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HMS Victorious (R38)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Victorious.

Victorious in 1959, after her refit
History
United Kingdom
NameVictorious
Ordered13 January 1937
BuilderVickers-Armstrong
Cost£50 million
Laid down4 May 1937
Launched14 September 1939
Commissioned14 May 1941
Decommissioned13 March 1968
Refit1950–1957
IdentificationPennant numbers: 38, R38, 38
MottoPer coelum et aequorem victrix (Through air and sea victorious)
Honours and
awards
  • Cape of Good Hope 1795
  • St Lucia 1796
  • Egypt 1801
  • Walcheren 1809
  • Rivoli Action 1812
  • Bismarck Action 1941
  • Norway 1941–42
  • Arctic 1941–42
  • Malta Convoys 1942
  • Biscay 1942
  • Sabang 1944
  • Palembang 1945
  • Okinawa 1945
  • Japan 1945
FateScrapped, 1969
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeIllustrious-class aircraft carrier
Displacement
  • As built: 23,207 tons lightship, 28,619 tons full load
  • Post-refit: 35,500 tons full load
Length
  • As built: 673 ft (205 m) waterline
  • 743 ft 9 in (226.70 m) overall
  • Post-1957 refit: 778 ft 3 in (237.21 m) overall
Beam
  • (waterline) As built: 95 ft (29 m)
  • Post-1957 refit: 103 ft (31.4 m) over bulges
  • (flight deck) 145 ft 9 in (44.42 m)
Draught
  • (full load) As built: 28 ft (8.5 m)
  • Post-1957 refit: 31 ft (9.45 m)
Installed power
Propulsion3 shafts, 3 geared steam turbines
Speed30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph)
Range11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement
  • As built: 817 (ship) + 394 (air group)
  • post refit: 2,200 (including air group)
Armament
Armour
  • flight deck: 3"
  • hangar deck: 2"
  • side belt 4"
  • hangar sides: 4"
Aircraft carried

HMS Victorious was the third Illustrious-class aircraft carrier after Illustrious and Formidable. Ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme, she was laid down at the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard at Newcastle upon Tyne in 1937 and launched two years later in 1939. Her commissioning was delayed until 1941 due to the greater need for escort vessels for service in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Her service in 1941 and 1942 included famous actions against the battleship Bismarck, several Arctic convoys, and Operation Pedestal. She was loaned to the United States Navy in 1943 and served in the south west Pacific as part of the Third Fleet. In 1944 Victorious contributed to several attacks on the Tirpitz. The elimination of the German naval threat allowed her redeployment first to the Eastern Fleet at Colombo and then to the Pacific for the final actions of the war against Japan.

After the war, her service was broken by periods in reserve and, between 1950 and 1958, the most complete reconstruction of any Royal Navy carrier. This involved the construction of new superstructure above the hangar deck level, a new angled flight deck,[1] new boilers and the fitting of Type 984 radar and data links and heavy shipboard computers, able to track 50 targets and assess their priority for interrogation and interception. The reduction of Britain's naval commitment in 1967, the end of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, and a fire while under refit, prompted her final withdrawal from service, three to five years early, and she was scrapped in 1969.

Construction

[edit]

Victorious was one of two Illustrious-class aircraft carriers ordered from Vickers-Armstrong under the 1936 Construction Programme for the Royal Navy.[2][3][a][b] The cost of the new carriers was estimated to be £2,395,000 each.[6] Victorious was laid down at Vickers' Walker Naval Yard, Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 4 May 1937 as Admiralty Job Number J4035 and Yard number 11.[7] Construction was slowed by the unavailability of armour plate,[7] with Victorious launched on 14 September 1939, with Augusta Inskip, wife of Thomas Inskip, the Lord Chancellor, as sponsor.[8] The carrier was commissioned at the shipyard on 29 March 1941, leaving Walker for Sea trials and passage to Rosyth dockyard on 16 April 1941.[7]

World War II

[edit]

Bismarck episode

[edit]

The first task given to the newly commissioned aircraft carrier was to ferry Hawker Hurricane fighters to Malta. 48 crated Hurricanes were loaded aboard Victorious at Rosyth on 14 May 1941, and on 15 May she sailed for Scapa Flow to join Convoy WS 8B to the Middle East.[9][10] Following the sortie of the German battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen, Victorious, despite not being worked up and having an understrength air wing (consisting of the nine biplane Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers of 825 Naval Air Squadron and a flight of Fairey Fulmar fighters[10][11]), was ordered to take part in the hunt for Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, sailing from Scapa Flow with the battleship King George V, the battlecruiser Repulse and 4 light cruisers on the evening of 22 May.[12][13][14]

HMS Victorious in 1941

Late on 24 May 1941, Victorious launched nine of her Swordfishes, followed by three Fulmars to track the German battleship, with two more Fulmar later launched to relieve the first three Fulmars.[15] The Swordfish, under the command of Eugene Esmonde, flew through foul weather and attacked Bismarck in the face of tremendous fire from anti-aircraft guns, scoring a hit to the 320 mm armoured belt with a torpedo.[c][17] No aircraft were shot down during the attack, but two Fulmars ditched after they could not find the carrier in the dark because a rain squall had moved in and the carrier's homing beacon had failed.[d][19] Victorious took no further part in the chase; aircraft from Ark Royal disabled Bismarck's steering gear, thus contributing to her sinking three days later.[20] Esmonde received a DSO for his part in the action.[21]

