The battleships listed are grouped according to how they came to be sunk in their final resting place. In each category, they are listed in chronological order by date sunk.
Sunk in CombatThe following battleships were destroyed in full combat. These ships are considered war graves. NavarinSunk after striking either one or two mines, or being torpedoed during or the Battle of Tsushima on May 28, 1905.
Scuttled by her crew after sustaining heavy damage during the Battle of Tsushima on May 28, 1905.
Sunk at the Battle of Tsushima on May 28, 1905.
Sunk at the Battle of Tsushima on May 28, 1905.
Sunk at the Battle of Tsushima on May 28, 1905.
Sunk at the Battle of Tsushima on May 28, 1905.
Sunk at the Battle of Tsushima on May 29, 1905.
Struck a mine on March 18, 1915, while participating in the final attempt to force the Dardanelles straits.
Struck a mine and also hit by shore batteries March 18, 1915, while participating in the final attempt to force the Dardanelles straits.
Struck a mine and also hit by shore batteries March 18, 1915, while participating in the final attempt to force the Dardanelles straits.
Torpedoed by Turkish torpedo boat Muavenet-i Milliye on May 13, 1915, while supporting the Battle of Gallipoli.
Torpedoed by destroyer HMS Faulknor during Battle of Jutland on June 1, 1916. The torpedo hit was followed by a massive explosion in one of her magazines, and the ship broke apart and sank quickly.
Sunk on May 27, 1941 following an extensive naval battle against British battleships, aircraft, cruisers, destroyers, and aircraft carriers. Heavily shelled by battleships and cruisers, and also torpedoed by aircraft and destroyers. The German survivors reported that the heavily damaged ship was finally scuttled to prevent capture.
Destroyed by Japanese aerial bombing on December 7, 1941 during the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
Destroyed by Japanese aerial torpedoes on December 7, 1941 during the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The Utah had been downgraded from a battleship and converted to a combined gunnery training ship and radio-controlled target ship. It has been speculated that Japanese planners had assigned the Utah a low priority as a target, but that the extensive wooden planking covering the Utah's decks had misled Japanese pilots into believing that the ship was a high-priority aircraft carrier.
HMS Prince of Wales was attacked and sunk by aerial torpedoes from Japanese aircraft off the coast of Malaya on December 10, 1941, while deployed in defense of Singapore. The battlecruiser HMS Repulse was sunk in the same engagement. The Prince of Wales was the first battleship to be sunk by aircraft while at sea and under fire.
The first capital ship to be sunk by guided missiles. Destroyed by German bomber-launched 'Fritz-X' missiles on September 9, 1943, while en route to surrender to the Allies.
Destroyed by US naval aircraft on October 24, 1944, at the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea.
Destroyed along with her sister ship Yamashiro on October 25, 1944, at the Battle of Surigao Strait. Split in half after being torpedoed by US destroyers. The bow section was sunk by gunfire from the USS Louisville.
Destroyed along with her sister ship Fusō on October 25, 1944, at the Battle of Surigao Strait. Wrecked first by gunfire from US battleships, her hulk was sunk after being torpedoed by US destroyers.
There is some discussion among historians about the small possibility that the positions and roles of the sister ships Fusō and Yamashiro were reversed during their last battle. The Battle of Surigao Strait was fought at night and at some distance between the battleship combatants. There were very few Japanese survivors. To date, there has been no scientific survey of the wrecks that would resolve the debate.
Sunk on November 12, 1944 by the Royal Air Force using special 5-ton bombs. Near the wreck-site there are artificial lakes along the shore formed from bomb craters from the giant Tallboy bombs that missed their target.
Destroyed while on a one-way mission to interdict American landings on Okinawa. Torpedoed and bombed by US naval aircraft on April 7, 1945.
Sunk after striking a mine on April 13, 1904, early in the Russo-Japanese war.
Struck a Russian mine on May 15, 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War.
Struck two Russian mines on May 15, 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War.
Struck a mine on October 27, 1914, becoming the first British battleship sunk in World War I.
Torpedoed by U-boat on January 1, 1915, while participating in gunnery exercises in the English Channel.
Torpedoed by U-21 on May 25, 1915, while supporting the Battle of Gallipoli.
Torpedoed by U-21 on May 27, 1915, while supporting the Battle of Gallipoli.
Torpedoed by British submarine HMS E11 on August 8, 1915.
Struck a mine on January 6, 1916.
Struck a mine on April 27, 1916.
Destroyed by U-52 with a dramatic torpedo hit in a magazine on November 26, 1916.
Torpedoed by U-47 on December 27, 1916.
Sunk twice by two different enemies. First sunk at her moorings by Japanese Army artillery during the Siege of Port Arthur. Raised and repaired by the Japanese and incorporated into the Imperial Japanese Navy as the Sagami. Purchased by Russia in April 1916 and renamed Peresvet. She was due to be the ship of the Russian Arctic Sea Flotilla but was sunk a second time while en route by mines laid by the U-73 outside Port Said, Egypt on 4 January 1917.
