1 9 4 3
August Contractors
trials
11th Build completion and transferred to RN
as HMS SLINGER.
September On
completion of sea trials took passage to east coast USA
29th Transit of Panama Canal
October Passage
to Norfolk, Va.
6th Arrived at Norfolk Navy Yard.
9th Embarked CORSAIR
aircraft for transport to UK.
Passage
to New York
15th Sailed for Clyde
(Note
Passage with routine convoy to be confirmed.)
31st Arrived at Belfast and
disembarked aircraft.
November Nominated
for refit at Chatham
20th Took passage to
Sheerness.
Taken
hand for refit and modifications to suit RN deployment.
(Note : Modification to
improve bomb stowage safety carried out as carried out in all US
Built
Escort Carriers transferred were after HMS AVENGER was lost in
November 1942.)
December Under refit
1 9 4 4
January Under refit.
February Carried
out post refit trials
5th During passage to Clyde for work-up sustained major
damage after detonating a mine
off Lowestoft.
6th Towed to
Sheerness by tugs.
(Note : Largest warship successfully salvaged after damage by
mine in North Sea.)
11th Extensive repair work arranged at
commercial shipyard in London.
(Note : In view of delay in availability of operational
service and prior to passage to London
some items of equipment were removed in Chatham for use in repair of other
US Built
CVE. See HMS STALKER Chronology.)
12th Passage from Chatham to Thames shipyard.
(Note : It is presumed tow was necessary.)
14th Taken in hand for
repair.
March Under
repair
to
September
October Carried out post repair trials
and prepared for work-up in Clyde.
17th Took passage to Clyde
November Embarked
aircraft and carried out flying trials.
Deployed for work-up in NW Approaches.
3rd Deployed for deck
landing for aircraft of 768 Squadron.
December Clyde deployment
in continuation.
Nominated
for service as replenishment carrier for support of British Pacific Fleet
operations as part of Fleet Train
1 9 4 5
January Embarked
1845 Squadron aircraft and personnel for passage to Australia.
11th Sailed from Clyde with sister ships HMS
KHEDIVE and SPEAKER
Called at Gibraltar.
17th During passage in Mediterranean with HMS SPEAKER BOTH SHIPS
launched aircraft
to carry our search for U-Boat off North African coast.
Calls
made at Port Said and Colombo
February
11th Diverted during passage to Sydney and deployed with HM Escort
Carrier SPEAKER, US
Frigate
USS HUTCHINSON, Australian Corvettes WARRNAMBOOL and CASTLEMAINE
to carry out air search for two mercantiles
off west coast of Australia.
(Note : search was unsuccessful)
22nd On arrival at Sydney joined HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers SPEAKER, RULER. STRIKER
and CHASER IN 30th Aircraft Carrier Squadron for service in
Fleet Train.
(Note : Fleet Train had been created to support Royal Navy
warships deployed with
US Navy for operations in SW Pacific. It was designated Task
Force 112.)
For
details of function and composition of Fleet Train see THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET BY J Winton and Naval Staff History.
Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes was changed to R313 to conform
with US Navy identity for this type of warship.)
March Embarked
23 aircraft for delivery to Fleet aircraft carriers.
11th Passage to British
Forward Base at Manus, Admiralty Islands.
19th Sailed from Manus to US Navy Forward
Base at Leyte.
Allocated for transport of replacement aircraft to operational
area.
23rd British Pacific Fleet joined US Fifth
Fleet at Leyte and designated Task Force 57.
26th Arrived at Leyte.
29th Sailed from Leyte with replacement aircraft.
30th Deployed with HM Escort Carrier STRIKER
IN Fleet Train during replenishment of BPF
ships carrying out air operations against Japanese airfields
in the Sakishima-Gunto
Group (Operation ICEBERG ONE).
(Note : Ships of Fleet Train transferred to the US Forward
Base at Leyte which was
nearer to operational area.)
April Deployed with Fleet Train for aircraft
delivery during replenishment period.
5th Supplied 22 replacement aircraft to
ships of Task Force 57 and recovered two flyable
but unserviceable.
(Note : HMS SLINGER and HMS STRIKER carried 56 replacement
aircraft during ICEBERG
ONE, of which
43 were delivered to Fleet carriers.)
6th Passage to Leyte.
8th Arrived at Leyte.
May Deployed
for transport of aircraft to Manus for delivery to Fleet during further
joint attacks by TF37 and US ships on Sakishima-Gunto
(Operation ICEBERG TWO).
June Replacement
ferry duties in continuation during preparations for attacks by BPF on
Japanese mainland.
July Passage to Sydney from
Manus.
August After
withdrawal of the majority of BPF from operations off Japan took passage to
Hong Kong for support of re-occupation
