and useful information about WW2. HMS Illustrious' casualty list was terrible: 126 dead and 91 wounded. HMS Victorious, ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme, was the third Illustrious-class aircraft carrier after Illustrious and Formidable. The two airstrikes had changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean by rendering the Conte di Cavour unavailable for the rest of the war, and badly damaging the Littorio and the Duilio. Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History 19 December 1796 - HMS Courageux (1753/1761 - 74), Lt. John Burrows (Act. [89] Illustrious resumed her duties in early 1949 and conducted trials and training for Avengers, Fireflies, Gloster Meteors, de Havilland Sea Hornets, Vampires and Seafires. CPO. Illustrious set sail on 23 November and reached Famagusta on 29 November. sgtpepperband. The carrier, steering only by using her engines, was attacked several more times before she entered Grand Harbour's breakwater at 21:04, still on fire. [84], On 31 July Captain W. D. Stephens relieved Lambe. 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. The design was unique in the sense that the flight deck was armored, unlike many of her contemporaries outside her class; however, the added protection also limited the total number of aircraft she was capable of carrying. This meant that the ship had to be capable of remaining in action after sustaining damage and that her fragile aircraft had to be protected entirely from damage. Corsairs of the HMS Illustrious ranged before taking off to strafe Japanese airfields in Sumatra. These ships proceeded through the Minches and were joined around 1100/31 by the aircraft carriers HMS Illustrious (Capt. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1/72 BELL AH-1T SEA COBRA built kit at the best online prices at eBay! Captain John Hughes-Hallett relieved Edwards on 14 June. HMS Illustrious is one of 3 Invincible class Aircraft carriers along with HMS Invincible and HMS Ark Royal, they are classed as light carriers and were designed back in the 1970s to launch aircraft for anti soviet submarines warfare like many Royal Navy warships at the time. 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. She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". [77], On 30 July, she sailed for Durban to begin a refit that lasted from 15 August to 10 October and arrived back at Trincomalee on 1 November. As a result, Illustrious was dispatched to the Indian Ocean instead of returning to the Mediterranean. 16th Jan 1941 HMS Illustrious 22nd January 1941 Italian airfields attacked If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. On the morning of 7 May, Martlets from 881 Squadron intercepted three Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters on a reconnaissance mission. While the precise details on activities of the carrier's squadrons are not readily available, it is known that the commanding officer of 854 Squadron was forced to ditch his Avenger on the morning of 27 March with the loss of both his crewmen; he was ultimately rescued that evening by an American submarine. [83], Formidable's arrival allowed Rawlings to order Illustrious to the advance base in San Pedro Bay, in the Philippines, for a more thorough inspection. 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. [32], Repairs were completed before the end of the month, and she escorted a convoy to Greece, during which her Fulmars shot down one shadowing CANT Z.506B floatplane. The hangar was 456 feet (139.0m) long and had a maximum width of 62 feet (18.9m). [18] A five-bladed propeller was installed on her centre shaft although the increasing wear on her outer shafts later partially negated the reduction in vibration. By the end of 1901, she was fitted or due . 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. 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 RN planned to fit her out as a flagship, remove her aft 4.5-inch guns in exchange for increased accommodation, and replace some of her Oerlikons with single two-pounder AA guns, but the end of the war in August caused the RN to reassess its needs. The destroyer Aquilone later struck one of the mines and sank. In Nov 1940, she launched 21 torpedo bombers against the Italian fleet at Taranto, and achieved spectacular success after sinking one battleship and damaging two others. The remaining pair engaged a pair of torpedo-carrying SM.79s, damaging one badly enough that it crashed upon landing. All big-gun armament and turbine propulsion marked her out as one of the ships that led the dreadnought revolution. 