Air attack at Crete exposes the cost of fleet defence

During the Crete campaign, Warspite's dense anti-aircraft battery made her valuable in defending the fleet under sustained air attack. A 500-pound bomb damaged the four-inch and six-inch batteries on the starboard side and ripped open part of the hull. Thirty-eight men were killed, demonstrating that even a heavily protected battleship could pay a high price while operating beneath enemy air superiority. The damage was serious enough to send Warspite away from the Mediterranean for repair on the west coast of the United States.