Vice Admiral William Whitworth and his forces arrived at the fjord to finish off the eight remaining German destroyers and two U-boats that were virtually stranded in a trap due to lack of fuel, a result of the First Battle of Narvik. The British forces consisted of the HMS Warspite (probably the best known 20th century Royal Navy battleship) and nine destroyers and planes from the carrier "Furious".
During the battle, a Fairey Swordfish catapult aircraft launched from the HMS Warspite sank the submarine "U-64", making it the first U-boat to be sunk by an airplane in World War II.
The Royal Navy easily wiped out the remaining eight German destroyers.