Convoy and other Arctic duties

[edit]

On 31 May 1941, Victorious set out in another attempt to deliver the Hurricanes, sailing with troop convoy WS 8X. On 4 June 1941 a Swordfish of 825 Squadron from Victorious spotted the German supply ship Gonzenheim north of the Azores. Gonzenheim had been intended to support the Bismarck but was subsequently scuttled when approached by the battleship Nelson and cruiser Neptune.[22][23] On 5 June, Victorious was detached to Gibraltar,[14] where the Hurricanes were uncrated by Victorious's crew,[10] with 20 Hurricanes transferred to Ark Royal. The two carriers left Gibraltar on 13 June to carry out Operation Tracer to deliver the Hurricanes to Malta, with 47 aircraft being launched on 14 June from a position south of the Balearic Islands. 43 Hurricanes landed safely on Malta.[22][24] Victorious returned to the naval base at Scapa Flow on 19 June with 63 captured crewmen from Gonzenheim.[25]

Victorious embarked a new air wing in early July, consisting of the Fulmar-equipped 809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) and two squadrons (827 NAS and 828 NAS) equipped with the Fairey Albacore torpedo bomber.[26] To provide support to the Soviet Union following the Operation Barbarossa the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the carriers Victorious and Furious were ordered to conduct Operation EF (1941) attacks on the ports of Kirkenes and Petsamo in the far north of Norway and Finland respectively.[26] On 26 July a task force including the two carriers set out from Seyðisfjörður in Iceland. For the first part of the operation, the task force escorted the minelayer Adventure, on passage to Archangelsk with a cargo including mines, before leaving Adventure on 30 July. On 31 July the carriers launched their airstrikes, with Victorious launching 20 Albacores escorted by 12 Fulmars against Kirkenes, while Furious launched nine Sorwdfish and nine Albacores escorted by 6 Fulmars against Petsamo (now Pechanga, Russia). The attack against Kirkenes encountered heavy air opposition, with 11 Albacores and 2 Fulmars being shot down, while the attack on Petsamo lost another Albacore and two Fulmars.[27][28][29]

During August, Victorious embarked 817 and 832 Squadrons, both equipped with Albacores to replace 827 and 828 Squadrons.[30] From 24 to 30 August 1941, Victorious formed part of the distant escort force for the eight merchant ships of Operation Dervish, the first Arctic convoy of the war as they sailed from Iceland to Arkhangelsk, and then covered the aircraft carrier Argus which was delivering Hurricanes to Murmansk (Operation Strength).[31][32] On the return journey, Victorious launched attacks on 12 September against shipping in Vestfjorden, claiming two merchant ships sunk, including the Norwegian Hurtigruten coastal steamer Barøy, and against the Glomfjord hydro-electric power plant, an aluminium factory and a radio station. No opposition was encountered.[33][34] On 8 October, Victorious carried out another attack against shipping off Norway, with her Albacores damaging two merchant ships with bombs.[35][36]

In November 1941, decrypted German Enigma signals indicated a break-out into the Atlantic by the German warships Admiral Scheer and Tirpitz.[e] Victorious was deployed to Iceland with the battleships King George V in response, working with the American battleships USS Idaho and Mississippi, and cruisers USS Wichita and Tuscaloosa to patrol the Denmark Strait in order to intercept any breakout.[37] While Adolf Hitler cancelled the planned sortie on 17 November,[38] Victorious continued patrols with the Home Fleet to stop any breakout, often in very poor weather, until the end of 1941.[39]

On 19 February 1942, Victorious left Scapa Flow in company with the battleship King George V, the cruiser Berwick and seven destroyers to attack shipping in the Tromsø region, but on 21 February an RAF Coastal Command aircraft spotted the German cruisers Admiral Scheer and Prinz Eugen on passage to Norway, and the British force was diverted to try and intercept the German ships, which turned back towards Germany on being sighted. On the night of 22/23 February Victorious launched two forces of 10 and 7 Albacores to search for and attack Scheer and Prinz Eugen but they failed to locate their targets in conditions of poor visibility. Three of the Albacores were lost during the operation. The German force was not unscathed, as Prinz Eugen was torpedoed by the British submarine Trident, sustaining damage that took months to repair.[40][41]

