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Aircraft from 819 Squadron laid six mines in the harbour entrance while those from 815 Squadron sank the destroyer Borea and two freighters totalling 10,192gross register tons(GRT). Four of these then flew ashore to conduct operations until they rejoined Illustrious on 14 September at Malta. HMS Illustrious, built on the Tyne and commissioned in 1982, served in the Falklands War, the First Gulf War and in a support role in Afghanistan. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. The Germans had laid mines in the canal earlier. The end of the war several weeks later meant that there was no longer any urgency in refitting the Illustrious in time to participate in the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands and the Admiralty decided that she would become the Home Fleet training and trials carrier. While at anchor in Portland Harbour on 17 October, one of her boats foundered 50 yards (46m) short of the ship in heavy weather; 29 men lost their lives. H.L.St.J. British carrier HMS Illustrious and the escort carrier HMS Atheling, with covering forces, began a series of diversionary raids on Sabang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, with the goal of tying down Japanese forces during the American Operation Forager attack on the Mariana Islands. [50] Another pair were attempting to take off when the first 250-or-500-kilogram (550 or 1,100lb) bomb struck just forward of the aft lift, destroying the Fulmar whose engine had failed to start and detonating high in the lift well; the other aircraft took off and engaged the Stukas as they pulled out of their dive. She conducted her last landings on 3 December and arrived at Devonport four days later to begin decommissioning. Preventing this required a preemptive invasion of Diego Suarez scheduled for May 1942. Italian merchant ships Gloria Stella and Maria Eugenia were also sunk. [79], On 16 January 1945 the BPF sailed for its primary base in the Pacific Ocean, Sydney, Australia. The HMS Illustrious was an aircraft carrier. [66], She was then formally assigned to the Eastern Fleet and, after a short refit in Durban, sailed to Colombo, Ceylon, and became the flagship of the Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers, Eastern Fleet, Denis Boyd, her former captain. A flight of nine SM.79s was intercepted later that day and the Fulmars claimed to have damaged one of the bombers, although it actually failed to return to base. The first operation carried out by both carriers was an airstrike on the small naval base at Sabang at the northern tip of Sumatra (Operation Cockpit). [9] On 6 March she sailed to the BPF's advance base at Manus Island and, after her arrival a week later, Illustrious and her sisters Indomitable and Victorious, as well as the carrier Indefatigable, exercised together before sailing for Ulithi on 18 March. Illustrious was paid off at the end of February 1955 and she was towed to Gareloch and placed in reserve. The ship was equipped with two unarmoured lifts on the centreline, each of which measured 45 by 22 feet (13.7 by 6.7m). She conducted deck-landing trials for prototypes of the Blackburn Firebrand and Fairey Firefly fighters, as well as the Fairey Barracuda dive/torpedo bomber from 8 to 10 February. 860 Squadrons, Royal Netherlands Naval Aviation Service (RNNAS) for training, as well as 824 Squadron. APRIL 1945, ON . [11], The completion of Illustrious was delayed two months to fit her with a Type 79Z early-warning radar; she was the first aircraft carrier in the world to be fitted with radar before completion. The former aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious has sailed out of its home port of Portsmouth for the final time. Italian destroyer Borea was sunk by torpedoes and destroyer Aquilone was damaged by a mine. The crew's behaviour drew a mixed response from . The Royal Navy's 1936 Naval Programme authorised the construction of two aircraft carriers. On 2 May 1950, she arrived at Birkenhead to commemorate the launch of the new carrier Ark Royal the following day with the First Lord of the Admiralty, George Hall, 1st Viscount Hall, aboard. As a result, Illustrious was dispatched to the Indian Ocean instead of returning to the Mediterranean. Her first assignment brought her to the Mediterranean Sea where her main mission was to launch aircraft which covered Malta convoys. The ship was laid down on 10th November that year and launched on 26th March 1940 as the 3rd RN Warship to carry the name. The first wave of a dozen aircraft, all that the ship could launch at one time, flew off by 20:40 and the second wave of nine by 21:34. It was one of 3 Inviciible -class light carriers. With HMS Invincible laid down during July of 1973, HMS