Torpedoed by U-32 on January 9, 1917.
Torpedoed by U-64 on March 19, 1917.
Sunk by mines attached by Italian frogmen riding manned torpedoes on November 1, 1918.
Sunk by two torpedoes launched from the Italian MAS-15 Motor Torpedo Boat on June 10, 1918 while on sortie in the Adriatic Sea.
Torpedoed by U-50 on November 9, 1918. The last Royal Navy vessel to be sunk during World War I.
Causing confusion among historians, Alfonso XIII was renamed España after her sistership España ran aground and sank off Morocco. Alfonso XIII struck a mine and sank near Santander in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War.
Torpedoed by U-47 on October 14, 1939, with loss of 833 men.
Torpedoed by U-331 on November 25, 1941, while steaming to cover an attack on Italian convoys.
Torpedoed by USS Salmon on May 25, 1942. This early British-built pre-Dreadnaught had been repeatedly converted into other ship types, and was serving as a transport.
Torpedoed by USS Sealion on November 21, 1944. The first super-dreadnought type battlecruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and upgraded to a battleship rating in the 1930s. Kongō was the only battleship sunk by a submarine in the Pacific War, and the last battleship ever sunk by a submarine.
The Chilean battleship Almirante Cochrane, under construction, was purchased by the British, completed as an aircraft carrier, and christened HMS Eagle. Ending an illustrious combat career, she was torpedoed by U-73 and sunk near Majorca.
The Japanese Yamato-class battleship Shinano was converted to and completed as a super-carrier. While en-route from her builder's yard at Yokosuka to Kure for outfitting, she was torpedoed and sunk by USS Archer-Fish.
Lost At SeaThe following battleships were lost at sea for reasons other than combat. HMS VictoriaRammed and sunk by HMS Camperdown in one of the most famous warship collisions in history on June 22, 1893.
Sank on June 12, 1897 after hitting an uncharted pinnacle rock.
Ran aground and amongst rocks in fog due to poor navigation on May 30, 1906. The ship could not be pulled off the rocks, so was stripped and abandoned in place.
Destroyed by an ammunition and magazine explosion on November 26, 1914.
Destroyed by a magazine explosion on July 9, 1917.
Ran aground while in tow on the way to be broken up on December 28, 1921. Stripped and left in place as a breakwater.
Capsized and sank on August 26, 1922, after being sliced open by an uncharted rock in a well-travelled bay. Heavily salvaged and then abandoned.
Ran aground in fog off the coast of Morocco in August 28, 1923. Stripped and abandoned in place.
Destroyed by an unexplained magazine explosion on June 8, 1943.
Destroyed by Japanese aerial torpedoes on December 7, 1941 during the infamous surprise air raid on Pearl Harbor. The Oklahoma remained as a capsized wreck in Pearl Harbor for over a year. Following a herculean engineering effort, the hull of the Oklahoma was righted and refloated to help clear the harbor. The decision was made to scrap the ship, and the hulk was being towed to San Francisco in 1947 when it sank at sea.
While being towed across the Atlantic to be scrapped in Britain in 1951, the tow lines snapped in a gale, and the ship was never seen again.
After World War II, the Italian battleship Giulio Cesarewas ceded to the Soviet Union as compensation for war damages. Destroyed in an external explosion on October 29, 1955, while moored in Sevastopol Bay. The reason remains unclear. Official investigation pointed at two possible reasons: 1) that the ship was destroyed by a magnetic naval mine, laid by the Germans several years earlier during World War II (most accepted explanation); 2) or it was diversion by combat divers.
Scuttled in 1904 during the Siege of Port Arthur, to prevent the ship falling into Japanese hands.
The first US battleship, the Maine was destroyed in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898 by a mysterious explosion. At the time, this was believed to have been caused by a Spanish attack using a mobile mine, which precipitated the Spanish-American war. After years as a wreck and navigational hazard, the wreck was refloated, investigated, towed out to sea, and sunk with ceremony in 1912.
Scuttled in Portland harbor on November 4, 1914 to block the Southern Ship Channel from penetration by U-boats or torpedoes.
Scuttled off the Gallipoli Peninsula on November 10, 1915 to form a breakwater.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I.
Scuttled on November 16, 1920 by the White Forces during the Russian Civil War to block the Kerch Strait. The wreckage was later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled of the coast of Normandy on June 7, 1944 as a blockship to protect one of the artificial harbors installed as part of the D-Day invasion.
Scuttled of the coast of Normandy on June 9, 1944 as a blockship to protect one of the artificial harbors installed as part of the D-Day invasion.
