January Contractors
trials,
9th Commissioned and transferred to Royal
Navy as HMS HUNTER.
11th Build completion and acceptance trials
31st Carried out post-build trials in West Indies)
February Post
Build trials and shakedown in West Indies continued.
March Passage
to Norfolk Va.
5th Joined US Convoy UGF6 from Norfolk for passage to Casablanca.
Detached
from UGF6 and took passage to Clyde
Nominated for refit in Dundee commercial
shipyard.
April Passage from Clyde to Dundee.
12th On arrival at Dundee taken in
hand for modifications to suit RN use.
May Under refit for modifications to suit RN use
including petrol supply system.
to
July
August On
completion of modifications worked-up for operational service.
Allocated for service in Western
Approaches Command for Atlantic convoy defence.
Nominated for service in support of planned allied
landings on Italian mainland
and prepared for foreign
service (Operation AVALANCHE).
834 Squadron SWORDFISH aircraft and personnel
embarked.
(Note: During passage in
heavy weather several aircraft were badly damaged another
aircraft broke loose.
Ship returned to Clyde to embark replacement
aircraft and took passage again to
Gibraltar
899 Squadron SEAFIRE aircraft embarked.
17th Part of escort for
joint military convoy KMF22/WS33 from Clyde with.
HM Cruiser SHROPSHIRE, HM Destroyer WRESTLER, HM
Sloops CHANTICLEER,
NARBADA (RIN), WESTON, HM Cutter TOTLAND, HM Frigates BARLE, ETTRICK
and USK.
Cover for Atlantic passage was provided by HM Cruiser
CHARYBDIS in Bay
of Biscay between 20th and
22nd August.
On arrival at Gibraltar took passage to join Force V
(Carrier Task Force).
September
5th Joined
Force V (Designated Force 88 for AVALANCHE) and took part in exercises in
preparation for landings at Salerno)
(Force V comprised HM Cruisers EURYALUS, CHARYBDIS
and SCYLLA, HM Light
Fleet
Carrier UNICORN, HM Escort Aircraft Carriers BATTLER,
ATTACKER and
STALKER. HM Destroyers
CLEVELAND, HOLCOMBE, ATHERSTONE, LIDDESDALE,
FARNDALE, CALPE, HAYDON,
Polish destroyers ORP SLAZAK and ORP KRAKOWIAK
deployed as screen).
6th Deployed at Malta with Force V.
8th Provided air
cover during passage of assault convoys to Salerno.
(Operation AVALANCHE. For details see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
C. Barnett, Naval Staff History. and
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser.).
9th Deployed
off Salerno during assault landings for gunnery observation
and defence of the
anchorage against air
attacks.
(Note: During this
operation air attacks using radio controlled bombs were used for the
first time in the Mediterranean. See above references.)
12th Five SEAFIRE aircraft were landed at Paesrum when shore airfield was available.
14th After release from AVALANCHE Force V
disbanded.
Took passage to UK with call
at Gibraltar.
Repair arranged at Dundee.
30th Arrived at Dundee.
October Under
repair
to
November
December
3rd Sustained damage during undocking at Dundee.
Repair arranged in Clyde shipyard.
Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation.
Nominated for further refit to improve
facilities for use as an Assault carrier.
(For details of improvements to Command and Control
facilities see RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse.)
1 9
4 4
January Under refit and on completion
deployed in Western Approaches to work-up and for
to further service in Mediterranean.
March
April Took part in preparatory exercises in NW
Approaches prior to planned landings in
the South of France (Operation ANVIL).
Embarked 807 Squadron SEAFIRE
aircraft and personnel.
May Deployed
at Scapa
Flow
for planned operation HOOPS
(Note: HMS ATTACKER and HMS
HUNTER were also to take part in this attack
on Norwegian coast shipping
which was cancelled )
Passage to Mediterranean for convoy
defence.
807 squadron aircraft carried.
(Note: RN ships taking part
in Operation DRAGOON were under overall command of
Vice Admiral HK Hewitt, US Navy. See INVASION OF THE
SOUTH OF
FRANCE.)
June Convoy
defence for military convoys during passage to assembly ports continued.
July 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:
Other ships in TG88.2 included:
US aircraft carriers USS TULAGI
and KASAN BAY, HM Cruisers CALEDON
and COLOMBO with screen of six US Navy
destroyers.
27th Codename for landings changed to
Operation DRAGOON.
August Carried
out exercises off Malta prior to landings in South France.
(See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and above reference.)
15th Arrived in Assault area south of beaches
and carried out patrols flying operation*.
to Deployed
in position south of beaches and carried out patrols, gunfire spotting,
27th shore attacks and
other duties as required by Air Task Force Commander.
(Note: Carriers retired to
south of beach heads overnight and went to Maddalena
to replenish. See INVASION
OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE (HMSO) and ENGAGE
THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett.)
Released from DRAGOON and returned to RN control by CinC Mediterranean.
30th Joined British Aegean Force for support
of operations to occupy islands in East
(Note: Other ships in
British Aegean Force included HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers STALKER. EMPEROR,
ATTACKER, SEARCHER, PURSUER, KHEDIVE,
HM Cruisers BLACK PRINCE, ARGONAUT, ROYALIST, AURORA, AJAX, ORION
and COLOMBO with destroyers of 24th
Flotilla and HUNT Class Escort Destroyers.
