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RE: Just for fun - 7/27/2010 6:04:59 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
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quote:

ORIGINAL: brian brian

nice stuff....didn't the Thai MIL piece have a write-up done for the Thai/French war too? or the Indo-China TERR? Not sure if the write-ups are linked internally?

and I would imagine the Italians probably launched the hulls intended for Thailand and perhaps became other WiF counters instead?

Warspite1

I have not seen the Thai Mil write-up so unable to assist on that question.

Yes you are right on the Italian cruisers - they became Etna and Vesuvio, although neither were actually completed before the Germans took over northern Italy. WIF allows the Italian player to build both of these.

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to brian brian)
Post #: 1741
RE: Just for fun - 7/27/2010 10:24:48 AM   
Froonp


Posts: 7995
Joined: 10/21/2003
From: Marseilles, France
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: brian brian

nice stuff....didn't the Thai MIL piece have a write-up done for the Thai/French war too? or the Indo-China TERR? Not sure if the write-ups are linked internally?

and I would imagine the Italians probably launched the hulls intended for Thailand and perhaps became other WiF counters instead?

Warspite1

I have not seen the Thai Mil write-up so unable to assist on that question.

Yes you are right on the Italian cruisers - they became Etna and Vesuvio, although neither were actually completed before the Germans took over northern Italy. WIF allows the Italian player to build both of these.

Does it appear in the Etna and Vesuvio write ups that they were started as an order for the Thai navy ?

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1742
RE: Just for fun - 7/27/2010 7:29:52 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Froonp

quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: brian brian

nice stuff....didn't the Thai MIL piece have a write-up done for the Thai/French war too? or the Indo-China TERR? Not sure if the write-ups are linked internally?

and I would imagine the Italians probably launched the hulls intended for Thailand and perhaps became other WiF counters instead?

Warspite1

I have not seen the Thai Mil write-up so unable to assist on that question.

Yes you are right on the Italian cruisers - they became Etna and Vesuvio, although neither were actually completed before the Germans took over northern Italy. WIF allows the Italian player to build both of these.

Does it appear in the Etna and Vesuvio write ups that they were started as an order for the Thai navy ?

Warspite1

Yes it does. What you have in the master file - and thus "on the counters" at the moment (see extract below) was a first draft - but as its topical, I will finalise the write up for these two at the weekend.

The Etna-class comprised two cruisers that had been ordered by the Siamese
Government in 1938. They were originally to have been named Taksin (Etna) and
Naresuan (Vesuvio). Work on the ships carried on even when the Italians declared
war on the British and French in June 1940. However, in December 1941, work was
halted before the Italians took over the ships for their own use in August 1942.
They were still some way from completion when the Italians signed the armistice
in September 1943.

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 7/27/2010 7:34:41 PM >


_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Froonp)
Post #: 1743
RE: Just for fun - 7/28/2010 2:20:15 PM   
Extraneous

 

Posts: 1810
Joined: 6/14/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

..and here they are:

[4531 Sri Ayuthia - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 5,200 hp
.B Top Speed: 15.5 knots.
.B Main armament: 4 x 8-inch (203mm), 4 x 3-inch (76.2mm) guns
.B Displacement (standard): 2,265 tons
.B Thickest armour: 2.5-inch (belt)
.P In the early thirties the Siamese navy was very small, consisting of just
two small, British built, coastal defence ships and a collection of elderly
torpedo and gunboats.
.P In the mid-thirties, a new Siamese government authorised an increase in
military expenditure and in particular an increase in naval spending. Siam turned
to Japan and Italy for construction of new coastal defence ships, sloops, torpedo
boats and submarines. The largest of the vessels ordered for the new navy were
two cruisers, although the outbreak of the Second World War meant that they were
never delivered by the Italian builders.
.P As a result, at the outbreak of the war in September 1939, the largest ships
in the Siamese navy were the Sri Ayuthias, a class of two coastal defence ships
that were built for the Siamese navy by the Japanese between 1936 and 1938. The
two ships were named Sri Ayuthia (Ayutthaya) and Dhonburi (Thon Buri) after
ancient capitals of Siam.
.P They were not especially powerful or well armoured ships, certainly when
compared to coastal defence vessels in vogue with the Scandanavian countries, but
their four 8-inch guns, fitted in two twin turrets, were capable of packing a
considerable punch. Anti-aircraft (AA) defence was provided by four single 3-inch
guns supported by four 40mm guns for close-range AA protection.
.P Armour defence was not particularly heavy - certainly when compared with their
European counterparts - and both belt and deck armour was more akin to that given
to contemporary cruisers rather than coastal defence ships.
.P These were slow ships, capable of just over 15 knots.
.P Both vessels were badly damaged during the Battle of Koh Chang, the main naval
engagement of the French-Thai war of 1941. The Siamese tried to take advantage of
the recent French defeat at the hands of Germany and so seize disputed border
areas on the Indo-China-Siam border. The battle took place on the 17th January,
when the French cruiser Lamotte-Picquet and her sloop escorts, decisively
defeated ships of the Siamese navy. The Siamese lost three torpedo boats, and
both of the Sri Ayuthias had to be beached to ensure they did not sink after
being badly damaged. Unfortunately for HTMS Dhonburi, she sank later anyway when
under tow.
.P Her sister was luckier and after being repaired, was to survive the war. HTMS
Sri Ayuthia was scrapped in 1951.
.P Note one World In Flames counter (Sri Ayuthia) is marked with a CA (heavy
cruiser) symbol and one (Dhonburi) with CL (light cruiser). This marking has no
effect on game play other than to indicate that Dhonburi is only available when
playing with Cruisers In Flames.


OOB for the Battle of Koh Chang. January 17, 1941

I guess sunk could be considered "badly damaged".

The sinking of Thonburi (Dhonburi) and her sister ship the Sri Ayuthiya (including the latest version)

If Koh Chang was the main naval engagement of the French-Thai war (October 1940 – May 9, 1941). What were the other naval engagements?


< Message edited by Extraneous -- 7/28/2010 3:11:18 PM >


_____________________________

University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1744
RE: Just for fun - 7/28/2010 8:43:53 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Extraneous

quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

..and here they are:

[4531 Sri Ayuthia - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 5,200 hp
.B Top Speed: 15.5 knots.
.B Main armament: 4 x 8-inch (203mm), 4 x 3-inch (76.2mm) guns
.B Displacement (standard): 2,265 tons
.B Thickest armour: 2.5-inch (belt)
.P In the early thirties the Siamese navy was very small, consisting of just
two small, British built, coastal defence ships and a collection of elderly
torpedo and gunboats.
.P In the mid-thirties, a new Siamese government authorised an increase in
military expenditure and in particular an increase in naval spending. Siam turned
to Japan and Italy for construction of new coastal defence ships, sloops, torpedo
boats and submarines. The largest of the vessels ordered for the new navy were
two cruisers, although the outbreak of the Second World War meant that they were
never delivered by the Italian builders.
.P As a result, at the outbreak of the war in September 1939, the largest ships
in the Siamese navy were the Sri Ayuthias, a class of two coastal defence ships
that were built for the Siamese navy by the Japanese between 1936 and 1938. The
two ships were named Sri Ayuthia (Ayutthaya) and Dhonburi (Thon Buri) after
ancient capitals of Siam.
.P They were not especially powerful or well armoured ships, certainly when
compared to coastal defence vessels in vogue with the Scandanavian countries, but
their four 8-inch guns, fitted in two twin turrets, were capable of packing a
considerable punch. Anti-aircraft (AA) defence was provided by four single 3-inch
guns supported by four 40mm guns for close-range AA protection.
.P Armour defence was not particularly heavy - certainly when compared with their
European counterparts - and both belt and deck armour was more akin to that given
to contemporary cruisers rather than coastal defence ships.
.P These were slow ships, capable of just over 15 knots.
.P Both vessels were badly damaged during the Battle of Koh Chang, the main naval
engagement of the French-Thai war of 1941. The Siamese tried to take advantage of
the recent French defeat at the hands of Germany and so seize disputed border
areas on the Indo-China-Siam border. The battle took place on the 17th January,
when the French cruiser Lamotte-Picquet and her sloop escorts, decisively
defeated ships of the Siamese navy. The Siamese lost three torpedo boats, and
both of the Sri Ayuthias had to be beached to ensure they did not sink after
being badly damaged. Unfortunately for HTMS Dhonburi, she sank later anyway when
under tow.
.P Her sister was luckier and after being repaired, was to survive the war. HTMS
Sri Ayuthia was scrapped in 1951.
.P Note one World In Flames counter (Sri Ayuthia) is marked with a CA (heavy
cruiser) symbol and one (Dhonburi) with CL (light cruiser). This marking has no
effect on game play other than to indicate that Dhonburi is only available when
playing with Cruisers In Flames.


OOB for the Battle of Koh Chang. January 17, 1941

I guess sunk could be considered "badly damaged".

The sinking of Thonburi (Dhonburi) and her sister ship the Sri Ayuthiya (including the latest version)

If Koh Chang was the main naval engagement of the French-Thai war (October 1940 – May 9, 1941). What were the other naval engagements?

Warspite1

Can I ask why you choose that website for the OOB for Koh Chang? What is it that makes this OOB any more or less correct than others? I found numerous websites/articles about the battle - these state often in quite contradictory terms: both were sunk and raised /or both were beached, even Sri Ayuthia or Dhonburi were not there (which somewhat contradicts the website you refer to)! etc etc. Whether Sri Ayuthia was actually sunk and raised or just damaged and beached, I have no idea. As is often the case, I have had to take a view on which version to believe and to mention - I have taken the view she was damaged and beached (to stop her sinking) and the same for Dhonburi - except she sank while being towed.

I know of no other major battle but I suspect that there had to be the odd skirmishes during that short war involving the sloops, gun-boats, torpedo boats or submarines of either side. This is why I said the main battle. Or was it a rhetorical question? As you have done some work on the French OOB do you care to share any info you may have come across?


