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).