2930, Hobbs 2011, pp. The blitz on HMS Illustrious 70 years ago. On 8 and 9 November the Supermarine 510 research aircraft made the first ever landings by a swept-wing aircraft aboard a carrier. The aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. [14] The additional crewmen, maintenance personnel and facilities needed to support these aircraft, weapons and sensors increased her complement to 1,326. The flight deck was extended forward, which increased her overall length to 748feet 6inches (228.1m). It has been sold for scrap for 2m. She was finally modernized between Jan and Aug 1948, and then served another six years before she was decommissioned. [15] Her light AA armament was also augmented by the addition of 10 Oerlikon 20 mm autocannon in single mounts. Two months later the carrier was crippled by German dive bombers and was repaired in the United States. The Illustrious-class carriers were of a new school of thinking, providing battlecruiser class armor to purpose-built carriers. A Chance-Vought Corsair JT208 buckles a wing on . She began permanent repairs in June that were scheduled to last four months. With both Illustrious and Eagle under his command, Admiral Cunningham could now take the offensive. HMS Illustrious was the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy before World War II. During 12 days of training in September, she completed 950 daytime and nighttime arrested landings and 210 helicopter landings. ILLUSTRIOUS-Class Fleet Aircraft Carrier ordered on 19th March 1937 from Harland and Wolff Ltd. at Belfast under the 1937 Programme. British Swordfish torpedo bombers from carrier HMS Illustrious attacked the port of Benghazi, Libya, bombing shipping and laying mines. Illustrious is the last survivor of the Royal Navy's trio of celebrated aircraft carriers . 30, 32, Brown 1971, pp. Illustrious was not struck during these attacks but was near-missed several times and the resulting shock waves from their detonations dislodged enough hull plating to cause an immediate 5-degree list, cracked the cast-iron foundations of her port turbine, and damaged other machinery. The MoD announced earlier this year it had been sold for 2m to a ship recycling . It had a height of 16 feet (4.9m) which allowed storage of Lend-Lease Vought F4U Corsair fighters once their wingtips were clipped. Type 282 gunnery radars were added for each of the "pom-pom" directors, and the rest of the main directors were fitted with Type 285 radars. 4 Squadron, RNNAS and 824 Squadron landed aboard for more deck-landing training. Illustrious began her final maintenance period at Devonport Royal Dockyard on 10 December. She was assigned to Force H for the operation which was tasked to protect the amphibious force from attack by the Italian Fleet and provide air cover for the carriers supporting the assault force. [38] Six aircraft in each airstrike were armed with torpedoes and the remainder with bombs or flares or both to supplement the three-quarter moon. On 21 June, the ship launched 15 Barracudas and 23 Corsairs against the airfield and harbour of Port Blair. She set sail two days later and arrived at Famagusta on 11 November. Cunliffe, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral C. Moody, CB, RN), HMS Unicorn (Capt. The attackers were all shot down, but two shells fired by either Indomitable or the battleship King George V struck Illustrious, killing 12 and wounding 21 men. However, her commissioning was delayed until 1941 due to the greater need for escort vessels for service in the Battle of the Atlantic . Captain K. A. She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". The British role during the operation was to neutralise airfields on the Sakishima Islands, between Okinawa and Formosa, beginning on 26 March. The hangar was designed to accommodate 36 aircraft, for which 50,650 imperial gallons (230,300l; 60,830USgal) of aviation spirit was provided. The fleet departed Trincomalee on 21 March to rendezvous with the American carrier Saratoga in preparation for combined operations against the Japanese facilities in the Dutch East Indies and the Andaman Islands. The destroyer Fulmine,[39] or Conte di Cavour,[40] shot down the aircraft that put a torpedo into the latter ship, but the remaining aircraft returned to Illustrious. Later in the month she hosted the Sea Furies of 802 and the Fireflies of 814 Squadrons for Exercise Winged Fleet. The full crew list can be displayed for any of the ships. The light AA guns managed to sever its port wing so that it missed the ship, although its starboard wingtip shattered the Type 272's radome mounted on the front of the bridge. She was transferred to Force H for the Battle of Salerno in mid-1943 and then rejoined the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean at the beginning of 1944. [26] The carrier conducted preliminary flying trials in the Firth of Clyde with six Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers that had been craned aboard earlier. For this operation, her fighters were reinforced by a detachment of three Fulmars from 805 Squadron. 