The Royal Air Force (RAF) had positioned a Short Sunderland flying boat off the harbour to search for any movement to or from the port and this was detected at 17:55 by acoustic locators and again at 20:40, alerting the defenders. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. The ship resumed flying training off the north coast of Scotland in October for two weeks, but she spent most of the rest of the year on trials of the new mirror-landing system that automated the process of landing aircraft aboard. 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. Nominal List of Ship's Company of HMS Illustrious 1944-45 This list was published in the Beacon Annual 1944-45. 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. 4 Squadron and No. 21 Naval Torpedo-Bomber Reconnaissance Wing on 27 November before beginning her work up three days later. A Z.501 searching for the fleet was shot down on 10 November by a Fulmar and another on the 11th. 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. Afterwards, she was opened for visits by the public before returning to Portsmouth. Her catapult was upgraded to handle heavier aircraft, her flight deck was further improved, and her radar suite was modernized. [14] This increased her aircraft complement to 47 aircraft by use of a permanent deck park of 6 aircraft. She began working up off Plymouth, but the German conquest of France made this too risky, and Illustrious sailed for Bermuda later in the month to continue working up. [23] Illustrious was then towed to Buccleuch Dock for fitting out and Captain Denis Boyd was appointed to command her on 29 January 1940. HMS ILLUSTRIOUS ASSOCIATION The 5th HMS ILLUSTRIOUS was named and launched on 1st December 1978 by HRH Princess Margaret and Admiral of the Fleet, Earl Mountbatten of Burma. As built, HMS Unicorn displaced 16,770 tons under standard load and up to 20,600 tons under full load. Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson, Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy, was determined not to simply modify the previous unarmoured Ark Royal design. Her beam was 95feet 9inches (29.2m) at the waterline and she had a draught of 28feet 10inches (8.8m) at deep load. Now escorted by the bulk of the Mediterranean Fleet, eight of her Swordfish, together with some from the carrier Eagle, attacked the Italian seaplane base at Rhodes on the morning of 3 September. On 2 May 1950, she arrived at Birkenhead to commemorate the launch of the new carrier Ark Royal the following day with the First Lord of the Admiralty, George Hall, 1st Viscount Hall, aboard. 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. HMS Illustrious' casualty list was terrible: 126 dead and 91 wounded. While repair work was being done at Malta, she was once again bombed. Her complement was sharply reduced by her change in role and she retained her aft 4.5-inch guns. Two British aircraft were lost. He believed that carriers could not be successfully defended by their own aircraft without some form of early-warning system. 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. HMS Illustrious was the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy before World War II. To submit a photo, biographical information or correction please email the webmaster. While running trials in 1948, after another refit, she reached a maximum speed of 29 knots (54km/h; 33mph) from 110,680shp (82,530kW). 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. There was no aerial opposition and the fighters claimed to have destroyed 24 aircraft on the ground. [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). The fleet's fire discipline was poor when it was attacked by seven Japanese bombers shortly after the strike aircraft began landing. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. It was around in the late 70's to early 80's. Her ship nickname was Lusty. British Swordfish torpedo bombers from carrier HMS Illustrious attacked the port of Benghazi, Libya, bombing shipping and laying mines. [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. and useful information about WW2. [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. These were 'U'-shaped beams that extended from the side of the flight deck into which aircraft tailwheels were placed. On the afternoon of 6 April, four kamikaze aircraft evaded detection and interception by the CAP, and one, a Yokosuka D4Y3 "Judy" dive bomber, attacked Illustrious in a steep dive. The former aircraft carrier was towed out of Portsmouth Harbour. [30] While escorting a convoy to Malta on 29 September, the carrier's Fulmars broke up attacks by Italian high-level and torpedo bombers, shooting down one for the loss of one fighter. JUNE 1945, ON BOARD HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. [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. pilot and ground crew aboard HMS Illustrious April 1945. The multiple hits at the aft end of the carrier knocked out her steering gear, although it was soon repaired. 