1 9 4 4
March Contractor's
sea trials and commissioning.
15th Successful landing
trials of MOSQUITO aircraft.
April Acceptance trials in continuation.
May
3rd Accepted into
service.
(Note: This had been delayed and as a result ship could not
take part in planned
Home
Fleet operations against German battle ship TIRPITZ. See CONVOY! by P Kemp).
Embarked
aircraft and worked-up with Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
June On
completion of work-up deployed with Home Fleet.
July Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
17th Carried out series of air attacks on the
German battleship TIRPITZ in Altenfjord
with HM Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE and FURIOUS covered by
HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK
HM
Cruisers KENT, DEVONSHIRE, JAMAICA and BELLONA with Home Fleet destroyer
screen.
(Note: These were Unsuccessful because early detection
allowed smoke screen to be activated. See
ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and CONVOY !).
August Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
8th Carried out Rehearsal for planned
Norwegian coast operations against TIRPITZ.
(Operation
GOODWOOD).
10th Attacked airfield and installations at Gossen and carried out air minelay between Lepsoy and Haramsa
Island
with HM Aircraft Carriers TRUMPETER and NABOB covered by HMS KENT and HMS
DEVONSHIRE
screened by HM Destroyers MYNGS, VIGILANT, VERULAM, VOLAGE,
VIRAGO,
SCOURGE and Canadian destroyer ALGONQUIN (Operation OFFSPRING).
22nd Carried out series of unsuccessful air
attacks on TIRPITZ with HMS FORMIDABLE, HMS FURIOUS
and HMS NABOB covered by HMS DUKE OF YORK, HMS DEVONSHIRE and
HMS BERWICK
screened by 14 Home Fleet destroyers. HMS NABOB torpedoed
and badly damaged.
(Note: This operation was co-incident with passage of
Russian Convoy JW59 and the return convoy
RA59 which were covered by other Home Fleet major units).
24th Carried two further attacks on TIRPITZ
with HMS FORMIDABLE and HMS FURIOUS.
During
the last one, 2 hits obtained but caused no significant damage.
29th Carried out final
attacks of this operation on TIRPITZ.
No
hits were obtained.
(Note: During Operation GOODWOOD 247 sorties were flown by
the carriers and 11 of their aircraft
were lost. The lack of success resulted in the use of RAF
aircraft. See above references).
September Home Fleet deployment in
continuation.
Nominated for service in British Pacific Fleet.
October Prepared
for service in Pacific.
November Took
passage to Indian Ocean.
December
10th Arrived at Colombo and joined HM
Aircraft Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS, INDOMITABLE and
VICTORIOUS in 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron, British Pacific Fleet.
1 9 4 5
January Joined
Task Force 63 with HMS INDOMITABLE and VICTORIOUS for Eastern Fleet attacks
on Sumatra (Operation LENTIL - See OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray).
4th Carried cut air attacks on oil
refineries at Pangkalan Brandon, Sumatra covered by
HM Cruisers
SUFFOLK,
CEYLON, ARGONAUT and BLACK PRINCE screened by HM Destroyers
KEMPENFELT, WAGER, WHELP, GRENVILLE, URANIA, UNDAUNTED, UNDINE and
URSA.
16th Joined Task Force 63 for air strikes
with HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, HMS INDOMITABLE and HMS
VICTORIOUS
on Sumatra during passage to Australia for BPF service, covered by HMS
ARGONAUT,
BLACK PRINCE and EURYALUS screened by HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, UNDINE,
URSA, UNDAUNTED, KEMFENFELT, WAKEFUL, WAGER, WHIRLWIND and WHELP.
(Operation MERIDIAN I).
24th After 24 hour delay due to weather
conditions attacked Pladjoe oil refinery. 14 Japanese
aircraft were
destroyed for loss of 7 RN aircraft but 25 lost during landings
in the carriers.
29th Made further air attacks on oil
refineries at Soengi-Gerong, near Palembang.
