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:
* , eastern Omaha Beach (, 26,100 tons, main armament: twelve 12" guns) primarily in support of the US 29th Infantry Division.
* , Utah Beach (, 29,000 tons, main armament: ten 14" guns).
* (1915, , 33,500 tons, main armament: eight 15-inch guns).
* (1925, ''Nelson''-class, 38,000 tons, main armament: nine 16-inch guns).
* , western Omaha Beach (, 27,000 tons, main armament: ten 14-inch guns, Flagship of Rear Admiral Carleton F. Bryant) primarily in support of the US 1st Infantry Division.
* (1913, , 35,000 tons, main armament eight 15-inch guns, only six operational).

In addition ( main armament: nine 16-inch guns) was held in reserve until June 10.

Heavy cruisers

Five heavy cruisers (main guns of 8 inches) took part, three from the United States and two from Britain, HMS ''Hawkins'' had her original armament of seven 7.5-inch guns while HMS ''Frobisher''s main gun armament had been reduced from seven to five 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.

*
*
* HMS ''Arethusa''
* (Flagship of Rear Admiral Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton)
* HMS ''Bellona'' - also carried jamming equipment against radio controlled bombs
*
* HMS ''Capetown''
* (Flagship of U.S. Service Force)
* HMS ''Danae''
* HMS ''Diadem''
* ORP ''Dragon'' (Polish, damaged in July and then used as a blockship in "Gooseberry" breakwater)
* HMS ''Emerald''
* HMS ''Enterprise''
* ''Georges Leygues'' ( Free French)
* HMS ''Glasgow''
* HMS ''Mauritius'' (Flagship of Rear Admiral Patterson)
* ''Montcalm'' ( Free French, Flagship of Rear Admiral Jaujard)
* HMS ''Orion'' (which fired the first shell of the coastal bombardment)
* HMS ''Scylla'' (Rear Admiral Philip Vian's flagship, mined and seriously damaged, out of action until after the war)
* HMS ''Sirius'' In reserve until June 10

Destroyers and escorts

139 ships (eighty-five British and Dominion, 40 US, 10 Free French and 7 other Allied):

* HMCS ''Alberni'' (Canadian)
* HMCS ''Algonquin'' (Canadian)
* USS ''Amesbury''
* USS ''Baldwin''
* USS ''Barton''
* HMS ''Beagle''
* HMS ''Bleasdale''
* ORP ''Błyskawica''
* HMS ''Boadicea'' (torpedoed and sunk 13 June)
* HMCS ''Cape Breton'' (Canadian)
* USS ''Carmick''
* HMS ''Cattistock''
* HMCS ''Chaudiere'' (Canadian)
* USS ''Corry'' (sunk during the invasion)
* HMS ''Cottesmore''
* USS ''Doyle''
* HMS ''Eglinton''
* USS ''Emmons''
* HMS ''Faulknor''
* USS ''Fitch''
* USS ''Frankford''
* HMS ''Fury'' (mined 21 June and not repaired)
* USS ''Glennon'' (hit by mine 8 June, sunk by German artillery 10 June)
*
* HNoMS ''Glaisdale'' (Norwegian)
* HMS ''Grenville''
* USS ''Harding''
* USS ''Herndon''
* USS ''Hobson''
*
* HMS ''Jervis''
* HMS ''Kelvin''
* HMS ''Kempenfelt''
* HMCS ''Kitchener'' (Canadian)
* ORP ''Krakowiak'', (Polish, former HMS ''Silverton'')
* ''La Combattante'' ( Free French, former HMS ''Haldon'')
* USS ''Laffey''
* HMS ''Loyalty''
* USS ''Maloy''
* USS ''McCook''
* HMS ''Melbreak''
* HMS ''Middleton''
* USS ''Murphy''
* USS ''O'Brien''
* HMS ''Pytchley''
*
* HMCS ''Regina'' (Canadian)
* USS ''Rich'' (sunk by mines 10 June)
* USS ''Rodman''
* USS ''Satterlee''
*
* HMS ''Scorpion''
* HMS ''Scourge''
* HMS ''Serapis''
* USS ''Shubrick''
* HMCS ''Sioux'' (Canadian)
* ORP Ślązak (Polish)
* HMS ''Stevenstone''
* HNoMS ''Stord'' (Norwegian)
* HNoMS ''Svenner'' (Norwegian, hit by German torpedo and sunk off Normandy at dawn, 6 June)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 ''T28'' 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.
* HMS ''Swift'' (mined and sunk 24 June 1944 off Normandy)
* HMS ''Talybont''
* HMS ''Tanatside''
* USS ''Thompson''
* HMS ''Ulster''
* HMS ''Ulysses''
* HMS ''Undaunted''
* HMS ''Undine''
* HMS ''Urania''
* HMS ''Urchin''
* HMS ''Ursa''
*
*
* HMS ''Vigilant''
*
* HMS ''Wanderer''
* HMS ''Wallflower''
* HMS ''Whimbrel''
* HMS ''Wrestler'' (damaged by a mine and not repaired)
* RHN ''Kriezis'' Royal Hellenic Navy (Greece, Flower-class corvette ex HMS ''Coreopsis (K32)'')
* RHN ''Tombazis'' Royal Hellenic Navy (Greece, Flower-class corvette ex HMS ''Tamarisk (K216)'')

