HMS Formidable (67)

__NOTOC__HMS "Formidable" was an "Illustrious" class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy during World War II. She was constructed by Harland & Wolff, Belfast and commissioned on 24 November 1940.

"Formidable" took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan on 27 March-29, 1941. On May 26, 1941, she received serious damage while transporting aircraft to Malta, being hit by two 1000 kilogram bombs that put her out of action for six months. After repairs at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, in the United States, she re-equipped with Vought Corsair and Hellcat fighters.

In 1942, she travelled across the Pacific and served briefly in the Indian Ocean, returning to the Mediterranean in October. "Formidable" then provided air support for the North African campaign and Italian campaign (1943), including The Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky), before taking part in an Arctic convoy. On November 17th aircraft from HMS "Formidable" attacked U-Boat U-331 (the U-Boat that sank HMS "Barham") and sank her.

On 17 July 1944, Swordfish aircraft from "Formidable" were involved in Operation Mascot, an attack on the "Tirpitz" in Norway. She took part in further attacks on "Tirpitz" in August, as part of Operation Goodwood.

During 1945, she saw service against Japanese forces with the British Pacific Fleet, and survived several kamikaze attacks while supporting the landings on Okinawa. On May 4th, Just after 11.30 a.m. a Japanese plane made a steep dive from "a great height" at "Formidable" and was engaged by AA guns. The kamikaze was hit at close range, but crashed into the flight deck, making a massive dent about 10 feet (3 m) long, two feet (0.6 m) wide and two feet deep in the armoured flight deck. A large steel splinter speared down through the hangar deck and the centre boiler-room, where it ruptured a steam line, and came to rest in a fuel tank, starting a major fire in the aircraft park. Eight crew members were killed and forty-seven were wounded. However, the steel flight deck of "Formidable", (and many other British carriers) prevented further damage by Kamikaze attacks. (American carriers had wood-surfaced flight decks, while British carriers had steel ones). One Corsair and ten Grumman Avengers were destroyed. However, the fires were gradually brought under control and the crater in the deck was repaired with concrete and steel plate. By 5 p.m., Corsairs were again able to land on "Formidable". A further Kamikaze hit Formidable's flight deck on 9th May 1945, but the level of damage was nowhere near as serious as the attack that had occurred 4 days previously.

The accumulation of damage through the war took its toll on the ship. The bomb damage received in the Mediterranean had left her permanently maimed, and the Royal Navy's postwar fleet review revealed that she was beyond economical repair. She was placed in reserve in 1947 and 'Old Formy' never saw active service again.

She was scrapped from November 1956.

Battle Honours

*Matapan 1941
*Crete 1941
*Mediterranean 1941
*Indian Ocean early 1942
*North Africa 1942-3
*Sicily 1943
*Salerno 1943
*Okinawa 1945
*Japan 1945

Aircraft

*January, 1941: 33 aircraft - Fulmar and Albacores
*July, 1943: Martlets, Seafires, and Albacores
*July, 1944: 40 aircraft - 16 Corsairs, 24 Barracudas

References

*Roger Chesneau, "Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present. An Illustrated Encyclopedia" (A&AP, 1999) ISBN 1-86019-875-9

External links

* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aircraft_carriers/hms_formidable_67.htm Maritimequest HMS Formidable photo gallery]
* [http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/FORMIDABLE.html Fleet Air Arm entry for "Formidable"]