Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:38:32-1:41:25

Warships that survived extreme damage

Ohio, Eskimo, Kelly and Nubian illustrate the distinction between a damaged ship towed home and one that managed to return under its own power.

Damage ControlHMS WarspiteNaval TowingWorld War II
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Question

Which badly damaged ships were successfully towed in for repair?

Short answer

Examples include Eskimo, Kelly, Ohio, and many sailing-era ships, while others such as Nubian returned under their own power despite major damage.

Notes

Ohio is singled out for being towed and physically supported by accompanying destroyers. Eskimo and Kelly provide other examples of ships brought back after severe damage. Nubian complicates a simple list of towing successes because she returned under her own power despite losing her stern. Badly damaged ships also survived after Trafalgar, Camperdown and Copenhagen. Warspite appears as another ship that came home after severe damage on several occasions.