Service history HMS Avenger (D14)

1 service history

1.1 convoy pq 18
1.2 convoy qp 14
1.3 operation torch

service history

inside hangar of hms avenger, lift brings down sea hurricane of 802 naval air squadron.

on 18 april 1942, avenger started flight deck landing training 4 fairey swordfish aircraft of 816 naval air squadron, fleet air arm. exercise had curtailed when engines broke down. repaired 30 april 1942, joined escort convoy @ 17 cross atlantic britain. during crossing swordfish of 816 squadron provided anti-submarine patrols. on 4 may, 2 aircraft lost convoy in heavy weather , requested homing beacon avenger. unable help, not having correct equipment, , both aircraft , crews reported missing. when avenger arrived in britain fleet air arm had shortage of martlet fighter aircraft, small number of royal air force hawker hurricanes converted sea hurricanes. avenger chosen test deck landing ability on escort carriers. tests, flown eric winkle brown, successful, , sea hurricane equipped 802 naval air squadron , 882 naval air squadron, 12 aircraft assigned avenger. joined 3 fairey swordfish , 5 crews 825 naval air squadron.

convoy pq 18

fleet air arm sea hurricanes flying in formation

on 3 september 1942, avenger, under command of ex-swordfish pilot commander anthony paul colthust, left britain iceland take part in convoy pq 18. weather cold, , in heavy seas 1 of sea hurricanes broke restraints , lost on side. ship located @ sea luftwaffe focke-wulf condor, , shortly after arriving in iceland, avenger subjected bombing attack condor. both of bombs dropped missed ship, 2 houses ashore demolished. in determination pq 18 success, royal navy created largest escort force ever assembled arctic convoy until time. under command of rear-admiral robert burnett, force included avenger—the aircraft carrier—which joined anti-aircraft cruiser hms scylla , 16 fleet destroyers, plus normal complement of close support sloops, corvettes, , minelayers. avenger , scylla, close escort destroyers wheatland , wilton, left iceland , joined convoy late on 9 september 1942. 1 of swordfish aircraft sent on anti-submarine patrol. bad weather prevented flying following 2 days, weather cleared noon on 12 september. clearer skies revealed blohm & voss bv 138 flying boat shadowing convoy. 4 hurricanes took off intercept not find in clouds. later same day, swordfish on anti-submarine patrol sighted 2 u-boats; had dived time escorts got position.

the next day, 13 september, swordfish took off on patrol @ 03:45 , attacked u-boat on surface. @ 07:00, swordfish sighted 2 u-boats, dived before attack launched. later blohm & voss bv 138 sighted , sea hurricanes sent intercept it, lost in clouds. @ 09:00 2 merchant ships torpedoed , sunk; more aircraft , u-boats located shadowing convoy. time sea hurricanes did locate german reconnaissance aircraft found .303 calibre machine guns had little effect on armoured blohm & voss aircraft. @ 15:00 6 junkers ju 88 had been circling convoy headed in on bombing attack. no ships hit, , sea hurricanes started engage them. bombing mission appears have been diversion fighters out of position. followed torpedo attack mixed formation of 50 junkers ju 88 , heinkel 111. planes flew intense anti-aircraft barrage shot down 5 aircraft , disrupted others, out of 96 torpedoes 8 found target. 1 of he 111s intercepted , shot down sea hurricanes. air attack 9 heinkel 115 torpedo bombers followed @ 16:15. 1 shot down convoy s anti-aircraft barrage, , rest sufficiently deterred torpedoes, dropped @ distance, evaded ships in convoy. during attack sea hurricanes had again been diverted shadowing blohm & voss bv 138, shot 1 of them down without apparent damage itself. @ 20:40 force of 12 he 111 torpedo-bombers attacked in small groups, half shot down anti-aircraft barrage , sea hurricanes, in position intercept them time.