In March 1942, the threat posed by Tirpitz, now based in Northern Norway, resulted in the Home Fleet providing a strong covering force, including Victorious, for the concurrent Arctic convoys PQ 12 (out-bound) and QP 8 (return).[42] On 6 March 1942, Tirpitz and three destroyers sortied from Trondheim to attack the two convoys in Operation Sportpalast. On 7 March 1942, the German destroyer Friedrich Ihn encountered the Soviet freighter Izhora, a straggler from QP 8. The freighter managed to report by radio that she was under attack by a surface ship before being sunk, informing the British that a German force was at sea and near the convoys.[43][44] When signals intelligence indicated that Tirpitz was heading back to Norway, Victorious was ordered to search for and attack the German battleship. Six Albacores were flown off Victorious on 0640 hr on 9 March to search for Tirpitz, followed by a strike force of 12 torpedo-armed Albacores at 0732 hr. One of the search aircraft spotted Tirpitz and directed the strike force to its target, but when the Albacores attacked, the attack was unsuccessful, with all torpedoes missing and two Albacores being shot down.[45] In the last week of March 1942, Victorious formed part of the covering force for convoy PQ 13 and QP 9. The carrier received significant weather damage from a force 9 gale with 65 ft (20 m) waves buckling the ship's bow plating and forward bulkheads and requiring a short refit at Rosyth to repair the damage.[46][47] Victorious continued to provide cover for Arctic Convoys for the rest April 1942, helping to provide cover for convoys PQ 14, and QP 10. From the end of April, until June, Anglo-American forces (including the US ships Washington, Tuscaloosa, and Wichita) covered convoys PQ 16, QP 12, PQ 17, and QP 13, after which Victorious returned to Scapa Flow.[14]

The Arctic convoys had been suspended temporarily after the heavy losses suffered by Convoy PQ 17 when twenty-three out of thirty-six ships were sunk. This was after the convoy had been scattered in the belief that an attack was imminent by the German warships Admiral Hipper, Lützow, Admiral Scheer, and Tirpitz.

Pedestal

[edit]
Main article: Operation Pedestal

The suspension of the Arctic convoys released Victorious to take part in a "last chance" attempt to resupply Malta – Operation Pedestal. Malta-bound Convoy WS 21S departed Britain on 3 August 1942 escorted by Victorious with HMS Nelson and cruisers Nigeria, Kenya and Manchester. Exercises (Operation Berserk) were performed with aircraft carriers HMS Indomitable, Furious, Eagle and Argus to improve operational techniques.[14]

Pedestal began on 10 August 1942 and involved a great array of ships in several coordinated groups; two battleships, four aircraft carriers, seven cruisers and thirty two destroyers. Some of the carriers were transporting aircraft for Malta's defence and fourteen merchant ships carried supplies. On 12 August 1942 Victorious was slightly damaged by an attack from Italian bombers.[14] Eagle was less fortunate, being torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat on her return journey to Gibraltar. Ultimately Pedestal was a success for the allies: supplies, including oil and reinforcing Supermarine Spitfires allowed Malta to hold out, albeit at the cost of the loss of nine merchant ships, one aircraft carrier, two cruisers, and a destroyer.

In September 1942, Victorious was taken in hand for a refit that included the installation of an aircraft direction room. After trials, she was ready to participate in the North African landings.[14]

Operation Torch

[edit]
Main article: Operation Torch

In November 1942, Victorious took part in the North African landings. Operation Torch, which involved 196 ships of the Royal Navy and 105 of the United States Navy, landed about 107,000 Allied soldiers. Ultimately successful, Operation Torch was the precursor to the later invasions of Sicily, Italy and France. Victorious provided air cover during the landings and made air attacks at Algiers and Fort Duree. Four of her Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters landed at Blida airfield to accept its surrender.[14]

She left for Scapa Flow on 18 November and, while en route, Fairey Albacores of 817 Squadron depth charged U-517 off Cape Finisterre. The submarine's structure was badly damaged and she was scuttled; surviving crew were rescued by HMS Opportune.[14]

Service with the US Navy

[edit]

USS Hornet was sunk and USS Enterprise was badly damaged at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, leaving the United States Navy with only one fleet carrier, USS Saratoga, operational in the Pacific. In late December 1942, Victorious was loaned to the US Navy after an American plea for carrier reinforcement.[48] Whilst in US service she was assigned the radio call sign "Robin" and was informally known as "USS Robin" tongue-in-cheek.[49][unreliable source?] After crossing the Atlantic from Greenock, via the Royal Naval Dockyard on the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda, to refit in the United States at the Norfolk Navy Yard during January, 1943. Her Fairey Albacore torpedo-bombers were replaced with Grumman Avengers, requiring the arrestor wires to be strengthened. A new "7 wire" was added on an extension to the aft-end of the flight deck, which increased deck space. Victorious was also equipped with the US Navy YB-type aircraft-homing system, TBS (Talk Between Ships) system, surface- and air-search radars, a vertical plotting board, and American cypher machines. Additional 20mm and 40mm anti-aircraft guns were fitted, along with American Mark 51 fire-control directors. A control station was added to the hangar deck, and a new fire-suppression system for the crew spaces.[50] Victorious passed through the Panama Canal on 14 February to operate with United States forces in the Pacific. Her crew suffered an outbreak of diphtheria and medical supplies were dropped to her by air on 21 February.[51]

HMS Victorious and USS Saratoga at Nouméa, 1943

Victorious arrived at Pearl Harbor in March 1943 and was fitted with heavier arrester wires as RN wires had proved too light for the Grumman Avenger aircraft. Additional AA guns were also fitted. She sailed for the south-west Pacific, arriving at Nouméa, New Caledonia, on 17 May to form Carrier Division 1 with USS Saratoga.[52] She sortied immediately for a week with Task Force 14, including Saratoga and battleships North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Indiana, sweeping against reported Japanese fleet activity, but without contact. Six aircraft were lost to accidents. Rear Admiral DeWitt Ramsey, commanding the division, carried out evaluation exercises and patrol sweeps in June and determined that Victorious had superior fighter control but handled Avenger aircraft poorly because of their weight. Accordingly, he transferred 832 Squadron FAA to the Saratoga and US Carrier Air Group 3 to the Victorious. Thereafter, Victorious's primary role was fighter cover and Saratoga mainly handled strikes.

