List of Warships sunk by sneak attack
This is a list of warships sunk (or seriously damaged) by Naval Special Forces using frogmen/combat swimmers, midget submarines, wet-submarines or explosive boats. Please send any corrections or comments to my email
Sneak attack:
A sudden attack made using stealth, surprise and cunning. Generally involves Special Forces and, in the context of naval warfare, special means such as combat swimmers, human torpedoes, midget submarines or folding canoes
Great painting Italian frogmen of Decima MAS cutting torpedo nets in order to attack British warships, WW2. The Italians were the masters at this type of thing
**USS Housatonic **
Country: United States
Type: 1,240 ton Sloop
Date: 17 February 1864
Attacked by: Confederate Navy
Means of attack: H.L. Hunley midget submarine
Outcome: Sunk
**HMS Erebus **
Country: United Kingdom
Type: 7,200 ton Monitor
Date: 28 October 1917
Attacked by: German Navy
Means of attack: Fernlenkboote (remotely controlled explosive boat)
Outcome: Damaged
Erebus in later WW2 camouflage
**SMS Viribus Unitis **
Country: Croatia (ex-Austro-Hungarian Empire)
Type: 22,800 ton Battleship
Date: 1 November 1918
Attacked by: Italian Navy
Means of attack: Mignatta human torpedo
Outcome: Sunk
**HMS York **
Country: United Kingdom
Type: 10,000 ton Heavy Cruiser (York Class)
Date: 26 March 1941
Attacked by: Decima MAS (X-MAS), Italian Navy
Means of attack: MT (Explosive motorboats)
Outcome: Damaged beyond repair
HMS York lays disabled in Suda Bay after the attack. Note the low stern.
HMS York as she appeared in 1941. Amazing illustration by Alex V.Dashyan, worldnavalships
HMS Queen Elizabeth
Country: United Kingdom
Type: 31,000 ton Battleship
Date: 19 December 1941
Attacked by: Decima MAS (X-MAS), Italian Navy
Means of attack: SLC ‘maiale’ human torpedo
Outcome: Seriously damaged
HMS Queen Elizabeth in Alexandria. The torpedo netsdidn’t help against the Italian maiale
HMS Queen Elizabeth as she appeared in 1943 are repair. Amazing illustration by Alex V.Dashyan, worldnavalships
HMS Valiant
Country: United Kingdom
Type: 29,000 ton Battleship (Queen Elizabeth Class)
Date: 19 December 1941
Attacked by: Decima MAS (X-MAS), Italian Navy
Means of attack: SLC ‘maiale’ human torpedo
Outcome: Seriously damaged
HMS Ramillies
Country: United Kingdom
Type: 33,500 ton Battleship (Revenge Class)
Date: 29 May 1942
Attacked by: Imperial Japanese Navy
Means of attack: Ko-hyoteki-class (Type-A) midget submarine
Outcome: Seriously damaged
Ulpio Traiano
Country: Italy
Type: 5,400 ton Light Cruiser (Capitani Romani Class)
Date: 3 Jan 1943
Attacked by: Royal Navy (/Combined Operations)
Means of attack: Chariot Mk.I human torpedo
Outcome: Sunk
The hull of Ulpio Traiano after being raised at the end of the war. Note the water-mark high on her bow where she’d been sunk
Tirpitz
Country: Germany
Type: 58,000 ton Battleship (Bismark Class)
Date: 23 September 1943
Attacked by: Royal Navy / Combined Operations
Means of attack: X-Craft midget submarine
Outcome: Seriously damaged
Tirpitz as she appeared in June 1942. Amazing illustration by Alex V.Dashyan, worldnavalships
Bolzano
Country: Germany (ex-Italy)
Type: 13,800 ton Heavy Cruiser (Tento Class)
Date: 21 June 1944
Attacked by: Royal Navy / Combined Operations with former Decima-MAS
Means of attack: Chariot Mk.1 human torpedoes
Outcome: Seriously damaged
HMS Pylades
Country: United Kingdom
Type: 1,100 ton Minesweeper (Catherine Class)
Date: 8 July 1944
Attacked by: K-Verband, German Navy
Means of attack: Neger human torpedoes
Outcome: Sunk
ORP Dragon
Country: Poland
Type: 4,850 tons Destroyer (D-Class)
Date: 8 July 1944
Attacked by: K-Verband, German Navy
Means of attack: Neger human torpedoes
Outcome: Seriously damaged beyond repair, scuttled as artificial reef
