Page 2 of 17 FirstFirst 123412 ... LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 244

Thread: Warships and Ships at war

  1. #16
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wallasey
    Posts
    2,650
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Aren't the Brits building a carrier as we speak.

  2. #17
    Senior Member kevin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Midlands
    Age
    72
    Posts
    879
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    Though in awe of warships and fully appreciate their necessity, as an ex-seaman my awe is tempered by my awareness that part of their role was to send other ships to the sea bed, with the resultant loss of life of other sailors.

    But I guess that is true of all weapons of war - this just affects me differently because it's sailors involved. Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, having recently spoken to the widow of a sailor who lost his life on a convoy to Murmansk.

  3. #18
    Senior Member Waterways's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    2,924
    Blog Entries
    22

    Default

    HMS Victorious was loaned to the US, after a request from the US, as they were desperate for carriers having lost a number and a few in dock, and renamed USS Robin flying the US flag. The British crew remained. She served in the south Pacific with Saratoga, and was later returned and named back into HMS Victorious. She later returned to the Pacific in 1945 with the British carrier fleet against Japan.

    Victorious (USS Robin) operated 60 British and American Wildcat fighters. British owned planes repainted in US colours with British pilots. Victorious was named USS Robin so the Japs would not think the US was short of carriers and painted in measure 21 (5-N Navy Blue).

    The crew remained with a different uniform, and with US additions. The planes were British and US owned, all in US markings, with the US planes having US pilots and the British, British pilots.

    They developed a method of hanging the planes virtually over the sides, with the main wheels on deck and the tail wheels stretched out over the sea.

    http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/Victorious.html
    http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.17844
    "Send Her Victorious" (ISBN: 0718301021) by Michael Apps.

    They even changed the uniforms of the crew to US. Search on Robin on this page http://www.cheshiremagazine.com/issu...esqueries.html

    They also fitted ice cream and Coca Cola machines on board. Most Brits at the time probably had never heard of Coca Cola, as that only came into the UK post WW2 in any big way.


    Combined U.S.N. Battle Group of HMS Victorious (foreground) renamed as USS Robin and USS Saratoga, at Noumea, New Caledonia, 1943
    The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
    Save Liverpool Docks and Waterways - Click

    Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
    becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
    longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
    tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
    canals to view its modern museum describing
    how it once was?


    Giving Liverpool a full Metro - CLICK
    Rapid-transit rail: Everton, Liverpool & Arena - CLICK

    Save Royal Iris - Sign Petition

  4. #19
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wallasey
    Posts
    2,650
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kevin View Post
    Though in awe of warships and fully appreciate their necessity, as an ex-seaman my awe is tempered by my awareness that part of their role was to send other ships to the sea bed, with the resultant loss of life of other sailors.

    But I guess that is true of all weapons of war - this just affects me differently because it's sailors involved. Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, having recently spoken to the widow of a sailor who lost his life on a convoy to Murmansk.
    Yes, terrible business. Especially as they can't run away or hide. Until war stops, this is the result.

  5. #20
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wallasey
    Posts
    2,650
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Great stuff WW. More stuff I never knew. You sailor boys know your stuff.

  6. #21
    Senior Member Waterways's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    2,924
    Blog Entries
    22

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pablo42 View Post
    Aren't the Brits building a carrier as we speak.
    Yep. It was to be three of the Queen Elizabeth class. Dropped to two and maybe just one. It is the size of the US Independence class. The biggest carriers the UK would have built. Part of it is being made at Birkenhead.



    The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
    Save Liverpool Docks and Waterways - Click

    Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
    becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
    longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
    tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
    canals to view its modern museum describing
    how it once was?


    Giving Liverpool a full Metro - CLICK
    Rapid-transit rail: Everton, Liverpool & Arena - CLICK

    Save Royal Iris - Sign Petition

  7. #22
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wallasey
    Posts
    2,650
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Waterways View Post
    Yep. It was to be three of the Queen Elizabeth class. Dropped to two and maybe just one. It is the size of a the US Independence class. The biggest carriers the UK would have built. Part of it is being made at Birkenhead.

    WOW! Fantastic. Gotta be heavy in protection though. Gonna be costly with support and goalkeeper protection ships.

  8. #23

    Default

    Waterways,I have my uncles navy record plus a chart showing the Victorious just outside Tokyo,before it entered service it went to the US to be fitted out with among other things coke machines and ice cream equipment,Ive often wondered if the british on board were awarded a campaign medal from the US as they were awarded one from the Russians on the Baltic run.

  9. #24
    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Tamworth,Staffs
    Posts
    1,045
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Here is a picture that I would like to se the original of. It is the Frenc battleship "Richelieu" which was sunk in Dakar by the British in early hours of July 8th 1940. This was shown in that report/The Richelieu was laid down in1935 and was only completed at the beginning of WW11.We know she was 35.000 tons ,carried 8 15 inch guns,15 6 inch guns 18 anti aircraft guns.
    The War Illustrated stated,there were no technical details or photographs available at that time. (1940) She was sunk to prevent the Vichy French turning her over to the Nazis.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Richelieu (Medium).jpg 
Views:	240 
Size:	72.3 KB 
ID:	11443  

  10. #25
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wallasey
    Posts
    2,650
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by brian daley View Post
    Here is a picture that I would like to se the original of. It is the Frenc battleship "Richelieu" which was sunk in Dakar by the British in early hours of July 8th 1940. This was shown in that report/The Richelieu was laid down in1935 and was only completed at the beginning of WW11.We know she was 35.000 tons ,carried 8 15 inch guns,15 6 inch guns 18 anti aircraft guns.
    The War Illustrated stated,there were no technical details or photographs available at that time. (1940) She was sunk to prevent the Vichy French turning her over to the Nazis.
    Great that Brian. Wasn't most of the French fleet sunk at Oraz???. The French Army also fought back in Syria. The British General said that if they fought that hard against the Germans, they wouldn't have lost.