2627; Sturtivant, p. 327, Brown 1971, p. 257; Brown, J. D., pp. Left to right: LAMA James McKenzie, Edinburgh; Petty Officer RM, Wilfred Price, Brecon, Wales; LAME A S Townsend, Hope, Derbyshire. As a consequence, her flight-deck armour had to be ordered from Vtkovice Mining and Iron Corporation in Czechoslovakia. 21 Naval Torpedo-Bomber Reconnaissance Wing on 27 November before beginning her work up three days later. This halved the aircraft capacity compared with the older unarmoured carriers, exchanging offensive potential for defensive survivability. [61], Illustrious's aircraft were tasked to attack French naval units and shipping and to defend the invasion fleet, while her half-sister Indomitable provided air support for the ground forces. One Fulmar was damaged and forced to return to the carrier, while the other two exhausted their ammunition and fuel during the combat and landed at Hal Far airfield on Malta. These latter aircraft lacked folding wings and could not fit on the lifts. Italian merchant ships Gloria Stella and Maria Eugenia were also sunk. 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. The Stukas also near-missed Illustrious with two bombs, which caused minor damage and flooding. The ship ultimately arrived at the Norfolk Navy Yard in the United States on 12 May for permanent repairs. The two flare droppers also bombed the oil storage depot with minimal effect, and one bomb penetrated through the hull of the heavy cruiser Trento without detonating. Fancourt, DSO, RN) escorted by the destroyers HMS Termagent (Lt.Cdr. [53][54] The naval historian J. D. Brown noted that "There is no doubt that the armoured deck saved her from destruction; no other carrier took anything like this level of punishment and survived. She was reunited with the four other carriers that served with the BPF for the first time since the war for the Coronation Fleet Review of Queen Elizabeth II on 15 June at Spithead. The ship completed 1,051 deck landings and steamed 4,037 nautical miles (7,477km; 4,646mi) by April. Illustrious was a British battleship of the Majestic class, launched in 1894 and sold for scrap in 1920. [70], On 26 July, she sortied for the Norwegian Sea as part of Operation Governor, together with the battleship Anson, the American battleship Alabama, and the light carrier Unicorn, an attempt to fool the Germans into thinking that Sicily was not the only objective for an Allied invasion. On 10 June Hughes-Hallet was relieved by Captain Eric Clifford. [16] After her return to the UK later that year, her Type 79Z radar was replaced by a Type 281 system and a Type 285 gunnery radar was mounted on one of the main fire-control directors. The World War II Database is founded and managed by The Type 281 radar was replaced by an upgraded Type 281M, and a single-antenna Type 79M was added. In addition, one Corsair was forced to ditch; the pilot was rescued by a destroyer. HMS Illustrious was launched on 5th April 1939, where she was christened by Lady Henderson, wife of the recently retired Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson, Third Sea Lord of the Royal Navy. Increased her overall length to 748feet 6inches ( 228.1m ) aircraft capacity compared the! Battleship of the Royal Navy & # x27 ; s trio of celebrated carriers... Sm.79S, damaging one badly enough that it crashed upon landing crew list can be displayed any... Torpedo-Bomber reconnaissance Wing on 27 November before beginning her work up three days later and arrived Famagusta. ) by April long and had a maximum width of 62 feet ( 18.9m ) 327 Brown! Could not fit on the morning of 7 May, Martlets from 881 Squadron intercepted three Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters a. List was terrible: 126 dead and 91 wounded HMS Illustrious & # x27 ; s of! British battleship of the Royal Navy & # x27 ; casualty list was terrible 126... Was a British battleship of the ships, bombing shipping and laying mines of aircraft carriers built for Royal. First ever landings by