On 27 June, TF14 was redesignated Task Group 36.3 and sailed to provide cover for the invasion of New Georgia (part of Operation Cartwheel). Victorious spent the next 28 days continuously in combat operations at sea, a record for a British carrier, steaming 12,223 miles[clarification needed] at an average speed over 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) and launching 614 sorties. Returning to Nouméa on 25 July, Victorious was recalled home. Though the Japanese had four carriers to Ramsey's two, it seemed clear that they were not intending to press their advantage and the first two carriers of the new Essex class had arrived at Pearl Harbor well ahead of schedule. Victorious left for Pearl Harbor on 31 July, leaving behind her Avengers as replacements for Saratoga, sailing in company with battleship Indiana and launching 165 anti submarine sweeps en route. She also carried US pilots finishing their tours as well as two Japanese POWs. After a brief stop in San Diego, Victorious passed through the Panama Canal on 26 August and arrived at Norfolk Navy Yard 1 September, where specialized US equipment was removed. Returning home, she arrived at Greenock on the Clyde on 26 September 1943 where aircraft and stores were discharged awaiting refit.[53][page needed]

The German battleship Tirpitz

Attack on Tirpitz

[edit]

From December 1943 until March 1944, Victorious was under refit at Liverpool, where new radar was fitted.[14] At the end of March, Victorious with Anson and Duke of York formed Force 1, covering the passage of Convoy JW 58. On 2 April 1944, Force 1 joined with Force 2, composed of the aging carrier HMS Furious and the escort carriers HMS Emperor, Fencer, Pursuer, and Searcher as well as numerous cruisers and destroyers. The combined force launched an attack (Operation Tungsten) on the German battleship Tirpitz in Altafjord, Norway. This involved Barracudas in two waves, hitting the battleship fourteen times and strafing the ship's defences. Although near-misses caused flooding and there was serious damage to the superstructure, the ship's armour was not penetrated. Nonetheless, the attack put Tirpitz out of action for some months.[f][54] The Task Force returned to Scapa Flow three days later.

Victorious was to participate in three further attacks on Tirpitz, in April and May (Operations Planet, Brawn, and Tiger Claw), but these were cancelled due to bad weather and anti-shipping strikes were substituted. On 30 May, an acoustic torpedo attack by U-957 against Victorious failed and subsequently she made more shipping attacks off Norway (Operation Lombard).[14]

Eastern Fleet

[edit]
Chance Vought Corsairs being readied on Victorious' flight deck before the raid on Sigli in September 1944

In June 1944, Victorious, in company with HMS Indomitable, left British waters to join the Eastern Fleet at Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where she arrived on 5 July. The Eastern Fleet, after a quiet period of trade protection and relative vulnerability, was now being reinforced with ships released from the Atlantic and Mediterranean, in preparation for offensive action against the Japanese.[55]

After a short preparatory period, Victorious took part in a sequence of air attacks against Japanese installations. The first was Operation Crimson on 25 July, a joint attack with HMS Illustrious on airfields near Sabang in Sumatra. In late August, she provided air cover for Eastern Fleet ships that were providing air-sea rescue facilities for US Army aircraft during air attacks on Sumatra (Operation Boomerang). On 29 August, in company with HMS Illustrious and Indomitable and escorted by HMS Howe, Victorious made air strikes on Padang, Indaroeng and Emmahaven (Operation Banquet). After a short pause, on 18 September, Victorious and Indomitable attacked railway yards at Sigli in Sumatra followed by photo-reconnaissance of the Nicobar Islands (Operation Light). During Light, there was a "friendly fire" attack on HMS Spirit, fortunately without causing any casualties.[14]

At the end of September, Victorious had a short interval at Bombay for repairs to her steering gear to remedy problems that had arisen during Operation Light. She rejoined the Eastern Fleet on 6 October. The next operation, Millet, was her last with the Eastern Fleet. On 17 October, she launched attacks on the Nicobar Islands and Nancowry harbour, with HMS Indomitable and escorted by HMS Renown. Enemy air attacks destroyed four aircraft and damaged five more. During early November, Victorious returned to Bombay for more work on her steering as more problems had arisen during Millet.[14]

British Pacific Fleet

[edit]

Sumatra

[edit]

The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was formed at Trincomalee on 22 November 1944 from elements of the Eastern Fleet and Victorious was transferred to the new fleet. From November 1944 until January 1945 the BPF stayed in the Indian Ocean, training and gaining experience that they would need when working with the United States Navy. Victorious, however, remained under repair at Bombay until January 1945 and missed raids on oil refineries at Pangkalan Brandan (Operation Robson).[14]

