RN Aircraft Carriers: Illustrious Class

[limeybiker]

Victorious in Drydock, being modernized 1950's

[ivorthediver]

Thank you , , for taking the trouble to seek it out Barry .

[limeybiker]

Thank you , , for taking the trouble to seek it out Barry .

No problem, according to my HMS Victorious Directory, properties, I have 3400 photographs of her, many not of the best size and quality, but they are unique and an absorbing pictorial history of his wartime service, John Herbert gave me three CD's of all the photographs and a complete listing of where when and who is portrayed, he took and collected during his wartime service aboard her, a sad day when he passed. There can't be many of our wartime heros left. A tremendous achievement by an Hostilities Only RNR rating, forced through the pilot training.

[jbryce1437]

That was a great gesture of John Herbert to pass on those photos and information Barry and I am sure that you treasure them. Sadly, many of those who served in the war are no longer with us and those that are left grow fewer. A poor quality image is better than no image at all. Thanks for posting his photos.

Jim

[ivorthediver]

Can only agree to that Jim , and Thanks for letting us share this collection Barry , for those of us who, rightly or wrongly, missed these events but have an enquiring mind where these facts are concerned and feel its better to get fact than be placated with fiction or yarns from lamp swingers .....
As you know my interest was in making a scale model of her and I wanted it to be as close as possible to being accurate as well as MY tribute to " Chalky," who I know you are aware of , served on her up his retirement in the early sixties .....so again my thanks

[FlyBri]

A picture that some may of seen, the ships bell from HMS Illustrious in The Malta Museum, Valetta. The damage was caused by the Luftwaffe assault on the ship in 1941 at sea and then in Grand Harbour while under initial repairs.

[ivorthediver]

Welcome to the Forum FlyBri , glad to see you here .

That looks like it had seen better days , but glad it survived , and in the right place , along with the Ships Bell from HMS MANXMAN who also earns her place there .

[Brian James]

HMS Victorious pictured in her role as 'USS Robin'.
The USN found itself with only one Fleet Carrier operational and needed another large Carrier to help assist in the theater until the first of the new Essex-Class Carriers became operationally available. The solution turned out to be simply making a request to the Royal Navy for a loan. The Royal Navy decided to loan the USN an Illustrious-Class Carrier,HMS Victorious under the command of Captain L. D. MacIntosh, Royal Navy.
In January of 1943,Victorious arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia, to begin modifications and upgrades necessary to handle American aircraft and equipment. After the Norfolk refit,Victorious transited the Panama Canal and arrived at Pearl Harbor in March 1943 to join the Saratoga Battle Group, Task Force 14. Between March and May, Victorious underwent additional modifications at Pearl to specifically handle the American versions of the Grumman TBF Avenger (or British Avenger) and F4F Wildcat (British Martlet). To complete the makeover and new look,Victorious temporarily shed her typical British Atlantic 'Admiralty disruptive camouflage scheme' for the American standard navy gray.
Victorious, now code-named 'Robin', along with USS Saratoga, arrived at the Solomon Islands as part of Task Force 36 commanded by Rear Admiral DeWitt Ramsey, USN. Saratoga and Victorious would become the core of Task Group 36.3 under Rear Admiral F. P. Sherman along with the USS North Carolina, USS Massachusetts, USS Indiana, USS San Diego, USS San Juan, HMAS Australia and several escort vessels. Her ship’s crew was British, but her aircrew and aircraft were American. No one involved had any illusions that she wouldn’t be identified as the Victorious by enemy pilots, so she proudly flew her British Jack throughout her time with the USN.

[Brian James]

HMS Victorious pictured at Hvalfjiord,Iceland,October 4th 1941.

[designeraccd]

Years later the ol VICTORIOUS emerged from a long and very expen$ive modernization. Then a small fire onboard was used as the pretense to scrap her early, thereby "$aving money"........ DFO