< Message edited by warspite1 -- 7/28/2010 10:02:39 PM >


_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Extraneous)
Post #: 1745
RE: Just for fun - 7/29/2010 1:17:19 AM   
Extraneous

 

Posts: 1810
Joined: 6/14/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

(1) Can I ask why you choose that website for the OOB for Koh Chang? What is it that makes this OOB any more or less correct than others? I found numerous websites/articles about the battle - these state often in quite contradictory terms: both were sunk and raised /or both were beached, even Sri Ayuthia or Dhonburi were not there (which somewhat contradicts the website you refer to)! etc etc. Whether Sri Ayuthia was actually sunk and raised or just damaged and beached, I have no idea. As is often the case, I have had to take a view on which version to believe and to mention - I have taken the view she was damaged and beached (to stop her sinking) and the same for Dhonburi - except she sank while being towed.

(2) I know of no other major battle but I suspect that there had to be the odd skirmishes during that short war involving the sloops, gun-boats, torpedo boats or submarines of either side. This is why I said the main battle. Or was it a rhetorical question? As you have done some work on the French OOB do you care to share any info you may have come across?



(1) It isn't wikipedia (I preefer not to use wikipedia), it has nice graphics (thought you might like to see it), and (if I'm right ) it's from Belgium (nice to see people in other countries doing good work). The site has an index of battles but it is not easy to find and you've probably noticed some of the provided links don't function.

Most of the naval sites I have seen list both ships sunk and later raised even though run aground.


(2) You should use "In the only major naval engagement".

"Main" indicates more than one.

"In the only major" shows this is the premiere action.

< Message edited by Extraneous -- 7/29/2010 1:25:33 AM >


_____________________________

University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1746
RE: Just for fun - 7/29/2010 6:17:05 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Extraneous

quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

(1) Can I ask why you choose that website for the OOB for Koh Chang? What is it that makes this OOB any more or less correct than others? I found numerous websites/articles about the battle - these state often in quite contradictory terms: both were sunk and raised /or both were beached, even Sri Ayuthia or Dhonburi were not there (which somewhat contradicts the website you refer to)! etc etc. Whether Sri Ayuthia was actually sunk and raised or just damaged and beached, I have no idea. As is often the case, I have had to take a view on which version to believe and to mention - I have taken the view she was damaged and beached (to stop her sinking) and the same for Dhonburi - except she sank while being towed.

(2) I know of no other major battle but I suspect that there had to be the odd skirmishes during that short war involving the sloops, gun-boats, torpedo boats or submarines of either side. This is why I said the main battle. Or was it a rhetorical question? As you have done some work on the French OOB do you care to share any info you may have come across?



(1) It isn't wikipedia (I preefer not to use wikipedia), it has nice graphics (thought you might like to see it), and (if I'm right ) it's from Belgium (nice to see people in other countries doing good work). The site has an index of battles but it is not easy to find and you've probably noticed some of the provided links don't function.

Most of the naval sites I have seen list both ships sunk and later raised even though run aground.


(2) You should use "In the only major naval engagement".

"Main" indicates more than one.

"In the only major" shows this is the premiere action.

Warspite1

I shall keep the first point as written, but amend the second point.

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Extraneous)
Post #: 1747
RE: Just for fun - 7/31/2010 4:20:00 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
...and here is the proposed write-up for Etna and Vesuvio

[5013 Etna - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 40,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 28 knots
.B Main armament: 6 x 5.3-inch (135mm), 10 x 65mm guns
.B Displacement (standard): 5,900 tons
.B Thickest armour: 2.4-inches (belt)
.P Two of the “what if” ships available for construction by the Italian
player are the light cruisers, Etna and Vesuvio.
.P The two ships of what became the Etna-class were ordered from the Italian
shipbuilders CRDA by the Siamese Government in 1938 as part of the Siamese naval
expansion programme. They were originally to be called Taksin and Naresuan, after
two former kings of Siam.
.P Both hulls were laid down in Trieste in 1939 and construction of the two ships
continued after war broke out in Europe that year. Indeed even after the Italian
declaration of war on Britain and France in June 1940, the Italians continued
work on the project, but eventually, with the war going badly for the Italians,
it was decided to halt construction work in December 1941.
.P However, the Italians soon decided that the ships should be completed for
their own navy and, after being re-named, work recommenced during 1942. The names
allocated to the two vessels were Etna (Taksin) and Vesuvio (Naresuan) after the
famous volcanic mountains.
.P Both vessels were still some way from completion when the Italians signed the
armistice in September 1943 and the Germans seized the far from complete
cruisers. However, with no realistic hope of either being completed, the Germans
scuttled the vessels soon after.
.P Both ships were raised after the war and scrapped in 1948.
.P The ships were designed for the Siamese as conventional, 6-inch gunned, light
cruisers. However, when it was decided to complete the ships for the Regia
Marina, their design was altered to that of anti-aircraft (AA) cruisers. The
technical details above reflect how they would have looked in service with the
Regia Marina.
.P As AA ships the Etnas main armament would have been six 5.3-inch guns fitted
in three twin turrets. Close-range AA weapons would have consisted of ten 65mm
and twenty 20mm guns. The original design allowed for the fitting of a catapult
and torpedo tubes, although neither feature were included in the revised version.
.P At just 28 knots, these rather basic designs would not have been particularly
fast, and this lack of speed was not compensated for by particularly impressive
armour protection; horizontal armour being no more than 1.4-inches.
.P In reality, even had the ships been completed, their addition to the fleet
would not have been significant. By 1943 the Regia Marina was woefully lacking in
fuel oil and fleet operations were increasingly limited. They may have been best
employed as part of the AA screen for the carrier Aquila - but she too was
destined to be scuttled before being completed.

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1748
RE: Just for fun - 7/31/2010 9:42:02 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
Having just bought a book on Royal Navy carriers, I fancy having a go at finalising the previous draft versions for some of the RN carriers. Please see two examples: first a "what if" counter from the Audacious-class followed by the revised version of Ark Royal.

[5098 Canada - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 152,000hp
.B Top Speed: 32 knots
.B Main armament: 16 x 4.5-inch (114mm) guns and 64 x 2-pdr pompoms
.B Aircraft: 78
.B Displacement (full load): 46,000 tons
.B Thickest armour: 4.5-inch (belt)
.P This is a "what if" counter that gives the Commonwealth player the option
of building an additional aircraft carrier. For the purposes of this write-up, it
is assumed that the carrier is from the Audacious-class as the factors given to
the counter by ADG most closely match those of the three historical carriers
from that class.
.P The Audacious-class was originally planned as a four-ship class of aircraft
carrier, with the first ship authorised in 1940. However, it was only in late
1942 that this first vessel was laid down, with the second ship following in May
of the following year. The third ship was laid down in April 1944 but ultimately
cancelled in January 1946, while the fourth ship was cancelled before being laid
down and was re-ordered as a Malta-class carrier.
.P The original design called for a logical development of the Implacable-class
although construction was hampered by other priorities and, more importantly, the
need to revise the design to allow the ships to take newer, bigger aircraft and - due
to the length of build time - to ultimately operate jet aircraft.
.P In the end, the two ships that were completed, Eagle and Ark Royal, were only
ready for service during the 1950's and they would look very different not only
to their original design, but also to each other.
.P Marrying the World In Flames counters to their historical counterparts is not
straightforward but can be summarised as follows: the counters are named Eagle
II, Ark Royal II, Audacious and Canada. While under construction, Audacious had
her name changed to Eagle, to commemorate the loss of the carrier of that name
sunk in 1942, Eagle II was the ship cancelled in 1946, Canada is a World In
Flames "what if" counter that effectively replaces HMS Africa - which was the
ship re-ordered as a Malta-class carrier. Finally, Ark Royal II was originally to
have been called Irresistible, but her name was changed to Ark Royal in honour of
the carrier sunk in November 1941.
.P The technical detail above reflects the original design and how they would
have appeared in World War II had their construction been quicker. The design was
a logical development of the Implacable-class, and featured a number of
improvements over their predecessors.
.P At almost a third bigger, the Audacious-class were projected to be able to
operate up to 78 aircraft; still well below the number available to the US Navy's
Essex-class but an increase on the Implacables.
.P The reason that the size of the air group was still less than their smaller US
counterparts was because of the fact that the Audacious-class continued the Royal
Navy's preference for armoured carriers. The protection afforded to these ships
was not greater in every area, but increased or decreased as considered
optimal. For example, while the armoured flight deck was an
extra inch thicker at 4-inches, the hangar sides were 0.5-inches thinner, while
the belt armour, at 4.5-inches, remained the same.
.P The extra weight of this new class allowed a longer, wider vessel with two
full height hangars, thus ensuring that there was no repeat of the problem with
the Implacable-class whereby the latter ships could not operate Corsair aircraft.
These two hangars were served by two lifts.
.P The class were to have been fitted with two, powerful catapults, capable of
launching up to 30,000lbs at 75 knots. The Aviation fuel capacity remained on the
limited side at 103,000 gallons; only a modest increase over the Implacables despite
a larger air group.
.P The Audacious-class were to have been fitted with more powerful machinery than
the Implacables in order to maintain a top speed of 32 knots.
.P For defensive armament, the class were to rely upon sixteen of the 4.5-inch
guns fitted in twin turrets, as used on the previous three classes and sixty-four
2-pounder pompoms for close-range anti-aircraft defence.
.P The ships, had they been completed to their original design and been completed
in time to serve during World War II, would have been an excellent addition to
the Pacific Fleet. As the Commonwealth player, you have the ability to make that
happen.
.P HMS Eagle was scrapped in 1978, having been taken out of service and
cannabalised since 1972 in order to keep HMS Ark Royal in service for as long as
possible. Ark Royal was scrapped in 1980.

