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1 9 4 4
November
27th Commissioned for
trials.
December Contractors trials.
1 9 4 5
January
17th Build completion
date and acceptance trials commencement.
On
completion took passage to Clyde for work-up.
February Work-up
in continuation.
Embarked aircraft for work-up.
March
1st Became Flagship of 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron and
prepared for service in the British
Pacific Fleet.
12th Took passage to Malta.
Carried out exercises with ships of Mediterranean Fleet to prepare
for service in Pacific.
April Deployment with Mediterranean Fleet based at Malta in
continuation.
May Passage to Ceylon.
June During
stay at Trincomalee landed CORSAIR and BARRACUDA aircraft to be modified
prior to service in Pacific with US 3rd Fleet.
(Note: 814 and 1851 Squadrons were embarked.)
July Passage
to Sydney from Ceylon to join BPF in US 3rd Fleet.
(Note: Due to change in US Navy administration BPF were now
designated as Task Force
37 in 3rd US Fleet instead of Task Force 57 in 5th Fleet.)
(See
THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO)).
22nd Arrived at Sydney.
(Note: Future deployment of British warships was being
questioned due to a lack of fuel
from British Logistics Group. See above references.)
August Deployed
at Sydney pending decision about future service in 3rd US
Fleet.
Oerlikon 20mm weapons replaced by 40mm design.
15th Joined Task Group 112 under RN control
for operations to re-occupy Hong Kong.
Took
passage from Sydney to Subic Bay with HM Fleet Aircraft
Carrier INDOMITABLE,
HM
Cruisers EURYALUS and SWIFTSURE, HM Canadian Auxiliary PRINCE ROBERT,
screened by HM Destroyers KEMPENFELT, URSA, WHIRLWIND and
Australian destroyer
HMAS
QUADRANT as Task Group 112.1
Refuelled
at British Pacific Fleet Forward Base at Manus ,
Admiralty Is.
27th Took passage to Hong Kong from Subic Bay with Task
Group.
29th Deployed with HM Battleship ANSON and
ships of Task Group at Hong Kong
Entry
delayed pending mine clearance operations.
30th Launched air attacks on Japanese craft
in Lammas Bay.
September Provided
support during re-occupation of Kowloon.
Nominated
for transport of Indian Nationals held as Japanese prisoners in French
Indo China.
October Passage to Haiphong to embark passengers.
17th At Haiphong.
21st Sailed for Madras with
Indian nationals.
27th Disembarked passengers and sailed for
Trincomalee.
28th Landed aircraft and Squadron personnel.
(Note: This was to facilitate deployment for further
personnel transport duty.)
November Embarked
military personnel for passage to Singapore.
16th Arrived at Singapore and troops left ship.
Nominated
for transfer of military personnel and stores from Bombay to the Dutch
East
Indies for support of military operations against
insurgents.
18th Took passage from Singapore to Bombay.
December Embarked
passengers and stores for passage to Tanjong Priok, Java.
4th On arrival
disembarked personnel and stores.
Embarked
Dutch Nationals held as internees by Japanese.
Took passage to Colombo.
(Note: 729 evacuees were carried including 570 women and
children.)
12th After passengers left ship embarked
aircraft.
Took passage to Sydney.
23rd At Fremantle for
Xmas.
26th Sailed for Sydney
31st Arrived at Sydney.
1 9 4 6
January Under refit.
to Post Refit trials.
March Nominated
for further trooping duties.
April Deployed
for transport of personnel.
Passage to Trincomalee.
(Note: Ship was required for movement of returning personnel
from Australia to
Colombo and for transport of
replacements to ships and establishments in
Singapore and Hong Kong.
May
3rd Disembarked 400
passengers at Singapore.
June Trooping duties in continuation between Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Colombo.
to
September
October Trooping
duty in continuation.
24th Taken in hand for docking and refit at Singapore.
November
6th On completion of
docking prepared for further service in Far East.
26th Passage to Hong Kong from Singapore.
December Deployed
at Hong
Kong
for exercises with ships of British Pacific Fleet.
(Note: These included flying operations.)
1 9 4 7
January Hong Kong deployment
with ships of British Pacific Fleet in continuation.
Nominated for return to UK to reduce
to Reserve status.
February Fleet exercises in continuation.
14th Sailed from Hong Kong for Plymouth with call
at Singapore.
March Passage
to UK via Mediterranean.
26th Arrived at Plymouth.
April Paid
off and reduced to Reserve status.
May Laid-up at Plymouth.
to Placed on Sales List.
December Lay-up in continuation awaiting
completion of sales negotiation.
1 9 4 8
January Sale to Holland under
negotiation.
to
March
April
1st Purchased by Dutch Government.
May Prepared
for service with Royal Netherlands Navy.
28th Commissioned as KAREL DOORMAN.
S y
n o p s i s
o f R o y a l N e t h e r l a n d s N a v y
S e r v i c e
1 9 4 9
to 1 9 5 4
After refit
including tropicalisation and partial air
conditioning deployed
with Royal Netherlands Navy for service in Europe and abroad.
1 9 5 5 to
1 9 5 8
Under
modernisation during which an Angled Flight Deck,
Steam
Catapult, Mirror Sight and Improved Close Range
40mm
Armament was fitted.
1 9 5 9 t o
1 9 6 7
Fleet service
after completion of trials in late 1958.
1 9
6 8
Withdrawn from service due to
extensive damage caused
by a major fire on 29th April.
Sold to Argentina on 15th
October.
Under refit at Rotterdam prior to
Argentine naval service.
S y
n o p s i s
o f A r g e n t i n e N a v y S e r v i c e
1 9
6 9 t o 1 9 8 4
Commissioned into Argentine Navy on
12th March as
VIENTICINO DE MAYO.
(Note: Deployed in support of landings by Argentina in Falklands.
No
direct action with Royal Navy has been traced.
1 9 8 5
Taken out of operational use.
Note: A proposed refit to replace turbine machinery with gas
turbines
was being
considered in 1990 during refit by an Italian contractor
but this was
never implemented due to lack of
funding.
More recent report suggested that this ship was used for
exercises
with Brazilian Navy but her future operational use is
doubtful.