1
9 4 1
October
6th
Laid down by the Western Pipe &
Steel Corporation in San
Francisco as a C3 type merchant ship.
December
26th
Requisition by US Navy for conversion to
an escort aircraft carrier identified as
CVE15
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9 4 2
March
5th
Launched as USS HAMLIN.
December
21st
Formal transfer to Royal Navy
Commissioned for RN
service as HMS STALKER.
30th
Build completion and commenced sea trials.
British radar was fitted during build.
1
9 4 3
January
Trials and
shakedown for service in continuation.
30th
Sailed for New
York.
February
27th
Arrived in New
York.
(Note: Ship
carried out exercises on passage to east
coast via Panama
Canal.)
March
5th
Sailed with convoy UGF6 carrying a load of
US aircraft for Casablanca.
16th
Aircraft unloaded for US
use at Casablanca.
19th
Passage to Gibraltar
20th
Arrived in Gibraltar.
28th
Sailed for the Clyde
in routine Fast Convoy MKF11.
during passage to Liverpool,
April
5th
Detached on arrival in Clyde
and joined Western Approaches Command.
Passage to Sheerness.
17th
Taken in hand in for modification to RN
standards by HM Dockyard, Chatham.
May
Under conversion and fit of RN
equipment.
Nominated for support
of planned allied landings on Italian
mainland.
(Operation
AVALANCHE).
June
26th
Sailed for the Clyde
from Sheerness.
(Note: One
source suggested that 833 Squadron
SWORDFISH and SEAFIRE aircraft were
embarked before
sailing. This is most likely to have been
done on arrival in Clyde.)
July
Worked-up for operational service in
Clyde.
19th
Carried out repair work in the Clyde.
August
3rd
Allocated to Force V in the Western
Mediterranean and sailed for Gibraltar
with HM Escort
Aircraft Carrier ATTACKER.
9th
Arrived in Gibraltar.
Embarked 880 Squadron and SEAFIRE aircraft
and disembarked SWORDFISH
Flight of 833
Squadron.
September
1st
Took passage
from Gibraltar
to join Force V in Malta.
5th
Arrived at Malta
for AVALANCHE deployment.
Joined HM Escort Aircraft Carriers
BATTLER, HUNTER, ATTACKER and HM Light
Fleet Aircraft UNICORN In
Task Force 88.
(Note: Other
ships in TF88 were HM Cruisers EURYALUS,
SCYLLA and CHARYBDIS with HM
Destroyers CLEVELAND,
HOLCOMBE, ATHERSTONE, LIDDESDALE,
FARNDALE,
CALPE,
Polish destroyers ORP SLAZAK and ORP
KRAKOWIAK.)
8th
Provided air cover during passage of
assault convoy.
9th
Provided air cover during assault
landings at Salerno.
(Note: HMS
ULSTER QUEEN a Landing Ship converted for
use as a Fighter Direction Ship
was used for
control of aircraft during the landings.
265 sorties were flown and air attacks on
anchorage ware repulsed.
Sustained some
casualties in a landing-on accident.
10th
Retained off beach head Instead of planned
withdrawal due to delay in provision
of airfield
ashore.
(Note: Enemy air attacks on the anchorage
Include use of radio controlled bombs
for the first
time in the Mediterranean theatre. See
above references.)
One source records visit to Bizerta.)
12th
Landed Squadron aircraft to operate from
captured airfield.
Released from AVALANCHE and took passage
to Bizerta
with Force V.
(For details of AVALANCHE see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett
and the Naval
Staff History.)
13th
Arrived at Bizerta
20th
Took passage to Gibraltar
from Bizerta
after Force V was disbanded.
(Note: Some
sources record passage to Palermo.
Destination to be
confirmed.)
24th
At Gibraltar and 833 Squadron aircraft
re-embarked
30th
Part of escort from Gibraltar
for military convoy MKF24 and provided air
cover
during passage
to UK.
(Note: MKF24
is not recorded in THE ALLIED CONVOY
SYSTEM by A Hague
and this date
is to be confirmed.)
October
Nominated for further conversion for use
as an Assault Carrier.
6th
Detached from MKF24 on arrival In Clyde.
833 and 880 Squadron aircraft and
personnel landed.
Passage to Liverpool
for refit
11th
Taken in hand for refit.
(Note: Ship
was required for future landing
operations.)
Improved facilities were provided in
Operations Room for command and
control during
assault operations. See RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse.)
November
Under refit.
December
16th
On completion of post refit trials took
passage from Liverpool to Clyde.
