1
9 4 4
June
Contractors
trials and commissioning
July
Embarked
aircraft and carried cut work-up at
Scapa Flow with Home fleet.
August
Work-up in continuation and joined
Home Fleet on
completion.
September
Deployed
for air attacks on shipping off coast of
Norway.
Aircraft
carried cut attack on coastal convoy
sinking 3 mercantiles
and 3 small
escorts.
October
Home
Fleet deployment in NW Approaches and
North Sea.
23rd
Deployed with HM Cruiser BELLONA. HM
Destroyers VENUS, SCOURGE, SAVAGE,
VERULAM.
CAPRICE, ZAMBESI, CASSANDRA and CAMBRIAN
for
operations against
Norwegian coast
shipping (Operation ATHLETIC).
Air attacks made on
airfields at Sorreisa
and Bardufoss.
Reconnaissance
aircraft sighted TIRPITZ in new berth
near Tromso.
26th
Deployed off coast of Norway with HM
Cruiser MAURITIUS, HM Destroyers MYNGS,
VENUS,
VERULAM, VOLAGE, ALGONQUIN
(RCN) and IROQUOIS (RCN).
Air attacks made on
shipping off Bodo
and
Rorvik.
Depot
Ship KARL MEYER destroyed.
During
subsequent air operations against
shipping off Lodingen
and Kristiansun
North,
minesweepers
and coastal ships were sunk (Operation
PROVIDENT)
27th
U1060 attacked on surface by FIREFLY
aircraft and later beached on island
of Fleina
in position
65.24N, 12.01E.
(Note: This
submarine was later destroyed by RAF
aircraft.
For details see
U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P
Kemp.)
November
Home Fleet deployment in
continuation.
27th
Deployed with HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers PREMIER AND PURSUE, HM Cruiser
DIDO,
HM
Destroyers MYNGS, SCOURGE, ZEPHYR,
SCORPION, SCOURGE, SIOUX
(RCN)
and ALGONQUIN
(RCN) to carry out air attacks against
coastal
convoys off Norway
(Operation
PROVIDENT).
Carried out attacks
on convoy off Masjoen,
north of Namsos.
Norwegian
ships RIGEL and KORSNES sunk.
(Note:
These ships ware carrying Russian
prisoners many of
whom were killed).
Two
Flak ships escorting convoy were also
sunk and the freighter SPREE
at anchor.
December
Home Fleet deployment in
continuation.
7th
Deployed with HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM
Escort Carriers TRUMPETER and PREMIER,
HM
Destroyers
ZAMBESI, SAVAGE,
VIGILANT, ZEALOUS, SERAPIS,
SIOUX (RCN)
ALGONQUIN (RCN)
and Norwegian destroyer STORD for
shipping
strike off Hagesund
and
an air
minelay in Kara Sound (Operation URBANE
- Designated
as Force 1).
No
ships ware found.
For details of
air minelaying see Naval Staff History
(Mining).
8th
Air attacks made
on shore targets between Bergen and Stavanger.
1
9 4 5
January
Home Fleet deployment in
continuation.
Nominated
for service with British Pacific Fleet
and took passage for refit.
February
Prepared
for operational service with US Fleet in
Pacific.
March
Honoured
by Royal Visit during which an
Investiture was held.
Embarked
aircraft at Scapa Flow and took passage
to Ceylon.
April
4th
Arrived in Ceylon and flew off
aircraft for use ashore.
Took passage to
Australia to join British Pacific
Fleet.
8th
Arrived at Sydney
and joined BPF.
Allocated for
service in Task Force 111.2.
June
Passage
to Manus to Join TF 112.2
10th
Joined Task Force
as Flagship. Designated Task
unit 111.2.1
(Note: Task
Group comprised:
Task
Unit 111.2.2:
HM Cruiser SWIFTSURE, HM Escort Carrier
RULER and
HM
Destroyer TERMAGANT.
Task
Unit 111.2.5:
HM Cruisers NEWFOUNDLAND, UGANDA (RCN)
and ACHILLES
(RNZN).
Task
Unit 111.2.15: HM Destroyers TR0UBRIDGE,
TENACIOUS, TERPSICHORE and
TEAZER.
12th
Sailed to carry
out an attack on Truk.
13th
HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, NEWFOUNDLAND and
HMS UGANDA, screened by
HM
Destroyers TEAZER, TENACIOUS and
TROUBRIDGE detached as Task Unit
111.2.3 to
cover air
operations.
14th
Carried out air attacks on Truk
with HMS RULER, escorted by HMS
TERPSICHORE.
(Operation
INMATE - See THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J
Winton).
(Note:
Night attacks were carried out for the
first time by
a British aircraft
carrier in
Pacific operations.
15th
Continued air attacks on Truk
in adverse weather.
Six
aircraft were diverted to land on HMS
RULER.
Provided aircraft
spotting facilities during bombardment
by the
cruisers and the destroyers.
(Note: The
bombardments were not successful due to
inexperience of personnel).
17th
Returned to Manus with Task Force.
Transferred to US
3rd Fleet after reorganisation of US
Naval
Command in Pacific.
28th
Sailed with TF 37 for Manus.
July
6th
Deployed with US 3rd Fleet.
Took
passage from Manus for RN/USN air
operations on targets in Japan
(Operation OLYMPIC
preparations).
(Note: Task
Force 37 comprised: -
HM
Battleship KING GEORGE V as Flagship.
HM Aircraft Carriers
FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS and IMPLACABLE.
HM
Cruisers NEWFOUNDLAND, BLACK PRINCE,
EURYALUS, ACHILLES,
UGANDA and GAMBIA.
HM
Destroyers TROUBRIDGE, TENACIOUS,
TERMAGANT, TERPSICHORE,
TEAZER,
UNDINE, URANIA, URCHIN, ULYSSES,
UNDAUNTED, GRENVILLE,
HM Australian
Destroyers QUIBERON, QUICKMATCH,
QUALITY and
QUADRANT.
After
departure machinery defect made
reduction in speed necessary.
Detached for repairs
which were completed without need to
return to
Sydney.
16th
Rejoined Task Force before start of
joint air operations with US 3rd Fleet.
17th
Carried out series of air attacks on
Tokyo - Yokohama area with HMS
FORMIDABLE
and HMS
VICTORIOUS.
(Note:
Targets included airfields at Sendai,
Masuda and
Matsushima as well as Croisi
harbour)
Japanese
retaliatory attacks on combined fleet
units were driven off by the carrier
fighter
aircraft CAP's).
18th
Air operations continued with
replenishments from Fleet Train (IF112).
to
Attacks
made on Osaka, Susaka,
Miyakawa
airfield and Maizuru
IJN base where three
31st
destroyers were damaged (one sinking
later).
Successful
air strikes in Inland Sea sank merchant
ships and warships.
(See
THE FORGOTTEN FLEET).
August
Air operations off Japan in
continuation.
3rd
After replenishment period further air
operations were Interrupted
by threat of typhoon.
9th
Resumed flying operations with
carriers of TF38 against airfields and
ships in
to
North
Honshu and Hokkaido.
11th
(Note:
During
these attacks two naval auxiliaries and
a destroyer were sunk and
12th
Withdrawn from
operational area due to lack of fuel
from British sources.
Took passage to
Manus with British ships not
designated as Task
Group 38.5 with 3rd Fleet.
(For
full details of BPF operations see
OPERATION PACIFIC by E Grey, TASK FORCE
57 by P Smith,
THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton and
Naval Staff Histories).