Did Ships Ever Intentionally Run Aground to Save the Ship?

[Admiral_Thrawn_1]

I got thinking about various shipping accidents, and some of them if damaged they had not enough time to reach a port or to get repaired, but could more than likely of run aground intentionally. Assuming it’s not one of those locations with really deep drop off into deep water could / did ships ever essentially beach themselves or I guess sandbars, large enough reefs, ect could count as well. Point being ship has to stay there even at high tide. Now before somebody points out some accidents where ships were unintentionally washed onto shore and stayed there for many years. I’m wanting to know if any were intentionally done, or even just attempted. Even if you could not use a ship to sail ever again, saving cargo and the souls onboard would be worth it, hence my curiosity on the subject.

[Grapefruitcannon]

uss neveda was grounded at the attack on pearl harbor.

[BrushWolf]

1 hour ago, Grapefruitcannon said:

uss neveda was grounded at the attack on pearl harbor.

That was more to avoid sinking in the channel.

[thehelmsman]

Quite common, actually. It is the preferred course of action if you're sinking and can make it to an area where the ship will go aground rather than foundering in deep water.

--Helms

[HazeGrayUnderway]

Naval Battle of Casablanca, 1942.

Aigle-class DD Milan was fighting the USN suffering several hits and beached itself.

 

Battle of Narvik, 1940

Destroyer HMS Hardy was hit a bunch of times. 

"As the British destroyers completed their second attack, they were engaged by three more German destroyers. The British destroyers attempted to withdraw to the west, but were pursued by the German ships. Two additional German destroyers crossed the T of the British ships and quickly knocked out Hardy's forward guns. More hits to the ship's bridge and superstructure set her on fire, mortally wounded Captain Warburton-Lee and killed or wounded all of the other officers on the bridge except Paymaster Lieutenant G.H. Stanning, the Captain's Secretary. Although badly wounded, he took command and after several more hits disabled her boilers ordered her run aground at Vidrek. The First Lieutenant, who had not been present on the bridge, assumed command and ordered the ship abandoned. Some of the crew delayed doing so until the last torpedo was fruitlessly fired at a German ship and No. 4 gun fired until it was out of ammunition."

Destroyer Z2 George Thiele suffered heavy damage in that same battle, and her captain ordered her beached so that more of his crew could safely escape.

Destroyer Z9, Z11 were among many German DDs that were trapped in the fjords by the Royal Navy.  They ran out of ammunition, and with no escape, beached and destroyed with demolition charges by their crew.

Z11 below.

 

Hatsuharu-class DD Hatsushimo was under air attack and was forced to beach itself.

"On 30 July 1945, Hatsushimo struck an air dropped naval mine while under attack from United States Navy aircraft from TF38 at Miyazu Bay, forcing her crew to beach her."

"The attack killed 17 crewmen. Hatsushimo was the 129th and last destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy to be lost during the war."

Hatsushimo's wreck in 1947.

 

At Guadalcanal, 1942, the Japanese were desperate to offload supplies to their troops on the island.  They ordered 4 transports to beach themselves and offload the cargo from there.  The Americans later find them and destroy them as well as whatever cargo the Japanese couldn't get off in time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Battle_of_Guadalcanal

 

 

[Lert]

Admiralen class destroyer HNLMS Evertsen, during the battle of the Sunda Strait, 1942:

Quote

Evertsen was attempting to catch up with Houston and Perth. Her crew sighted the gunfire of the main action, and managed to evade the Japanese main force. However, Evertsen was then engaged by two Japanese destroyers (Murakumo and Shirakumo) in the Strait, and on fire and in a sinking condition, grounded herself on a reef near Sebuku Island. The surviving crew abandoned ship just as the aft magazine exploded and blew off the stern; they were taken prisoner by the Japanese on 9–10 March 1942.

 

[_KlRlTO_]

5 hours ago, Admiral_Thrawn_1 said:

I got thinking about various shipping accidents, and some of them if damaged they had not enough time to reach a port or to get repaired, but could more than likely of run aground intentionally. Assuming it’s not one of those locations with really deep drop off into deep water could / did ships ever essentially beach themselves or I guess sandbars, large enough reefs, ect could count as well. Point being ship has to stay there even at high tide. Now before somebody points out some accidents where ships were unintentionally washed onto shore and stayed there for many years. I’m wanting to know if any were intentionally done, or even just attempted. Even if you could not use a ship to sail ever again, saving cargo and the souls onboard would be worth it, hence my curiosity on the subject.

HMS York, beached on March 26, 1941. The British initially planed to recover her, but continued German bombardment damaged her past the point of saving. She was scrapped in 1952. York was the sister to HMS Exeter.

 

[Wolfswetpaws]

8 hours ago, Admiral_Thrawn_1 said:

I got thinking about various shipping accidents, and some of them if damaged they had not enough time to reach a port or to get repaired, but could more than likely of run aground intentionally. Assuming it’s not one of those locations with really deep drop off into deep water could / did ships ever essentially beach themselves or I guess sandbars, large enough reefs, ect could count as well. Point being ship has to stay there even at high tide. Now before somebody points out some accidents where ships were unintentionally washed onto shore and stayed there for many years. I’m wanting to know if any were intentionally done, or even just attempted. Even if you could not use a ship to sail ever again, saving cargo and the souls onboard would be worth it, hence my curiosity on the subject.

At least one Destroyer ran aground in Norway.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/z2-georg-thiele-shipwreck

Quote

A RUSTING HUNK OF METAL juts out from the water within one of Norway’s famously breathtaking fjords. Tinged yellowish orange by time, it stands out among the green hillsides and brilliantly blue water.

