German aircraft struck Warspite with an early Fritz X guided bomb and a near miss that tore open her torpedo bulges. The direct hit cut through decks and opened the hull, yet the heavily subdivided design limited casualties and allowed the ship to reach Malta under tow. Captain Packer earned a mention in dispatches for bringing the damaged ship in, echoing his service aboard her after Jutland. Emergency repairs sacrificed the six-inch battery, a boiler room, and X turret, but restored six 15-inch guns for the Normandy invasion.
Notable Point · 1:02:16-1:05:10
Surviving the Fritz X strike
A Fritz X hit at Salerno crippled Warspite, but her subdivision and damage control helped preserve the ship for further service.