Deployed in NW Approaches for work-up and
flying exercises based at Belfast
809 and 897 SEAFIRE Squadrons embarked.
1
9 4 4
January
Work-up in continuation.
Further refit and conversion work arranged
at Thames
commercial shipyard
(Note:
Modification to Petrol distribution system
to be confirmed.
This change was arranged as a matter of
high priority after loss of HMS DASHER.)
February
28th
Passage to Thames.
March
Under refit.
(Note: Lift
was replaced by one from HMS SLINGER.)
See Chronology for HMS
SLINGER.)
April
28th
Refit work completed and took passage to
join Home Fleet at Scapa Flow for deployment in
planned attack
on Norwegian coast shipping with HMS
STALKER and HMS HUNTER.
(Operation HOOPS
(Note: This
operation was cancelled.)
May
Released from Home Fleet service.
14th
Joined routine Convoy KMS51 with 809 (Seafire)
NAS embarked.
23rd
Detached from KMS51
25th
At Gibraltar.
June
Passage to Algiers
3rd
At Algiers.
July
Deployed in Mediterranean
for defence of convoys in western Mediterranean.
Nominated for support of allied landings
in south France
(Operation DRAGOON – Formerly ANVIL).
(See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF
FRANCE (HMSO).)
Took passage to Malta
to join Carrier Task Force (TF88).
Joined Carrier Task
Force ships in Malta
for preparatory exercises.
Allocated for service in Task Group 88.2
with HMS STALKER to provide air cover
and gunfire
spotting during landings.
(Note: For
details of all ships involved see INVASION
OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE (HMSO)
and BRITISH
INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser.)
Took passage to Malta
to join Carrier Task Force (TF88).
August
Joined Carrier Task Force ships in Malta
for preparatory exercises.
2nd
Worked-up off Malta
with ships of TF88
15th
Arrived in Assault area and commenced
flying operations.
Deployed in position south of beaches and
carried cut patrols, gunfire spotting,
shore
attacks and
other duties as required by Air Task Force
Commander.
Damaged Corvette UJ 6081 which was later
sunk by US destroyer USS SOMERS
16th
Support of landings in continuation.
to
(Note: Carriers retired to south of beach
heads overnight and went to Maddalena
to
26th
replenish. See above references for
details.
27th
Completed operations off southern France.
Her aircraft had flown a total of 337
sorties
Fall of Shot reporting during bombardments
by HM Battleship RAMILLIES.
For details of DRAGOON see Naval Staff
History.)
28th
Released from DRAGOON and returned to RN
control by CinC
Mediterranean.
Took passage to Alexandria.
September
2nd
Arrived at Alexandria
and joined British Aegean Force for
support of operations to occupy
Islands in East
Mediterranean.
(Note: Other ships In British Aegean Force
Included HM Escort Aircraft Carriers
ATTACKER, EMPEROR, SEARCHER, PURSUER,
KHEDIVE, HM Cruisers
BLACK PRINCE, ARGONAUT, ROYALIST, AURORA,
AJAX, ORION and
COLOMBO
with destroyers of 24th Flotilla and
HUNT Class destroyers.
See
WINE DARK SEA by Lew
Lind.)
Deployed for attacks on Crete and Rhodes (Operation OUTING I)
Returned to Alexandria to replenish and re-arm..
14th
Relieved HMS ATTACKER on station.
25th
Deployed with HM Cruiser BLACK PRINCE. HM
Destroyer TENACIOUS and
HM Escort Destroyer
CATTISTOCK (Operation CABLEGRAM).
26th
Covered minesweeping operations off Kithera.
27th
Provide air support during bombardment
of Lythia
by HM Destroyer CALPE.
28th
Deployed in Aegean
for attacks on shipping taking stores and
personnel
to
to Rhodes and Leros.)
30th
Returned to Alexandria
to replenish and resumed CABLEGRAM
deployment.
October
5th
Sailed from Alexandria
with HM Cruiser BLACK PRINCE, HM Destroyer
TENACIOUS
to
and HM Escort Destroyer CATTISTOCK.
10th
(Note: During CABLEGRAM successful attacks
were made on evacuation craft off Leros,
Kos
and Piskopi
13th
Carried out strikes on shore targets
before landings in Greece,
15th
Provided air cover during main landings in
Greece
(Operation MANNA)
17th
Carried cut air attacks on railways and
shipping off Cape Stavros.
19th
Carried out bombing attack on Rhodes
during return passage to Alexandria.
For details see Military History of
Mediterranean operations.)