Scuttled at Swinemünde on May 4, 1945, to prevent capture by the Soviets. Used as a stationary target by the Soviet military. Later partialled salvaged.
Sunk twice near the end of World War II. Bombed and sunk in shallow water in Gdynia on December 19, 1944. Raised and moved by the Soviets, she was eventually scuttled again and served as a stationary target for the Soviet military.
Sunk as a gunnery target in 1913.
Sunk as a target on November 25, 1913.
Built as the Russian Imperator Nikolai I, but captured by the Japanese. Expended as a gunnery target and sunk by the battleships Kongō and Hiei on October 3, 1915.
Her crew attempted to scuttle her at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919, but she was beached and saved by the British. Converted by the British into a target, she was subjected to a carefully studied series of bombardment tests, and finally sunk by British battleships.
Transferred to France at the end of WWI as a war prize. Used by the French as an aircraft target and for destructive underwater testing. Finally sunk as a gunnery target on June 28, 1922 by the French battleships France, Jean Bart, and Paris.
Converted to the first radio-controlled target ship, she was sunk by the USS Mississippi in 1923.
Converted to a target for aerial bombing tests, she was sunk as part of Army Air Corps bombing exercises in 1923.
Converted to a target for aerial bombing tests, she was sunk as part of Army Air Corps bombing exercises in 1923.
Sunk at least twice while serving in two different navies. Originally built in U.S.A. for the Russian Imperial Navy as the Retvizan. She was present at the Battle of Port Arthur where she was torpedoed by Japanese destroyers, ran aground and later repaired. After suffering moderate damage during the Battle of the Yellow Sea, she became trapped in Port Arthur and sunk at her moorings by Japanese army artillery on 6 December 1904, during the Siege of Port Arthur.
Retvizan was raised by the Japanese, repaired, and renamed Hizen. She served in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I, was retired in 1923 and sunk as a target in 1924.
Originally built by the Russian Imperial Navy as the Oryol. She was present at the Battle of Tsushima where she was lightly damaged by gunfire. Oryol was captured by the Japanese, repaired, improved, and renamed Iwami. She served in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I, was retired in 1923 and sunk as a target on July 10, 1924. Oryol was the last battleship to surrender on the high seas.
Expended in compliance with the Washington Naval Treaty on September 7, 1924. Sunk by gunfire from the Nagato and Mutsu in the presence of Crown Prince and all the Japanese military heads.
Expended in compliance with the Washington Naval Treaty on September 7, 1924. Sunk by gunfire from the Kongō and Hyūga.
Converted to a target ship and sunk as a gunnery target by HMS Revenge on January 20, 1925.
Converted to a target for atomic bombing tests in Bikini Atoll, she survived an aerial atomic bomb test but was sunk following a submerged atomic bomb test on July 25, 1946.
Converted to a target for atomic bombing tests in Bikini Atoll, she survived an aerial atomic bomb test but was sunk following a submerged atomic bomb test on July 25, 1946.
Converted to a target for atomic bombing tests in Bikini Atoll, she survived both the aerial atomic bomb test and the submerged atomic bomb test in 1946. She was towed to Kwajalein Lagoon for studies, and sunk off Kwajalein Atoll in 1948.
Converted to a target for atomic bombing tests in Bikini Atoll, she survived both the aerial atomic bomb test and the submerged atomic bomb test in 1946. She was towed back to Pearl Harbor, and sunk following a massive assault by ships and planes in 1948.
Heavily bombed during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, she was beached by her crew. Had long war-time service history after being repaired. Converted to a target for atomic bombing tests in Bikini Atoll, she survived both the aerial atomic bomb test and the submerged atomic bomb test in 1946. She was towed back to Pearl Harbor, and sunk by gunfire and aerial torpedoes in 1948.
Built as the Russian pre-dreadnought Poltava, she fought in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, but failed to escape and was scuttled during the Siege of Port Arthur. Salvaged after the war in October 1905, she was refloated, repaired, and taken into service in the Imperial Japanese Navy as the Tango. Purchased by the Russians during World War I and renamed Chesma. She was later captured by the British during the Allied invasion of northern Russia during the Russian Civil War. Scrapped in 1923.
Built as the Russian pre-dreadnought Pobeda, she fought in the Battle of the Yellow Sea. While moored at Port Arthur, she was sunk on December 7, 1904 by Japanese army artillery during the Siege of Port Arthur. Salvaged after the war in October 1905, she was refloated, repaired, and taken into service in the Imperial Japanese Navy as the Suwo. Scrapped in 1946.
Caught fire and exploded in Toulon harbor on September 25, 1911. The explosion severely damaged nearby warships, including the battleship République.
Destroyed in Taranto harbor by Austrian saboteurs on August 2, 1916. Later raised and partially repaired, then scrapped.