In early January 1945, she was available for Operation Lentil, a repeat raid on the oil refineries at Pangkalan Brandan with HM Ships Indomitable and Implacable. Further raids on Japanese oil and port installations in Sumatra were made on 16 January. By late January, the BPF had finally quit Ceylon and was en route to its new home base in Sydney. The voyage was interrupted on 24 January for another series of raids, this time on Pladjoe and Manna in south west Sumatra (Operation Meridian) during which there was little opposition from Japanese aircraft. This was followed on 29 January by unsuccessful attacks on oil installations at Soengi-Gerong. This time, the Japanese attempted air attacks on the British fleet but these were beaten off. Total aircraft losses by all carriers were 16 aircraft in action and another 25 lost by ditching or on landing. Nine Fleet Air Arm pilots captured by the Japanese were executed in April 1945.[56]

Okinawa

[edit]
HMS Victorious and other ships of the British Pacific Fleet arriving at Sydney in February 1945

In early February, Victorious joined Task Force 113 (TF113) at Sydney to prepare for service with the US 5th Fleet. At the end of the month, TF113 left Sydney for their forward base at Manus Island, north of New Guinea, and then continued, joining the 5th US Fleet at Ulithi on 25 March as Task Force 57 (TF57), supporting the American assault on Okinawa. The task allocated to the British force was to neutralise airfields in the Sakishima Gunto. From late March until 25 May, the British carriers Victorious, Illustrious (later replaced by Formidable), Indefatigable and Indomitable formed the 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron commanded by Vice Admiral Philip Vian and they were in action against airfields on the Sakishima Islands (Operations Iceberg I and Iceberg II) and Formosa (Operation Iceberg Oolong).[14][57]

The British carriers were attacked by kamikaze suicide aircraft and Victorious was hit on 4 and 9 May and near-missed on 1 April, but her armoured flight deck resisted the worst of the impacts. She remained on station and was back in operation within hours on each occasion, despite damage to an aircraft lift and steam piping in her superstructure. Three men were killed and 19 of the ship's company were injured.[14]

Japan

[edit]

After May 1945 the British Pacific Fleet withdrew to Sydney and Manus for refits and, in the cases of Victorious, Formidable and Indefatigable, for repairs to battle damage. The British fleet rendezvoused with the US 3rd Fleet on 16 July and became effectively absorbed into the American structure as a part of TF38 for the "softening up" of Japanese resistance within their home islands.[58]

During the second half of July, aircraft from Victorious took part in a series of attacks on Japanese shipping, transport and airbases on Honshu and around the Inland Sea. In one notable attack in July, aircraft of 849 Squadron from Victorious located the Japanese escort carrier Kaiyo at Beppu Bay in Kyūshū and attacked her, inflicting serious damage that kept the ship out of the remainder of the war.[59] In the main, however, British aircraft were excluded from the actions against the major Japanese naval bases; the Americans, for political reasons, preferred to reserve these targets for themselves.[60][61]

War's end

[edit]

Victorious was scheduled to leave for Manus Island with Task Force 37 (TF37) on 10 August 1945 to prepare for the anticipated invasion of Japan (Operation Olympic), and actually left on August 12, then proceeding to Sydney. The surrender of Japan on 15 August rendered the invasion moot. The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) commander had agreed to stay for one more day's operations, but the British arrangements could not stretch to a further delay and fuel shortages were insurmountable.[62] The steering faults that had hampered Victorious in the Indian Ocean in late 1944 are believed to have continued.[14]

On 31 August, Victorious's ship's company took part in the Victory Parade in Sydney.[14]

Post-war

[edit]
HMS Victorious in 1959 with British and U.S. Navy aircraft parked on the flight deck.

Victorious left Australia in September 1945, arrived back in Britain on 27 October and undertook three trips to collect servicemen and war brides of British servicemen from Australia and the Far East.[63] In the winter of 1946–47, the first deck trials with the Hawker Sea Fury (Mark 10) took place aboard Victorious, leading to its approval for carrier operations in early 1947.[64]

Victorious was reduced to the reserve at Devonport on 15 January 1947, on completion of her trooping duties. From June that year she was modified at Portsmouth Dockyard with additional accommodation and classrooms and on 1 October 1947, joined the Home Fleet Training Squadron, replacing the battleship Nelson. In July 1948, Victorious was deployed to Portland Harbour in support of the sailing events at the 1948 London Olympic Games. In 1949 she was refitted at Rosyth and took part in several training cruises and Home Fleet exercises.[65]

The ship was extensively reconstructed and modernised at Portsmouth Dockyard between 1950 and 1958. This took over eight years because of frequent design changes to allow for new technologies. And in particular, the decision in 1953 that she would have to have her original steam turbines replaced, to be viable past 1964, which meant much work had to be redone, and a new flight deck installed twice over.[citation needed] The cost of the reconstruction increased from 5 million pounds to 30 million pounds[66] creating what was in many respects a new ship.[67] Her hull was widened, deepened, and lengthened; her machinery was replaced with Foster-Wheeler boilers; her hangar height was increased; new armament of 3 inch (76 mm) guns was installed; a fully angled flight deck (of 8 degrees) and steam catapults were added. Her radar equipment was extensively altered to include up to date equipment, and included the first type 984 3-D radar system to be installed on a ship.[68] While it was hoped she could operate a full air group of 50 aircraft, the rapid increase in size of the jets coming into service limited her to operating no more than 28 aircraft (including helicopters).

