a 25,000-metric ton battlecruiserAdmiral Alfred von Tirpitz referred to the ship as a large cruiser in his annual budgets in an attempt to reduce opposition from the Reichstag; the ship was not referred...
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later raised and scrapped.
- Navy:
SMS DerfflingerSMS DerfflingerSMS Derfflinger"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was a battlecruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine built just before the outbreak of World War I. She was the lead vessel of her class of three ships; her sister ships were and...
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later raised and scrapped.
- Navy:
SMS HindenburgSMS HindenburgSMS Hindenburg"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German. was a battlecruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine and the third ship of the . She was named in honor of Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, the victor of the Battle of Tannenberg and the Battle of the...
Interned at the end of World War I at Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, and scuttled there by her crew on June 21 1919. Later, she was raised and scrapped.
- Navy:
Gneisenau
- Navy:
- Relics: One main turret was converted to a coastal artillery placement in Ørland, Norway, where it still exists as a museum. Parts of the guns from another main turret are on display in the Netherlands. Two twin 15 cm turrets from her secondary armament still exist in Denmark near Rødvig.