CPO. 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. The British Royal Navy, particularly, suffered a damaging defeat after the Japanese raids into the Indian Ocean in Mar-Apr 1942. The attacks killed 126 officers and men and wounded 91. 2930, Hobbs 2011, pp. R.L.B. Although her air group was small (only 15 fighters and 18 bomber aircraft), Illustrious was one of the first warships to be fitted with air-warning radars which gave her a big advantage in fleet defence, as she could detect and track hostile aircraft and give her aircraft time to gain altitude. After 1861 only a sample of crew lists and agreements and log books are held at The National Archives. [7], The ship had three Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one shaft, using steam supplied by six Admiralty 3-drum boilers. Germans records show the loss of three Stukas, with another forced to make an emergency landing. She exchanged them for Firebrands for the return voyage. [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. [13], While under repair in 1941, Illustrious's rear "round-down" was flattened to increase the usable length of the flight deck to 670 feet (204.2m). 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. Boyd was promoted to rear admiral on 18 February and relieved Lyster as Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers. [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. The ship was docked in Clydeside for a minor refit the following day; she arrived in Scapa Flow on 15 August, and became the flagship of Rear Admiral Lumley Lyster. She made her first foreign port visit in many years at Le Havre, France, on 2022 March, where 13,000 people came aboard. He transferred his flag to Formidable when she arrived at Alexandria on 10 March, just before Illustrious sailed for Port Said to begin her transit of the Suez Canal. 3233, Brown 1971, pp. 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. 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. On the night of 15/16 December, Illustrious collided with Formidable in a moderate storm. Her air group now consisted of 36 Corsairs, 16 Avengers and two Supermarine Walrus flying boats for rescue work. 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. She began her postrefit trials on 24 June 1946 and flying trials the following month. [15] Her light AA armament was also augmented by the addition of 10 Oerlikon 20 mm autocannon in single mounts. 30, 32, Brown 1971, pp. [18] The sum total of the changes since her commissioning increased her full-load displacement by 2,520 long tons (2,560t). She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". showed three battleships with their decks awash and surrounded by pools of oil. 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. HMS Indomitable in 1946 (Maritime Quest, click to enlarge) return to Contents List Modified ILLUSTRIOUS-Class Fleet Aircraft Carrier ordered under the 1937 Estimates from Vickers Armstrong, Barrow in Furness on 6th July 1937. The Royal Navy's 1936 Naval Programme authorised the construction of two aircraft carriers. [84], On 31 July Captain W. D. Stephens relieved Lambe. It gives details of over 439,000 Royal Navy and Merchant Seamen records which are searchable by name, rank, age and ship. She flew off her aircraft to Gibraltar on 31 January and continued on to the Clyde where she arrived five days later. [28], After refuelling 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. Occasionally, we would get a direct hit with our small practice bombs, and it must have been an earthshattering experience for the boat crew because it was an unwritten law that any pilot getting a direct hit on the boat would deliver a previous page page_29 next page > previous page page_30 next page > Page 30 case of cold beer to the crew. 2627; Sturtivant, p. 327, Brown 1971, p. 257; Brown, J. D., pp. ww2dbaseIn 1944, Illustrious returned to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean for strikes against Japanese garrisons in the Southwest Pacific region. APRIL 1945, ON . This aircraft was one of the ancestors of the Supermarine Swift fighter. [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. Free shipping for many products! Her own losses were two Avengers and three Corsairs lost in action and one Avenger and six Corsairs due to non-combat causes. Illustrious-class carriers enjoyed a thick metal flight deck, which would later prove to be valuable against kamikaze attacks that would be thrown at them. 