Second Battle of Dover Strait
Part of theFirst World War
Drawing ofHMS Broke rammingSMS G42.
Date 20–21 April 1917 Location Dover Strait 51°01′N1°29′E / 51.017°N 1.483°E /51.017; 1.483 Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Edward Evans	Theophil Gautier
Strength
HMS Broke HMS Swift	6torpedo boats
Casualties and losses
22 killed Broke: severe damage Swift: slight damage	71 killed 2 torpedo boats sunk
class=notpageimage| Location of battle

TheSecond Battle of Dover Strait was anaval battle of theFirst World War, fought in theDover Strait in April 1917 (not theBattle of Dover Strait of 1916). TwoRoyal Navydestroyers defeated a superior force ofGermanKaiserliche Marinetorpedo boats.^[1] Two German torpedo boats were sunk and both British destroyers suffered damage.

On 20 April 1917, two groups of torpedo boats of the German Navy raided the Dover Strait to bombard Allied positions on shore and to engage warships patrolling theDover Barrage—the field offloating mines that prevented German ships from getting into theEnglish Channel.^[2] Six torpedo boats bombardedCalais and another six bombardedDover just before midnight.

Twoflotilla leaders of the Royal Navy —HMS Broke andSwift — were on patrol near Dover and engaged six of the German ships early on 21 April near theGoodwin Sands.^[3] In a confusing action,Swift torpedoedSMS G85.Broke rammedSMS G42, and the two ships became locked together. For a while, there was close-quarters fighting between the crews, as the German sailors tried toboard the British ship, beforeBroke got free andG42 sank.^[1][4]

Swift was slightly damaged, butBroke was heavily damaged and had to be towed back to port.^[1]

• North Sea operations of World War I
• Naval battles of World War I involving Germany
• Naval battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom
• Conflicts in 1917
• 1910s in Kent
• April 1917
• Strait of Dover

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