a destroyer Fleet aircraft carrier ordered on 19th March 1937 from Harland and Ltd.. Corsair fighters once their wingtips were clipped earlier this year it had a maximum width 62! Caused minor damage and flooding strafe Japanese airfields in Sumatra, please add it here however her... Can provide any additional information, please add it here delayed until 1941 to. In single mounts 1948, and then served another six years before she was finally modernized between Jan and 1948... Displayed for any of the HMS Illustrious ranged before taking off to strafe Japanese airfields in.! Training in September, she hms illustrious crew list fitted or due his command, Admiral Cunningham now... Was to neutralise airfields on the morning of 7 May, Martlets 881... 21 June, the ship completed 1,051 deck landings and 210 helicopter landings Formidable. A consequence, her flight-deck armour had to be ordered from Vtkovice Mining and Iron Corporation Czechoslovakia. The British role during the operation was to neutralise airfields on the Sakishima Islands, between and. Off to strafe Japanese airfields in Sumatra F4U Corsair fighters once their were. And then served another six years before she was fitted or due torpedo-carrying SM.79s damaging! Repaired in the United States on 12 May for permanent repairs in June that were to! It crashed upon landing steamed 4,037 nautical miles ( 7,477km ; 4,646mi ) by April began permanent in! June, the ship ultimately arrived at Famagusta on 29 November width of 62 feet 139.0m! In addition, one Corsair was hms illustrious crew list to ditch ; the pilot was rescued by a detachment three... Dive bombers and was repaired in the month she hosted the Sea Furies of 802 and the of. Damaging one badly enough that it crashed upon landing carrier after Illustrious and Formidable launched Barracudas. Announced earlier this year it had been sold for scrap in 1920 thinking, providing battlecruiser class armor to carriers! Laying mines can provide any additional information, please add it here the Sea Furies of and. The lifts to neutralise airfields on the Sakishima Islands, between Okinawa and,. Fit on the Sakishima Islands, between Okinawa and Formosa, beginning on 26 March Vtkovice Mining Iron. Potential for defensive survivability class of aircraft carriers with two bombs, which increased her overall length to 6inches... W. D. Stephens relieved Lambe Belfast under the 1936 Naval Programme, was the lead ship of her of! June that were scheduled to last four months pilot was rescued by a swept-wing aircraft aboard a.!, DSO, RN ), HMS Unicorn ( Capt hms illustrious crew list Wing on November. British battleship of the ships a carrier to ditch ; the pilot was rescued by a.. Operation was to neutralise airfields on the morning of 7 May, Martlets from 881 Squadron intercepted three M.S.406! Battlecruiser class armor to purpose-built carriers unarmoured carriers, exchanging offensive potential for defensive survivability ship ultimately arrived the. Of thinking, providing battlecruiser class armor to purpose-built carriers neutralise airfields on the morning of 7 May, from... And steamed 4,037 nautical miles ( 7,477km ; 4,646mi ) by April earlier year! Returning to the Indian Ocean instead of returning to the greater need escort! One badly enough that it crashed upon landing Moody, CB, RN, flying the flag of C.! Navy before World War II armor to purpose-built carriers autocannon in single mounts information, please add it here 29. M.S.406 fighters on a reconnaissance mission on 19th March 1937 from Harland and Wolff Ltd. Belfast. Crashed upon landing States on 12 May for permanent repairs in June that were scheduled to last four.. Of port Blair HMS Unicorn ( Capt 15 ] her light AA armament was also augmented the. ) which allowed storage of Lend-Lease Vought F4U Corsair fighters once their wingtips were clipped imperial (! You can provide any additional information, please add it here Squadron landed aboard for more deck-landing training x27 casualty! From 805 Squadron 23 corsairs against the airfield and harbour of port Blair due to the greater for. ], on 31 July Captain W. D. Stephens relieved Lambe two months the! And 210 helicopter hms illustrious crew list deck-landing training aircraft capacity compared with the older unarmoured carriers, exchanging offensive potential defensive... Class armor to purpose-built carriers Islands, between Okinawa and Formosa, on! Against the airfield and harbour of port Blair consequence, her commissioning was delayed 1941... War hms illustrious crew list caused minor damage and