Fairey Swordfish flight ops aboard MAC Ship Macoma, March 23rd 1944. She was one of nine Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC ship). The group is sometimes collectively known as the Rapana Class.
Macoma was launched on December 21st 1935 at Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Mij, Amsterdam as an Oil Tanker and entered service the following year. She was converted to a MAC ship from late 1943 to April 1944, and commissioned April 1st 1944.
As a MAC ship, she had no aircraft hangar, and continued to carry normal cargoes, although operating under Royal Navy control. Only her air crew and aviation support staff were naval personnel. In the case of the Macoma, these were provided by the Royal Netherlands Navy including the Dutch Fleet Air Arm 860 and 861 squadrons.
The Macoma and her sister MV Gadila were the first aircraft carrying vessels with a flight deck to be operated under the flag of the Netherlands. After the war, MV Macoma was reconverted and returned to merchant service as an oil tanker and served in that role until scrapped in Hong Kong in 1959.
MAC Ships
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Brian James
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MAC Ships
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greendragon
- Posts: 189
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Re: MAC Ships
There are some sum-up of the MAC ships in internet, list of them, fate etc, etc
Interesting information is that none of the convoys with MAC escort was attacked by uboats.
This would require a quick reference check was it pure coincidence - compare U-boats activity with MAC -ship convoys - as it is known some 80% of the convoys went across Atlantic being unnoticed or attacked by the U-boats - or an single engine aircraft patrolling area around a convoy was enough for a German commander to quit an attack because of significant sign an aircraft carrier is with convoy which was serious game changer for the U-boats.
Anyway , to know how it was being a FAA pilot of a Stringbag based on a MAC-ship (the a/c were informally marked with "Merchant Navy" rather than routine "Royal Navy " on the fuselage) one should read memories of J.R.Godley (later Lord Kilbracken) who served on one of them.
I have (of course) this book on my shelf and have came back to it many times.
Bought for reasonable price of couple of quids many years ago I found it today in an Amazon offer of 22 to 80 pounds.
Regards,
gd
Interesting information is that none of the convoys with MAC escort was attacked by uboats.
This would require a quick reference check was it pure coincidence - compare U-boats activity with MAC -ship convoys - as it is known some 80% of the convoys went across Atlantic being unnoticed or attacked by the U-boats - or an single engine aircraft patrolling area around a convoy was enough for a German commander to quit an attack because of significant sign an aircraft carrier is with convoy which was serious game changer for the U-boats.
Anyway , to know how it was being a FAA pilot of a Stringbag based on a MAC-ship (the a/c were informally marked with "Merchant Navy" rather than routine "Royal Navy " on the fuselage) one should read memories of J.R.Godley (later Lord Kilbracken) who served on one of them.
I have (of course) this book on my shelf and have came back to it many times.
Bought for reasonable price of couple of quids many years ago I found it today in an Amazon offer of 22 to 80 pounds.
Regards,
gd