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. The Stukas also near-missed Illustrious with two bombs, which caused minor damage and flooding. The carrier and her escorts arrived back at Trincomalee on 23 June where 847 Squadron was merged into 810 Squadron a week later. However, her commissioning was delayed until 1941 due to the greater need for escort vessels for service in the Battle of the Atlantic . During the morning of 10 January, her Swordfish attacked an Italian convoy without significant effect. [88], She was refitted and modernised from January to August 1948. The necessity to attack from the south, across the full width of Java, meant that the target was outside the Barracuda's range and 810 and 847 Squadrons were replaced by the 18 Grumman Avengers of 832 and 845 Squadrons for the mission. The carrier participated in the early stages of the Battle of Okinawa until mechanical defects arising from accumulated battle damage became so severe she was ordered home early for repairs in May 1945. A flight of nine SM.79s was intercepted later that day and the Fulmars claimed to have damaged one of the bombers, although it actually failed to return to base. The war ended while she was in the dockyard and the Admiralty decided to modify her for use as the Home Fleet's trials and training carrier. 104105, 108110, Brown 1971, p. 246; Brown, J. D., p. 48; Friedman, p. 147; Hobbs 2013, p. 90; McCart, pp. 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. [85], On 1 February, she joined the other ships of the Home Fleet as they rendezvoused with the battleship Vanguard, which was serving as the royal yacht to escort King George VI as he set out for the first royal tour of South Africa. The 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. It was one of 3 Inviciible -class light carriers. [60], The conquest of British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies in early 1942 opened the door for Japanese advances into the Indian Ocean. This halved the aircraft capacity compared with the older unarmoured carriers, exchanging offensive potential for defensive survivability. For this operation she had aboard six Fulmars of 806 Squadron, 23 Martlets of 881 Squadron and 18 Swordfish of 810 and 829 Squadrons. She was the third warship of the . 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. Captain Charles Lambe was appointed as the new captain of the Illustrious on 21 May, but he could not join his new ship until 9 July. Early on the morning of 17 May, the ship launched all 18 Avengers, escorted by 16 Corsairs. 254, 257; Brown, J. D., p. 80; McCart, pp. 1914, to provide crew for the newly requisitioned battleship Erin. Title: List of survivors on Royal Navy ships from 1941 to 1943 Author: Ministry of Defence Created Date: 5/5/2017 10:03:01 AM The hangar was 456 feet (139.0m) long and had a maximum width of 62 feet (18.9m). 17, 19; Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, pp. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) PA. 1. 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. But he felt HMS Illustrious offered vital air cover and an equally important boost in morale. site is two fold. By the end of 1901, she was fitted or due . It was partially obscured by clouds and heavy squalls so the attacking aircraft had only moderate success, setting some structures on fire and destroying several aircraft on the ground. In this role she conducted the deck-landing trials for most of the British post-war naval aircraft in the early 1950s. [18] Two more twin Oerlikon mounts were added, and her boilers were retubed. . 2324, Brown 1971, p. 254; McCart, p. 24; Sturtivant, pp. 810 Squadron was the only unit retained from her previous air group and it had been re-equipped with Barracudas during her refit. Her length was 640 feet with a beam of over 90 feet and a draught reaching 23 feet. Captain John Hughes-Hallett relieved Edwards on 14 June. (Operation Diplomat). 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. 127, 13031; McCart, pp. 21 Naval Torpedo-Bomber Reconnaissance Wing, "Bomb Damage to British Naval Vessels: Summary of Damage by Bombs to September 2, 1941", "Pictures: Remembering the 29 men who drowned in HMS Illustrious liberty boat disaster", "Ship models in the Monaco Naval Museum: Aircraft and Helicopter Carriers", Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy, Armoured aircraft carrier action and damage reports, 19401945, Maritimequest HMS Illustrious photo gallery, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMS_Illustrious_(87)&oldid=1115451789, In front of a trumpet erect two trumpets in saltire gold, This page was last edited on 11 October 2022, at 14:53. The ship was equipped with two unarmoured lifts on the centreline, each of which measured 45 by 22 feet (13.7 by 6.7m). Five days later, the BPF attacked a different refinery and the ship launched 12 Avengers and 12 Corsairs. Nov 25, 2008. The crew's behaviour drew a mixed response from . [5] Her complement was approximately 1,299 officers and enlisted men upon completion in 1940. The statue of Our Lady remains standing amid the destruction at Senglea caused by repeated raids by German dive-bombers, which started on January 16 . HMS Illustrious relieves Invincible on air defence duties, off Falkland Islands, August 1982 HMS Illustrious had a unique start to her career. [51], The ship was hit five more times in this attack, one of which penetrated the un-armoured aft lift and detonated beneath it, destroying it and the surrounding structure. The MoD announced earlier this year it had been sold for 2m to a ship recycling . News stories in brief from around the World. "[55], Without aircraft aboard, she sailed to Alexandria on 23 January escorted by four destroyers, for temporary repairs that lasted until 10 March. A list of the crew, with their Register Ticket numbers, to be filed for a foreign-going ship on sailing. [68] Captain Robert Cunliffe relieved Talbott on 22 August. [19] In 1947 she carried five 8-barrel pom-poms, 17 Bofors and 16 Oerlikons. 