A converted troop transport evacuating soldiers from France raises a classification problem when comparing losses at sea. Its victims could include soldiers and civilians, whereas the loss of a warship could fall entirely on naval personnel accounts. The transport's status and crewing arrangements therefore matter to the category being compared. The precise status is left unresolved here, so a claim about the worst single warship loss cannot simply be equated with the worst maritime disaster.
Notable Point · 2:52:41-2:53:50
Why warship losses and maritime disasters use different categories
Comparisons of disasters depend on whether they count warships, converted merchant vessels, or losses charged to a particular service.