The Only Time a Battleship Sunk an Aircraft Carrier
On June 8, 1940, the HMS Glorious, along with its two escort destroyers, encountered the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the Norwegian Sea, leading to one of World War II's most controversial naval battles. This incident is notable for being perhaps the only time battleships directly destroyed an aircraft carrier.
Battleships accompanied by other surface warships did directly engage carriers one more time in World War II during the Battle of Samar, though this time the U.S. carriers’ air wings participated in the fight leading to a very different, though no less dramatic outcome.
About the Author
Sébastien Roblin holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.