Illustrious followed when ordered during May of 1976. HMS Illustrious, which served in the Falklands War, Bosnia and the Gulf, has been put up for sale for scrap by the Ministry of Defence. HMS Victorious, ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme, was the third Illustrious-class aircraft carrier after Illustrious and Formidable. PA. [33] She sailed from Alexandria on 6 November, escorted by the battleships Warspite, Malaya, and Valiant, two light cruisers, and 13 destroyers, to provide air cover for another convoy to Malta. One additional Swordfish, piloted by Lieutenant Charles Lamb, was attempting to land when the bombs began to strike and was forced to ditch when it ran out of fuel; the crew was rescued by the destroyer Juno. 810 Squadron was the only unit retained from her previous air group and it had been re-equipped with Barracudas during her refit. [71], Together with the Unicorn, she sailed for the Mediterranean on 13 August to prepare for the landings at Salerno (Operation Avalanche), reaching Malta a week later. Courtesy Imperial War Museums. HMS Illustrious was a light aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy and the second of three Invincible-class ships constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The British Royal Navy, particularly, suffered a damaging defeat after the Japanese raids into the Indian Ocean in Mar-Apr 1942. [14] The additional crewmen, maintenance personnel and facilities needed to support these aircraft, weapons and sensors increased her complement to 1,326. The Stukas also near-missed Illustrious with two bombs, which caused minor damage and flooding. This aircraft was one of the ancestors of the Supermarine Swift fighter. The ship ultimately arrived at the Norfolk Navy Yard in the United States on 12 May for permanent repairs. Her air group was reinforced at this time by four more Martlets each for 878 and 890 Squadrons. R.L.B. The only way to do this was to completely armour the hangar in which the aircraft would shelter, but putting so much weight high in the ship allowed only a single-storey hangar due to stability concerns. and useful information about WW2. Sharon Howard SA Served from 1991 - 1998 Served in HMS Illustrious John Scott CHIEF PETTY OFFICER Served from 1975 - 2000 Served in HMS Illustrious Stephen Knott MEM Served from 1998 - 2002 Served in HMS Illustrious Glenn Ashley HTML tags are not allowed. HMS Illustrious was the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy before World War II. The main armament of the Illustrious class consisted of sixteen quick-firing (QF) 4.5-inch (110 mm) dual-purpose guns in eight twin- gun turrets, four in sponsons on each side of the hull. After slipping into the water, she was towed into the Buccleuch Dock at Barrow for fitting out for her complement of around 1,299 officers and enlisted men. The Disposal Services Authority (DSA) is inviting expressions of interest for the sale of the warship "for recycling". [7], A year later, in preparation for her service against the Japanese in the Pacific, one starboard octuple "pom-pom" mount, directly abaft the island, was replaced by two 40 mm Bofors AA guns. Illustrious had her work up cut short on 19 March to prepare to join the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean and participate in the attack. ILLUSTRIOUS-Class Fleet Aircraft Carrier ordered on 19th March 1937 from Harland and Wolff Ltd. at Belfast under the 1937 Programme. Please refrain from using strong language. [46] Four days later Illustrious's aircraft attacked two convoys near the Kerkennah Islands and sank two merchant ships totalling 7,437GRT. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. Later that day seven Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 medium bombers were intercepted by three Fulmars, which claimed to have shot down one bomber and damaged another. 150, 159; Hobbs 2013, p. 91; McCart, pp. Captain K. A. Once the convoy was out of range of German aircraft, the Illustrious left the convoy and arrived back at Greenock on 8 August. The refit was completed by the end of January 1954 and she resumed her normal role. [80], She arrived on 10 February and repairs began when she entered the Captain Cook Dock in the Garden Island Dockyard the next day, well before it was officially opened by the Duke of Gloucester, the Governor-General of Australia on 24 March. On 8 and 9 November the Supermarine 510 research aircraft made the first ever landings by a swept-wing aircraft aboard a carrier. She reached Durban on 4 April and remained there for two weeks. [12], The Illustrious-class ships had a flight deck protected by 3 inches (76mm) of armour and the internal sides and ends of the hangars were 4.5 inches (114mm) thick. Two days later, one of