See WINE DARK SEA by Lew Lind.)
September
9th Deployed
with same CVE for attacks on air defences and ships evacuating German forces
from Crete,
Scarpanto and Rhodes (Operation
OUTING I).
15th Returned to Alexandria to replenish
30th Sailed from Alexandria to resume Aegean operations
(Operation OUTING II)
October
5th Aircraft
provided observation for bombardment of Levitha by HM
Cruiser AURORA.
7th Aircraft attacked evacuation shipping.
9th Aircraft attacks made on Cos and evacuation ships.
11th Relieved by HMS ATTACKER and returned to
Alexandria.
31st Released from Mediterranean Fleet
deployment and took passage to UK with HMS
ATTACKER and STALKER.
November
11th Arrived
in UK
Nominated for refit prior to transfer to East Indies
Fleet based in Ceylon
Passage to Malta
December
6th Under refit.
1 9 4 5
January On
completion of refit work carried out post refit trials.
February
21st Took passage to Ceylon.
March
8th Joined 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron,
East
Indies Fleet at Trincomalee
(Note:
Other ships in Squadron were:
HM Cruiser ROYALIST (Flag), HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers STALKER, KHEDIVE
Nominated for support of landings
at Rangoon (Operation
DRACULA).
(See OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray, THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET, by J.Winton and
Naval Staff History. but this latter reference does not include HMS HUNTER as
taking part.)
April Deployed
at Trincomalee and prepared for service with Squadron.
23rd Squadron
sailed from Trincomalee with ships of Squadron and HM Cruiser PHOEBE to Akyab
to provide air cover during
passage of assault convoys to Rangoon.
(Note: Screened by HM
Destroyers SAUMAREZ, VIGILANT, VENUS and VIRAGO.
30th Squadron provided air cover during
passage of assault convoys until 4th May.
May Squadron Experience poor weather conditions during covering
operations.
2nd Assault landings covered by aircraft
from Squadron commenced.
4th Squadron released from DRACULA.
6th Squadron carried out air attacks on
targets between Mergui and Victoria Point.
7th On completion of air strikes Squadron
took passage to Trincomalee.
9th Squadron returned to Trincomalee with
East Indies Fleet ships.
10th Deployed
with HM Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH, French battleship RICHELIEU, ships
of 21st Squadron, HM
Cruisers ROYALIST and CUMBERLAND, Dutch Cruiser TROMP and
screen of eight destroyers
from Trincomalee as Force 61.
(Operation DUKEDOM to intercept and destroy enemy
ships evacuating Andamans and
Nicobar Islands.)
13th Provided fuel for
escorting destroyers.
14th Detached from Force 61 with HMS CUMBERLAND and destroyers of
26th Flotilla.
Carried out search for Japanese
ships (Operation MITRE).
15th Aircraft took part in search operations
for Japanese evacuation ships.
(Note: Enemy ships sighted
by an AVENGER aircraft of 351 Squadron which carried
out an attack and was shot
down. These were KUROSHIO with SC57 as escort
on passage from Nancowry to Malaya. Search for crew failed and
they were taken
prisoner after drifting on
to coast of Burma.
Another AVENGER aircraft of 851 Squadron also
operating from HMS EMPEROR sighted
the Japanese cruiser HAGURO
and destroyer KAMIKAZE. A subsequent
attack by three
AVENGER aircraft from HMS EMPEROR caused no major
damage. HAGURO then
altered course to east. For
details see Naval Staff History.)
HAGURA was sunk in outstanding night destroyer attack
by 26th Destroyer Flotilla.
(For full details of the search operations and
sinking of HAGURO see references
above and SINK THE HAGURO by
J Winton.)
16th Carried out air attacks on Andaman Island with HMS KHEDIVE.
17th Passage to
Trincomalee with Squadron.
June Deployed
with HM Escort Carrier ATTACKER for transport of aircraft from India to
to Ceylon for use during future
operations.
July Nominated
for support of landings in Malaya (Operation ZIPPER)
Prepared for support of landings.
(Note: These landings were
delayed by the need to implement policy relating to
return of military personnel
from Far
East
under the PYTHON Scheme.
Revised date for ZIPPER became 9th September
See above references and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J
de Winser,)
August
15th Sailed from
Trincomalee with East Indies Fleet to implement ZIPPER.
Fleet commanded by Admiral Walker, 3rd Battle
Squadron in HM Battleship NELSON.
(Operation JURIST - Setting up of advanced base at Penang.)
16th JURIST delayed for 48 hours at US
insistence.
19th JURIST again delayed until after signing
of surrender in Tokyo.
28th East Indies ships arrived off Penang.
September
1st Present at
formal surrender at Penang on board
HM Battleship NELSON.
4th Passage to Singapore with occupation ships
9th Provided air cover during landings
near Port Swettenham with the other carriers
of Squadron.
(Note: Ships deployed
during occupation included HMS ROYALIST, HM Escort Carriers
STALKER, ARCHER, KHEDIVE, EMPEROR and STALKER with
HMS NELSON
and the French battleship RICHELIEU,
See THE FORGOTTEN FLEET, OPERATION PACIFIC and
BRITISH
INVASION FLEETS.)
10th Deployed at Singapore for re-occupation.