Destroyed in Sevastopol harbor on October 20, 1916 by an internal explosion. The reason remained unclear: tragic chance or diversion. Raised in 1918 and scrapped in 1927. Her turrets and guns were salvaged and used in coastal defense batteries near Sevastopol.
Scuttled by her crew on October 17, 1917 after sustaining heavy damage during the Battle of Moon Sound in the Baltic. The Slava had taken too many hits below the waterline and was drawing too much water to navigate the dredged channel in the strait at Moon Sound. The Slava was scuttled in the strait in an attempt to block passage by German warships pursuing the Russian fleet. The wreckage was later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled on June 18, 1918 in Tsemes Bay near Novorossiysk to prevent capture by the Germans. Later raised and scrapped. Her turrets and guns were salvaged and used in coastal defense batteries near Sevastopol.
Destroyed by an internal explosion from unstable cordite on September 12, 1918 in Tokuyama Bay. Later raised and scrapped.
Legend of the silver screen, the Potemkin and her crew had one of the most curious and famous histories of any battleship. Destroyed at Sevastopol in April 1919 by Interventionists in the Russian Civil War. The wreckage was later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I. Later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I. Later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I. Later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I. Later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I. Later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I. Later raised and scrapped.
Scuttled by her crew at Scapa Flow on June 21, 1919 while interned at the end of World War I. Later raised and scrapped.
Converted to a target for ordnance and aerial bombing tests, she was sunk in 1920. The hulk was later scrapped.
Converted to a target for early aerial bombing tests, she was sunk as part of the Army Air Corps bombing exercises arranged by Billy Mitchell in 1921. The hulk was later scrapped.
Converted to a target ship, and sunk as a gunnery target in 1931. Later raised and scrapped.
Destroyed by gunfire from the British battleships HMS Hood, HMS Barham, and HMS Resolution at Mers-el-Kebir on July 3, 1940, with the loss of 977 French sailors. Later raised and scrapped.
Torpedoed by British aircraft on November 12, 1940 during the Battle of Taranto. Raised, partially repaired, then scrapped after the war.
Destroyed by German aerial bombing on April 23, 1941, during the German invasion of Greece.
Destroyed by German aerial bombing on April 23, 1941, during the German invasion of Greece.
Russian dreadnought. After the Revolution of 1917 renamed Marat after the French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat, the ship served in the Soviet Baltic during the World War II Siege of Leningrad. She was heavily damaged at her moorings by German Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel on September 23, 1941 and laid on ground. Three of four turrets continued in action as a floating 12-inch battery for the remainder of the siege under the restored name Petropavlovsk. She was raised in 1950 and served as the training ship Volkhov until being scrapped in 1952.
Mined and sunk by Italian frogmen in Alexandria, Egypt in on December 18, 1941 with the loss of nine men. Since she was sunk in very shallow water, she was sunk without submerging, and was able to maintain the illusion of being afloat and battle-ready. Raised and repaired, she served in the Pacific war. Was scrapped after the war.
Mined and sunk by Italian frogmen in Alexandria, Egypt in on December 18, 1941. Since she was sunk in very shallow water, she was sunk without submerging, and was able to maintain the illusion of being afloat and battle-ready. Raised and repaired, she served in the Mediterranean and in the Pacific war. Was scrapped after the war.
Sunk twice, then scrapped after World War II. First sunk (in shallow water) by the British at the port of Mers-el-Kébir in French Algeria on July 3, 1940. Refloated, she was sunk again on November 27, 1942 during the Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon.
Sunk twice, then scrapped after World War II. First sunk on November 27, 1942 during the Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. Refloated by the Italians, she was sunk again by US aerial attack on August 27, 1944. Raised again in 1944, she was scrapped in 1955.
Captured by the Germans and sunk in explosives tests on March 15, 1944. Was scrapped after the war.
Scuttled twice, then scrapped in 1949. First sunk on November 27, 1942 during the Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. Raised by the Germans and recaptured by the Allies, she was sunk again as a blockship after D-Day.
Scuttled twice, then scrapped in 1949. Originally a battleship in the Kaiserliche Marine , she had been converted to serve as a target ship in the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine. First sunk in an air raid on Gotenhafen (today Gdynia) on December 18, 1944 and sank in shallow water. Sunk a second time after being refloated and towed to the harbor entrance, where she was scuttled as a blockade ship on March 26, 1945. The wreck was raised and scrapped in 1949-1950.
Launched but never completed. Sunk by Allied bombers on February 20, 1945. Raised in 1947 and scrapped by 1950.
Destroyed by US aircraft on July 24, 1945. This early semi-Dreadnaught had been converted to a radio-controlled target ship.
Destroyed by US aircraft on July 28, 1945. Sunk at her moorings in Kure harbor. Later scrapped in place.
Destroyed by US aircraft on July 28, 1945. Sunk at her moorings in Kure harbor. Later raised and scrapped.
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