Japanese
attacks on Fleet units were all intercepted.
During
this operation 30 Japanese aircraft were destroyed in combat and 38 on the
ground. 16 RN aircraft
were lost but some aircrew were rescued (Operation MERIDIAN
II).
February Passage to Fremantle and Sydney.
10th Nominated as part of Task Force 112 and
prepared for operations in Pacific under
US Command as part
of US 5th Fleet.
28th Sailed from Sydney
to begin operations with US Navy.
Redesignated
Task Force 57 with ships of British Pacific Fleet.
(For
details of operations by BPF see TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith. THE FORGOTTEN FLEET
by J
Winton,
CARRIER VICTORY by JM Ludley, OPERATION PACIFIC and The Naval Staff History).
March Passage
to join 5th Fleet.
18th Arrived Ulithi.
26th After replenishment joined US Task Force
58 ships for joint attacks on islands of
the Sakishima-Gunto
Group in support of preparation for US landings on Okinawa.
31st (Operation
ICEBERG).
(Note: This series of attacks continued in rotation with
TF58 carriers).
April Deployment in continuation.
1st Damaged by KAMIKAZE aircraft and
sustained 30 casualties including 14 killed.
Available for operational action after only an hour.
11th Diverted for air attacks on airfields in
Formosa (Operation ICEBERG OOLONG).
Combat
Air Patrol launched to intercept enemy aircraft several of which were shot
down.
20th Returned to Leyte with ships of Task Force 57.
May
1st On completion of repair at Leyte sailed with TF57 to resume joint air operations with TF58 on
Sakishima Gunto (Operation ICEBERG).
3rd Accidental firing of wing cannon by
AVENGER aircraft caused 1 death and 2 wounded.
4th Deployed with HMS FORMIDABLE, HMS
INDOMITABLE and HMS VICTORIOUS in joint attacks
to with US
Navy carriers.
25th
June Passage to Australia for refit and
recuperation period.
Re-designated
as part of Task Force 37 in US 3rd Fleet with ships of BPF when the US Navy
command
structure was changed.
28th Sailing from Sydney with BPF ships
delayed by compressor defect when ships of the BPF sailed as
Task Group 37 to rejoin US Task Forces off Japan.
July Passage
to Japanese waters with HM Destroyers BARFLEUR, WRANGLER and WAKEFUL.
20th Joined HM Battleship KING GEORGE V, HMS
VICTORIOUS and HMS IMPLACABLE to take part
in joint RN/USN operations against Japanese mainland targets
and coastal shipping.
24th Attacked harbours and shipping in Inland
Sea and air base at Yokoshima
Japanese
Escort Aircraft Carrier KAIYO was damaged 10 miles NW of Oita, Beppu Wan.
August Deployment
off Japan with US Task Forces in continuation.
9th Deployed with HM Aircraft Carriers
VICTORIOUS, FORMIDABLE and IMPLACABLE and TG38.5
ships including HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK for air attacks
on airfields and ships in North Honshu
and Hokkaido.
12th Transferred to Task Force 38 when ships
of BPF had to return to Manus because of lack of fuel from
British
sources.
Redesignated Task Group 38.5 with HMS KING GEORGE V, HM Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND and
GAMBIA,
HM Destroyers BARFLEUR, NAPIER (RAN), NIZAM (RAN), WAKEFUL, WRANGLER
TEAZER, TERMAGANT and TENACIOUS and resumed operations with TF38.
13th Attacked chemical plant at Onagawa.
15th Attacked airfields at Hisaruki and Nobara.
Under
spasmodic Japanese air attacks after cessation of hostilities.
(Note: During these final attacks of the war in the Pacific
a British pilot who had baled out was captured
and later executed.
27th Arrived in Tokyo
Bay with US 3rd Fleet as TG38.5 for surrender of Japan.
September
2nd Present during
surrender ceremony.
28th Returned to Sydney.