It’s nearly all that remains above water of the Z2 Georg Thiele, a German Type 1934-class destroyer. Built in 1934, the ill-fated vessel was only active for six short years before it was run aground during World War II.

 

The destroyer met its demise during one of the Battles of Narvik, which were part of the Norwegian Campaign. It, along with other German defense vessels, squared off against the Allied Forces that attempted to overtake the fjord and nearby city.

At the start of the battle, the Z2 Georg Thiele managed to do some damage to the incoming fleet. However, it was later hit by heavy Allied fire. This subsequently caused actual fires to flare up within the ship. The damage was so bad the captain purposely ran it aground so the crew could escape to land. The vessel later snapped in two and capsized.  

 

[Wolfswetpaws]

Yeesh.  @HazeGrayUnderway ninja'd me big-time.  :-)

[ArIskandir]

To add to the list, during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, most of the Spanish ships managed to run aground to save their crews. 

Battle of Santiago de Cuba 1898

[Nevermore135]

Conte di Cavour was heavily damaged in the British air raid on Taranto and was run aground to prevent her from (fully) sinking. She was never fully repaired.

[arch4random]

the earliest beached ship was on a sandbar ,,  acts 27 ,paul was being transported as a prisoner to rome ,,there was a 14 day storm..they tried to beach the ship on an island but hit the sandbar ..the ship broke into pieces.. 

[Lord_Slayer]

You are missing perhaps one of the biggest ones.

 

The Scuttling of the High Seas Fleet.

Several were towed and beached by the British 

 

Quote

Baden	Battleship	Beached	Transferred to British control, sunk as a target in 1921
Emden	Cruiser	Beached	Transferred to French control, broken up in 1926
Frankfurt	Cruiser	Beached	Transferred to American control, sunk as a target in 1921
Nürnberg	Cruiser	Beached	Transferred to British control, sunk as a target in 1922
V43	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to American control, sunk as a target in 1921
V44	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
V46	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to French control, broken up in 1924
S51	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
S60	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to Japanese control, broken up in 1922
V73	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
V80	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to Japanese control, broken up in 1922
V81	Destroyer	Beached	Sunk on the way to the breakers
V82	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
G92	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
V100	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to French control, broken up in 1921
G102	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to American control, sunk as a target in 1921
V125	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
V126	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to French control, broken up in 1925
V127	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to Japanese control, broken up in 1922
V128	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
S132	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to American control, sunk in 1921
S137	Destroyer	Beached	Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922

 

[Royeaux]

On 11/21/2022 at 10:27 PM, Admiral_Thrawn_1 said:

I’m wanting to know if any were intentionally done, or even just attempted.

Perhaps you've heard of a ship called the Yamato and the details of her final mission?

Musashi also attempted to beach herself but didn't make it.

And I don't know if this counts as "beaching", but the Germans dug Tirpitz into the sand due to her damage to try and prevent her from capsizing.  It didn't work.

 

[HazeGrayUnderway]

@Royeaux Nice catch on what the IJN were trying to do with Yamato and Musashi.  I completely forgot about that.

[Admiral_Thrawn_1]

On 12/5/2022 at 5:10 PM, Royeaux said:

Perhaps you've heard of a ship called the Yamato and the details of her final mission?

Musashi also attempted to beach herself but didn't make it.

And I don't know if this counts as "beaching", but the Germans dug Tirpitz into the sand due to her damage to try and prevent her from capsizing.  It didn't work.

 

Yes except Yamato never made it to the running around point, really a pity in many ways as there would have likely been more data on her, plus hopefully more survivors of the crew. But that mission did cross my mind when making this thread.

[Royeaux]

6 hours ago, Admiral_Thrawn_1 said:

Yes except Yamato never made it to the running around point, really a pity in many ways as there would have likely been more data on her, plus hopefully more survivors of the crew. But that mission did cross my mind when making this thread.

That's why I quoted you asking if it was ever attempted.

Also if I remember correct, Dunkerque ran herself aground after she had been plugged with several British 15" shells at Mers-el-Kébir to prevent her sinking.

[Fallschirmfuchs]

I would like to point that both RMS Lusitania and HMHS Britannic both made a run for the shore after being torpedoed/mined. I'm not a hundred percent sure what the intentions were for Lusitania, but I am pretty sure the intentions for HMHS Britannic were to run her onto shore. Britannic did have some success, she managed to hit bottom before the stern was submerged, but it all came at a cost. Honestly, I think if HMHS Britannic had better damage control parties she would have been able to stay afloat and ultimately sailing her to shore only sped up her demise. Fog of war was probably the reason for that decision thou.

[Lord_Slayer]

23 hours ago, Fallschirmfuchs said:

 Honestly, I think if HMHS Britannic had better damage control parties she would have been able to stay afloat and ultimately sailing her to shore only sped up her demise. Fog of war was probably the reason for that decision thou.

Portholes being closed while at sea would also have helped.

[Murotsu]

On 11/22/2022 at 2:10 AM, BrushWolf said:

That was more to avoid sinking in the channel.

This is a oft repeated myth.  The channel into Pearl Harbor was almost 2000 feet wide so the sinking of a single ship in the channel would have done little to block it other than pose a minor hazard to navigation.

[BrushWolf]

1 hour ago, Murotsu said:

This is a oft repeated myth.  The channel into Pearl Harbor was almost 2000 feet wide so the sinking of a single ship in the channel would have done little to block it other than pose a minor hazard to navigation.

It was only 600 feet wide in 1941 so a ship going down in that channel could easily block it.

From this site, https://www.nps.gov/perl/learn/historyculture/pearl-harbor.htm

[ErikTheVikingMoose]

this one did, 

another view of the beached boat