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 7/31/2010 3:08:54 PM >


_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1749
RE: Just for fun - 7/31/2010 9:44:41 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
2/2

[4535 Ark Royal - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 102,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 30.75 knots
.B Main armament: 16 x 4.5-inch (114mm) guns and 48 x 2-pdr pompoms
.B Aircraft: 54
.B Displacement (full load): 27,720 tons
.B Thickest armour: 4.5-inch (belt)
.P The Ark Royal was the first modern carrier designed for the Royal Navy
(RN). The sole ship of her class, she was laid down in 1935 and completed three
years later. She was to be the only modern carrier avaiable to the RN at the
outbreak of World War II.
.P The 1930 London Naval Treaty allowed carriers of up to 27,000 tons, but the
British designed Ark Royal at 22,000 tons, as they were anticipating getting
agreement for a reduced tonnage at the next treaty. As it turned out, the 1936
treaty ultimately set a 23,000 ton displacement ceiling, but work on Ark Royal
was too advanced to allow her to use the additional allowance.
.P Unlike later British carriers, her flight deck was not armoured, although she
did have a 3.5-inch lower hangar deck that covered her machinery spaces,
magazines and aviation fuel store. This was designed to withstand a 6-inch shell
or a 500lb bomb. Her two hangars were on different levels and her three lifts
were linked to both. She had two catapults that could launch 12,000lb at 66
knots. Although designed to operate 72 aircraft, her actual capacity during the
war was 54 and for these, she carried 100,000 Imp gallons of aviation fuel.
.P Her anti-aircraft (AA) armament was impressive, with eight twin 4.5-inch guns
mounted on sponsons just below the level of the flight deck. This arrangement
stopped the limited arc of fire problems seen in earlier designs.
.P Ark Royal was a well designed ship that could operate effectively in poor
weather. The speed and power figures above are as designed, although she exceeded
both in trials. Her one main weakness however, was to cause her eventual sinking
(see details of her sinking below).
.P Like all British carriers, she suffered from poor quality aircraft at the
beginning of the war. This was thanks in part to the decision to make the Royal
Air Force (RAF) responsible for naval aviation and the consequential lack of
enthusiasm and investment by the RAF in naval aircraft due to their other
priorities.
.P The name Ark Royal stems from the Elizabethan period; the first Ark Royal was
the flagship of Lord Effingham during the engagement with the Spanish Armada in
1588. The second vessel of that name followed over 300 years later, but thanks to
the heroic exploits of the third Ark Royal during the first two years of the
Second World War, the name has been almost ever present within the RN since.
.P HMS Ark Royal was completed in November 1938, and at the outbreak of World
War II, she was deployed in the North Western Approaches, searching for U-boats.
While on one such patrol, she was lucky to escape a torpedo attack by U-39 (see
HMS Courageous) and after the sinking of Courageous in that first month of war,
carriers were no longer used in that role.
.P At the end of that first month of the war she provided air cover for Home
Fleet units escorting the damaged submarine Spearfish back to the UK (see
Submarine Counter 4734).
.P The following month Ark Royal was deployed in Hunting Group K during the
search for two German pocket-battleships at large in the North and South Atlantic
oceans (see HMS Hermes). In December, after one of these, the Admiral Graf Spee,
was engaged by RN units off Uruguay, Force K was sent to the River Plate at the
utmost speed. However, the German raider was scuttled by her crew and Ark Royal
was no longer required (see HMS Exeter).
.P The Ark returned to the UK at the start of 1940 and in February she took part
in the successful search for six German merchant ships that had sailed from Vigo,
Spain, in an effort to get back to Germany (see HMS York). Following this, she
was ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean with the carrier Glorious, but the
planned exercises there were soon cut short due to the German invasion of Norway
at the beginning of April. Both carriers were recalled to join the Home Fleet and
Ark Royal was to play a key role in the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway (see
HMS Curacoa, HMS Glorious and Transport Counter 4720). At the end of the
Norwegian debacle, which had proved costly to the RN in terms of men and ships,
Ark Royal herself was to share in the pain. She was ordered to launch an
airstrike against the battlecruiser Scharnhorst at her mooring in a Trondheim
fjord. On the 13th June, Skuas from 800 and 803 Naval Air Squadrons (NAS) took
off for the mission, unaware that the German defences had already been alerted.
In the ensuing attack, eight of the fifteen Skuas were shot down for just one hit
recorded against the battlecruiser. Even then, the bomb had merely bounced off
Scharnhorst's armour plate. To compound the misery, the destroyers Antelope and
Electra collided in the fog on the voyage home.
.P After the French surrender at the end of June, and with the French navy no
longer available to guard the Western Mediterranean, Ark Royal was transferred to
Gibraltar to join the newly formed trouble-shooting Force H. Ark Royal was to be
synonymous with Force H over the course of the next year and a half.
.P Ark Royal was central to the attack on the French Fleet at Oran (see HMS
Enterprise) at the start of July and then at the end of the month, she assisted
the delivery of aircraft to Malta in Operation Hurry (see HMS Argus). During this
operation, Force H were detached to launch a diversionary air attack on Cagliari,
Sardinia, and indeed, Ark Royal's aircraft were to re-visit the island on a
number of occasions in the coming months.
.P Her next operation was HATS, a complex, and successful mission to reinforce
the Mediterranean Fleet, supply Malta and attack Italian targets (see HMS
Calcutta).
.P In September, Ark Royal left the Mediterranean and took part in another ill-
fated operation; this time the attack on Vichy-French Dakar (see HMS Resolution).
After the British aborted the Dakar operation, Ark Royal returned to Gibraltar to
rejoin Force H, escorted by the battleship Barham and the cruisers Berwick and
Glasgow. Force H then took part in Coat; another operation designed to reinforce
the Mediterranean Fleet and re-supply Malta (see HMS Barham). This operation was
closely followed by a tragic aircraft delivery mission to Malta named Operation
White (see HMS Argus).
.P Two more operations were to be undertaken by Force H before the end of the
year. Firstly the supply operation, Collar, which led to the inconclusive Battle
of Cape Spartivento (see HMS Despatch), and secondly, at the end of the year,
Force H provided escort for Hide, an operation designed to get the battleship
Malaya to Gibraltar (see HMS Malaya).
.P At the conclusion of Hide, Ark Royal briefly left the Mediterranean to take
part in the search for the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper after the German cruiser
had attacked convoy WS5A (see ASW Counter 4699).
.P The New Year 1941 saw Force H covering an important convoy to Malta; Operation
Excess (see HMS Southampton), and followed this with raids against the Tirso Dam
on Sardinia and the Italian port of Genoa (see HMS Malaya). Upon return from the
Genoa operation, Force H were taken out of the Mediterranean once more, this time
for a six week deployment in the Atlantic. They were required there for convoy
protection and to search for German surface raiders (see HMS Nelson).
.P April saw Force H back in the Mediterranean, where their next operation was
Winch, a successful aircraft delivery operation to Malta (see HMS Argus). Force
H then headed back into the Atlantic to briefly patrol in the Bay of Biscay (see
HMS Fiji) as it was wrongly thought that Scharnhorst and her sister Gneisenau
were preparing to leave the French port of Brest. Force H returned to Gibraltar
to carry out further aircraft delivery missions; Operations Salient and Dunlop
(see HMS Dido).
.P In early May, they escorted the important Tiger convoy that was bringing
reinforcements to the Commonwealth troops in Egypt on the first part of its
journey to Alexandria (see Transport Counter 4729). This was followed by
Operation Splice, another Malta delivery operation (see HMS Furious).
.P No sooner had Force H returned from Splice than they were ordered into the
Atlantic to take part in the search for the German battleship Bismarck. Ark
Royal`s aircraft played perhaps the crucial role in the ultimate destruction of
the battleship; it was a torpedo from one of her Swordfish that caused the
Bismarck's rudder to jam and send her on a collision course with the chasing
battleships of the Home Fleet (see HMS Rodney).
.P Upon their return to Gibraltar, and with the British effort to keep Malta in
the war coming under increasing pressure, Force H spent June taking part in four
Malta aircraft delivery operations: Rocket and Tracer (see HMS Argus) and Railway
I & II (see HMS Hermione). Sandwiched between these operations were two sorties
into the Atlantic in search of enemy supply vessels (see HMS Hermione).
.P In July, Force H escorted the second successful Malta relief convoy of 1941,
codenamed Substance (see HMS Manchester), and the follow-up Style operation (see
HMS Arethusa). These were followed in August by the covering of a minelaying
operation, code-named Mincemeat (see HMS Hermione). In September, two more
aircraft deliveries to Malta were completed (see HMS Furious) and at the end of
that month, Ark Royal sailed with Force H for the third large Malta relief convoy
of that year, Operation Halberd (see HMS Edinburgh). Ark Royal and Force H could
be proud that all three major supply operations that year had been completely
successful.
.P October saw Force H involved in another aircraft delivery mission to Malta;
Operation Callboy. This operation was to provide Malta with additional torpedo
bombers. The old carrier Argus was used for the initial transfer of twelve
Albacore aircraft, and she sailed to Gibraltar as part of military convoy WS12.
Argus departed the UK on October 1st and after detaching from WS12, she arrived
at Gibraltar on the 8th. The aircraft were loaded onto Ark Royal, which then
sailed for Malta with a reinforced Force H; which also contained the battleship
Rodney, the cruiser Hermione and seven destroyers. The force reached the flying-
off position on the 16th and eleven Albacores and two Swordfish took off, with
one Swordfish failing to arrive. As part of this operation, Force H also covered
the cruisers Aurora, Penelope and two destroyers that were being sent to Malta
to form Force K (see HMS Penelope). To complete the mission, Argus joined her
fellow carrier Eagle at Gibraltar and returned to the UK at the end of October.
.P Sadly, the following month was to be the last for this famous carrier that had
served the RN so well and proved such a thorn in the side of the Axis. Her last
mission was an aircraft delivery operation to Malta, Operation Perpetual (see
Transport Counter 4721). On her return journey, she was hit by a torpedo from
U-81. She took on a heavy list and then lost all power as her boilers were shut
down. Crucially, she had no back-up generators. The order to abandon ship was
given, perhaps prematurely, and the engineers had to be put back on-board once
she had stopped listing further. Limited power was supplied from the destroyer
Laforey, and her boilers were fired up thanks to water pumped into them by the
destroyer. Still listing heavily, she was taken under tow to Gibraltar. The
progress was slow and it was clear that she would not make it home before she
capsized without more power to pump out the water. What ultimately led to her
demise was the decision to try and get the port propeller working. Although this
was achieved, the rotating machinery simply added to the pressure on the
bulkheads that were already straining to hold back the flood water. The rising
water eventually blocked the vents from the boiler and fire broke out. Smoke in
the engine and boiler rooms forced the abandonment of those vital areas and meant
Ark Royal's time was up. On the 14th November 1941, the Ark Royal rolled over and
sank. Thankfully, only 1 life had been lost in the initial blast but her loss was
a bitter blow for the RN. For her role in sinking the Bismarck and for the
contribution to keeping Malta supplied, particularly with aircraft, her value
during that period had been incalculable.

