Action off Lofoten
| Action off Lofoten | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War | |||||||
The capital ships that fought during the action off Lofoten: Scharnhorst (top), HMS Renown (middle), and Gneisenau (bottom). | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kriegsmarine | Royal Navy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Günther Lütjens | Sir William Whitworth | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Battleship Gneisenau Battleship Scharnhorst |
Battlecruiser Renown 9 destroyers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Gneisenau damaged Scharnhorst damaged 6 killed |
Renown slightly damaged 2 killed | ||||||
The action off Lofoten was a naval battle fought between the German Kriegsmarine and the British Royal Navy off the southern coast of the Lofoten Islands, Norway during the Second World War. A German squadron under Vizeadmiral Günther Lütjens consisting of the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau met and engaged a British squadron under Admiral Sir William Whitworth consisting of the battlecruiser HMS Renown and nine destroyers. After a short engagement, Gneisenau suffered moderate damage and the Germans withdrew.