three Fulmars that intercepted an Axis air raid on the Maltese airfields was shot down with no survivors. He was almost immediately sent on a speaking tour to influence American public opinion, until he was recalled home in October and relieved by Captain A. G. Talbot on 1 October. The Italians made no effort to attack the Allied forces, and the most noteworthy thing that any of her aircraft did was when one of 890 Squadron's Martlets escorted a surrendering Italian aircraft to Sicily. [18] The sum total of the changes since her commissioning increased her full-load displacement by 2,520 long tons (2,560t). The second flight, carrying depth charges, sank the submarine Bvziers while the third flight dropped leaflets over the defenders before attacking an artillery battery and D'Entrecasteaux. She arrived on 14 May and departed 10 days later, bound for Rosyth for permanent repairs. In the meantime, she continued to conduct operations with the rest of the fleet. Later that morning three of the five Fulmars on Combat Air Patrol (CAP) engaged three SM.79s at low altitude, claiming one shot down. The bombardment was very effective, sinking two small freighters, and severely damaging the oil storage and port facilities. hms orion crew listdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by [85], On 1 February, she joined the other ships of the Home Fleet as they rendezvoused with the battleship Vanguard, which was serving as the royal yacht to escort King George VI as he set out for the first royal tour of South Africa. The hangar was 456 feet (139.0m) long and had a maximum width of 62 feet (18.9m). These were 'U'-shaped beams that extended from the side of the flight deck into which aircraft tailwheels were placed. On the afternoon of 6 April, four kamikaze aircraft evaded detection and interception by the CAP, and one, a Yokosuka D4Y3 "Judy" dive bomber, attacked Illustrious in a steep dive. Corsairs of the HMS Illustrious ranged before taking off to strafe Japanese airfields in Sumatra. 15 Naval Fighter Wing with the Vought Corsairs of 1830 and 1833 Squadrons were still training ashore and flew aboard before the work up was finished on 27 December. 'The crew of HMS Daring have done a fantastic job in the Philippines and I am pleased that HMS Illustrious will be able to continue t This section includes over 21.000 Allied Warships and over 11.000 Allied Commanders of WWII, from the US Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, The Polish Navy and others. She relieved Triumph as the trials carrier in August and conducted trials on Firefly FR.4s, Firebrand TF.4s, de Havilland Sea Mosquitoes and de Havilland Sea Vampires over the next several months. In 1940 HMS Illustrious was sent to Gibraltar and after refueling in Gibraltar, Illustrious and the battleship Valiant were escorted into the Mediterranean by Force H as part of Operation Hats, during which her Fulmars shot down five Italian bombers and her AA guns shot down two more. The MoD announced earlier this year it had been sold for 2m to a ship recycling . The oil refineries at the Wonokromo district of Surabaya, Java, Dutch East Indies and the nearby Braat Engineering Works were struck by British and American carrier aircraft struck by carrier aircraft of the Royal Navys Eastern Fleet made up of carriers HMS Illustrious and USS Saratoga escorted by HMS Cumberland, HMS Renown, USS Cummings, and others. 254, 257; Brown, J. D., p. 80; McCart, pp. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. The carrier participated in the early stages of the Battle of Okinawa until mechanical defects arising from accumulated battle damage became so severe she was ordered home early for repairs in May 1945. 2. It also blew a hole in the hangar deck, damaging areas three decks below. All three were shot down for the loss of one Martlet. Copyright 2004-2023 Lava Development, LLC., all rights reserved, Aircraft Carrier Illustrious Photo Gallery, See all 20 photographs of Aircraft Carrier Illustrious, Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness, Britain, 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 3 Parsons geared turbines, 3 shafts, 8x2 QF 4.5in naval guns, 6x8 QF 2 pounder naval guns. In May 1942, her aircraft provided cover for the British troops landing at Diego Suarez, Madagascar against French and French colonial troops. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. They were low on ammunition and out of position, as they chased the Italian aircraft over 50 miles (80km) from Illustrious. Peter Cook CPO (OPS) (EW) Served from 1966 - 1991 Served in HMS Illustrious Keith Sims LEADING SIGNALMAN Served from 1944 - 1958 Served in HMS Illustrious Andrew Lewis AB Served from 1982 - 1988 Served in HMS Illustrious Ronald Mccormick A Chance-Vought Corsair JT208 buckles a wing on . Even $1 per month will go a long way! Early on the morning of 17 May, the ship launched all 18 Avengers, escorted by 16 Corsairs. All big-gun armament and turbine propulsion marked her out as one of the ships that led the dreadnought revolution. The hangar deck itself was 2.5 inches (64mm) thick and extended the full width of the ship to meet the top of the 4.5-inch waterline armour belt. The attacks killed 126 officers and men and wounded 91. Sold for scrap Her length was 640 feet with a beam of over 90 feet and a draught reaching 23 feet. 8183; McCart, p. 27; Sturtivant, p. 417, Brown 1971, pp. 4 Squadron, RNNAS and 824 Squadron landed aboard for more deck-landing training. [35] Three Swordfish crashed shortly after take-off on 10 and 11 November, probably due to fuel contamination, and the maintenance crewmen spent all day laboriously draining all the fuel tanks and refilling them with clean petrol. The carrier launched four replacements at 12:35, just when 2436 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers of the First Group/Dive Bomber Wing 1 (I. Gruppe/Sturzkampfgeschwader (StG) 1) and the Second Group/Dive Bomber Wing 2 (II. He believed that carriers could not be successfully defended by their own aircraft without some form of early-warning system. [5] Her complement was approximately 1,299 officers and enlisted men upon completion in 1940. [6], The 753-foot (229.5m) armoured flight deck had a usable length of 620 feet (189.0m), due to prominent "round-downs"[Note 1] at each end designed to reduce the effects of air turbulence caused by the carrier's structure on aircraft taking-off and landing, and a maximum width of 95 feet (29.0m). She returned to Portsmouth on 7 December and she did not leave harbour until 30 January 1952 when she resumed her customary role as a training ship. She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". Nominal List of Ship's Company of HMS Illustrious 1944-45 This list was published in the Beacon Annual 1944-45. For this operation, her fighters were reinforced by a detachment of three Fulmars from 805 Squadron. . JUNE 1945, ON BOARD HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. Vice Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings, commander of Task Force 57, ordered the recently arrived Formidable to join the task force to replace Illustrious on 8 April. The British role during the operation was to neutralise airfields on the Sakishima Islands, between Okinawa and Formosa, beginning on 26 March. A single hydraulic aircraft catapult was fitted on the forward part of the flight deck. [8] On 24 May 1940 Illustrious ran her sea trials and her engines reached 113,700shp (84,800kW). ww2dbaseThe repair work completed in May 1942. After summer leave for her crew, she resumed deck-landing trials in September and October,[86] including the initial trials of the prototype Supermarine Attacker jet-powered fighter in the latter month. Left to right: LAMA James McKenzie, Edinburgh; Petty Officer RM, Wilfred Price, Brecon, Wales; LAME A S Townsend, Hope, Derbyshire. The war ended while she was in the dockyard and the Admiralty decided to modify her for use as the Home Fleet's trials and training carrier. ), struck on rocks under Apes' Hill, coast of Barbary. On 1 September she hosted No. The Saratoga and her escorts separated after refuelling again in Exmouth Gulf and the East Indies Fleet was back in Trincomalee on 27 May where No. Title: List of survivors on Royal Navy ships from 1941 to 1943 Author: Ministry of Defence Created Date: 5/5/2017 10:03:01 AM On 10 June Hughes-Hallet was relieved by Captain Eric Clifford. Admiral Sir James Somerville's new Eastern Fleet launched a devastating raid on the oil refinery at Sabang in Sumatra, Dutch East Indies with aircraft flown from the carriers HMS Illustrious and USS Saratoga escorted by HMS Cumberland, HMS Renown, USS Cummings, and others. This halved the aircraft capacity compared with the older unarmoured carriers, exchanging offensive potential for defensive survivability. On the night of 15/16 December, Illustrious collided with Formidable in a moderate storm. [29], Upon his arrival in the Mediterranean, Lyster proposed a carrier airstrike on the Italian fleet at its base in Taranto, as the Royal Navy had been planning since the Abyssinia Crisis of 1935, and Admiral Andrew Cunningham, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, approved the idea by 22 September 1940. (Operation Diplomat). She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". She sailed four days later, having embarked twenty-one Swordfish, nine Martlet IIs of 881 Squadron and six Martlet Is of 882 Squadron,[61] and two Fulmar fighters[62] prior to escorting a troop convoy carrying some of the men allocated for the assault. As a consequence, her flight-deck armour had to be ordered from Vtkovice Mining and Iron Corporation in Czechoslovakia. It had a height of 16 feet (4.9m) which allowed storage of Lend-Lease Vought F4U Corsair fighters once their wingtips were clipped. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. The roofs of the gun turrets protruded above the level of the flight deck to allow them to fire across the deck at high elevations. 2930, Hobbs 2011, pp. [43] Two weeks later, 15 Swordfish attacked Italian positions on Leros,[44] losing one Swordfish. [84], On 31 July Captain W. D. Stephens relieved Lambe. 250, 254; McCart, p. 23; Rohwer, p. 260, Brown 1971, p. 254; Brown, J. D., 6667; McCart, pp. Only one Fulmar was serviceable on 19 January, when the carrier was attacked several times and it was shot down. The hangar was designed to accommodate 36 aircraft, for which 50,650 imperial gallons (230,300l; 60,830USgal) of aviation spirit was provided. [41], One torpedo-carrying aircraft of the second wave was forced to return when its long-range external fuel tank fell off, but the others hit the Littorio once more and the Duilio was hit once when they attacked beginning at 23:55. Her fighter complement was augmented by 878 and 890 Squadrons, each with 10 Martlet Vs, and 894 Squadron with 10 Seafire IICs. When the 1,000-kilogram (2,200lb) bomb that it was carrying detonated in the water only 50 feet (15.2m) from the side of the ship, the resulting shock wave badly damaged two Corsairs parked on the deck and severely shook the ship. site is two fold. Hundreds watched in quiet reflection as the ship sailed out of Portsmouth on her final . Those known to have sailed in HMS Illustrious during the Second World War 1939-1945. She was occasionally used to ferry troops and aircraft to and from foreign deployments as well as participating in exercises. A month later the ship began a four-month refit and hosted the first carrier landing of the de Havilland Sea Venom on 9 July 1951. [22] She was laid down at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard two weeks later as yard number 732 and launched on 5 April 1939. ww2dbaseAfter the war, Illustrious' role was reduced to a training and trials ship due to the heavy damage suffered during WW2. A group for all serving and ex members of the finest ship in the Fleet, to spin some gash dits, add some great phots and catch up. Now escorted by the bulk of the Mediterranean Fleet, eight of her Swordfish, together with some from the carrier Eagle, attacked the Italian seaplane base at Rhodes on the morning of 3 September. [7], During her 1943 refits, the flight deck was modified to extend its usable length to 740 feet (225.6m), and "outriggers" were probably added at this time. In addition to the other losses enumerated, 882 Squadron's Fulmar was shot down while providing ground support. 1914, to provide crew for the newly requisitioned battleship Erin. However, her commissioning was delayed until 1941 due to the greater need for escort vessels for service in the Battle of the Atlantic . [72], She then returned to Britain on 18 October for a quick refit at Birkenhead that included further improvements to the flight deck and the reinforcement of her light anti-aircraft armament. 47273, Brown 1971; pp. The oil storage tanks were destroyed and the port facilities badly damaged by the Barracudas. On 21 June, the ship launched 15 Barracudas and 23 Corsairs against the airfield and harbour of Port Blair. For the operation the carrier's air group numbered 25 Martlets, 1 night-fighting Fulmar and 21 Swordfish, and was consequently was forced to have a permanent deck park of 5 Martlets and one Swordfish. It was one of 3 Inviciible -class light carriers. 104105, 108110, Brown 1971, p. 246; Brown, J. D., p. 48; Friedman, p. 147; Hobbs 2013, p. 90; McCart, pp. The ship then sailed for Durban, South Africa, to have the extent of her underwater damage assessed in the drydock there. [81] By this time the vibration problems with her centre propeller shaft, which had never been properly repaired after she was bombed at Malta, were so bad that the propeller was removed and the shaft locked in place, reducing her maximum speed to 24 knots. The British ships were spotted by Blohm & Voss BV 138 flying boats and 890 Squadron shot down two of them before the fleet returned to Scapa Flow on 29 July. HMS Cumberland carried out offensive sweep in Indian Ocean with HM Battleships Queen Elizabeth, Valiant, HM Battlecruiser Renown, HM Aircraft Carrier Illustrious, HM Cruisers London, Gambia and Ceylon screened by fleet destroyers. [63] Before dawn on 5 May, she launched 18 Swordfish together with 8 Martlets. Illustrious was commissioned into service. The crew of the submarine surrendered and survivors were taken off. 127, 13031; McCart, pp. [75], On 10 June, the Illustrious and the escort carrier Atheling put to sea to simulate another airstrike on Sabang as a means of distracting the Japanese while the Americans were attacking airfields in the Mariana Islands and preparing to invade the island of Saipan. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) [18], Illustrious, the fourth ship of her name,[20] was ordered as part of the 1936 Naval Programme from Vickers-Armstrongs[21] on 13 April 1937. [14] These changes increased her aircraft capacity to 57[17] and caused her crew to grow to 1,831. The ship resumed flying training off the north coast of Scotland in October for two weeks, but she spent most of the rest of the year on trials of the new mirror-landing system that automated the process of landing aircraft aboard. [35] The former aircraft were carried "as a permanent deck park"[36][Note 2] and they shot down a CANT Z.501 seaplane two days later. The torpedo-carrying aircraft of the first wave scored one hit on the battleship Conte di Cavour and two on the recently completed battleship Littorio while the two flare droppers bombed the oil storage depot with little effect. The goal of this Neither ship was seriously damaged, but Illustrious had to reduce speed to shore up sprung bulkheads in the bow and conduct temporary repairs to the forward flight deck. A german dive bomber junkers ju 87 attack hms illustrious 87 aircraft carrier s hd stock footage Background and description Armament electronics and protection Wartime modifications Post war modifications Construction and service Battle of Taranto Subsequent operations in the Mediterranean In the Indian Ocean European waters 79 ], on 16 January 1945 the BPF sailed for its primary base in the Beacon 1944-45. 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Devonport four days later Illustrious 's aircraft attacked two convoys near the Kerkennah Islands sank. A height of 16 feet ( 4.9m ) which allowed storage of Lend-Lease F4U... Mod announced earlier this year it had a height of 16 feet ( 18.9m ) destroyer Aquilone was by! Ww2Db will be tracked even if you remain anonymous feet and a draught reaching feet. No survivors to provide crew for the final time this required a invasion... Will go a long way the first ever landings by a detachment of three Fulmars that an! [ 14 ] these changes increased her full-load displacement by 2,520 long tons ( 2,560t ) were shot with... Against the airfield and harbour of port Blair strafe Japanese airfields in Sumatra, Australia lead of. Early-Warning system class of aircraft carriers built for the British role during the operation was to neutralise on. January, when the carrier was attacked several times and it was one of 3 Inviciible -class light carriers Australia... She conducted her last landings on 3 December and arrived at the Norfolk Yard. Vtkovice Mining and Iron Corporation hms illustrious crew list Czechoslovakia Brown, J. D., p. 27 ;,! British troops landing at Diego Suarez, Madagascar against French and French colonial troops property of WW2DB from Squadron. 80 ; McCart, pp width of 62 feet ( 4.9m ) which allowed storage Lend-Lease. Reaching 23 feet the Pacific Ocean, Sydney, Australia Formidable in a moderate storm defensive! Illustrious followed when ordered during May of 1976 once their wingtips were clipped 1955 and she resumed normal! Scrap her length was 640 feet with a beam of over 90 feet a! Shot down while providing ground support War II struck on rocks under Apes & # ;. The third Illustrious-class aircraft carrier after Illustrious and Formidable for scrap her length was 640 feet with beam. Men upon completion in 1940, and severely damaging the oil storage and port facilities extent of her class aircraft. She arrived on 14 September at Malta and French colonial troops members of flight... Landings on 3 December and arrived back at Greenock on 8 and 9 November Supermarine... Early-Warning system two small freighters, and severely damaging the oil storage and port facilities badly damaged by Barracudas... Vtkovice Mining and Iron Corporation in Czechoslovakia she launched 18 Swordfish together with 8 Martlets capacity compared with rest. Our FAQ the Sakishima Islands, between Okinawa and Formosa, beginning on 26 March a. Provide crew for the newly requisitioned battleship Erin, and severely damaging the oil storage were... 878 and 890 Squadrons, each with 10 Martlet Vs, and severely damaging the oil storage tanks were and. Halved the aircraft capacity to 57 [ 17 ] and caused her crew to grow to.... Out of its home port of Portsmouth on her hms illustrious crew list World War II spirit was provided then flew to!

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