  11. #26
    Senior Member Waterways's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    2,924
    Blog Entries
    22

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by brian daley View Post
    Here is a picture that I would like to se the original of. It is the Frenc battleship "Richelieu" which was sunk in Dakar by the British in early hours of July 8th 1940.
    Brian,

    I think you got that wrong.

    Here she is in 1946


    Dakar 1940: Vichy French: 1 destroyer sunk, 2 submarines sunk.
    HMS Barham hit by a 380 mm (15 in) shell from Richelieu.
    The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
    Save Liverpool Docks and Waterways - Click

    Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
    becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
    longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
    tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
    canals to view its modern museum describing
    how it once was?


    Giving Liverpool a full Metro - CLICK
    Rapid-transit rail: Everton, Liverpool & Arena - CLICK

    Save Royal Iris - Sign Petition

  12. #27
    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Tamworth,Staffs
    Posts
    1,045
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Waterways View Post
    Brian,

    I think you got that wrong.

    Here she is in 1946


    Dakar 1940: Vichy French: 1 destroyer sunk, 2 submarines sunk.
    HMS Barham hit by a 380 mm (15 in) shell from Richelieu.
    Waterways, I culled that article direct from a wartime magazine,War Illustrated July19th 1940,it is what is known as propaganda. Hindsight has shown that she was only damaged. The people of great Britain were told different at the time.
    BrianD

  13. #28
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wallasey
    Posts
    2,650
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by brian daley View Post
    Waterways, I culled that article direct from a wartime magazine,War Illustrated July19th 1940,it is what is known as propaganda. Hindsight has shown that she was only damaged. The people of great Britain were told different at the time.
    BrianD
    No change there then with propoganda. Thanks Brian.

  14. #29
    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Tamworth,Staffs
    Posts
    1,045
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    "Operation Pedestal was a British Wartime convoy
    Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
    operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of MaltaMalta
    Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
    in August 1942, during the Second World WarWorld War II
    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
    . Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked AxisAxis Powers
    The Axis powers were those countries that were opposed to the Allies of World War II during World War II. The three major Axis powers - Nazi Germany, Kingdom of Italy , and Empire of Japan - were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers....
    convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies in North Africa. In 1941 and 1942, Malta was effectively under siegeSiege of Malta (1940)
    The Siege of Malta was a military campaign in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II of World War II. From 1940 to 1942, the fight for the control of the strategically important island of Malta pitted the air forces and navies of Kingdom of Italy and Nazi Germany against the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy....
    , blockaded by Axis air and naval forces. To sustain Malta, Britain had to get convoys through at all costs. Malta narrowly survived. Despite serious losses, just enough supplies were delivered for Malta to survive, although it ceased to be an effective offensive base for much of 1942. The most crucial supply was fuel delivered by the American-built tanker with a British crewOhioSS Ohio
    The SS Ohio was an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company ; she was the largest oil tanker in the world at the time of construction. The tanker was launched on April 20, 1940 at the Sun Shipbuilding Yard in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA....
    . The operation started on 9 August 1942, when the convoy sailed through the Strait of GibraltarStrait of Gibraltar
    The Strait of Gibraltar is the strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic language Jebel Tariq meaning mountain of Tariq....
    .

    The convoy is also known as the "Battle of Mid-August" in Italy and as the "Konvoj ta' Santa Marija" in Malta. The arrival of the last ships of the convoy on August 15 1942 coincided with the Feast of the Assumption (Santa Marija) and the name "Santa Marija Convoy" or "Sta Marija Convoy" is still used. That day's public holiday and celebrations, in part, celebrate the arrival of the convoy. The attempt to run some fifty ships past bombers, E-boatE-boat
    The Schnellboot or S-boot was a type of Germany torpedo boat that saw service during World War II. The S-boote were approximately twice as large as their PT boat and Motor Torpedo Boat counterparts, were better suited for the open sea, and had a substantially longer range, at approximately 700 nautical miles....
    s, minefields, and submarines has gone down in military history as one of the most important British strategic victories of the Second World War - though at a cost of more than four hundred lives, with only five of the original fourteen merchant ships reaching the Grand HarbourGrand Harbour
    Grand Harbour is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times. The natural harbour has been greatly improved with extensive Dock and wharves, and has been massively fortified...."

    .My thanks to the people of the Astrology Encyclopaediae,
    BrianD

  15. #30
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wallasey
    Posts
    2,650
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Thanks for that Brian. I have a picture at home with the Ohio coming into Valletta.

Page 2 of 17 FirstFirst 123412 ... LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •