Introduction to this project
Link to Analysis Documentation (Password Required – Please email Author)
On the 8th June 1940, 12 hours after departing the area round the Lofoten Islands, the British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Glorious (77) and her escorting destroyers HMS Acasta (H09) and HMS Ardent (H41) were intercepted in the Norwegian Sea by the German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst.
All three British ships were sunk by gunfire in a little over two hours,
The engagement represents one of the worst losses of life and materials incurred by the Royal Navy during the Second World War. The sinking of the lightly guarded aircraft carrier was not only a national tragedy but a source of great embarrassment and controversy that has been the subject of ongoing debate.
Irregularities surrounding the actions and behavior of Glorious’ Commander, impending court martials, the presence of a nearby vessel carrying the Norwegian King and Cabinet on a top-secret mission, the apparent messages transmitted by HMS Glorious but not received, confusion over the names and actions of the escorting destroyers and the lack of military awards for the destroyers Commanders all fanned the flames of controversy, conspiracy and mistrust. Some of these ideas fermented, grew legs and became the dominant “theories” as to why the ships were lost, even if the available data did not support them.
Casualties between the three British ships numbered 1,515 officers and men of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and Royal Air Force killed. Only 46 survivors from all three vessels were rescued. In comparison the sinking of HMS Hood, the flagship of the Royal Navy on May 24th, 1941 resulted in 1,418 deaths.
In addition to the Royal Navy casualties, the German battleship Scharnhorst sustained 48 sailors killed in the closing minutes of the battle when a torpedo fired by the crippled HMS Acasta hit Scharnhorst inline with the aft turret
At the time of writing, the wrecks of Ardent, Glorious and Acasta have not been located.
This study covers a comprehensive analysis of available historical data connected to the June 8th battle.
The historical data obtained during the research phase of this study has been integrated into application called LOST (Lost Object Scripting Tool). The principal functions of the LOST script is the development of an evidence-based prediction for the final resting position of HMS Glorious, Ardent and Acasta and other lost objects at sea
As part of this model, the LOST script plots courses, actions and events that occurred before, during and after the engagement offering a fresh analysis of both the battle and the battlespace. This study also consolidates recently acquired data on the Norwegian Sea including bathymetry and current information.
Using the documented actions of the combatants as a basis for our model, the script introduces plausible variations and conceivable errors to determine the possible extents of the June 8th battlespace.
By incorporating and merging the myriad of simulations into a centralized “living” model that utilizes Bayesian search theory, an on-site team will be able to economically employ both the vessel and subsea assets to conduct an efficient search within the target area, maximizing the chances of locating one or more of the targets.
Using the script to analyse the June 8th combatants data will enable analysis of:
- The geographic area where the battle occurred
- The most likely location of HMS Glorious, Ardent and Acasta
- The proximity of HMS Glorious to HMS Devonshire at 15:46 (16:46).
- Analyze what actions HMS Devonshire could have taken (if any), to participate in the battle or rescue survivors.
- The proximity of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to HMS Devonshire.
- Some people believe that HMS Glorious was ‘sacrificed’ to protect the Norwegian King onboard HMS Devonshire. What does the modelling show?
- HMS Glorious apparent route back to the UK.
- Was this a high-speed transit with a beeline for Scarpa Flow to participate in a court martial or Operation Paul?
- What dangers did the route taken by Glorious entail?
- Possible actions (if any) that would have enabled HMS Glorious to break off contact
- Possible drift scenarios for the survivors
Access to this data doesn’t cost but those who want access should email and explain their interests in the project.
info@hmsglorious.co.uk