[30] While escorting a convoy to Malta on 29 September, the carrier's Fulmars broke up attacks by Italian high-level and torpedo bombers, shooting down one for the loss of one fighter. The two airstrikes had changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean by sinking the Conte di Cavour, and badly damaging the Littorio and the Caio Duilio. She returned to Norfolk on 9 December, to rendezvous with Formidable, which had also been repaired there, and the carriers sailed for home three days later. One bomb struck and destroyed the starboard forward "pom-pom" mount closest to the island, while another passed through the forwardmost port "pom-pom" mount and failed to detonate, although it did start a fire. 5 janvier 2021 Depuis le retrait des avions de combat Harrier II et la fin du porte-aéronefs HMS Ark Royal [puis celle du HMS Illustrious], la Royal Navy n’avait plus de capacités aéronavales dignes de ce nom. Since the beginning of the operation, her aircraft had flown 234 offensive and 209 defensive sorties, claiming at least two aircraft shot down. However, she remained on the Naval Reserve List to be deployed if required and was not withdrawn from service until 2010. A Type 272 target-indicator radar was mounted above her bridge. 42–46, Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy, No. 1:38. Captain C. T. Jellicoe relieved Carlill on 27 August and the ship ferried 10 Fireflies of 814 Squadron to Malta beginning on 1 October. While returning from another convoy escort mission, the Swordfish of Illustrious and Eagle attacked the Italian airfield on the island of Leros on the evening of 13/14 October. She next put to sea on 24 April 1953 for trials and did not resume training pilots until the following month. [42], While en route to Alexandria the ship's Fulmars engaged four CANT Z.506Bs, claiming three shot down and the fourth damaged, although Italian records indicate the loss of only two aircraft on 12 November. She transferred to Greenock at the end of the month and sailed on 5 August to provide air cover for the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary as she conveyed Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the Quebec Conference. He believed that carriers could not be successfully defended by their own aircraft without some form of early-warning system. 250–51; Jackson, p. 441; McCart, p. 23, Brown 1971, pp. Photo: AFP . After returning home in early 1943, the ship was given a lengthy refit and briefly assigned to the Home Fleet. The end of the war several weeks later meant that there was no longer any urgency in refitting the Illustrious in time to participate in the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands and the Admiralty decided that she would become the Home Fleet training and trials carrier. These were 'U'-shaped beams that extended from the side of the flight deck into which aircraft tailwheels were placed. US Marines embark Harriers onto HMS Illustrious. [25], While Illustrious was being moved in preparation for her acceptance trials on 24 April, the tugboat Poolgarth capsized with the loss of three crewmen. Kigurulás - panoramio.jpg 2,304 × 1,728; 1.49 MB. [57] Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten relieved her acting captain on 12 August, although he did not arrive aboard her until 28 August. Between the three squadrons they had 20 Fireflies and 8 Sea Furies when they participated in the major NATO exercise Main Brace later in the month. [66], She was then formally assigned to the Eastern Fleet and, after a short refit in Durban, sailed to Colombo, Ceylon, and became the flagship of the Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers, Eastern Fleet, Denis Boyd, her former captain. After arriving in Trincomalee, 1837 Squadron was transferred to the Victorious. Airfix Club special edition - 800 Sqn decommissioning scheme. En route she served as the centrepiece of a convoy-defence exercise as the RAF successfully "attacked" the convoy. The King and Queen inspected Illustrious and her crew, as did Prime Minister Clement Attlee and his wife. 860 Squadrons, Royal Netherlands Naval Aviation Service (RNNAS) for training, as well as 824 Squadron. [15] Her light AA armament was also augmented by the addition of 10 Oerlikon 20 mm autocannon in single mounts. 2004. She returned to Portsmouth on 7 December and she did not leave harbour until 30 January 1952 when she resumed her customary role as a training ship. The hangar was 456 feet (139.0 m) long and had a maximum width of 62 feet (18.9 m). Her own losses were two Avengers and three Corsairs lost in action and one Avenger and six Corsairs due to non-combat causes. 257–58; Brown, J. D., pp. Her catapult was upgraded to handle heavier aircraft, her flight deck was further improved, and her radar suite was modernized. [27] Her squadrons flew back aboard, and she sailed for the Mediterranean on 22 August with 15 Fulmars and 18 Swordfish aboard. It was partially obscured by clouds and heavy squalls so the attacking aircraft had only moderate success, setting some structures on fire and destroying several aircraft on the ground. Historique. As the ship neared the end of its fitting out period, the Falklands War broke out. In an effort to cure the problem, the propeller was removed, and the shaft was locked in place in February; these radical measures succeeded in reducing, but not eliminating, the vibrations and reduced the ship's speed to about 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph). In the meantime, she continued to conduct operations with the rest of the fleet. [46] Four days later Illustrious's aircraft attacked two convoys near the Kerkennah Islands and sank two merchant ships totalling 7,437 GRT. The flight deck was extended forward, which increased her overall length to 748 feet 6 inches (228.1 m). This halved the aircraft capacity compared with the older unarmoured carriers, exchanging offensive potential for defensive survivability. Le HMS Illustrious (R06) est un porte-avions léger de la Royal Navy. [32], Repairs were completed before the end of the month, and she escorted a convoy to Greece, during which her Fulmars shot down one shadowing CANT Z.506B floatplane. They were low on ammunition and out of position, as they chased the Italian aircraft over 50 miles (80 km) from Illustrious. GR.7A - 800 NAS Royal Navy, HMS ILLUSTRIOUS 2007. Harrier GR7s and Sea Harrier FA2s, are shown waiting on the deck of HMS Invincible at sunset, during Marstrike 05. HMS Invincible was decommissioned in August 2005. The BPF joined the American Fifth Fleet there two days later, under the designation Task Force 57 (TF 57), to participate in the preliminary operations for the invasion of Okinawa (Operation Iceberg). There was no aerial opposition and the fighters claimed to have destroyed 24 aircraft on the ground. US Marines embark Harriers onto HMS Illustrious. During September she participated in Exercise Mariner with three British squadrons of Fireflies and Sea Furies and a Dutch Squadron of Avengers. [82], From 26 March to 9 April, the BPF attacked the airfields with each two-day period of flying operations followed by two or three days required to replenish fuel, ammunition and other supplies. AFP. [83], Formidable's arrival allowed Rawlings to order Illustrious to the advance base in San Pedro Bay, in the Philippines, for a more thorough inspection. On 18 July she rendezvoused with the Home Fleet to participate in manoeuvres before George VI reviewed the fleet on 22–23 July. 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