Bittern was bombed during the Norwegian campaign on 30 April 1940 while helping defend Namsos harbour with her four-inch guns. Her hull kept the ship afloat even with the stern burning. The damage was judged too severe to bring her home, and leaving the vessel afloat created a risk of enemy capture. HMS Janus therefore torpedoed the abandoned sloop, turning a bombing casualty into a deliberate scuttling.
Chapter · 20:38-21:40
HMS Bittern was scuttled after bombing off Namsos
Bomb damage off Namsos did not immediately sink HMS Bittern; her crew abandoned a badly damaged but still floating ship before HMS Janus torpedoed her to prevent capture.