The Only Battleships Ever Sunk on Camera at Sea

Throughout naval history, countless warships have been lost in combat, but few events are as visually striking—or as haunting—as the destruction of a battleship at sea. Battleships were symbols of national power, industrial might, and naval prestige, and when they were lost, the consequences were often sudden, violent, and catastrophic. While many famous capital ships met their end in battle, there are only two known instances in history where a battleship was sunk in combat while being filmed at sea.

In this video, we examine those two extraordinary moments: the sinking of the British battleship HMS Barham in 1941 during the Second World War, and the loss of the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought SMS Szent István in 1918 during the final months of the First World War. Both ships were victims of torpedo attacks, and both sinkings were captured on film—providing rare, sobering footage of the destruction of some of the most powerful warships ever built.

The story begins in the Mediterranean in November 1941, as the Royal Navy struggled to contain Axis supply lines to North Africa. HMS Barham, a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship, was operating as part of Admiral Cunningham’s Mediterranean Fleet when she was ambushed by the German submarine U-331. Struck by multiple torpedoes in quick succession, Barham rapidly capsized before suffering a massive internal explosion. The blast, filmed from a nearby ship, killed over 860 men and remains one of the most shocking losses in Royal Navy history.

We then turn back to June 1918 and the Adriatic Sea, where SMS Szent István, one of the newest dreadnoughts of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, was making her first major combat sortie. While en route to attack the Allied Otranto Barrage, she was intercepted by small Italian MAS torpedo boats commanded by Luigi Rizzo. Two torpedo hits caused progressive flooding and loss of stability. Over the course of several hours, the battleship slowly rolled over and sank—a process that was filmed onboard, making it the first battleship ever recorded sinking at sea.

Beyond their technical and tactical details, these sinkings offer a rare and unsettling perspective on naval warfare. The footage captures not only the destruction of steel and machinery, but also the human cost of these losses. In Barham’s case, the explosion was sudden and devastating. In Szent István’s, the prolonged struggle allowed many to escape—but not all.

These films remain some of the most powerful visual records in naval history, reminding us that even the mightiest warships were vulnerable, and that behind every sinking lies a story of courage, chaos, and tragedy.

Sources/Other Reading:

https://www.amazon.com/British-Battle...

https://www.amazon.com/British-Battle...

https://www.amazon.com/War-Mediterran...

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Seas-Batt...

https://www.amazon.com/Naval-War-Medi...

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=british+ba...

https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/a...

https://www.amazon.com/TEGETTHOFF-CLA...

Video Information:
Copyright fair use notice. All media used in this video is used for the purpose of education under the terms of fair use. All footage and images used belong to their copyright holders, when applicable.