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1750
RE: Just for fun - 8/1/2010 4:08:55 AM   
Extraneous

 

Posts: 1810
Joined: 6/14/2008
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

2/2

[4535 Ark Royal - by Robert Jenkins]


Want the penant number? 91

_____________________________

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(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1751
RE: Just for fun - 8/1/2010 7:01:05 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Extraneous


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

2/2

[4535 Ark Royal - by Robert Jenkins]


Want the penant number? 91

Warspite1

No thanks - this is not info I put into the write-ups.

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Extraneous)
Post #: 1752
RE: Just for fun - 8/1/2010 10:12:33 PM   
Josh

 

Posts: 2576
Joined: 5/9/2000
From: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Status: offline
Hi Warspite.

Proofread your last three write ups, concerning the last one, and hate to be nitpicking, but is this correct? "she carried 100,000 Imp gallons of aviation fuel" shouldn't the "Imp" be "Imp." as it is an abbreviation?

" The Ark returned to the UK at the start of 1940 and in February she took part
in..."
? The Ark Royal?

"Ark Royal was to play a key role in the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway (see
HMS Curacoa

HMS Curacao probably?
Hey... I see Wiki got it spelled wrong here too: Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Curacoa, after the island in the Caribbean Sea more usually spelled Curaçao: HMS Curacoa
BBC got it right (ofcourse) http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/13/a2733013.shtml

Darn, another one got through No sooner had Force H returned from Splice than they were ordered into the
Atlantic to take part in the search for the German battleship Bismarck. Ark
Royal`s aircraft played perhaps the crucial role in the ultimate destruction of....

Ark Royal's.

As always

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1753
RE: Just for fun - 8/1/2010 10:36:51 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Josh

Hi Warspite.

Proofread your last three write ups, concerning the last one, and hate to be nitpicking, but is this correct? "she carried 100,000 Imp gallons of aviation fuel" shouldn't the "Imp" be "Imp." as it is an abbreviation?

" The Ark returned to the UK at the start of 1940 and in February she took part
in..."
? The Ark Royal?

"Ark Royal was to play a key role in the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway (see
HMS Curacoa

HMS Curacao probably?
Hey... I see Wiki got it spelled wrong here too: Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Curacoa, after the island in the Caribbean Sea more usually spelled Curaçao: HMS Curacoa
BBC got it right (ofcourse) http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/13/a2733013.shtml

Darn, another one got through No sooner had Force H returned from Splice than they were ordered into the
Atlantic to take part in the search for the German battleship Bismarck. Ark
Royal`s aircraft played perhaps the crucial role in the ultimate destruction of....

Ark Royal's.

As always

Warspite1

Josh - thanks for your input as always:

- Imp - yes I think you are correct - I will change
- The Ark is just a shortened version
- Sorry but BBC got it wrong - the RN spelled her Curacoa even though the island she is named after is spelled Curacao!
- Yes its the old (`) (') problem - I'm gradually ironing those out thanks to your help!!
-

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 1754
RE: Just for fun - 8/2/2010 10:32:54 AM   
Josh

 

Posts: 2576
Joined: 5/9/2000
From: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Status: offline
"The Ark is just a shortened version "

Yes I'm aware it's a shortened version, but it's the only place you used the shortened version see? In every other instance you write down the complete name: Ark Royal. But I'm okay with "Ark" too ofcourse.

Concerning the spelling of the Curacoa. That's a bit weird don't you think? The ship is named after an island, but is spelled differently? Well I have no way of checking it though, don't have access to RN files I just happen to know how the the (Dutch) island is spelled. I found examples of both on Google/Wiki.

I must say, the Ark Royal has an impressive write up.

< Message edited by Josh -- 8/2/2010 10:45:15 AM >

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1755
RE: Just for fun - 8/2/2010 10:45:04 AM   
Josh

 

Posts: 2576
Joined: 5/9/2000
From: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Status: offline
Right, found it, and just as I suspected
The RN named it after the Dutch island, but spelled it wrong long time ago. LOL. This is what I found on Wiki: Nope, Colledge and Jane's list Curacoa, possibly based on a spelling error by the admiralty that became perpetuated in the names of the later ships. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:HMS_Curacoa

From Wiki;

Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Curacoa, after the island in the Caribbean Sea more usually spelled Curaçao:

HMS Curacoa (1809), a 36-gun fifth rate launched in 1809. She was reduced to 24 guns in 1831 and broken up in 1849.
HMS Curacoa (1854), a wood screw frigate launched in 1854. She was flagship of the Australia Station during the New Zealand Land Wars and was broken up in 1869.
HMS Curacoa (1878), a screw corvette launched in 1878 and sold in 1904.
HMS Curacoa (D41), a C-class light cruiser launched in 1917 and accidentally sunk by RMS Queen Mary in 1942.

So they misspelled it wrong way back in 1809, and just kept the name.

Soooo, the BBC got it wrong / gasp.

(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 1756
RE: Just for fun - 8/3/2010 11:01:00 PM   
Froonp


Posts: 7995
Joined: 10/21/2003
From: Marseilles, France
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Josh

Right, found it, and just as I suspected
The RN named it after the Dutch island, but spelled it wrong long time ago. LOL. This is what I found on Wiki: Nope, Colledge and Jane's list Curacoa, possibly based on a spelling error by the admiralty that became perpetuated in the names of the later ships. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:HMS_Curacoa

From Wiki;

Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Curacoa, after the island in the Caribbean Sea more usually spelled Curaçao:

HMS Curacoa (1809), a 36-gun fifth rate launched in 1809. She was reduced to 24 guns in 1831 and broken up in 1849.
HMS Curacoa (1854), a wood screw frigate launched in 1854. She was flagship of the Australia Station during the New Zealand Land Wars and was broken up in 1869.
HMS Curacoa (1878), a screw corvette launched in 1878 and sold in 1904.
HMS Curacoa (D41), a C-class light cruiser launched in 1917 and accidentally sunk by RMS Queen Mary in 1942.

So they misspelled it wrong way back in 1809, and just kept the name.

Soooo, the BBC got it wrong / gasp.

I'm amazed by this fact.

(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 1757
RE: Just for fun - 8/6/2010 9:26:53 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Josh

"The Ark is just a shortened version "

Yes I'm aware it's a shortened version, but it's the only place you used the shortened version see? In every other instance you write down the complete name: Ark Royal. But I'm okay with "Ark" too ofcourse.

Concerning the spelling of the Curacoa. That's a bit weird don't you think? The ship is named after an island, but is spelled differently? Well I have no way of checking it though, don't have access to RN files I just happen to know how the the (Dutch) island is spelled. I found examples of both on Google/Wiki.

I must say, the Ark Royal has an impressive write up.

Warspite1

Yes you are right, I thought I had used that shortened version more. Simpler just to remove the rogue version so the text remains consistent. All changes made - thanks Josh

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 1758
RE: Just for fun - 8/7/2010 4:05:54 AM   
Extraneous

 

Posts: 1810
Joined: 6/14/2008
Status: offline
"The Ark" is the Royal Navy nickname for the HMS Ark Royal.

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(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1759
RE: Just for fun - 8/8/2010 11:04:04 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
Latest RN carrier write-up: HMS Furious

