1
9 4 3
May
Contractors trials and commissioning.
31st
Build completion and entered US Navy
service.
July
Passage
to East coast of USA
as USS PYBUS
August
6th
Transferred to Royal Navy and
commissioned as HMS EMPEROR.
Passage
to Clyde
(Note: On
20th August with Convoy HX253 to be
confirmed
September
3rd
Arrived in Clyde.
(Note:
HX253 arrived in Liverpool
on 4tt September)
7th
Taken in hand at Belfast
for
modification to suit deployment for RN
service.
(Note: This
included modification to petrol supply
system
carried out in all US
built CVE
following loss of HM Escort Carrier
DASHER.)
November
Under
modification
to
On completion of post refit trials
embarked 20 HELLCAT aircraft and
personnel
December
of 800 and 804 squadrons.
1
9 4 4
January
Carried
out work-up for operational service in Clyde
(Note:
Deployment in Western Approaches command
to be
confirmed.)
February
Atlantic deployment in
continuation.
(Note: One
source records one complete Atlantic
passage to Norfolk
and return
Use of convoy
defence and transport of aircraft to
be confirmed.)
March
Nominated
for Home Fleet service
18th
Passage to Scapa
Flow on release
from Atlantic convoy defence.
30th
Deployed with HM Escort Carriers
SEARCHER, PURSUER and FENCER and ships
of Home
Fleet
to provide cover for passage of Russian
Convoy JW58 and to carry out attack on
the
German
battleship TIRPITZ in Altenfjord,
Norway (Operation TUNGSTEN)
(Note: Home
Fleet ships included HM Battleship
ANSON, HM
Aircraft Carriers FURIOUS
and
VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers BELFAST,
ROYALIST, SHEFFIELD and JAMAICA
with screen
of 14 Fleet Destroyers.
For
details of all Russian Convoy operations
and attacks on TIRPITZ see CONVOYS TO
RUSSIA
by RA Ruegg,
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield,
ARCTIC
CONVOYS
by R Woodman and CONVOY! by
P Kemp.)
April
Home Fleet TUNGSTEN deployment in
continuation.
3rd
Detached from covering duty with HMS
ANSON, HMS FURIOUS, HMS VICTORIOUS,
HM
Escort Aircraft Carriers PURSUER,
SEARCHER, STRIKER three cruisers and
screen
of five
destroyers to carry out attacks on
TIRPITZ.
Provided
air cover during bombing attacks carried
out by HMS VICTORIOUS aircraft.
(Note: 14
hits were obtained and battleship damage
required
four weeks repair.)
5th
Return passage to Scapa
Flow with Home Fleet ships.
21st
Sailed from Scapa
Flow with HMS ANSON, HMS
VICTORIOUS, HMS FURIOUS, HMS
SEARCHER,
HMS STRIKER
and HMS PURSUER with Home Fleet
cruisers and destroyers
to carry out
further air attacks on TIRPITZ
(Operation
PLANET)
24th
Operation delayed by weather conditions.
25th
Further delay due to weather made
cancellation necessary.
26th
Embarked aircraft carried out attacks on
Norwegian coastal shipping in Bodo
area.
(Operation
RIDGE ABLE. Three mercantiles sunk and another
damaged.)
May
Home
Fleet duties in continuation.
8th
Deployed with HMS SEARCHER and HMS
STRIKER to carry out attacks in N.Kristiansund
area
(Operation HOOPS)
(Note: Five
enemy aircraft were destroyed for loss
of two
HELLCAT.
Patrol
Vessel V5704 damaged and ships in
convoy.)
14th
Deployed with HMS STRIKER covered by HM
Cruisers SHEFFIELD and ROYALIST with a
to
screen of
6 Home Fleet destroyers to carry out
attacks on shipping at Rorvik
and
15th
Stadlandet.
No sinkings
reported.
(Operations POTLUCK ABLE and BAKER )
16th
Returned to Scapa
Flow with Home
Fleet ships.
20th
Resumed Western
Approaches duties.
23rd
Deployed to provide air cover for
passage of outward joint convoy
OS78/KMS52
to
and
inward joint Convoy SL158/MKS49
during Atlantic passages
31st
June
On
release from Atlantic escort took
passage to join HMS TRACKER and HMS
PURSUER
in SW
Approaches to intercept U-Boats
attempting to attack
allied invasion convoys to
landing
beaches in Normandy,
(Operation
NEPTUNE
- For details of naval
activities prior to and during allied
landings see
OPERATION
NEPTUNE
by K Edwards and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, JUNE 1944
(HMSO).)
