Shortly after 1600 8 June, while proceeding SW on a mean course of 250 degrees, HMS Glorious (Captain D'Oyly-Hughes), who was operating no aircraft, nor manning her crows nest, sighted two large enemy warships to the west, both between her and England and, more importantly, to windward. The two German battleships, having detected the British force some minutes earlier on radar, were steaming at high speed. Sighting their prey at 1610, the Germans turned to close. Scharnhorst">Scharnhorst , in the led, did not open fire until 1632 from 24,000 metres (26,300 yards), and did not hit until its fourth salvo when Glorious is hit in the flight deck starting a fire. None the less, and despite supposedly having one of her six Swordfish on ten minutes readiness, and two more twenty minutes readiness, Glorious was unable to get any of her aircraft in the air before, at 1638, she suffered the first of the many heavy shell hits that were to spell her doom.
Immediately on sighting the foe, the closer of her two escorting destroyers, HMS Ardent (Lieutenant Commander J. F. Barker), gallantly turned to engage while the rearward escort, HMS Acasta (Commander Charles Glasfurd) laid smoke to cover her charge. Endeavouring to close to torpedo range, Ardent was pummelled by the 5.9 secondary batteries of the German battleships, she managed to get off four torpedoes before she was stopped in sinking condition, finally capsizing at 1728. Meanwhile, with the wind making the maintenance of a smoke screen impossible and Glorious being hit repeatedly, plucky Acasta made her dash for glory. Sailing into the proverbial valley of death, she managed to get off her torpedoes at long range before, around 1820, she to slowly rolled over and sank. Dashing to the end, the Kapitan Hoffmann filed to comb her fish properly, turned into them too soon and, at 1738 one torpedo fired in Acastas last great act of defiance struck her starboard side abreast C turret, killing 48, letting in 2,500 tons of water, fracturing her outer shaft, and slowing her to 20 knots.
Acastas success, however, was small compensation for the disaster that befell the British force. With both destroyers sinking, Glorious struggled on, but she was clearly doomed, finally sliding beneath the waves at 1816. Circumstances being what they were (no escorts available), and after several submarine sightings had been reported, the German force set off towards Trondheim at 20 knots without attempting to pick up any survivors. This was to prove tragic for the crews of the three vessels, as even in June the waters of the Arctic are cold. Although an estimate 1,000 survivors entered the water, only 38 were destined to survive the ordeal.
The 350 BRT Norwegian motor vessel Borgund came across the scene on the evening of 10 June and, eventually, rescued 35, bringing them to the Faeroes. The Norwegian Svalbard II, having picked up 4, spotted by German aircraft, was forced to return to Norway with them. Finally, a German recon aircraft landed in the water and gathered in one more (a second died). Thus, a total of 40 survived: 38 from Glorious (including 2 FAA officers, 2 FAA ratings, 2 RAF officer pilots, 1 RAF non-com, and 31 ships personnel), 1 from Acasta, and 1 from Ardent.
The casualty list was appalling. From Glorious, 75 R officers and 937 ratings of the Royal Navy, 99 Royal Marines, 31 Maltese, 6 NAAFI staff, 41 RAF ratings, and 18 RAF pilots had been lost, a total of 1,207.
Acasta lost 8 RN officers, 151 RN ratings, and one NAAFI staff, total 160, while Ardent lost 10 RN officers, 141 RN ratings, and 1 NAAFI staff member were lost, total 152, making a grand total of 1,519.
Amongst these totals, the FAA paid heavily:
All five members of the Air Staff were killed. 802 Squadron lost all eight officer pilots, the sole enlisted pilot, PO Richard T. Leggott, RN surviving, while 823 Squadron lost nine of eleven officer pilots and observers as well as five of six enlisted air gunners were killed. The three survivors were S-Lt.(A) Ian M. MacLachlin, RN (P), Mid.(A) E. Baldwin, RN (O), NA V. R. Bob McBride, RN (TAG). Likewise, the gallant RAF pilots that had made history earlier that day paid heavily.
46 Squadron lost eight of ten: FL Charles Robert David Stewart; FO Robert Melland John Cowles; FO Philip John Frost; FO Herbert Harold Knight; FO Michael Courtney Franklin Mee; PO Lancelot Gordon Bew Bunker; FS Edward Shackley; Sgt. Bernard Lester Taylor. The two survivors were the CO, SL Kenneth B. B. Cross KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC and FL Patric Geraint Jameson,, CB, DSO, DFC+bar.
All of the 263 Squadron on Glorious were lost: SL John William Baldy Donaldson DFC, DSO; FL Alvin Thomas Williams DFC; FO Herman Francis Grant Ede; PO Sidney Robert McNamara, DFC; FO Harold Edward Vickery; FO Phillip Hannah Purdy, DFC, MiD; PO Michael Alexander Craig-Adams; PO Louis Reginald Lou Jacobsen DFC; PO Michael Amor Bentley; PO Sidney Robert McNamara, DFC.
8 June, 1940