[4541 Furious - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 90,820 hp
.B Top Speed: 28.5 knots
.B Main armament: 12 x 4-inch (102mm) guns and 3 x 8-barrelled pompoms
.B Aircraft: 33-36
.B Displacement (full load): 27,165 tons
.B Thickest armour: 3-inch (belt)
.P HMS Furious was designed as a light battlecruiser for the Royal Navy (RN)
at the start of the First World War. She was laid down in 1915 but by the time of
her scrapping, thirty-three years later, she was an aircraft carrier, having
undergone a number of reconstructions in the intervening years.
.P Her original design was to have seen her fitted with two 18-inch guns, housed
in two turrets fore and aft. The aft turret had been fitted when it was decided,
in March 1917, to convert her into an aircraft carrying ship. The means by which
this was achieved was to provide her with an experimental flying-off deck, and
this was fitted in place of the forward turret. It was intended that she would
carry eight aircraft and in all other respects she maintained her original design
features.
.P Despite this unconventional beginning, the unlikely looking HMS Furious was to
become indelibly linked to the history of naval aviation in a very short space of
time. Having joined the fleet just a few weeks previously, it was on her flight
deck, on the 2nd August 1917, that the world's first deck landing took place.
Squadron Commander Dunning was the pilot who successfully landed his Sopwith Pup
aircraft on Furious that day. Sadly, he was to be killed on his second attempt
after one of the Pup's tyres burst, but from that day, the progress of naval
aviation was to be unstoppable.
.P As converted, Furious proved of limited value, and just three months after
this episode, she was placed back in the dockyard to have her aft turret removed
and replaced with a landing deck. At this stage her bridge and funnel were still
in the centre of the ship, and so a huge gantry with cables running from end to
end was installed in order to stop over shooting aircraft from ploughing into her
funnel!
.P In this form, Furious was to see active service in the last year of the First
World War, including an attack by her aircraft against the Zeppelin hangars in
northern Germany.
.P After the war ended, Furious had to wait until 1922 before a decision was made
about her future. It was then decided to convert her into a flush deck aircraft
carrier, a conversion that was completed in August 1925. Her final structural
modification took place just before the outbreak of the Second World War, during
which she was fitted with a small island structure, and it was in this guise that
she entered the war.
.P The technical details above reflect how HMS Furious appeared in September
1939. She could carry up to 36 aircraft and these were housed in two hangars, one
on top of the other. The aircraft capacity would have been about 46, but part of
the lower hangar was used to complement the otherwise inadequate workshop space.
.P Her relatively light vertical defensive armour betrayed her light
battlecruiser origins; a 3-inch belt covered her machinery and magazine spaces.
She had also been fitted with bulges during her 1922 conversion which gave her
both a measure of anti-torpedo protection and assisted her stability. Horizontal
protection was provided by 1-inch of plating added to her flight-deck and a
2-inch armoured deck.
.P Defensive armament consisted of six twin 4-inch guns and three eight-barrelled
pompoms. 20mm guns were added in 1943.
.P By the outbreak of war, her speed was down to around 28.5 knots, although she
had been capable of over 32 knots before her bulges were fitted and general old
age began to tell.
.P HMS Furious began the war with the Home Fleet and she was initially deployed
on anti-submarine operations and patrolling the North Western Approaches in
search of enemy shipping. In October, she took part in an unsuccessful search for
the German battlecruiser Gneisenau and the cruiser Köln off the Norwegian coast
(see HMS Repulse). The following month she was ordered to join the battlecruiser
Repulse and the battleship Warspite in the Atlantic following the sinking of the
armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi (see ASW Counter 4698) and the possible
breakout into the Atlantic by Gneisenau and her sister Scharnhorst. She was not
called into action however, as the German ships actually returned home before the
RN could intercept them (see HMS Newcastle) and after the search was called off
Furious sailed for Canada with Repulse.
.P In December, she escorted the first Canadian troop convoy; TC1 that brought
over 7,000 soldiers of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division to the UK (see HMS
Revenge). Furious continued in this convoy protection role until she was sent for a
refit in March 1940. She emerged from the dockyard just in time to take part in
the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway (see HMS Valiant and HMS Curacoa) during
which she received damage from a near miss on the 18th April. After repair she
was back off Norway two weeks later (see HMS Glorious) but Allied participation
in Norway came to an inglorious end at the start of June and Furious sailed for
the UK to rejoin the Home Fleet.
.P She spent the following months on various assignments, and these included
Operation DF, a raid against enemy shipping and other targets on the Norwegian
coast (see HMS Bonaventure). At the end of the year, Furious joined the military
convoy WS5A as part of an operation to deliver aircraft to Takoradi, West Africa
(see ASW Counter 4699). This operation was successfully completed on the 6th
January 1941.
.P Force H, a small task force based at Gibraltar centred on the carrier Ark
Royal, had been responsible for delivering aircraft replacements to the island of
Malta since the defeat of France the previous June. The RN mainly tasked the
elderly carrier Argus with the job of getting the aircraft to Gibraltar, but in
May 1941 Furious was used in this role for the first time. In early May she
embarked sixty-four crated Hurricanes in the UK and transported them to
Gibraltar; so beginning Operation Splice. Furious was escorted by the cruiser
London and four destroyers and they arrived in Gibraltar on the 18th. After an
initial transfer of twenty-five aircraft from Furious to Ark Royal, the carriers
sailed with the battlecruiser Renown, the light cruiser Sheffield and five
destroyers the following day. Forty-eight Hurricanes took off from the
pre-arranged flying off position and all but two safely reached Malta. The fleet
then returned to Gibraltar.
.P Furious took part in further aircraft delivery runs to Malta in June; Rocket
(see HMS Argus) and Railway I & II (see HMS Hermione). During the last operation,
an accident on take-off resulted in the deaths of nine crew and cut short the
contribution from Furious.
.P Back in the UK in July, Furious was sent to Scapa Flow to prepare for an
operation in northern waters, Operation EF, an attack on the enemy held ports of
Petsamo and Kirkenes which was to prove costly for the RN forces (see HMS
Victorious).
.P After her operations in the Arctic, Furious was back in the Mediterranean in
September for two further back to back aircraft delivery operations to Malta;
Status I and II. She sailed with military convoy WS11 from the UK on the 31st
August with sixty-one crated Hurricanes in addition to her own aircraft. She was
escorted by the anti-aircraft (AA) cruiser Cairo initially and then Sheffield
from the 2nd September. Upon arrival at Gibraltar on the 7th, Furious transferred
twenty-six aircraft to Ark Royal. Ark Royal then sailed with the cruiser Hermione
and four destroyers to the flying-off point, while Furious remained in Gibraltar.
Fourteen Hurricanes were flown off with all aircraft safely arriving at Malta.
Ark Royal then returned to Gibraltar for the second Status operation.
.P For Status II, Ark Royal was loaded with a further twenty-six Hurricanes,
whilst Furious embarked twenty. Both carriers sailed on the 10th with additional
escort provided by the battleship Nelson as well as Hermione and seven
destroyers. The carriers reached the flying-off point on the 13th and forty-six
Hurricanes were launched, of which all but one safely landed at Malta. The fleet
returned to Gibraltar but Furious continued her voyage as she had another
destination; she sailed for the US for a refit. She arrived there in November and
the first part of her refit was completed in April 1942, whereupon she returned
to the UK for completion of the work. In July, Furious was able to resume duty
with the Home Fleet.
.P In August, she took part in exercises with other carriers in preparation for
perhaps the most famous of all the convoys; Operation Pedestal. This was a vital
relief convoy that saved Malta from starvation (see HMS Sirius). During Pedestal,
Furious undertook a subsidiary operation; Bellows. She had previously loaded
thirty-nine Spitfires in the UK and then sailed to Gibraltar to join the Pedestal
convoy. She detached from the main convoy, escorted by two destroyers on the 11th
August and launched her aircraft. Thirty-seven aircraft reached Malta and Furious
returned safely to Gibraltar, her part in Pedestal having been successfully
completed. During the voyage one of her escorting destroyers, Wolverine, rammed
and sank the Italian submarine Dagabur.
.P Furious was to take part in the last two aircraft delivery operations to Malta
before General Montgomery`s victory at El-Alamein in October ended the need for
further deliveries. The first of these was Operation Baritone in mid-August.
After Furious had returned from Pedestal, she loaded another thirty-two Spitfires
and after a quick turnaround, she sailed for the island once more on the 16th.
Her escort for this operation was the cruiser Charybdis and twelve destroyers.
Twenty-nine Spitfires arrived in Malta after being flown-off on the 17th.
.P She then sailed for the UK where she arrived on the 25th and embarked thirty-
one replacement aircraft for her final aircraft delivery mission. This took place
at the end of October. Operation Train began on the 20th, when Furious sailed
from the UK with three destroyers as escort. They arrived at Gibraltar five days
later and Furious then sailed on the 28th with the cruisers Aurora and Charybdis
and seven destroyers. Twenty-nine Spitfires were flown-off the next day and all
arrived safely in Malta. Furious and her escorts were back in Gibraltar by the
end of the month. Between 1940 and 1942, these aircraft delivery operations had
been vital in saving Malta. In total, 756 aircraft, mostly Hurricane and Spitfire
fighters, had been transported and over 95% had successfully landed at their
destination.
.P Her next deployment saw Furious take part in another important milestone in
the eventual defeat of the Axis forces in North Africa, Operation Torch (see HMS
Delhi). For this operation Furious was deployed within the Central Task Force.
She came under attack by two U-boats but these were beaten off by her escort
vessels. Her aircraft were used to launch attacks on Vichy airfields and forty-
seven enemy aircraft were destroyed.
.P Furious remained in the Mediterranean until early 1943, when she was released
and ordered to return to the UK. Once back with the Home Fleet, in June she took
part in the operation to replenish the Anglo-Norwegian garrison on Spitzbergen,
an island in the Arctic Circle that the RN had used to assist the convoys to
Russia.
.P The following month saw Furious take part in a diversionary operation off
Norway; Operation Governor (see HMS Duke of York) which was designed to stop the
Germans from reinforcing Sicily by making them think the Allies had designs on
Norway.
.P Following this, Furious remained with the Home Fleet, but operations for the
elderly carrier were few and far between at this point in the war. In February 1944
she took part in Operation Bayleaf (see HMS Anson), an air strike against
shipping and installations on the Norwegian coast.
.P At the end of the following month the RN commenced an operation to try and
destroy the battleship Tirpitz at her base in Norway. Operation Tungsten was a
partial success and resulted in Tirpitz being seriously damaged, however it
failed to sink her (see ASW Carrier Counter 4709). As a result the RN sought to
follow-up with another strike at Tirpitz. This was Operation Planet, but the
operation was cancelled due to poor weather (see HMS Anson).
.P At the start of May, Furious took part in Operation Croquet, a limited anti-
shipping strike off northern Norway (See HMS Berwick) and later that month,
another two operations designed to destroy Tirpitz had to be cancelled (see HMS
Anson); Furious was to have been part of both. Furious did get another crack at
the battleship though when she took part in two operations in July. Operation
Mascot took place on the 17th (see HMS Indefatigable) and the series of attacks
that made up Operation Goodwood began on the 22nd August (see ASW Carrier Counter
4300). But at the end of these operations, Tirpitz remained operational and the
job of sinking her was passed from the RN to the RAF.
.P On the 12th September 1944, Furious took part in her last operation; Begonia.
She and the escort carrier Trumpeter were escorted by the cruisers Devonshire,
Kent and six destroyers and sailed for Norway where their aircraft undertook a
minelaying operation and a successful air strike against Stadlandet.
.P Old age had finally caught up with this veteran carrier and in October 1944
she was withdrawn from operational service. She saw out the war as a training
ship for aircrew before being placed to Reserve after VJ-day.
.P HMS Furious was scrapped in 1948.

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 8/8/2010 8:24:09 PM >


_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 1760
RE: Just for fun - 8/8/2010 12:10:08 PM   
Josh

 

Posts: 2576
Joined: 5/9/2000
From: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Status: offline
Found some very minor things not worth mentioning.

Maybe this one, sometimes you use "HMS Furious", sometimes just "Furious".

( RN could intercept them (see HMS Newcastle) and after the search was called off
Furious sailed for Canada with Repulse.)