Resumed Atlantic
convoy defence duties on release from
NEPTUNE.
18th
Squadron 804 merged with Squadron 800 to
form single unit.
July
Nominated
for service in Mediterranean and took passage to Malta.
(Note: WALRUS aircraft from 700 Squadron
embarked.)
Passage
to Mediterranean
25th
Arrived in Malta
for
service with Mediterranean Fleet.
Prepared for
support of allied landings in South
France (Operation
DRAGOON).
(Note: This
Operation was under US
overall command.)
August
Joined
HM Cruisers ROYALIST and DELHI
with HM Escort Carriers
ATTACKER
KHEDIVE,
SEARCHER and PURSUER and nominated for
duty in Task Group 88.1.
Carried out joint
exercises in western Mediterranean
prior to
landings.
15th
Embarked aircraft carried out patrols
over beachhead and made offensive strike
in support of
landings as required by Air Task Force
Commander.
42
Sorties made.
16th
40 Sorties made for support of landings.
17th
Embarked aircraft took part with those
from HMS KHEDIVE in attacks on Port Cros.
30
Sorties made including attacks on road
and rail traffic.
One
HELLCAT ditched.
18th
16 Sorties flown
19th
Embarked aircraft carried cut attacks on
retreating German columns for a 48 hour
period.
34
Sorties flown
See
LANDINGS IN SOUTH OF FRANCE (HMSO).
20th
Replenished at Maddalena
21st
Embarked aircraft carried out attacks
on targets in Rhone valley
(Note:
Increased HELLCAT radius of operation
proved of
significant value.
36 Sorties flown.)
22nd
Embarked aircraft flew 24 sorties
against
shore targets
Four
HELLCAT Aircraft failed to return
safely.
23rd
Embarked aircraft made 32 sorties
against shore targets.
24th
Took passage to Maddalena
with ships of Task Group 88.1 to
refuel and
re-arm.
(Note:
Summary: 252 Sorties flown with loss of
11
aircraft.)
27th
Released from
DRAGOON and resumed RN control by CinC
Mediterranean
Fleet.
Nominated
for service in British Aegean Force for
support of allied re-occupation
of islands
in eastern Mediterranean.
Passage to Alexandria
with call
at Malta.
September
Joined
British Aegean Force with HMS HUNTER,
STALKER, ATTACKER, SEARCHER,
PURSUER
and KHEDIVE.
(Note:
Other ships in Force included HM
Cruisers ORION, AJAX,
ROYALIST, AURORA,
ARGONAUT,
BLACK PRINCE and COLOMBO, Destroyers of 24th Flotilla and
HUNT
Class Destroyers. See
Naval Staff History and Military Staff
History.)
2nd
Arrived at Alexandria.
14th
Sailed from Alexandria
with HMS PURSUER to provide
air cover during operations against
evacuation
craft and carry out air attacks on
shipping and
shore targets.
(Operation OUTING
1.)
16th
Air Attacks made near Milos
17th
Carried out anti-shipping sweeps and
reconnaissance flights
18th
Air attacks carried out on transport in
Crete.
19th
Air attacks carried out on Rhodes.
21st
Replenished at Alexandria.
30th
Deployed for air attacks in Aegean
(Operation OUTING 2)
October
1st
Carried out air
operations in Aegean
including
shipping attacks and shore attacks in
Crete.
to
(Note: HELLCAT aircraft diverted to
Turkey when undercarriage inoperable.)
4th
Returned to Alexandria
on
release.
8th
Sailed from Alexandria
with HM
Cruiser ROYALIST for further
operations in Aegean.
11th
Carried out
attacks on shipping off Salonika
prior to
the allied re-occupation of Greece.
12th
During return passage to Alexandria
to refuel carried cut
further air attacks on Rhodes
13th
Sailed from Alexandria
as part of Force 120 for
allied occupation of Athens
.
(Operation
MANNA)
(For
details see Military Staff History, Eastern Mediterranean).