As HMS Dragon before transfer to the Polish Navy
She was so badly damaged that it was decided to scuttle her off the Normandy Coast
HMS Quorn
Country: United Kingdom
Type: 1,000 tons Destroyer Escort (Hunt (Type I) Class)
Date: 3 August 1944
Attacked by: K-Verband, German Navy
Means of attack: Neger human torpedoes or Linsen explosive boats (not confirmed at time, joint attack)
Outcome: Sunk
USS PC-1129
Country: United States
Type: 450 tonSubmarine chaser (PC-461 Class)
Date: 31 January 1945
Attacked by: Japanese Navy
Means of attack: Shin’yō suicide boat
Outcome: Sunk
Aquila
Country: Germany (ex-Italian)
Type: 27,000 ton Aircraft Carrier
Date: 19 April 1945
Attacked by: Mariassalto, Italy (former Decima-MAS fighting for Allies)
Means of attack: Chariot Mk.I human torpedo
Outcome: Damaged
USS Hutchins
Country: United States
Type: 2,050 ton Destroyer (Fletcher Class)
Date: 27 April1945
Attacked by: Japanese Navy
Means of attack: Shin’yō suicide boat
Outcome: Damaged
USS Underhill
Country: United States
Type: 1,673 ton Destroyer Escort (Buckley Class)
Date: 24 July 1945
Attacked by: Imperial Japanese Navy, Japan
Means of attack: Kaiten human torpedo (suicide weapon)
Outcome: Sunk
Takao
Country: Japan
Type: 15,400 ton Heavy Cruiser
Date: 31 July 1945
Attacked by: Royal Navy / Combined Operations
Means of attack: XE-Craft midget submarine
Outcome: Disabled
Emir Farouk
Country: Egypt
Type: 1,441 ton armed yacht
Date: 22 October 1948
Attacked by: Haganah, Israel
Means of attack: MT explosive motorboat
Outcome: Sunk
2 x P-6 torpedo boats
Country: Egypt
Type: 66 ton Torpedo boats (Project 183 Bolshevik (P-6) Class )
Date: 7 September 1969
Attacked by: Flotilla-13, Israel
Means of attack: Maiale SDVs (combat swimmers)
Outcome: One sunk, one seriously damaged or sunk
Not Egyptian examples but same type
1 x KOMAR missile boat
Country: Egypt
Type: 61 ton Missile boat (Project 183 KOMAR Class )
Date: 11 October 1973
Attacked by: Flotilla-13, Israel
Means of attack: Frogmen (combat swimmers)
Outcome: Sunk
KOMAR Missile boats of the Egyptian Navy
1 x OSA-1 missile boat
Country: Egypt
Type: 171 ton Missile boat (Project 205 OSA-1 Class )
Date: 16 October 1973
Attacked by: Flotilla-13, Israel
Means of attack: Maiale SDVs (combat swimmers)
Outcome: Sunk
More recent photograph of one that wasn’t sunk
1 x P-6 torpedo boat
Country: Egypt
Type: 66 ton Torpedo boats (Project 183 Bolshevik (P-6) Class )
Date: 16 October 1973
Attacked by: Flotilla-13, Israel
Means of attack: Maiale SDVs (combat swimmers)
Outcome: Sunk
1 x Landing craft
Country: Egypt
Type: TBC
Date: 16 October 1973
Attacked by: Flotilla-13, Israel
Means of attack: Maiale SDVs (combat swimmers)
Outcome: Sunk
1 x patrol boat
Country: Egypt
Type: TBC
Date: 16 October 1973
Attacked by: Flotilla-13, Israel
Means of attack: Maiale SDVs (combat swimmers)
Outcome: Sunk
1 x KOMAR missile boat
Country: Egypt
Type: 61 ton Missile boat (Project 183 KOMAR Class )
Date: 21 October 1973
Attacked by: Flotilla-13, Israel
Means of attack: Snunit fast boats (armed with LAWS)
Outcome: Destroyed
MGN-202 Presidente Porras
Country: Panama
Type: Patrol boat (Swift type)
Date: 23 December 1989
Attacked by: USN SEALs, USA
Means of attack: Combat swimmers
Outcome: Blown to smithereens
Instantly converted from being the largest warship in the Panamanian Navy to being the smallest
PČ 176 Mukos
Country: Yugoslavia
Type: 142 ton patrol boat (Mirna Class)
Date: 14 November 1991
Attacked by: Former-82 Maritime Unit, Croatia
Means of attack: Combat swimmers with stand-off mini-torpedo
Outcome: Sunk, later salvaged
ROKS Cheonan
Country: South Korea
Type: 1,200 ton Corvette (Pohang Class)
Date: 26 March 2010
Attacked by: KWP Reconnaissance Bureau, North Korea
Means of attack: MS-29 Yono Class midget submarine
Outcome: Sunk