.P In December, she escorted the first Canadian troop convoy; TC1 that brought
over 7,000 Canadian soldiers of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division to the UK (see
HMS Revenge). Furious continued in this convoy protection role until she was sent
for a refit in March. She emerged from the dockyard just in time to take part in
the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway (see HMS Valiant and HMS Curacoa) during
which she received damage from a near miss on the 18th April.

the 18th of April, or April 18th?

Not sure though, and if it doesn't bother you it most certainly doesn't bother me.





Darn " General Montgomery`s "

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1761
RE: Just for fun - 8/8/2010 12:29:25 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Josh

Found some very minor things not worth mentioning.

Maybe this one, sometimes you use "HMS Furious", sometimes just "Furious".

( RN could intercept them (see HMS Newcastle) and after the search was called off
Furious sailed for Canada with Repulse.)


.P In December, she escorted the first Canadian troop convoy; TC1 that brought
over 7,000 Canadian soldiers of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division to the UK (see
HMS Revenge). Furious continued in this convoy protection role until she was sent
for a refit in March. She emerged from the dockyard just in time to take part in
the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway (see HMS Valiant and HMS Curacoa) during
which she received damage from a near miss on the 18th April.

the 18th of April, or April 18th?

Not sure though, and if it doesn't bother you it most certainly doesn't bother me.





Darn " General Montgomery`s "

Warspite1

Thanks Josh - the rogue ` has been . They will soon be no more

Yes, the HMS should only appear in select places and the additional ones have now been removed.

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 1762
RE: Just for fun - 8/8/2010 12:38:30 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
As a break from the lengthy RN carriers, please see a Spanish counter..

[5087 Espańa - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 15,500 hp
.B Top Speed: 19.5 knots
.B Main armament: 8 x 12-inch (305mm), 20 x 4-inch (102mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 15,450 tons
.B Thickest armour: 8-inches (belt)
.P The Espańas were a class of three battleships constructed for the Spanish
navy between 1909 and 1921. They would prove to be the smallest of all the
dreadnought battleships built for any navy.
.P They were built in Spain, although the Spanish required assistance from
Britain, assistance that was obviously in short supply between the years 1914-
1918. This caused completion of the last ship of the class, Jaime I, to be
delayed until 1921. The name ship, Espańa, had been completed before the outbreak
of war and the second, Alfonso XIII, was already launched by then and was
completed in 1915.
.P Although the Espańas were small ships for their type, their armament was
respectable when compared with their contemporaries; consisting of a 12-inch main
armament, with eight guns fitted in four twin turrets and twenty 4-inch guns in
casemates for their secondary armament.
.P However, two areas where their small size told was in their relative lack of
speed - less than 20 knots - and their poor range, making them little more than
coastal defence battleships.
.P Another compromise was their lack of armour protection. The belt was a maximum
8-inches thick and the armour deck just 1.5-inches; both lighter than
contemporary vessels.
.P Espańa was named after the country she served, Alfonso XIII was named after
the then current monarch, while Jaime I was named after a 13th Century King of
Aragon.
.P Espańa was originally named Alfonso XIII, but she was re-named in 1931 after
King Alfonso XIII fled Spain that year in response to the declaration of the
Second Spanish Republic. The original Espańa had been lost after running aground
in 1923, after which she was wrecked by gales before she could be salvaged.
.P By the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Espańa was laid up in
the naval base at El Ferrol and it was here that a strange naval battle took
place on the 19th July. She and the cruiser Almirante Cervera, which was in
drydock, were crewed by those loyal to the Republican cause. From their
stationery positions they fought a fierce battle against ships and coastal gun
emplacements loyal to Franco's forces. The result was a stalemate. However, a
couple of days later, the Republican crews were tricked into surrendering in
order to avoid needless destruction and bloodshed, following which the ships were
seized by Nationalist forces.
.P For what remained of her existence, Espańa fought with Franco. In August she
bombarded Irun in northern Spain as part of the Nationalist war with the Basques,
and it was in this region that she met her end.
.P On the 30th April 1937, Espańa struck a mine laid by her own side and sank
quickly. She was sailing off the port of Santander during the blockade of Bilbao;
capital of the Basque region, when she struck the mine.
.P Note; as she was sunk during the Spanish Civil War, Espańa is only used in
World In Flames if playing in conjunction with Days of Decision.



_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1763
RE: Just for fun - 8/8/2010 6:30:17 PM   
brian brian

 

Posts: 3191
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
the long write-ups for the British ships that go through Operation after Operation could use a few more specific dates sprinkled in, specifically including the year with the month a little more often. as you read through them it gets confusing as to in which year the action is taking place. or, at least it did in that one for the Furious above. replacing a few more instances of "the year" with the actual year would help nicely.

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1764
RE: Just for fun - 8/8/2010 8:26:17 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: brian brian

the long write-ups for the British ships that go through Operation after Operation could use a few more specific dates sprinkled in, specifically including the year with the month a little more often. as you read through them it gets confusing as to in which year the action is taking place. or, at least it did in that one for the Furious above. replacing a few more instances of "the year" with the actual year would help nicely.

Warspite1

I've ensured that each year gets a mention as a reminder to the reader of where they are. Let me know if this makes things clearer?

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to brian brian)
Post #: 1765
RE: Just for fun - 8/9/2010 10:03:37 AM   
Josh

 

Posts: 2576
Joined: 5/9/2000
From: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Status: offline
"The name ship, Espańa, had been completed before the outbreak
of war and the second, Alfonso XIII, was already launched by then and was
completed in 1915." ?

The name ship, Espańa ---> the first ship?.
was already launced by then---> had already been launched by then and was completed...??


< Message edited by Josh -- 8/9/2010 10:04:36 AM >

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1766
RE: Just for fun - 8/9/2010 10:04:29 AM   
Josh

 

Posts: 2576
Joined: 5/9/2000
From: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Status: offline
-deleted

< Message edited by Josh -- 8/9/2010 10:05:00 AM >

(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 1767
RE: Just for fun - 8/9/2010 3:40:31 PM   
Extraneous

 