(Note:
Force 120 included HM Cruisers ROYALIST,
ORION, AJAX,
AURORA, BLACK
PRINCE,
SIRIUS and COLOMBO, HM AA Ship ULSTER
QUEEN, HMS STALKER
and HMS
ATTACKER screened
by HM
Destroyers TROUBRIDGE,
TERMAGANT,
TUSCAN, TYRIAN and Polish
ORP GARLAND.)
14th
Deployed for air
operations on passage to Athens.
15th
Provided air cover
during re-occupation.
19th
Embarked German Prisoners-of-War at Khios
Carried out
dive-bombing attack on radar on Milos
destroying this target,
26th
Deployed in support of operations
prior
to re-occupation of. Milos
(Operation CONTEMPT.)
(Note: The
support included bombardment spotting
and air
strikes.)
November
Deployment
in support of operations to re-occupy Aegean
islands in continuation.
Nominated
for return to UK
for refit prior to service
with East Indies Fleet
.
(Note: East Indies Fleet was formed on 22nd November when some ships of Eastern
Fleet
transferred
to newly formed British Pacific Fleet.)
14th
Provided cover for spotting aircraft
during bombardment of Milos
by HM Battleship
KING
GEORGE V.
15th
Passage to Gibraltar
escorted by Polish destroyer
ORP GARLAND.
December
Arrived
at Newport, Mon. after landing 800 Squadron
aircraft and
personnel.
Taken
in hand for refit and prepared for foreign
service.
1
9
4 5
January
On
completion of post refit trials and
work-up resumed operational service.
Embarked 800
Squadron aircraft and personnel before
leaving UK.
February
Passage
to Trincomalee via Mediterranean to join 21st Aircraft Carrier Sqdn.
March
25th
Arrived at Colombo
Joined
HM Escort Carriers BEGUM, EMPRESS, SHAH,
AMEER, KHEDIVE, SLINGER
and SPEAKER
in Eastern Fleet based at Trincomalee.
April
Eastern Fleet deployment with
Squadron.
Nominated
for carrying out photographic
reconnaissance flights at ports in
southern Malaya
as part of
Operation SUNFISH by East Indies Fleet
HELLCAT
and AVENGER aircraft embarked to
supplement 800
Squadron
strength.
8th
Sailed from Trincomalee as part of
Force 63 for joint operation to carry
out the
reconnaissance
flights and a bombardments in the Andamans
and Sumatra.
(Note:
Bombardment group comprised RN
battleship HMS QUEEN
ELIZABETH and
French
battleship RICHELIEU and HM Cruiser
LONDON screened by HM
Destroyers
SAUMAREZ, VERULAM
and VIGILANT.)
Carrier
group comprised HM Escort Carriers
EMPEROR and KHEDIVE with HM
Cruiser CUMBERLAND
screened
by HM Destroyers VENUS and VIRAGO.)
11th
Bombardment group detached for attacks
on Sabang
by battleships and cruiser with
air cover
from the two CVE. During retaliatory air
attacks
two of enemy aircraft
shot down by
fighters from CVE.
12th
Planned launch of
aircraft delayed by defect in
catapult.
Ships
refuelled from Tankers of Force 70.
14th
Aircraft launched for reconnaissance
over Penang, Port Swettenham and Port Dickson
to
during
which one enemy aircraft was shot down
and one carrier aircraft lost.
15th
Mission
was successful.
16th
Took part in air
strikes at Emmahaven,
port
of Padang,
Sumatra.
One
submarine chaser (Ch 7) was sunk and a
freighter damaged.
20th
Returned to Trincomalee with Force 63.
Additional
HELLCAT and AVENGER supplementary
aircraft landed
For
details see Naval Staff History and WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO).
23rd
Sailed with Eastern Fleet ships from
Trincomalee to Akyab
prior to provision of
air cover for
assault convoys on passage to Rangoon
(Operation DRACULA).
27th
Deployed with HM Escort Carriers HUNTER,
STALKER and KHEDIVE of Squadron
to
covered
by HM Cruisers PHOEBE and ROYALIST.
Provided air cover during passage
30th
of assault
convoys.
May
1st
Present during
landings at Rangoon
and
provided air cover.
4th
Released from DRACULA and took passage
with ships of Squadron Sqdn.
to carry out
air strikes
on Burmese coastal targets between Mergui
and Port Victoria.
5th
Carried out air attacks with ships of
Squadron till 6th May.
7th
Passage to Trincomalee
with Squadron.
9th
Arrived at Trincomalee.