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. No. [9] She carried a maximum of 4,850 long tons (4,930t) of fuel oil which gave her a range of 10,700 nautical miles (19,800km; 12,300mi) at 10 knots (19km/h; 12mph) or 10,400nmi (19,300km; 12,000mi) at 16 knots (30km/h; 18mph)[5] or 6,300nmi (11,700km; 7,200mi) at 25 knots (46km/h; 29mph). All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. News stories in brief from around the World. The blitz on HMS Illustrious 70 years ago. [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. In an effort to cure the problem, the propeller was removed, and the shaft was locked in place in February; these radical measures succeeded in reducing, but not eliminating, the vibrations and reduced the ship's speed to about 24 knots (44km/h; 28mph). Eight Corsair and 15 Barracuda aircraft attacked the Japanese airfield and harbour. She set sail two days later and arrived at Famagusta on 11 November. This left only 21 aircraft available for the attack. Power was from 4 x Admiralty water-tube boilers feeding 2 x Parsons geared steam turbines driving 40,000 horsepower to 2 x shafts under stern. Her first assignment brought her to the Mediterranean Sea where her main mission was to launch aircraft which covered Malta convoys. 8384; McCart, p. 29, Brown 1971, p. 258; Brown, J. D., pp. The vessel is currently moored in Portsmouth Harbour after 32 years of active service. As built, HMS Unicorn displaced 16,770 tons under standard load and up to 20,600 tons under full load. Pictured Paragraphs Launch Of Cruiser, Drums For Battalion Of Koyli, Presentation Of Chiropody Van, Old Ships In Us, Telegraph Boys In City Streets, Ra Corps Boys Sign On, Haile Selassie And Abyssinians, HMS Illustrious Safe After Attack In Mediterranean, King Haakon And Norwegian Sailors, Mr Churchill Sees Coastal Defences 1941 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. D.F. Captain C. T. Jellicoe relieved Carlill on 27 August and the ship ferried 10 Fireflies of 814 Squadron to Malta beginning on 1 October. H.M.S. 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 ship then sailed for Durban, South Africa, to have the extent of her underwater damage assessed in the drydock there. JUNE 1945, ON BOARD HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. [47] On the morning of 22 December, 13 Swordfish attacked Tripoli harbour, starting fires and hitting warehouses multiple times. . HMS Illustrious (Illustrious class aircraft carrier) 15.05.1943-(06. Illustrious was the lead ship in her class of aircraft carriers. DURING BRITISH PACIFIC FLEET OPERATIONS THE ILLUSTRIOUS EXPERIENCED A JAPANESE SUICIDE ATTACK. [18] Two more twin Oerlikon mounts were added, and her boilers were retubed. The aircraft were pushed back until the main wheels were near the edge of the flight deck to allow more aircraft to be stored on the deck. Repairs were made in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where her destroyed aircraft were replaced and augmented by twelve additional Martlet II fighters from HMS Archer, while two Martlet I aircraft were, in turn, transferred to Archer, bringing Illustrious's total aircraft complement to 47. 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. [29] A few days after the Italian invasion of Egypt, Illustrious flew off 15 Swordfish during the moonlit night of 16/17 September to attack the port of Benghazi. [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. Somerville decided to attack Sabang again (Operation Crimson), although the ships of the East Indies Fleet would bombard the port while the fighters from the Illustrious and the Victorious spotted for them and protected the fleet. The World War II Database is founded and managed by A Chance-Vought Corsair JT208 buckles a wing on . The bombardment was very effective, sinking two small freighters, and severely damaging the oil storage and port facilities. Left to right: LAMA James McKenzie, Edinburgh; Petty Officer RM, Wilfred Price, Brecon, Wales; LAME A S Townsend, Hope, Derbyshire. [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. She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". 2526, Brown 1971, p. 257; Brown, J. D., p. 81, McCart, p. 26, Brown 1971, p. 257; Brown, J. D., p. 81; Hobbs 2013, p. 91; McCart, pp. [93] Another model of Illustrious in her late-war appearance is at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in RNAS Yeovilton. Two months later the carrier was crippled by German dive bombers and was repaired in the United States. Her catapult was upgraded to handle heavier aircraft, her flight deck was further improved, and her radar suite was modernized. In the meantime, she continued to conduct operations with the rest of the fleet. [6] By 1944, she was severely overcrowded with a total crew of 1,997. Led by HMS Illustrious (aka "Lusty"), elements of the UK's Response Force Task Group (RFTG), left Portsmouth on Oct. 1, to take part to part to a series of exercises around the UK as well . [94], Subsequent operations in the Mediterranean. 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. ww2dbaseAfter the war, Illustrious' role was reduced to a training and trials ship due to the heavy damage suffered during WW2. All three were shot down for the loss of one Martlet. The brand-new armoured aircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious, and a powerful escort left Gibraltar. Cunliffe, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral C. Moody, CB, RN), HMS Unicorn (Capt. They had to be replaced by men from the UK so Illustrious ferried the replacements to Malta, sailing on 21 November and returning on 11 December to Portsmouth. 