* Frigate La Surprise ( Free French )
* Frigate ( Free French )
* Frigate La Découverte ( Free French )
* Frigate L'Aventure ( Free French )
* Corvette Aconit ( Free French )
* Corvette La Renoncule ( Free French )
* Corvette La Roselys ( Free French )
* Corvette d'Estienne d'Orves ( Free French )
* Submarine-hunter Benodet ( Free French )

Monitors

* HMS ''Erebus'', monitor with two 15-inch guns
* HMS ''Roberts'', monitor with two 15-inch guns

Troop transports

* USS ''Joseph T. Dickman'', attack transport
* USS ''Samuel Chase'', attack transport operated by the US Coast Guard
* USS ''Charles Carroll'', attack transport
* USS ''Bayfield'', attack transport
* USS ''Henrico'', attack transport

Other warships

508 ships (352 British, 154 US and 2 other Allied):
* HMS ''Bulolo'', Landing Ship Headquarters (LSH) for Gold Beach carrying tri-service commanders and staff
* HMS ''Centurion'', old battleship sunk as a blockship to form part of "Gooseberry" breakwater of the Mulberry harbour on Sword beach
* ''Courbet'', Free Naval French Forces, former battleship, sunk as a blockship in "Gooseberry" breakwater on Sword beach
* Forbin, Free Naval French Forces, patrol boat, sunk as a artificial dike in "Arromanches"on Gold Beach
* HMCS ''Cowichan'', Canadian minesweeper
* , Captain class frigate converted to act as a headquarters ship
* HMS ''Durban'' (light cruiser used as a blockship in "Gooseberry" breakwater)
* , Dutch gunboat
* HMS ''Hilary'', H.Q. ship for Juno Beach carrying tri-service commanders and staff
* , Captain class frigate converted to act as a headquarters ship
* HMS ''Largs'', H.Q. ship for Sword Beach carrying tri-service commanders and staff
* , Dutch gunboat
* , Captain class frigate converted to act as a headquarters ship (bombed and sunk)
* HNoMS ''Nordkapp'', Norwegian patrol boat
* HNLMS ''Sumatra'' (Dutch, decommissioned due to crew shortages and losing her guns to HNLMS ''Flores'' and ''Soemba'', used as blockship in "Gooseberry" breakwater)

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 Motor Gun Boat flotillas.

Support

* HMS ''Boxer'' - fighter direction ship
* HMS ''Bruiser'' - fighter direction ship

See also

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

Notes and references

{{Normandy landings bombardment groups

World War II orders of battle
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