10th
Joined Force 61 which was formed after
report of Japanese warships on passage
to
Andamans.
(Note:
Force 61 comprised HM Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH,
French RICHELIEU, HM
Cruisers
ROYALIST and CUMBERLAND, Dutch cruiser TROMP, HM Escort
Carriers
HUNTER,
KHEDIVE, SHAH
and EMPEROR of 21st Carrier Squadron
screened by
HM
Destroyers SAUMAREZ, VENUS, VERULAM,
VIRAGO, VIGILANT of 26th
Destroyer
Flotilla and ROTHERHAM, TARTAR and NUBIAN of 11th Destroyer
Flotilla.
Sailed from
Trincomalee with Force 61 to intercept
Japanese ships.
(Operation
DUKEDOM).
13th
Force 61 refuelled from Force 70
Replenishment Group.
14th
Detached from Force 61 with ships of
Squadron to position 50 miles west of Six
Degree Channel to
carry out air search operations.
15th
Aircraft from HMS SHAH operated from
ship because of defective catapult in
HMS SHAH.
Four
AVENGER aircraft launched for to carry
out search for Japanese ships.
Auxiliary
Supply Ship KUROSHIO MARU and Submarine
Chaser No 57 sighted.
Bomb
attack made by one AVENGER aircraft
which was hit by return fire and forced
into the sea.
(Note:
Owing to a series of errors the crew
were not located
and their dinghy
drifted
ashore when the aircrew were captured.
See
WAR WITH JAPAN,
SINK THE HAGURO and Naval
Staff History.)
Further
search for these two ships was
unsuccessful and they escaped to Penang.
Later
that morning an AVENGER aircraft
belonging to HMS SHAH but operating from
ship sighted
Japanese cruiser HAGURO and Japanese
destroyer
KAMIKAZE which were
bombed during
the afternoon by 3 embarked AVENGER
aircraft.
Only slight damage was
(Note:
This sighting resulted in
a brilliant night torpedo action by
ships of
the
26th Destroyer Flotilla during which
HAGURO was sunk
See
SINK THE HAGURO by J Winton and Naval
Staff History.)
21st
Returned to
Trincomalee with Fleet units.
June
Eastern Fleet deployment with Squadron
in
continuation.
July
Deployed
with HMS AMEER as part of Force 61 to
provide cover for a
minesweeping
operation off
Car Nicobar
by 6th
Minesweeping Flotilla and launch air
strikes
on airfields
in North Sumatra
(Operation COLLIE).
(Note: HM
Cruiser NIGERIA
was also part of Force 61
with HM Destroyers ROEBUCK
ESKIMO and VIGILANT
as screen.)
WALRUS
aircraft of 1700 Squadron and personnel
joined.
5th
Embarked aircraft carried cut air
strikes during bombardments by HMS
NIGERIA
to
and attached destroyers. Six
aircraft were lost.
10th
11th
Embarked aircraft launched for air
strikes with HMS AMEER on airfields at Kota
Raja and Lho
Nga
in NW Sumatra.
Single
Japanese aircraft which approached shot
down.
14th
Returned to
Trincomalee with ships of Force 61.
August
Prepared
for cover of British landings in Malaya
(Operation ZIPPER)
15th
Sailed with East
Indies Fleet to implement planned
landings.
(Note:
Fleet commanded by Admiral, 3rd Battle
Squadron, in
HMS NELSON.)
Setting up of
advanced base at Penang
(Operation JURIST.)
16th
JURIST delayed for 48 hours By General
Macarthur.
(See Final Report by
SEAC
(HMSO).
19th
Further delay imposed until Japanese
signed Surrender terms in Tokyo.
28th
Arrived off Penang.
(Note:
Pennant Number R307 was allocated for
visual
signalling purposes to
conform with
US Navy identity for warships of this
type.)
September
Passage to landing area from Penang.
9th
Provided air cover during landings
with ships of Squadron
(Note:
Squadron ships engaged included HM
Cruiser ROYALIST,
HM Escort Carriers
HUNTER, KHEDIVE,
PURSUER, TRUMPETER and STALKER.
HM
Battleship
NELSON
and French
Battleship RICHELIEU with HM Cruisers CEYLON,
CLEOPATRA
and NIGERIA
also took part. For details
of all ships in East Indies
Fleet
on VJ Day see THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J
Winton and above references.
10th
Deployed at Singapore
with ships of
Squadron.