Posts: 1810
Joined: 6/14/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

2/2

[4535 Ark Royal - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 102,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 30.75 knots
.B Main armament: 16 x 4.5-inch (114mm) guns and 48 x 2-pdr pompoms
.B Aircraft: 54
.B Displacement (full load): 27,720 tons
.B Thickest armour: 4.5-inch (belt)
.P The Ark Royal was the first modern carrier designed for the Royal Navy
(RN). The sole ship of her class, she was laid down in 1935 and completed three
years later. She was to be the only modern carrier avaiable to the RN at the
outbreak of World War II.
.P The 1930 London Naval Treaty allowed carriers of up to 27,000 tons, but the
British designed Ark Royal at 22,000 tons, as they were anticipating getting
agreement for a reduced tonnage at the next treaty. As it turned out, the 1936
treaty ultimately set a 23,000 ton displacement ceiling, but work on Ark Royal
was too advanced to allow her to use the additional allowance.
.P Unlike later British carriers, her flight deck was not armoured, although she
did have a 3.5-inch lower hangar deck that covered her machinery spaces,
magazines and aviation fuel store. This was designed to withstand a 6-inch shell
or a 500lb bomb. Her two hangars were on different levels and her three lifts
were linked to both. She had two catapults that could launch 12,000lb at 66
knots. Although designed to operate 72 aircraft, her actual capacity during the
war was 54 and for these, she carried 100,000 Imp gallons of aviation fuel.
.P Her anti-aircraft (AA) armament was impressive, with eight twin 4.5-inch guns
mounted on sponsons just below the level of the flight deck. This arrangement
stopped the limited arc of fire problems seen in earlier designs.
.P Ark Royal was a well designed ship that could operate effectively in poor
weather. The speed and power figures above are as designed, although she exceeded
both in trials. Her one main weakness however, was to cause her eventual sinking
(see details of her sinking below).
.P Like all British carriers, she suffered from poor quality aircraft at the
beginning of the war. This was thanks in part to the decision to make the Royal
Air Force (RAF) responsible for naval aviation and the consequential lack of
enthusiasm and investment by the RAF in naval aircraft due to their other
priorities.
.P The name Ark Royal stems from the Elizabethan period; the first Ark Royal was
the flagship of Lord Effingham during the engagement with the Spanish Armada in
1588. The second vessel of that name followed over 300 years later, but thanks to
the heroic exploits of the third Ark Royal during the first two years of the
Second World War, the name has been almost ever present within the RN since.
.P HMS Ark Royal was completed in November 1938, and at the outbreak of World
War II, she was deployed in the North Western Approaches, searching for U-boats.
While on one such patrol, she was lucky to escape a torpedo attack by U-39 (see
HMS Courageous) and after the sinking of Courageous in that first month of war,
carriers were no longer used in that role.
.P At the end of that first month of the war she provided air cover for Home
Fleet units escorting the damaged submarine Spearfish back to the UK (see
Submarine Counter 4734).
.P The following month Ark Royal was deployed in Hunting Group K during the
search for two German pocket-battleships at large in the North and South Atlantic
oceans (see HMS Hermes). In December, after one of these, the Admiral Graf Spee,
was engaged by RN units off Uruguay, Force K was sent to the River Plate at the
utmost speed. However, the German raider was scuttled by her crew and Ark Royal
was no longer required (see HMS Exeter).
.P The Ark returned to the UK at the start of 1940 and in February she took part
in the successful search for six German merchant ships that had sailed from Vigo,
Spain, in an effort to get back to Germany (see HMS York). Following this, she
was ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean with the carrier Glorious, but the
planned exercises there were soon cut short due to the German invasion of Norway
at the beginning of April. Both carriers were recalled to join the Home Fleet and
Ark Royal was to play a key role in the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway (see
HMS Curacoa, HMS Glorious and Transport Counter 4720). At the end of the
Norwegian debacle, which had proved costly to the RN in terms of men and ships,
Ark Royal herself was to share in the pain. She was ordered to launch an
airstrike against the battlecruiser Scharnhorst at her mooring in a Trondheim
fjord. On the 13th June, Skuas from 800 and 803 Naval Air Squadrons (NAS) took
off for the mission, unaware that the German defences had already been alerted.
In the ensuing attack, eight of the fifteen Skuas were shot down for just one hit
recorded against the battlecruiser. Even then, the bomb had merely bounced off
Scharnhorst's armour plate. To compound the misery, the destroyers Antelope and
Electra collided in the fog on the voyage home.
.P After the French surrender at the end of June, and with the French navy no
longer available to guard the Western Mediterranean, Ark Royal was transferred to
Gibraltar to join the newly formed trouble-shooting Force H. Ark Royal was to be
synonymous with Force H over the course of the next year and a half.
.P Ark Royal was central to the attack on the French Fleet at Oran (see HMS
Enterprise) at the start of July and then at the end of the month, she assisted
the delivery of aircraft to Malta in Operation Hurry (see HMS Argus). During this
operation, Force H were detached to launch a diversionary air attack on Cagliari,
Sardinia, and indeed, Ark Royal's aircraft were to re-visit the island on a
number of occasions in the coming months.
.P Her next operation was HATS, a complex, and successful mission to reinforce
the Mediterranean Fleet, supply Malta and attack Italian targets (see HMS
Calcutta).
.P In September, Ark Royal left the Mediterranean and took part in another ill-
fated operation; this time the attack on Vichy-French Dakar (see HMS Resolution).
After the British aborted the Dakar operation, Ark Royal returned to Gibraltar to
rejoin Force H, escorted by the battleship Barham and the cruisers Berwick and
Glasgow. Force H then took part in Coat; another operation designed to reinforce
the Mediterranean Fleet and re-supply Malta (see HMS Barham). This operation was
closely followed by a tragic aircraft delivery mission to Malta named Operation
White (see HMS Argus).
.P Two more operations were to be undertaken by Force H before the end of the
year. Firstly the supply operation, Collar, which led to the inconclusive Battle
of Cape Spartivento (see HMS Despatch), and secondly, at the end of the year,
Force H provided escort for Hide, an operation designed to get the battleship
Malaya to Gibraltar (see HMS Malaya).
.P At the conclusion of Hide, Ark Royal briefly left the Mediterranean to take
part in the search for the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper after the German cruiser
had attacked convoy WS5A (see ASW Counter 4699).
.P The New Year 1941 saw Force H covering an important convoy to Malta; Operation
Excess (see HMS Southampton), and followed this with raids against the Tirso Dam
on Sardinia and the Italian port of Genoa (see HMS Malaya). Upon return from the
Genoa operation, Force H were taken out of the Mediterranean once more, this time
for a six week deployment in the Atlantic. They were required there for convoy
protection and to search for German surface raiders (see HMS Nelson).
.P April saw Force H back in the Mediterranean, where their next operation was
Winch, a successful aircraft delivery operation to Malta (see HMS Argus). Force
H then headed back into the Atlantic to briefly patrol in the Bay of Biscay (see
HMS Fiji) as it was wrongly thought that Scharnhorst and her sister Gneisenau
were preparing to leave the French port of Brest. Force H returned to Gibraltar
to carry out further aircraft delivery missions; Operations Salient and Dunlop
(see HMS Dido).
.P In early May, they escorted the important Tiger convoy that was bringing
reinforcements to the Commonwealth troops in Egypt on the first part of its
journey to Alexandria (see Transport Counter 4729). This was followed by
Operation Splice, another Malta delivery operation (see HMS Furious).
.P No sooner had Force H returned from Splice than they were ordered into the
Atlantic to take part in the search for the German battleship Bismarck. Ark
Royal`s aircraft played perhaps the crucial role in the ultimate destruction of
the battleship; it was a torpedo from one of her Swordfish that caused the
Bismarck's rudder to jam and send her on a collision course with the chasing
battleships of the Home Fleet (see HMS Rodney).
.P Upon their return to Gibraltar, and with the British effort to keep Malta in
the war coming under increasing pressure, Force H spent June taking part in four
Malta aircraft delivery operations: Rocket and Tracer (see HMS Argus) and Railway
I & II (see HMS Hermione). Sandwiched between these operations were two sorties
into the Atlantic in search of enemy supply vessels (see HMS Hermione).
.P In July, Force H escorted the second successful Malta relief convoy of 1941,
codenamed Substance (see HMS Manchester), and the follow-up Style operation (see
HMS Arethusa). These were followed in August by the covering of a minelaying
operation, code-named Mincemeat (see HMS Hermione). In September, two more
aircraft deliveries to Malta were completed (see HMS Furious) and at the end of
that month, Ark Royal sailed with Force H for the third large Malta relief convoy
of that year, Operation Halberd (see HMS Edinburgh). Ark Royal and Force H could
be proud that all three major supply operations that year had been completely
successful.
.P October saw Force H involved in another aircraft delivery mission to Malta;
Operation Callboy. This operation was to provide Malta with additional torpedo
bombers. The old carrier Argus was used for the initial transfer of twelve
Albacore aircraft, and she sailed to Gibraltar as part of military convoy WS12.
Argus departed the UK on October 1st and after detaching from WS12, she arrived
at Gibraltar on the 8th. The aircraft were loaded onto Ark Royal, which then
sailed for Malta with a reinforced Force H; which also contained the battleship
Rodney, the cruiser Hermione and seven destroyers. The force reached the flying-
off position on the 16th and eleven Albacores and two Swordfish took off, with
one Swordfish failing to arrive. As part of this operation, Force H also covered
the cruisers Aurora, Penelope and two destroyers that were being sent to Malta
to form Force K (see HMS Penelope). To complete the mission, Argus joined her
fellow carrier Eagle at Gibraltar and returned to the UK at the end of October.
.P Sadly, the following month was to be the last for this famous carrier that had
served the RN so well and proved such a thorn in the side of the Axis. Her last
mission was an aircraft delivery operation to Malta, Operation Perpetual (see
Transport Counter 4721). On her return journey, she was hit by a torpedo from
U-81. She took on a heavy list and then lost all power as her boilers were shut
down. Crucially, she had no back-up generators. The order to abandon ship was
given, perhaps prematurely, and the engineers had to be put back on-board once
she had stopped listing further. Limited power was supplied from the destroyer
Laforey, and her boilers were fired up thanks to water pumped into them by the
destroyer. Still listing heavily, she was taken under tow to Gibraltar. The
progress was slow and it was clear that she would not make it home before she
capsized without more power to pump out the water. What ultimately led to her
demise was the decision to try and get the port propeller working. Although this
was achieved, the rotating machinery simply added to the pressure on the
bulkheads that were already straining to hold back the flood water. The rising
water eventually blocked the vents from the boiler and fire broke out. Smoke in
the engine and boiler rooms forced the abandonment of those vital areas and meant
Ark Royal's time was up. On the 14th November 1941, the Ark Royal rolled over and
sank. Thankfully, only 1 life had been lost in the initial blast but her loss was
a bitter blow for the RN. For her role in sinking the Bismarck and for the
contribution to keeping Malta supplied, particularly with aircraft, her value
during that period had been incalculable.


(1) Histories should be chronological. Please place the origin of the ships name after the ship specifics.
(2) Use American English spelling. When an American company develops a game then the write-ups should be in American English.
(3) Spell check your work. I’ve underlined some of your misspelled words.
(4) Have someone else proofread your work. You will not notice your errors but someone else will.

[4535 Ark Royal - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 102,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 30.75 knots
.B Main armament: 16 x 4.5-inch (114mm) guns and 48 x 2-pdr pompoms
.B Aircraft: 54
.B Displacement (full load): 27,720 tons
.B Thickest armour: 4.5-inch (belt)
.P The name Ark Royal stems from the Elizabethan period; the first Ark Royal was
the flagship of Lord Effingham during the engagement with the Spanish Armada in
1588. The second vessel of that name followed over 300 years later, but thanks to
the heroic exploits of the third Ark Royal during the first two years of the
Second World War, the name has been almost ever present within the RN since.

