HMS Codrington, who fell victim to the Luftwaffe on the 27th July 1940. Dover came under attack on that day when Messerschmitt Bf 109E‑4/B fighter‑bombers of 3./Erprobungsgruppe 210 struck the harbour. A bomb fell close aboard the destroyer; its underwater blast broke her back and tore open her hull, though only three crewmen were injured. She sank soon after. Codrington’s loss underscored the Kanalkampf pattern: the Luftwaffe using fast, low‑level fighter‑bombers to harass Channel traffic and erode British naval presence. Her destruction showed how vulnerable even modern destroyers were to sudden precision attacks, reinforcing the Admiralty’s reluctance to keep valuable ships exposed in the Dover narrows.
Salvage
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