Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:55:17-2:00:10

Warspite, Renown and the ships nominated for a fighting reputation

A biblical quotation leads to British and Commonwealth ships remembered for absorbing punishment or forcing close action.

Damage ControlHMS RenownHMS WarspiteLive Q&ARoyal NavySecond Battle Of NarvikWorld War II
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Question

Which Royal Navy warship best fits the line about breaking enemies with a rod of iron?

Short answer

Warspite is the first nomination. Renown, Rodney, Duke of York and Narvik's destroyers receive further support, with additional British and Commonwealth examples.

Notes

Warspite is the immediate nomination, with Duke of York against Scharnhorst and Rodney against Bismarck supplying other capital-ship examples. Renown is praised for engaging pairs of enemy battleships on separate occasions. Eskimo and Cossack supply destroyer examples from Narvik, including the account of Cossack forcing entry into the harbour across a sunken merchant ship. Iron Duke, Fiji and Haida receive further nominations, with Haida explicitly extending the question to Canada. Formidable at Matapan and Unicorn's shore bombardment provide aviation-related examples. The nominations reflect several participants' preferences, without a shared order of merit.