WW1 Ships Lost At Sea, 1914-1919
Embark on a voyage through history with the WWI Ships Lost at Sea records! Over 500 British Royal Navy vessels met their fate at sea during the First World War. Curious about a specific year or ship? These records offer a treasure trove of information, including the ship's name, date of destruction, casualty counts, vessel type, and the circumstances of its demise. Delve into maritime history and explore these records, housed at The National Archives under the series ADM 242/6, to uncover tales of valour and loss from the Great War.
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Embark on a voyage through history with the WWI Ships Lost at Sea records! Over 500 British Royal Navy vessels met their fate at sea during the First World War. Curious about a specific year or ship? These records offer a treasure trove of information, including the ship's name, date of destruction, casualty counts, vessel type, and the circumstances of its demise. Delve into maritime history and explore these records, housed at The National Archives under the series ADM 242/6, to uncover tales of valour and loss from the Great War.
Learn about these records
The WW1 Ships Lost at Sea records will give you a combination of the following information:
- Ship name
- Date it was destroyed
- Number of officers killed
- Number of officers wounded
- Type of vessel
- How and where it was destroyed
Each record includes an image of the original WW1 Ship Casualties Card Index held at The National Archives.
The National Archives holds the WW1 Ship Casualties Card Index in the series ADM 242/6.
You can also find records of people who died at sea during the First World War by searching the following collections on findmypast:
Search tips
Enter a year in the search box above to find a list of ships destroyed around that date. You can use the ‘+/-’ option to search a few years either side of the one you enter.
If you know the ship you’re looking for, enter its name in the search box above. We will automatically suggest ship names that match what you’re typing to make this easier for you.
Try following one of these tips to pinpoint the record you’re looking for:
1) Search with just a year, leave the ship name box empty
2) Use the ‘+/-’ option to widen the year range you’re searching
3) If you’re looking for a person who died at sea, try searching our Maritime death records