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 spent most of the next several months training although she participated in several sorties with the Eastern Fleet searching for Japanese warships in the Bay of Bengal and near the coast of Sumatra. The British role during the operation was to neutralise airfields on the Sakishima Islands, between Okinawa and Formosa, beginning on 26 March. some really good leads ,two good sites I found were World Navalships Froums & the other was Sevicepals.com + I got a crew snap shot prior to them sailing to Crete,some one else maybe interested in this info.Keep me posted Folks if . ww2dbaseIllustrious was the lead ship in her class of aircraft carriers. As the Barracudas were needed only for anti-submarine patrols, the former embarked only nine while the latter ship flew off all her Barracudas. Courtesy Imperial War Museums. Preventing this required a preemptive invasion of Diego Suarez scheduled for May 1942. [33] She sailed from Alexandria on 6 November, escorted by the battleships Warspite, Malaya, and Valiant, two light cruisers, and 13 destroyers, to provide air cover for another convoy to Malta. Former HMS Illustrious set to sail on her final voyage. HMS Illustrious, built on the Tyne and commissioned in 1982, served in the Falklands War, the First Gulf War and in a support role in Afghanistan. One Martlet I was fitted with folding wings. 134, 136, 14243, 145, 147; McCart, p. 32, Brown 1971, p. 261; Hobbs 2011, pp. 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. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) Left to right: LAMA James McKenzie, Edinburgh; Petty Officer RM, Wilfred Price, Brecon, Wales; LAME A S Townsend, Hope, Derbyshire. In 1940 HMS Illustrious was sent to Gibraltar and after refueling in Gibraltar, Illustrious and the battleship Valiant were escorted into the Mediterranean by Force H as part of Operation Hats, during which her Fulmars shot down five Italian bombers and her AA guns shot down two more. Her air group now consisted of 36 Corsairs, 16 Avengers and two Supermarine Walrus flying boats for rescue work. The remaining pair engaged a pair of torpedo-carrying SM.79s, damaging one badly enough that it crashed upon landing. [12], The Illustrious-class ships had a flight deck protected by 3 inches (76mm) of armour and the internal sides and ends of the hangars were 4.5 inches (114mm) thick. She next put to sea on 24 April 1953 for trials and did not resume training pilots until the following month. [37] Three additional Fulmars had been flown aboard from Ark Royal a few days earlier, when both carriers were near Malta; that brought its strength[36] up to 15 Fulmars, 24 Swordfish, and two to four Sea Gladiators. Illustrious is the last survivor of the Royal Navy's trio of celebrated aircraft carriers . #1. Both sets of trials were completed by 18 July, by which time the Illustrious had joined the Home Fleet. 110111, 114115, Friedman, p. 147; Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, pp. [66], She was then formally assigned to the Eastern Fleet and, after a short refit in Durban, sailed to Colombo, Ceylon, and became the flagship of the Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers, Eastern Fleet, Denis Boyd, her former captain. She conducted her last landings on 3 December and arrived at Devonport four days later to begin decommissioning. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. PO, Hopkins Hugh. The hangar was designed to accommodate 36 aircraft, for which 50,650 imperial gallons (230,300l; 60,830USgal) of aviation spirit was provided. En route she served as the centrepiece of a convoy-defence exercise as the RAF successfully "attacked" the convoy. [7], The ship had three Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one shaft, using steam supplied by six Admiralty 3-drum boilers. War Hero. 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 . The Vichy French-controlled island of Madagascar stood astride the line of communication between India and the UK and the British were worried that the French would accede to occupation of the island as they had to the Japanese occupation of French Indochina in 1940. It had a height of 16 feet (4.9m) which allowed storage of Lend-Lease Vought F4U Corsair fighters once their wingtips were clipped. As the world's first battle cruiser, HMS Invincible was by any measure a revolutionary and important warship. [31] The fire destroyed three Swordfish and heavily damaged two others, but they were replaced by aircraft from Eagle, whose contaminated fuel tanks prevented her from participating in the attack. 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. Corsairs of the HMS Illustrious ranged before taking off to strafe Japanese airfields in Sumatra. 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 25051; Jackson, p. 441; McCart, p. 23, Brown 1971, pp. 25758; Brown, J. 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