List of Allied warships in the Normandy landings

This is a list of warships which took part in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944.

Battleships

Seven battleships took part: four British and three US:

• USS Arkansas, eastern Omaha Beach (Wyoming class, 26,100 tons, main armament: 12 - 12"/50 cal. guns) primarily in support of the US 29th Infantry Division.
• USS Nevada, Utah Beach (damaged and beached to avoid sinking at Pearl Harbor, Nevada class, 29,000 tons, main armament: 10 - 14"/45 cal. guns).
• HMS Nelson (1925, Nelson class, 38,000 tons, main armament: nine 16 inch guns). Held in reserve until June 10.
• HMS Ramillies (1915, Revenge class, 33,500 tons, main armament: eight 15-inch guns).
• HMS Rodney (1925, Nelson class, 38,000 tons, main armament: nine 16 inch guns).
• USS Texas, western Omaha Beach (New York class, 27,000 tons, main armament: 10 - 14"/45 cal. guns, Flagship of Rear Admiral C.F. Bryant) primarily in support of the US 1st Infantry Division.
• HMS Warspite (1913, Queen Elizabeth class, 35,000 tons, main armament six 15-inch guns).

Heavy cruisers

Five heavy cruisers (main guns of 8 inches) took part, three from the United States and two from Britain, HMS Hawkins had been re-armed with 6 inch guns and HMS Frobisher's main gun armament had been reduced from seven to four single mounted 7.5 inch guns.

• USS Augusta (Flagship of Rear Admiral Alan Kirk - Lt. General Omar Bradley embarked)
• HMS Frobisher
• HMS Hawkins
• USS Quincy
• USS Tuscaloosa

Light cruisers

17 British light cruisers took part along with two of the Free French navy, and one of the Polish navy. All carried either 6 or 5.25 inch guns of varying numbers.

Destroyers and escorts

135 ships (eighty-five British and Dominion, 39 US, 7 Free French and 7 other Allied):

Troop Transports

• USS Samuel Chase, attack transport. Operated by the US Coast Guard
• USS Charles Carroll attack transport
• USS Bayfield, attack transport

Other warships

508 ships (352 British, 154 US and 2 other Allied):

The British 9th and 159th minesweeping flotillas and U.S. 7th Minesweeping Squadron provided minesweeping protection. A distant anti-submarine screen to the operation was provided by HMS Onslow, Offa, Onslaught, Oribi, Melbreak and Brissenden. Additional protection from E-boats was provided by various Motor Gun Boat flotillas.

See also

• List of Allied vessels involved in Operation Neptune
• List of ships of Force U Bombardment Group

Notes and references

1. ↑ Investigations indicate that the Svenner may have been hit by an early version of a German anti-shipping missile (possibly a Fritz X), instead of the more usual attribution of a torpedo from the German large torpedo boast Jaguar or Mowe or T-28 based at Le Havre. There have also been reports of German bombers releasing long, torpedo-like bombs, but from a very long distance, no way near firing-range. The most likely, though, is that it was hit by a torpedo, but accounts point in either direction.