20th
Sailed for Alexandria
(Note: 277
sorties flown and five SEAFIRE aircraft
lost.)
21st
Arrived at Alexandria
and prepared for return to UK
29th
Sailed for the UK
via Gibraltar with HMS HUNTER and HMS
STALKER.
809 Squadron remained on board.
November
10th
Arrived at Plymouth.
Nominated for service in East Indies Fleet
based in Ceylon
after refit at Gibraltar
29th
Sailed for Gibraltar
with 809 NAS embarked.
December
3rd
Taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard,
Gibraltar.
1
9 4 5
January
Under refit.
February
21st
On completion of post refit trials took
passage to join 21st Aircraft Carrier
Squadron,
in East Indies Fleet.
March
Passage to Trincomalee via Red Sea.
Arrived at Trincomalee and prepared for
operational service in Squadron.
Nominated for support
of landings at Rangoon
(Operation DRACULA).
(For details of East Indies Fleet
operations In
1945 see THE FORGOTTEN FLEET
by
J Winton,
OPERATION PACIFIC by Edwin Gray and WAR
WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).
April
23rd
Sailed with Squadron from Trincomalee to
Akyab on
coast of Burma.
(Note: Other
ships to Squadron were HM Cruiser
ROYALIST, HM Escort Carriers
HUNTER, KHEDIVE and
EMPEROR. HM Cruiser PHOEBE was
attached to
act as Fighter
Direction Ship. HM Destroyers VENUS,
VIRAGO, VIGILANT
and SAUMAREZ
ware deployed as screen.)
30th
Provided air cover and air strikes on
coastal targets during passage of assault
convoys from Akyab
May
2nd
Provided air
cover and support during landings at Rangoon.
(Operation DRACULA)
(Note: Air
Operations at Rangoon
and on Tenasserim
coasts with Escort Aircraft Carriers
in Squadron
included
70 CAP
sorties over the force, 4 fighter-bomber
and 10 strike
attacks and air
cover for a total of 124 hours by the
ship.).
5th
Deployed with Squadron ships for series of
air attacks on Japanese bases on the coast
of
southern Burma
between Mergui
and Victoria Point until 6th May.
(Part of Operation
BISHOP by East
Indies Fleet.)
9th
Returned to Trincomalee with Squadron.
June
Deployed with Squadron In Eastern Fleet.
Nominated for reconnaissance operations
and shipping attacks in northern Sumatra
and Malacca
Strait off southern Malaya with ships of
Squadron (Operation BALSAM).
18th
Deployed In Force 63 with HMS ROYALIST,
HMS KHEDIVE and HMS AMEER for
a
series of photo
reconnaissance flights over southern Malaya
(Operation BALSAM).
(Note:
Covered by HM Cruiser SUFFOLK
screened by destroyers of 11th Flotilla.
HMS ROTHERHAM,
RACEHORSE, RELENTLESS, REDOUBT and
ROEBUCK.)
20th
On completion of reconnaissance flights
carried out attacks on air fields.
July
5th
Deployed with Squadron for exercises off
Trincomalee.
7th
Operational training off Trincomalee
with HMS EMPRESS.
(Note: Other
Escort Carriers of Squadron provided cover
during minesweeping
in Nicobar
area and off Malayan west coast (Operation
COLLIE).
August
Deployed with Squadron at Trincomalee
(Note:
Planned landings in southern Malaya
(Operation ZIPPER) were delayed due
to problems
related to return of personnel under the
PYTHON Scheme.
Passage in Indian
Ocean prior to approval for landings.
(Note:
Intended landings in Malaya
again delayed by US insistence.)
See above
references and Final Report of SEAC
(HMSO).)
September
Deployed with East Indies Fleet covering
force in Malacca Straits.
(Note: Ships of covering force included HM
Battleship NELSON, French battleship
RICHELIEU.
9th
Launched aircraft for reconnaissance in
Port Swettenham
area.
Provided air cover
during landings near Port Swettenham
(Operation JURIST.)
10th
Entered Singapore with ships of Squadron
for support of re-occupation.
13th
Released from ZIPPER and sailed from Singapore
for Trincomalee
20th
Arrived in Trincomalee.
28th
Visited Colombo.
October
Nominated for return to UK
to Pay-off and de-store before return to
US Navy.
2nd
Sailed for the UK
via the Suez Canal.
22nd
Arrived in the Clyde.
Paid-off except for Steaming Party and
de-stored.
British equipment landed.
28th
De-storing operations complete.
December
Prepared for Ocean passage manned by
Steaming Party.
2nd
Sailed for the USA.