Victorious leads Ark Royal and Hermes in 1961

On 25 September 1958 Commander J. D. Russell drowned in his Supermarine Scimitar after a failed attempt to land on Victorious for the first time after her refit. Although the landing hook engaged the arrestor wire, the wire itself snapped due to improper rigging and the aircraft then rolled slowly over the side. It sank very slowly, but the plane-guard helicopter crew couldn't release the pilot, and it was seen that Cdr Russell had opened his canopy and then closed it again, possibly an effect of gravity on the heavy frame. The other seven Scimitars in the stream diverted away to Yeovilton.[citation needed]

In 1960, after recommissioning into the Home Fleet on 14 January 1958, with work-ups and deployments in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, she portrayed both herself and HMS Ark Royal during the filming of the British film Sink the Bismarck!. This was despite post-war modifications significantly altering her appearance – the addition of an angled deck and a Type 984 "searchlight" radar. The actor Kenneth More who had served aboard Victorious as a junior officer, played a fictitious Admiralty Director of Operations. He is shown giving the order to detach Victorious from Convoy WS 8B, which was forming in the River Clyde in order to move almost 20,000 troops to the Middle East.

Victorious took part in Operation Vantage in support of Kuwait in July 1961.[69] Later in 1961 she would sail to join the Far East Fleet. In 1964, she provided support for the newly independent state of Malaysia against territorial expansion by its neighbour, Indonesia.[70] Her passage through the Sunda Strait caused the Sunda Straits Crisis between August and September 1964, which was settled peacefully when Indonesia agreed to allow Victorious to return through the Lombok Strait.[71] In April 1966 she departed again to serve with the Far East Fleet for a year, during which she proved capable of landing and then launching a US Navy Phantom F-4 from USS Ranger,[72] returning to the UK for a refit period from June 1967.

General characteristics after reconstruction

[edit]
Victorious in Grand Harbour, Malta en route back to the UK following her 1966–1967 Far East cruise

General characteristics of Victorious after reconstruction.[73]

Displacement 30,530 tons standard, 35,500 tons full load
Length 781 ft (238 m)
Beam 103 ft 6 inch (31.5 m) water line, 157 ft (47.8 m) flight deck
Draught 31 ft (9.5 m)
Machinery 3 shaft Parsons geared turbines, 6 Foster wheeler boilers
Armour
  • Belt 4 inch
  • Hangar side 4 inch
  • Flight deck 3 inch
  • Hangar deck 2 inch
Armament
Aircraft 36
Radar Type 984, Type 974, Type 293Q
Crew 2400

Decommissioning

[edit]
A US Navy Douglas EA-1F Skyraider (electronics countermeasures aircraft) making a touch-and-go landing on HMS Victorious in 1963

On 11 November 1967, after the completion of the 1967 refit and shortly before the start of what was intended as the ship's final commission, there was a relatively small fire, which was rapidly extinguished, in the chief petty officers' mess (resulting in one death and two hospitalisations[74]). Although damage was relatively minor, the fire coincided with a reduction of the defence budget and a manpower shortage for the Royal Navy. Together with the 1966 decision to phase out fixed-wing naval aviation, it was decided at very short notice not to recommission Victorious. Her captain was told of this just one day before the scheduled recommissioning ceremony. The ceremony was held by the ship's crew anyway as a "wake" for the ship.[75] She was paid off in 1968 and placed on the Disposal List in 1969. She was sold later that year to British Shipbreakers and towed on 13 July 1969 to Faslane Naval Base, where she was broken up.[14][g]

Final air wing 1966–67[76]
Squadron Aircraft type Number of
aircraft		 Role
801 NAS Buccaneer S2 9 Strike
899 NAS Sea Vixen FAW2 10 Fleet Air Defence
849A NAS Gannet AEW3 4 Airborne Early Warning
Gannet COD4 1 Carrier On-Board Delivery
814 NAS Wessex HAS.3 5 Anti-Submarine Warfare
Ships Flight Wessex HAS.1 2 Search and Rescue