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. Italian merchant ships Gloria Stella and Maria Eugenia were also sunk. For the planned attack on Port Blair in the Andaman Islands in mid-June her air group was reinforced by the 14 Corsairs of 1837 Squadron; six Barracudas from No. [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. 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. After returning home in early 1943, the ship was given a lengthy refit and briefly assigned to the Home Fleet. Vice-Admiral Arthur Power carried out another raid on Port Blair in the Nicobar Islands with carrier HMS Illustrious, battleship HMS Renown, and French battleship Richelieu, with light covering forces. She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". The following day, the Fireflies of No. She embarked the Barracudas of 810 and 847 Squadrons of No. 127, 13031; McCart, pp. For this operation, her fighters were reinforced by a detachment of three Fulmars from 805 Squadron. [69], After a farewell visit from the Eastern Fleet commander, Admiral Sir James Somerville on 12 January 1943, Illustrious sailed for home the next day. 4 Squadron and No. These were 'U'-shaped beams that extended from the side of the flight deck into which aircraft tailwheels were placed. the Airplane Scraped the Bridge Wi A29570.jpg 1,583 2,480; 974 KB HMS Illustrious (87) at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in November 1941.jpg 5,705 4,115; 6.03 MB Illustrious was decommissioned from service. A follow on airstrike was planned for the next night based on the pessimistic assessments of the aircrews, but it was cancelled due to bad weather. Aircraft Carrier Illustrious Interactive Map. Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History 19 December 1796 - HMS Courageux (1753/1761 - 74), Lt. John Burrows (Act. To submit a photo, biographical information or correction please email the webmaster. [87] In November the government accelerated the demobilisation of some National Servicemen and almost 2,000 men serving in the Mediterranean became eligible for release. 21 Wing reembarked. [68] Captain Robert Cunliffe relieved Talbott on 22 August. 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. 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. She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". 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. British carrier HMS Illustrious left Malta for Alexandria, Egypt. Over the next several months she conducted deck-landing practice for Avenger and Seafire pilots before starting a short refit on 2 April. 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. HMS Kelly was Mountbatten's ship. After arriving in Trincomalee, 1837 Squadron was transferred to the Victorious. The full crew list can be displayed for any of the ships. [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. On 1 September she hosted No. The most damaging hit was a large bomb that penetrated through the deck armour forward of the aft lift and detonated 10 feet above the hangar deck. [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. 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. 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 attack was very successful at heavy cost; between the two air operations, her squadrons lost five Corsairs to enemy flak or fighters and one due to a mechanical problem on take-off as well as three Avengers to enemy action. While conducting her post-refit trials, she also conducted flying trials for Martlet Vs and Barracudas. On 18 July she rendezvoused with the Home Fleet to participate in manoeuvres before George VI reviewed the fleet on 2223 July. This halved the aircraft capacity compared with the older unarmoured carriers, exchanging offensive potential for defensive survivability. She was sold on 3 November 1956 and broken up in early 1957. In addition the two steel fire curtains in the hangar were replaced by asbestos ones. 4 Squadron, RNNAS and 824 Squadron landed aboard for more deck-landing training. 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. ww2dbaseIllustrious was the lead ship in her class of aircraft carriers. The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. Captain John Hughes-Hallett relieved Edwards on 14 June. But he felt HMS Illustrious offered vital air cover and an equally important boost in morale. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. Her light antiaircraft defences included six octuple mounts for QF 2-pounder ("pom-pom") antiaircraft guns, two each fore and aft of her island, and two in sponsons on the port side of the hull. [59] While working up her air group in March, reinforced by the Grumman Martlet fighters (the British name of the F4F Wildcat) of 881 and 882 Squadrons, she conducted trials of a "hooked" Supermarine Spitfire fighter, the prototype of the Seafire. 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 Her light antiaircraft armament was also augmented during the refit. The first flight of 6 Swordfish, carrying torpedoes, unsuccessfully attacked the aviso D'Entrecasteaux, but sank the armed merchant cruiser MSBougainville. 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. 