.P The Ark Royal was the first modern carrier designed for the Royal Navy
(RN). The sole ship of her class, she was laid down in 1935 and completed three
years later. She was to be the only modern carrier available to the RN at the
outbreak of World War II.
.P The 1930 London Naval Treaty allowed carriers of up to 27,000 tons, but the
British designed Ark Royal at 22,000 tons, as they were anticipating getting
agreement for a reduced tonnage at the next treaty. As it turned out, the 1936
treaty ultimately set a 23,000 ton displacement ceiling, but work on Ark Royal
was too advanced to allow her to use the additional allowance.
.P Unlike later British carriers, her flight deck was not armored, although she
did have a 3.5-inch lower hangar deck that covered her machinery spaces,
magazines and aviation fuel store. This was designed to withstand a 6-inch shell
or a 500lb bomb. Her two hangars were on different levels and her three lifts
were linked to both. She had two catapults that could launch 12,000lb at 66
knots. Although designed to operate 72 aircraft, her actual capacity during the
war was 54 and for these, she carried 100,000 Imp gallons of aviation fuel.
.P Her anti-aircraft (AA) armament was impressive, with eight twin 4.5-inch guns
mounted on sponsons just below the level of the flight deck. This arrangement
stopped the limited arc of fire problems seen in earlier designs.
.P Ark Royal was a well designed ship that could operate effectively in poor
weather. The speed and power figures above are as designed, although she exceeded
both in trials. Her one main weakness however, was to cause her eventual sinking
(see details of her sinking below).
.P Like all British carriers, she suffered from poor quality aircraft at the
beginning of the war. This was thanks in part to the decision to make the Royal
Air Force (RAF) responsible for naval aviation and the consequential lack of
enthusiasm and investment by the RAF in naval aircraft due to their other
priorities.
.P HMS Ark Royal was completed in November 1938, and at the outbreak of World
War II, she was deployed in the North Western Approaches, searching for U-boats.
While on one such patrol, she was lucky to escape a torpedo attack by U-39 (see
HMS Courageous) and after the sinking of Courageous in that first month of war,
carriers were no longer used in that role.
.P At the end of that first month of the war she provided air cover for Home
Fleet units escorting the damaged submarine Spearfish back to the UK (see
Submarine Counter 4734).
.P The following month Ark Royal was deployed in Hunting Group K during the
search for two German pocket-battleships at large in the North and South Atlantic
oceans (see HMS Hermes). In December, after one of these, the Admiral Graf Spee,
was engaged by RN units off Uruguay, Force K was sent to the River Plate at the
utmost speed. However, the German raider was scuttled by her crew and Ark Royal
was no longer required (see HMS Exeter).
.P The Ark returned to the UK at the start of 1940 and in February she took part
in the successful search for six German merchant ships that had sailed from Vigo,
Spain, in an effort to get back to Germany (see HMS York). Following this, she
was ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean with the carrier Glorious, but the
planned exercises there were soon cut short due to the German invasion of Norway
at the beginning of April. Both carriers were recalled to join the Home Fleet and
Ark Royal was to play a key role in the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway (see
HMS Curacoa, HMS Glorious and Transport Counter 4720). At the end of the
Norwegian debacle, which had proved costly to the RN in terms of men and ships,
Ark Royal herself was to share in the pain. She was ordered to launch an
airstrike against the battlecruiser Scharnhorst at her mooring in a Trondheim
fjord. On the 13th June, Skuas from 800 and 803 Naval Air Squadrons (NAS) took
off for the mission, unaware that the German defenses had already been alerted.
In the ensuing attack, eight of the fifteen Skuas were shot down for just one hit
recorded against the battlecruiser. Even then, the bomb had merely bounced off
Scharnhorst's armor plate. To compound the misery, the destroyers Antelope and
Electra collided in the fog on the voyage home.
.P After the French surrender at the end of June, and with the French navy no
longer available to guard the Western Mediterranean, Ark Royal was transferred to
Gibraltar to join the newly formed trouble-shooting Force H. Ark Royal was to be
synonymous with Force H over the course of the next year and a half.
.P Ark Royal was central to the attack on the French Fleet at Oran (see HMS
Enterprise) at the start of July and then at the end of the month, she assisted
the delivery of aircraft to Malta in Operation Hurry (see HMS Argus). During this
operation, Force H were detached to launch a diversionary air attack on Cagliari,
Sardinia, and indeed, Ark Royal's aircraft were to re-visit the island on a
number of occasions in the coming months.
.P Her next operation was HATS, a complex, and successful mission to reinforce
the Mediterranean Fleet, supply Malta and attack Italian targets (see HMS
Calcutta).
.P In September, Ark Royal left the Mediterranean and took part in another ill-
fated operation; this time the attack on Vichy-French Dakar (see HMS Resolution).
After the British aborted the Dakar operation, Ark Royal returned to Gibraltar to
rejoin Force H, escorted by the battleship Barham and the cruisers Berwick and
Glasgow. Force H then took part in Coat; another operation designed to reinforce
the Mediterranean Fleet and re-supply Malta (see HMS Barham). This operation was
closely followed by a tragic aircraft delivery mission to Malta named Operation
White (see HMS Argus).
.P Two more operations were to be undertaken by Force H before the end of the
year. Firstly the supply operation, Collar, which led to the inconclusive Battle
of Cape Spartivento (see HMS Despatch), and secondly, at the end of the year,
Force H provided escort for Hide, an operation designed to get the battleship
Malaya to Gibraltar (see HMS Malaya).
.P At the conclusion of Hide, Ark Royal briefly left the Mediterranean to take
part in the search for the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper after the German cruiser
had attacked convoy WS5A (see ASW Counter 4699).
.P The New Year 1941 saw Force H covering an important convoy to Malta; Operation
Excess (see HMS Southampton), and followed this with raids against the Tirso Dam
on Sardinia and the Italian port of Genoa (see HMS Malaya). Upon return from the
Genoa operation, Force H were taken out of the Mediterranean once more, this time
for a six week deployment in the Atlantic. They were required there for convoy
protection and to search for German surface raiders (see HMS Nelson).
.P April saw Force H back in the Mediterranean, where their next operation was
Winch, a successful aircraft delivery operation to Malta (see HMS Argus). Force
H then headed back into the Atlantic to briefly patrol in the Bay of Biscay (see
HMS Fiji) as it was wrongly thought that Scharnhorst and her sister Gneisenau
were preparing to leave the French port of Brest. Force H returned to Gibraltar
to carry out further aircraft delivery missions; Operations Salient and Dunlop
(see HMS Dido).
.P In early May, they escorted the important Tiger convoy that was bringing
reinforcements to the Commonwealth troops in Egypt on the first part of its
journey to Alexandria (see Transport Counter 4729). This was followed by
Operation Splice, another Malta delivery operation (see HMS Furious).
.P No sooner had Force H returned from Splice than they were ordered into the
Atlantic to take part in the search for the German battleship Bismarck. Ark
Royal`s aircraft played perhaps the crucial role in the ultimate destruction of
the battleship; it was a torpedo from one of her Swordfish that caused the
Bismarck's rudder to jam and send her on a collision course with the chasing
battleships of the Home Fleet (see HMS Rodney).
.P Upon their return to Gibraltar, and with the British effort to keep Malta in
the war coming under increasing pressure, Force H spent June taking part in four
Malta aircraft delivery operations: Rocket and Tracer (see HMS Argus) and Railway
I & II (see HMS Hermione). Sandwiched between these operations were two sorties
into the Atlantic in search of enemy supply vessels (see HMS Hermione).
.P In July, Force H escorted the second successful Malta relief convoy of 1941,
codenamed Substance (see HMS Manchester), and the follow-up Style operation (see
HMS Arethusa). These were followed in August by the covering of a mine laying
operation, code-named Mincemeat (see HMS Hermione). In September, two more
aircraft deliveries to Malta were completed (see HMS Furious) and at the end of
that month, Ark Royal sailed with Force H for the third large Malta relief convoy
of that year, Operation Halberd (see HMS Edinburgh). Ark Royal and Force H could
be proud that all three major supply operations that year had been completely
successful.
.P October saw Force H involved in another aircraft delivery mission to Malta;
Operation Callboy. This operation was to provide Malta with additional torpedo
bombers. The old carrier Argus was used for the initial transfer of twelve
Albacore aircraft, and she sailed to Gibraltar as part of military convoy WS12.
Argus departed the UK on October 1st and after detaching from WS12, she arrived
at Gibraltar on the 8th. The aircraft were loaded onto Ark Royal, which then
sailed for Malta with a reinforced Force H; which also contained the battleship
Rodney, the cruiser Hermione and seven destroyers. The force reached the flying-
off position on the 16th and eleven Albacores and two Swordfish took off, with
one Swordfish failing to arrive. As part of this operation, Force H also covered
the cruisers Aurora, Penelope and two destroyers that were being sent to Malta
to form Force K (see HMS Penelope). To complete the mission, Argus joined her
fellow carrier Eagle at Gibraltar and returned to the UK at the end of October.
.P Sadly, the following month was to be the last for this famous carrier that had
served the RN so well and proved such a thorn in the side of the Axis. Her last
mission was an aircraft delivery operation to Malta, Operation Perpetual (see
Transport Counter 4721). On her return journey, she was hit by a torpedo from
U-81. She took on a heavy list and then lost all power as her boilers were shut
down. Crucially, she had no back-up generators. The order to abandon ship was
given, perhaps prematurely, and the engineers had to be put back on-board once
she had stopped listing further. Limited power was supplied from the destroyer
Laforey, and her boilers were fired up thanks to water pumped into them by the
destroyer. Still listing heavily, she was taken under tow to Gibraltar. The
progress was slow and it was clear that she would not make it home before she
capsized without more power to pump out the water. What ultimately led to her
demise was the decision to try and get the port propeller working. Although this
was achieved, the rotating machinery simply added to the pressure on the
bulkheads that were already straining to hold back the flood water. The rising
water eventually blocked the vents from the boiler and fire broke out. Smoke in
the engine and boiler rooms forced the abandonment of those vital areas and meant
Ark Royal's time was up. On the 14th November 1941, the Ark Royal rolled over and
sank. Thankfully, only 1 life had been lost in the initial blast but her loss was
a bitter blow for the RN. For her role in sinking the Bismarck and for the
contribution to keeping Malta supplied, particularly with aircraft, her value
during that period had been incalculable.


< Message edited by Extraneous -- 8/9/2010 3:51:59 PM >


_____________________________

University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)

(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 1768
RE: Just for fun - 8/9/2010 6:36:34 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Extraneous



(1) Histories should be chronological. Please place the origin of the ships name after the ship specifics.
(2) Use American English spelling. When an American company develops a game then the write-ups should be in American English.
(3) Spell check your work. I’ve underlined some of your misspelled words.
(4) Have someone else proofread your work. You will not notice your errors but someone else will.


Warspite1

Thanks for the suggestions.

(1) I agree on the chronological point which Paulderynck helpfully pointed out on the Warspite write-up. However, on reflection I'm happy with where the naming paragraph is. IMO placing right at the front makes the naming seem like the most important element of the write-up. In reality it is a nice to have.
(2) No - I have started - rightly or wrongly - with English English and given the amount of work done to date, I have no intention of searching for and then changing all those words . The game is based on an Australian game so I'm sure I'll be forgiven this impertinence.
(3) + (4) The reason I post these is for precisely that purpose. Thanks to people like Josh , the write-ups are in a much better shape than they otherwise would be, because you are right, checking what you know something says is v.v.v difficult.

However, that said, Josh has missed available. Frankly he has let me, Steve, ADG and Matrix down. But above all he has let himself down - Bad Josh

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Extraneous)
Post #: 1769
RE: Just for fun - 8/9/2010 6:41:56 PM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Josh

"The name ship, Espańa, had been completed before the outbreak
of war and the second, Alfonso XIII, was already launched by then and was
completed in 1915." ?

The name ship, Espańa ---> the first ship?.
was already launced by then---> had already been launched by then and was completed...??

Warspite1

Do you know what Josh? That's a really rubbishly worded sentence - I will amend.

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 1770
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