Squadrons and aircraft

[edit]
Squadrons embarked[77]
Naval Air Squadron Dates Aircraft
809 January 1941 – November 1942 Fulmar II
825 May–June 1941 Swordfish I
800Z May–June 1941 Fulmar I
820 June 1941 Swordfish I
828 July–August 1941 Albacore I
827 July–August 1941 Albacore I
820 July 1941 – January 1942 Albacore I
817 August 1941 – November 1942 Albacore I
832 August 1941 – December 1942 Albacore I
802 detachment 8 September 1941 Martlet I
885 June–August 1942 Sea Hurricane Ib
884 July–November 1942 Spitfire V
801 detachment Aug 1942 Sea Hurricane Ib
896 September 1942 – September 1943 Martlet IV
898 October 1942 – October 1943 Martlet IV
882 October 1942 – September 1943 Martlet IV
832 January – September 1943 Avenger 1
1834 February 1944 – October 1945 Corsair II/IV
827 March–April 1944 Barracuda II
829 March–July 1944 Barracuda II
831 March–August 1944 Barracuda II
1836 March 1944 – October 1945 Corsair II/IV
1837 July–Sept 1944 Corsair II
1838 July 1944 Corsair II
822 detachment 9 September 1944 Barracuda II
849 December 1944 – October 1945 Avenger II
701C November 1957 – July 1958 Dragonfly HR3
803 June 1958 – March 1962 Supermarine Scimitar
824 August 1958 – February 1959 Westland Whirlwind HAS7
849B September 1958 – June 1960 Douglas Skyraider AEW1
893 September 1958 – February 1960 Sea Vixen FAW1
831B November 1958 – December 1958 Sea Venom ECM22
894 detachment February 1959 Sea Venom FAW22
894 June–August 1959 Sea Venom FAW22
892 July 1959 – March 1962 Sea Vixen FAW1
831B September 1959 – December 1959 Sea Venom ECM22
831A January 1960 – February 1960 Gannet ECM4
815 December 1961 Westland Wessex HAS1
849B June 1960 – March 1962 Gannet AEW3
825 August 1960 – April 1962 Whirlwind HAS7
893 detachment September 1960 Sea Vixen FAW1
819 July 1963 – August 1963 Wessex HAS1
801 August 1963 – July 1965 Buccaneer S1
814 August 1963 – June 1967 Wessex HAS1
849A August 1963 – July 1965 Gannet AEW3
893 August 1963 – July 1965 Sea Vixen FAW1
899 detachment August 1963 Sea Vixen FAW1
893 November 1965 – June 1967 Sea Vixen FAW2
849A June 1966 – June 1967 Gannet AEW3
801 May 1966 – May 1968 Buccaneer S2


Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ The other being the lead ship of the class, Illustrious[2]
  2. ^ Sources differ on the order date: Watton states 13 January 1937,[4] Apps states 18 January 1937,[5] and Hobbs states 13 April 1937.[6]
  3. ^ This torpedo caused minor flooding in void compartments, but the shock was substantial. Petty Officer Kurt Kirchberg was thrown against the catapult and later died from a severe head injury. Several other crewmen were injured, including several broken bones (how many is not clear in the source). Expeditions to Bismarck's wreck found the main armor belt was pushed in several centimeters due to this hit.[16]
  4. ^ The crew of one aircraft was never found, but the two-man crew of the second was recovered by SS Ravenshill.[18]
  5. ^ In fact, only Scheer was planned to sortie.[37]
  6. ^ Sources differ on the time taken to repair Tirpitz, varying from one to three months. It appears, however, that she was ready for sea trials in July 1944.
  7. ^ There are differences between sources on the precise details of the circumstances of Victorious's demise.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Watton 1991, p. 9.
  2. ^ a b Hobbs 2013, pp. 83–84.
  3. ^ Chesneau 1998, p. 103.
  4. ^ Watton 1991, p. 8.
  5. ^ Apps 1971, p. 31.
  6. ^ a b Hobbs 2013, p. 84.
  7. ^ a b c Hobbs 2013, p. 91.
  8. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 33–34.
  9. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 35–36.
  10. ^ a b c Hobbs 2013, p. 92.
  11. ^ Apps 1971, p. 38.
  12. ^ Kennedy 1984, pp. 31–32, 37–38.
  13. ^ Apps 1971, p. 40.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Mason, Geoffrey B (2003). "HMS Victorious". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval history. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
  15. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 42–43.
  16. ^ Garzke, Dulin & Jurens 2019, p. 305.
  17. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 43–46.
  18. ^ Apps 1971, p. 47.
  19. ^ Garzke, Dulin & Jurens 2019, p. 307.
  20. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 48–50.
  21. ^ "No. 35275". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 September 1941. p. 5357.
  22. ^ a b Apps 1971, p. 50.
  23. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 66.
  24. ^ Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987, p. 238.
  25. ^ Apps 1971, p. 51.
  26. ^ a b Apps 1971, p. 53.
  27. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 54–59.
  28. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 75.
  29. ^ Jenkins 1972, p. 284.
  30. ^ Apps 1971, p. 61.
  31. ^ Ruegg & Hague 1993, pp. 20–21.
  32. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 79.
  33. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 63–64.
  34. ^ Lawson, Siri Holm. "D/S Barøy". War Sailors. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  35. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 90.
  36. ^ Apps 1971, p. 65.
  37. ^ a b Blair 2000, p. 378.
  38. ^ Blair 2000, pp. 378–379.
  39. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 65–66.
  40. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 68–72.
  41. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 125.
  42. ^ Ruegg & Hague 1993, pp. 27–29.
  43. ^ Konstam 2018, pp. 33–34.
  44. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 75–76.
  45. ^ Konstam 2018, pp. 34–40.
  46. ^ Ruegg & Hague 1993, pp. 29–31.
  47. ^ Apps 1971, p. 81.
  48. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 113–114
  49. ^ "USS Robin". Armoured Aircraft Carriers in WW2. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  50. ^ Fries, Carsten (18 January 2023). "USS Robin: When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier; HMS Victorious in the Pacific, 1943". United States Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  51. ^ Hobbs 2011, p. 15
  52. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 119–121
  53. ^ Hobbs David British Aircraft Carriers Seaforth 2013
  54. ^ Rico, José M (1998–2008). "The Battleship Tirpitz". K Bismarck. Archived from the original on 9 November 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2008.
  55. ^ Jackson, Ashley (2006). The British Empire and the Second World War. London: Hambledon Continuum. p. 301. ISBN 1-85285-417-0.
  56. ^ Waters, SD (2008). "Execution by Japanese of Fleet Air Arm Officers". New Zealand Electronic Text Centre. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
  57. ^ Vian 1960, pp. 172–91.
  58. ^ Vian 1960, p. 193.
  59. ^ "849 Squadron". Fleet Air Arm Archive. 2000–2001. Archived from the original on 30 March 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  60. ^ Vian 1960, pp. 205–6.
  61. ^ Sarantakes, Nicholase (2006), "The Short but Brilliant Life of the British Pacific Fleet" (PDF), JFQ, no. 40, ndupress, p. 88, archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2006, retrieved 1 December 2008
  62. ^ Vian 1960, pp. 213–4.
  63. ^ "Australian War brides". Plymouth City Council. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  64. ^ "Hawker Sea Fury". Fleet Air Arm Archive. 3 April 2000. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  65. ^ Hobbs 2013, p. 97.
  66. ^ Hobbs 2014, pp. 44–47.
  67. ^ Hobbs 2014, p. 46.
  68. ^ "HMS Victorious". Fleet Air Arm Archive. 2000–2001. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
  69. ^ White, Christopher J; Robinson, Peter (2008–2010). "Gulf War Part 1: Operation Vantage". Historical RFA. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  70. ^ "Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Compston". Times Obituaries. R Jerrard. 19 September 2000. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  71. ^ Easter, David (2004). Britain and the confrontation with Indonesia, 1960-66. London: Taurus Academic Studies. pp. 102–103. ISBN 978-0-85772-115-0.
  72. ^ Hobbs (October 2014a), Ship Monthly, p. 47.
  73. ^ Preston 1995, p. 496
  74. ^ Maurice Foley, Secretary of State for Defence (16 November 1967), "HMS "Victorious" (Fire)", Written Answers (House of Commons Debates), vol. 754, UK Parliament, c192W, retrieved 28 February 2009
  75. ^ Apps 1971, pp. 238–242.
  76. ^ "HMS Victorious (R38)". Seavixen.org. 2011. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011..
  77. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 402

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Apps, Michael (1971). Send Her Victorious. London: William Kimber & Co. ISBN 0-7183-0102-1.
  • Blair, Clay (2000). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35260-8.
  • Chesneau, Roger (1998). Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. London: Brockhampton Press. ISBN 1-86019-87-5-9.
  • Garzke, William; Dulin, Robert & Jurens, William (2019). Battleship Bismarck. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-569-1.
  • Hobbs, David (2013). British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development and Service Histories. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-138-0.
  • Hobbs, David (2011). The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-0283-8.
  • Hobbs, David (2018). HMS Victorious: Detailed in the Original Builder's Plans. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-3734-2.
  • Hobbs, D. (December 2014). "HMS Victorious: The Highly Adaptable Carrier". Ships Monthly.
  • Jenkins, C. A. (1972). HMS Furious/Aircraft Carrier 1917–1948: Part II: 1925–1948. Warship Profile. Vol. 24. Windsor, UK: Profile Publications.
  • Kennedy, Ludovic (1984). Pursuit: The Chase and Sinking of the Bismarck. Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-23795-0.
  • Konstam, Angus (2018). Sink the Tirpitz 1942–44: The RAF and Fleet Air Arm Duel with Germany's Mighty Battleship. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-3159-0.
  • Preston, Antony (1995). "United Kingdom". In Chumbley, Stephen (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 479–543. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-117-7.
  • Ruegg, Bob & Hague, Arnold (1993). Convoys to Russia 1941–1945. Kendal, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-66-5.
  • Shores, Christopher; Cull, Brian & Malizia, Nicola (1987). Malta: The Hurricane Years. London: Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-06-2.
  • Sturtivant, Ray & Ballance, Theo (1994). The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, UK: Air Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
  • Vian, Philip (1960). Action This Day. London: Frederick Muller.
  • Watton, Ross (1991). The Aircraft Carrier Victorious. Anatomy of the Ship. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-026-6.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Belote, James (1975). Titans of the Seas. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-010278-0.
  • Blackman, V. B, ed. (1951). Jane's Fighting Ships 1950–51. London: Sampson Low, Marston.
  • Campbell, N. J. M. (1980). "Great Britain". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 2–85. ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
  • Friedman, Norman (1988). British Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of the Ships and Their Aircraft. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-054-8.
  • Hobbs, David (2020). "The Reconstruction of HMS Victorious". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2020. Oxford, UK: Osprey. pp. 67–81. ISBN 978-1-4728-4071-4.
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