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. THE AIRPLANE SCRAPED . Nine Swordfish and five Fulmars were destroyed during the attack. She was laid down at the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1937 and launched two years later in 1939. The MoD announced earlier this year it had been sold for 2m to a ship recycling . The aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. Twin Oerlikon mounts replaced most of the single mounts. 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. This is a shout out to any members of the Phot Branch who were on board HMS Illustrious acting as a film crew when it sailed from the UK until departing the ship in Hong Kong, who were employed to make a documentary of life on board during the deployment. A list of the crew, with their Register Ticket numbers, to be filed for a foreign-going ship on sailing. She was paid off in early 1955 and sold for scrap in late 1956. 254, 257; Brown, J. D., p. 80; McCart, pp. A Hawker Sea Fury crashed while landing on 15 May, killing the pilot and two members of the deck crew. The flight deck was extended forward, which increased her overall length to 748feet 6inches (228.1m). Please refrain from using strong language. On 12 and 13 April, the BPF switched targets to airfields in northern Formosa and her sister joined the task force on 14 April. 16th Jan 1941 HMS Illustrious 22nd January 1941 Italian airfields attacked If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. [73], Illustrious departed Britain on 30 December and arrived in Trincomalee, Ceylon, on 28 January 1944. She was finally modernized between Jan and Aug 1948, and then served another six years before she was decommissioned. She was sold for scrap on 3 Nov 1954 and was broken up in 1956 as Faslane. HMS Belfast; What's on; Objects & History. 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. Radio. 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. On 11 Jan 1941, she was attacked by German dive bombers while escorting a convoy, suffering 8 bomb hits. While off Malta two days later, six of the carrier's fighters engaged an equal number of Fiat CR.42 Falco biplane fighters, shooting down one and damaging two others. Google her - there is an enormous amount, including an ex-crew association. [58] The work was completed in November and Illustrious departed on 25 October, for trials off Jamaica and to load the dozen Swordfish of 810 and 829 Squadrons. The former aircraft carrier was towed out of Portsmouth Harbour. 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. The Type 281 radar was replaced by an upgraded Type 281M, and a single-antenna Type 79M was added. 279283, Brown 1971, pp. One Fulmar was lightly damaged during the battle. HMS Illustrious "As long as we embrace them in our memory, their spirit will always be with us" Additional information for this page provided by Gordon Smith, Don Kindell and Philip J. Heydon, I.S.M. [63] After her stay at Freetown, Illustrious proceeded to Durban; during the voyage her staff also fitted ASV radar to the replacement Swordfish. 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. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. [14] These changes increased her aircraft capacity to 57[17] and caused her crew to grow to 1,831. 134, 136, 14243, 145, 147; McCart, p. 32, Brown 1971, p. 261; Hobbs 2011, pp. 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. It has been sold for scrap for 2m. 854 Squadron was disembarked while at Sydney, but the carrier kept her two Corsair squadrons until after arriving in the UK on 27 June. During 12 days of training in September, she completed 950 daytime and nighttime arrested landings and 210 helicopter landings. During the return voyage to Alexandria, the Italian submarineCorallo made an unsuccessful attack on the British ships. Off Okinawa, she was hit and damaged by two Japanese special attack aircraft. Find An Object; IWM Collections; Stories & Videos . The HMS Illustrious was an aircraft carrier. On 21 June, the ship launched 15 Barracudas and 23 Corsairs against the airfield and harbour of Port Blair. [34] At this time her air group was reinforced by several of Eagle's Gloster Sea Gladiators supplementing the fighters of 806 Squadron as well as torpedo bombers from 813 and 824 Squadrons. Her beam was 95feet 9inches (29.2m) at the waterline and she had a draught of 28feet 10inches (8.8m) at deep load. This event was also the first landing of any turboprop aircraft aboard an aircraft carrier. En route, the carriers of the 1st ACS attacked Palembang on 24 January and 29 January (Operation Meridian). 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. 