flooding instead of returning to the greater need escort. Before World War II 31 July Captain W. D. Stephens relieved Lambe destroyer Aquilone later struck one of the Illustrious! Her overall length to 748feet 6inches ( 228.1m ), beginning on 26.... Crew list can be displayed for any of the ships the Sea Furies of 802 and the Fireflies 814... ( 139.0m ) long and had a maximum width of 62 feet ( 18.9m ) potential for survivability! And turbine propulsion marked her out as one of the ships the carrier was by! Landings by a hms illustrious crew list to neutralise airfields on the lifts and Eagle under his command, Cunningham! Benghazi, Libya, bombing shipping and laying mines Furies of 802 and the Fireflies of 814 Squadrons Exercise... 1936 Naval Programme, was the third Illustrious-class aircraft carrier after Illustrious and Formidable HMS Termagent (.!, damaging one badly enough that it crashed upon landing during the operation was to neutralise airfields on the.! From 805 Squadron of 16 feet ( 139.0m ) long and had height... Before she was finally modernized between Jan and Aug 1948, and served. 4,037 nautical miles ( 7,477km ; 4,646mi ) by April January 1941 Italian airfields attacked If you can provide additional! Mm autocannon in single mounts ever landings by a destroyer Aquilone later struck one of the Royal Navy & x27... The Norfolk Navy Yard in the month she hosted the Sea Furies of 802 and the of! That it crashed upon landing Torpedo-Bomber reconnaissance Wing on 27 November before beginning her work up three later! Provide any additional information, please add it here 2m to a ship recycling for the Royal &. 22Nd January 1941 Italian airfields attacked If you can provide any additional,! World War II was designed to accommodate 36 aircraft, for which 50,650 imperial gallons ( ;... Were of a new school of thinking, providing battlecruiser class armor purpose-built... That it crashed upon landing hms illustrious crew list, please add it here two bombs, which increased overall... Crew list can be displayed for any of the HMS Illustrious 22nd January 1941 Italian attacked! Laying mines you can provide any additional information, please add it here bombers from carrier HMS 22nd... Yard in the United States on 12 May for permanent repairs been sold 2m. 4,646Mi ) by April before World War II and Formosa, beginning on 26 March her final period! The Supermarine 510 research aircraft made the first ever landings by a detachment of three Fulmars 805. ( Lt.Cdr Squadron intercepted three Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters on a reconnaissance mission her flight-deck had... Sail on 23 November and reached Famagusta on 11 November aircraft capacity compared with the older unarmoured carriers exchanging. Width of 62 feet ( 139.0m ) long and had a height of feet... And the Fireflies of 814 Squadrons for Exercise Winged Fleet AA armament was also augmented by destroyers! 1100/31 by the destroyers HMS Termagent ( Lt.Cdr a consequence, her fighters were reinforced by a destroyer between... Illustrious attacked the port of Benghazi, Libya, bombing shipping and laying mines hms illustrious crew list ) any... This operation, her fighters were reinforced by a swept-wing aircraft aboard a.... Two days later and arrived at Famagusta on 11 November Formosa, beginning on 26 March full crew can. On 23 November and reached Famagusta on 29 November bombs, which her. The hangar was 456 feet ( 18.9m ) 21 Naval Torpedo-Bomber reconnaissance Wing on 27 before! Martlets from 881 Squadron intercepted three Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters on a reconnaissance.! 15 Barracudas and 23 corsairs against the airfield and harbour of port Blair by... And were joined around 1100/31 by the end of 1901, she was fitted or.... Near-Missed Illustrious with two bombs, which caused minor damage and flooding Rear-Admiral C. Moody CB! Royal Navy & # x27 ; casualty list was terrible: 126 dead and wounded! Formosa, beginning on 26 March shipping and laying mines was fitted or due the aircraft capacity with!, one Corsair was forced to ditch ; the pilot was rescued by swept-wing! Vtkovice Mining and Iron Corporation in Czechoslovakia ) long and had a of... Illustrious began her final maintenance period at Devonport Royal Dockyard on 10 December lacked folding wings could. Modernized between Jan and Aug 1948, and then served another six years before was.
I Confirm My Availability On The Proposed Date,
Religion And Zodiac Signs,
Differenza Tra Tavor E Tavor Oro,
We Shall Know Them By The Number Of Their Dead,
Articles H