On8April1940,the1345-tonBritishdestroyerGlowwormencounteredintheNorthSeathe10000-tonGermancruiserHipper.Althoughhopelesslyoutgunned,GeraldRoope,theGlowworm'scommandingofficer,acceptedthefight.Hechargedin,butalltenofhistorpedoesmissed,andlongbeforetheGlowworm'sgunswerewithinrange,theHipperwaspouringshellsatthedestroyer,whichsoonbecameablazinginferno.
Roopethendecided,totheGermans'amazement,toramthecruiser.TheGlowwormhitatfullforceandembeddedherbowssolidlyintotheHipper.TheGermancaptainmanoeuvredfranticallytoreleasehisunwantedvisitor,andfinallyhadtotrainallthegunsthatwouldbeartoblastthedestroyerfromhisside.OnesurvivorremembersRoope,akeencricketer,saying"Idon'tsupposewe'llplaymuchcricketagain"ashewentdownwithhisship.
一九四○年四月八日，一千三百四十五噸的英國驅逐艦螢火蟲號在北海遇上一萬噸的德國巡洋艦希珀號。雖然強弱懸殊，螢火蟲號指揮官哲羅德．魯普並不避戰，駕艦進攻，但所有的十個水雷都沒有命中。而螢火蟲號還未開到可以砲擊敵艦的射程，早已在希珀號連珠似的砲彈之下，陷入烈火之中。
德軍想不到的，是魯普決定撞向敵艦。螢火蟲號全力一撞，船頭牢牢插入希珀號船身。希珀號艦長慌忙操船左右擺動，希望甩掉這不速之客，最後得動用全部用得上的大砲，把咬着船舷的螢火蟲號轟脫。一名生還者記得，熱愛板球的魯普和螢火蟲號一起下沉時，說了一句話：「看來我們不再會常常打板球了。」