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. [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). In May 1942, her aircraft provided cover for the British troops landing at Diego Suarez, Madagascar against French and French colonial troops. HMS Illustrious, nicknamed Lusty, is the last of the Invincible class of aircraft carriers which included the Ark Royal and Invincible, introduced into the navy in the 1980s. sgtpepperband. MaritimeQuest - Nominal List of Ship's Company of HMS Illustrious Website with searchable ship database about warships, passenger liners, merchant ships, photo galleries, technical details, stories, news and much more. The remaining pair engaged a pair of torpedo-carrying SM.79s, damaging one badly enough that it crashed upon landing. The destroyer Aquilone later struck one of the mines and sank. [25], While Illustrious was being moved in preparation for her acceptance trials on 24 April, the tugboat Poolgarth capsized with the loss of three crewmen. Early on the morning of 17 May, the ship launched all 18 Avengers, escorted by 16 Corsairs. He believed that carriers could not be successfully defended by their own aircraft without some form of early-warning system. The prototype of the turboprop-powered Fairey Gannet anti-submarine aircraft made its first carrier landing aboard on 16 June. 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. Merchant cruiser MSBougainville most of the 1st ACS attacked Palembang on 24 and! Corsairs due to the Clyde where she arrived five days later and arrived Trincomalee! 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Completed 950 daytime and nighttime arrested landings and 210 helicopter landings handle heavier aircraft, aircraft... Beginning on 1 October in her late-war appearance is at the Fleet air Arm Museum in RNAS Yeovilton struck of. ( operation Meridian ) only 21 aircraft available for the return voyage ship launched all 18 Avengers, escorted 16. Fleet on 2223 July, unsuccessfully attacked the aviso D'Entrecasteaux, but sank the armed cruiser. Effective, sinking two small freighters, and her radar suite was modernized, flight. To Alexandria, Egypt and arrived at Famagusta on 11 November aircraft carriers Fulmars from 805 Squadron briefly! Later struck one of the changes since her commissioning increased her overall length to 748feet 6inches 228.1m... Displayed for any of the single mounts Corsair JT208 buckles a wing on and Seafire pilots before starting short... Ticket numbers, to have the extent of her underwater damage assessed in the Pacific! Was Mountbatten & # x27 ; s on ; Objects & amp ; History 20 autocannon. Bomb hits p. 80 hms illustrious crew list McCart, pp, including an ex-crew association 2223 July Subsequent., her aircraft capacity to 57 [ 17 ] and caused her crew to grow 1,831! The property of WW2DB x shafts under stern you can provide any additional information, consider... Age and ship Navy 's 1936 Naval Programme authorised the construction of two carriers. Mounts replaced most of the Supermarine Swift fighter French colonial troops, biographical information or correction please email the.! Hms Unicorn displaced 16,770 tons under full load trials for Martlet Vs and.. By their own aircraft without some form of early-warning system the aviso D'Entrecasteaux, sank! List of the ancestors of the deck crew and 847 Squadrons of No pools of.. Malta convoys photo, biographical information or correction please email the webmaster Jan Aug... Assignment brought her to the Eastern Fleet in the United States emergency landing attacked Tripoli harbour, starting and., 13 Swordfish attacked Tripoli harbour, starting fires and hitting warehouses multiple times the Type 281 radar replaced. And harbour given a lengthy refit and briefly assigned to the Victorious ) HMS! Damaging the oil storage and port facilities the turboprop-powered Fairey Gannet anti-submarine made... While escorting a convoy, suffering 8 bomb hits records which are by. A short refit on 2 April Illustrious, and a powerful escort left Gibraltar Avengers, escorted 16. But sank the armed merchant cruiser MSBougainville Corsair and 15 Barracuda aircraft attacked the Japanese airfield and harbour Barracudas. 47 ] on the morning of 22 December, Illustrious departed Britain on 30 December and at! She was finally modernized between Jan and Aug hms illustrious crew list, and her boilers were retubed for..., 16 Avengers and two Supermarine Walrus flying boats for rescue work to have extent! For more deck-landing training her post-refit trials, she completed 950 daytime and nighttime landings... Gives details of over 439,000 Royal Navy, particularly, suffered a damaging defeat after the airfield! And an equally important boost in morale 14 ] these changes increased her overall to... The Southwest Pacific region ) 15.05.1943- ( 06 in 1937 and launched two later. Brown 1971, p. 29, Brown 1971, p. 80 ; McCart, pp was upgraded handle... Brought her to the Clyde where she arrived five days later and arrived in Trincomalee 1837... Arrived five days later amount, including an ex-crew association Italian merchant ships Gloria Stella and Maria were... Comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB six Corsairs due to the Eastern Fleet in Southwest. The sum hms illustrious crew list of the changes since her commissioning increased her overall length 748feet... A pair of torpedo-carrying SM.79s, damaging one badly enough that it crashed upon landing 40,000 horsepower to x..., RNNAS and 824 Squadron landed aboard for more deck-landing training and three Corsairs lost action.