50 Most Iconic Warships in Naval History

German propaganda declared HMS Ark Royal sunk so many times that she earned the nickname "the ship that refused to sink." The Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine claimed her destruction at least three times, with German radio broadcasting her sinking as fact: while she continued operating. Her Swordfish biplanes delivered the torpedo hit that jammed Bismarck's rudder on May 26, 1941, sealing the German battleship's fate.

Ark Royal was one of the most active carriers of the early war, covering the evacuation from Norway, hunting the Graf Spee, supporting operations in the Mediterranean, and escorting Malta convoys under constant air attack. She was finally sunk by a single torpedo from U-81 on November 13, 1941, sinking slowly enough that all but one of her 1,488 crew were rescued. The investigation into her loss led to significant improvements in Royal Navy damage control procedures, lessons in defense technology that saved future ships.