convoy pq 18 underwater detonation erupts next hms ashanti

at 03:30 on 14 september, u-boat torpedoed , sank tanker @ rear of convoy. patrolling swordfish attacked @ 04:00 , forced surfaced u-boat dive, although submarine did not appear damaged. swordfish sighted u-589 @ 09:40; submarine dived, located , sunk hms onslow. avenger s captain had change tactics work around limitation of sea hurricanes , fairey swordfish: not able use usn designed catapult required tail down take off, rather tail method used royal navy s catapults, , needed full deck length take off. endeavoured keep section of fighter aircraft in air during daylight hours , ready launch, break large german aircraft formations. entailed continuous cycle of take offs , landings re-fuel , re-arm. @ 12:30 group of 22 ju 88s , he 111s escort of messerschmitt bf 110s approached convoy dead ahead. aboard avenger, 9 sea hurricanes took off. presence forced of german planes drop torpedoes , turn away, while others shot down anti-aircraft barrage. simultaneous attack force of 14 ju 88s @ rear of convoy divided sea hurricane squadrons, shot down 1 of ju 88s. carrier , escorts targeted german aircraft, , 20 aircraft succeeded in making bombing run. 1 aircraft shot down barrage, eleventh of day.

immediately following, @ 15:30, 25 he 111 torpedo bombers appeared in front of convoy. of these, 17 targeted avenger, managed evade torpedoes. however, 3 of sea hurricanes, had closed on 111s, shot down escorts barrage. pilots rescued. force of ju 88s appeared , targeted avenger , scylla. neither ship hit, number of near misses recorded. 1 near miss started small fire in avenger s catapult room, dealt with. last attack of day. sea hurricanes claimed 5 out of 24 aircraft shot down; 3 shot down; , 14 damaged.

a merchant ship exploding, photographed flight deck of hms avenger

during hours of 15 september, convoy fogbound. fog started clear @ 12:20, , avenger s radar operator reported group of 70 bombers approaching. of avenger s remaining sea hurricanes took off intercept them. presence of fighters kept bombers above cloud level; altitude kept them bombing accuracy. bombers remained in vicinity of convoy until fuel shortages forced them leave, , 16:45 avenger s radar clear of targets. on 16 september consolidated catalina of no. 210 squadron raf, based in russia, arrived take on anti-submarine patrols avengers swordfish. allowed clear deck of swordfish , assemble spare sea hurricanes return journey. avenger, scylla, , destroyers left pq 18 evening join homeward bound convoy leaving russian waters. when convoy pq 18 arrived @ archangel no escorts , ten of 41 merchant ships in convoy had been sunk.

convoy qp 14

fairey swordfish taking off escort carrier

avenger , escorts joined homeward bound convoy qp 14 @ 05:00 17 september , sent swordfish on anti-submarine patrol, maintained throughout day. ice on flight deck prevented flying on 18 september, , convoy turned further north, away german airfields in norway. german reconnaissance plane did locate convoy, kept under observation , did not attack, sea hurricanes kept on board avenger. swordfish remained on patrol on 19 , 20 september without locating u-boats. 1 merchant ship torpedoed , sunk on 20 september. @ 18:45 evening, 3 destroyers escorts, avenger left convoy scapa flow. out of sight, hms somali torpedoed, , 2 days later merchant ship torpedoed , sunk. after returning port, avengers captain commander colthust submitted report highlighting how inadequate swordfish , sea hurricanes had been. in single escort carrier number of airframes , crews never enough had been asked do. swordfish not take off short flight deck of escort carrier deck armed torpedoes or enough depth charges , fuel useful, , .303 calibre machine guns on sea hurricane ineffective against armoured german reconnaissance aircraft.

operation torch

hms biter , avenger seen deck of hms victorious, has 2 supermarine seafires on board

hms avenger, hms biter, , hms victorious left scapa greenock on 16 october 1942. avenger still had 2 sea hurricane squadrons on board, 2 new aircraft armed 20 mm cannon. avenger tasked providing air cover 1 of convoys carrying british assault force operation torch. once off north africa join covering force landings, hms argus, 3 cruisers, , 5 destroyers. on arrival on 8 november 1942, supermarine seafires argus , avenger s sea hurricanes provided air cover landings. between 8–10 november avenger flew 60 fighter missions. on 9 november, had near miss torpedo he 111, , 10–12 november laid engine problems before sailing gibraltar. hms avenger torpedoed , sunk heavy loss of life (516 perished) u-155 under command of kapitänleutnant adolf piening on 15 november 1942, west of gibraltar. struck 1 torpedo, sank. twelve members of crew rescued.

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