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HMS Hermes (95)

Coordinates: 7°35′28.392″N 82°05′55.089″E / 7.59122000°N 82.09863583°E / 7.59122000; 82.09863583
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HMS Hermes
Company typeAircraft carrier
IndustryNaval military vessel
Founded15 January 1918
FounderArmstrong Whitworth (shipbuilder)
Defunct9 April 1942 (sunk)
FateSunk by Japanese aircraft
Headquarters
Walker, River Tyne
,
United Kingdom
ProductsAircraft carrier warship
Number of employees
566 (33 officers and 533 enlisted personnel, excluding aircrew in 1939)

HMS Hermes Overview

HMS Hermes was a pioneering British aircraft carrier constructed for the Royal Navy, notable as the first vessel specifically designed as an aircraft carrier worldwide, although the Imperial Japanese Navy's Hōshō holds the distinction of being the earliest commissioned carrier.[1] Her building commenced amid the First World War, but completion was delayed until after the conflict ended due to numerous design modifications following her keel laying. After launching, the shipyard Armstrong Whitworth, responsible for her construction, ceased operations, causing a halt in her fitting out. These alterations aimed to enhance her capabilities based on insights gained from early carrier operational trials.

Commissioned in 1924, Hermes initially joined the Atlantic Fleet briefly before predominantly serving with the Mediterranean Fleet and later on the China Station. In the Mediterranean theatre, she collaborated with other carriers to refine coordinated multi-carrier tactics. While stationed in China, she played a role in anti-piracy efforts within regional waters. Returning to Britain in 1937, she was placed into reserve status and subsequently repurposed as a training ship in 1938.

At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Hermes was assigned temporarily to the Home Fleet, conducting anti-submarine patrols across the Western Approaches. By October, she had been redeployed to Dakar to collaborate with the French Navy in tracking German commerce raiders and blockade runners. Apart from a short refit period, she remained stationed there until France's capitulation and the formation of Vichy France in late June 1940. Supported by several cruisers, Hermes participated in blockading Dakar and attempted to neutralize the Richelieu by detonating depth charges beneath her stern and launching nocturnal attacks with Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. During her return voyage from this operation, Hermes collided with a British armed merchant cruiser amid stormy conditions, necessitating extensive repairs over several months in South Africa. Following restoration, she resumed patrol duties targeting Axis maritime activity throughout the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

In February 1941, Hermes provided support to Commonwealth forces engaged in Italian Somaliland during the East African Campaign, then contributed similarly two months later within the Persian Gulf during the Anglo-Iraqi War. The remainder of that year saw her conducting extensive patrols across the Indian Ocean. Undergoing refit from November 1941 until February 1942 in South Africa, she subsequently joined the Eastern Fleet based at Ceylon.

On 8 April 1942, while docked at Trincomalee, an alert was received regarding an imminent Japanese fleet raid in the Indian Ocean. Departing that day for the Maldives without embarked aircraft, Hermes was spotted near Batticaloa by a Japanese reconnaissance plane on 9 April. Soon after, she endured an assault by numerous dive bombers. Lacking aerial defense, the carrier was swiftly sunk by enemy aircraft. The majority of survivors were saved by a nearby hospital ship; however, 307 crew members lost their lives during the sinking.

Approximately six decades later, her wreck was located in the Bay of Bengal about 45 miles northeast of Batticaloa.[2] The remains lie at a depth accessible to recreational divers and have become a popular destination for underwater tourism.

Development

Similar to Hōshō, Hermes was constructed on a cruiser-style hull and was originally intended to operate both wheeled aircraft and seaplanes. The vessel's design originated from a 1916 seaplane carrier concept by Gerard Holmes and Sir John Biles, which was significantly expanded by Sir Eustace d'Eyncourt, the Director of Naval Construction (DNC), in his April 1917 preliminary design. A key innovation was the seaplane slipway, composed of three segments. Seaplanes would maneuver onto the rigid submerged aft section and connect with a trolley that transported them into the hangar. To isolate the rear section from the rigid forward part of the slipway and prevent rolling motion caused by the ship, a flexible submerged segment was placed between them. The entire slipway could be retracted inside the ship, while a gantry crane extended along its length to facilitate seaplane recovery. The layout featured two islands with a continuous flight deck spanning between them, each island housing one funnel. A sizeable net could be stretched between these islands to catch aircraft that lost control. Two aircraft lifts transported planes between the hangar and flight deck; the forward lift measured 30 by 30 feet (9.1 by 9.1 m), and the aft lift was 60 by 18 feet (18.3 by 5.5 m). This configuration displaced approximately 9,000 long tons (9,100 t) and was designed to carry six large Short Type 184 seaplanes alongside six smaller Sopwith Baby seaplanes. The armament included six 4-inch (102 mm) guns.

In January 1918, the DNC finalized a detailed design that introduced several modifications to his initial draft, notably adding a rotating bow catapult enabling aircraft launches irrespective of wind direction. The ship's construction commenced that same month based on this updated plan. However, progress was gradual since shipyard efforts were primarily focused on completing the conversion of Eagle from a battleship into an aircraft carrier. This slower pace allowed additional time for design refinements. By mid-June, the slipway had been removed, and armament was updated to eleven 6-inch (152 mm) guns plus a single anti-aircraft gun. At this stage, uncertainty over optimal aircraft carrier configuration had grown so significant that the Admiralty prohibited any work above the hangar deck without explicit authorization. Later in 1918, further revisions introduced a single island structure, standardized aircraft lifts measuring 44 by 20 feet (13.4 by 6.1 m), and modified armament consisting of ten 6-inch guns alongside four 4-inch anti-aircraft guns, increasing displacement to approximately 10,110 long tons (10,270 t).

Following her launch in September 1919, construction on Hermes was paused as the Admiralty awaited flight trial outcomes from Eagle and Argus. In March 1920, her design was updated to include an island superstructure and funnel positioned to starboard, with removal of the forward catapult. The decision to place the island on the starboard side was influenced by pilots’ preference to turn portside during aborted landings. Additionally, a prominent tripod mast was installed to accommodate her guns’ fire-control systems.

The final design adjustments occurred in May 1921 after evaluations involving Argus and Eagle. The aircraft lifts were repositioned further apart to create additional space for arresting gear and enlarged to allow wing spreading within the hangar. Her anti-ship weapons were reduced to six 5.5-inch (140 mm) guns, and her flight deck was smoothly integrated into the bow structure.[3]

Description

Hermes measured 600 feet (182.9 m) in overall length, had a beam spanning 70 feet 3 inches (21.4 m), and drew 23 feet 3 inches (7.1 m) of water at deep load. Her displacement at standard load was 10,850 long tons (11,020 t).[4] Propulsion was provided by two sets of Parsons geared steam turbines, each powering one propeller shaft and enabling a top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph).[5] Steam was generated by six Yarrow boilers,[6] operating at a pressure of 235 psi (1,620 kPa; 17 kgf/cm2).[5] Although the turbines were rated for 40,000 shaft horsepower (30,000 kW), they produced 41,318 shp (30,811 kW) during sea trials, allowing Hermes to reach speeds of 26.2 knots (48.5 km/h; 30.2 mph). The vessel carried 2,000 long tons (2,000 t) of fuel oil, which afforded a cruising range of 4,480 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,160 mi) at a steady speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).[7]

The flight deck extended to 570 feet (170 m), with aircraft lifts measuring 36 by 36.6 feet (11.0 by 11.2 m).[8] The hangar space inside was 400 feet (120 m) long, 50 feet (15 m) wide, and had a height of 16 feet (4.9 m). Longitudinal arresting gear was installed on board.[5] Positioned aft of the island structure was a substantial crane. Due to her dimensions, Hermes could accommodate approximately 20 aircraft. Bulk storage for petrol amounted to 7,000 imperial gallons (32,000 L; 8,400 US gal), while the ship's complement in 1939 consisted of 33 officers and 533 enlisted personnel, excluding aircrew.[9]

For protection against hostile surface vessels, the ship was armed with six BL 5.5-inch Mk I guns—three mounted on each flank. Her anti-aircraft defense comprised three QF Mk V 4-inch guns situated on the flight deck. The waterline belt armour measured 3 inches (76 mm),[6] and the flight deck—also serving as the strength deck—was armored with a thickness of 1 inch (25 mm).[10][6] With a metacentric height of 2.9 feet (0.88 m), Hermes displayed good handling characteristics in rough seas. However, her considerable windage caused significant weather helm of up to 25–30 degrees at low speeds when exposed to side winds.[11]

Service

File:HMS Hermes (95) at Honululu c1924.jpg
HMS Hermes docked at Honolulu, 1924

Constructed by Armstrong-Whitworth, Sir W. G. Armstrong-Whitworth and Company began building Hermes on 15 January 1918 at their Walker yard on the River Tyne. She holds the distinction of being the first aircraft carrier designed specifically for that purpose worldwide.[12] The launch took place on 11 September 1919, with Mrs A. Cooper—daughter of then First Lord of the Admiralty Walter Long, 1st Viscount Long—performing the christening ceremony. Since the shipyard was set to close by year-end 1919, the Admiralty arranged for Hermes to be towed to HMNB Devonport, where she arrived in January 1920 to undergo final completion.[5]

1920s

In February 1923, Captain Arthur Stopford took command of the vessel, which commenced sea trials by August of that year. Following the completion of fitting-out, the ship was officially commissioned on 19 February 1924 and subsequently assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. Over the ensuing months, Hermes carried out flight trials using Fairey IIID reconnaissance biplanes. On 26 July, she participated in the fleet review held at Spithead under King George V. Afterward, the ship underwent a refit until November before being redeployed to the Mediterranean Fleet. Arriving at Malta on 22 November, she required repairs due to storm damage sustained during transit.[13] At this point, Hermes embarked No. 403 Flight equipped with Fairey Flycatcher fighters alongside 441 Flight operating Fairey IIIDs.[14] Early in 1925, she conducted flying exercises in conjunction with Eagle and other units of the Mediterranean Fleet before commencing a seven-week refit at Malta on 27 March. The ship then proceeded to Portsmouth, arriving on 29 May after her aircraft had been flown ashore.[15]

Setting sail for the China Station on 17 June with Flights 403 and 441 aboard, Hermes made an extended stop in the Mediterranean during which Captain Stopford was succeeded by Captain C. P. Talbot. She reached Hong Kong on 10 August 1925 and made her initial overseas port call at Amoy in November. Returning to the Mediterranean early in 1926, she underwent refitting at Malta from April through June.[16] During this period, Flight 441 was transferred to Eagle, with 440 Flight joining Hermes in September; simultaneously, 442 Flight also embarked, both operating Fairey IIIs.[17] Following completion of her refit, Hermes resumed exercises alongside the Mediterranean Fleet and saw a change of command when Captain R. Elliot replaced Captain Talbot on 14 August. The ship returned to Hong Kong by 11 October and engaged in routine training until departing for the naval base at Weihaiwei on 27 July 1927 to avoid summer heat conditions. In September, she met with Argus, designated to relieve her on the China Station. Prior to leaving the region, both vessels launched an assault against a pirate stronghold at Bias Bay, targeting their fleet of junks and sampans. Hermes arrived back in the United Kingdom on 26 October and began a refit at Chatham Dockyard in early November.[18] During this overhaul one of her 4-inch guns was removed; subsequently, she was outfitted with two single 1.57-inch (40 mm) 2-pounder "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns.[19]

Captain Eliot relinquished command to Captain G. Hopwood on 2 December before the ship departed for the China Station on 21 January 1928.[20] By this deployment, Fairey IIIDs operated by Flight 440 had been replaced with IIIF variants; the three flights remained consistent throughout this period.[21] En route to Hong Kong, Hermes paused for four days in March at Bangkok, Siam, where King Rama VII inspected her crew and facilities. She arrived at Hong Kong on 18 March, taking over from Argus. In May she spent a month docked at Yantai, followed by nearly three weeks at Weihaiwei. While visiting Qinhuangdao in July, one of her Fairey IIIF seaplanes was forced to make an emergency landing outside the harbor; the Italian destroyer Muggia recovered both pilot and aircraft by towing it back to the carrier. Later that year, visits included stops at Shanghai, Manila, as well as Kudat and Jesselton in Borneo. A refit commenced in Hong Kong in January 1929 during which Captain J. D. Campbell assumed command on 28 March. After completing refit work in April, Hermes resumed flight training before proceeding up the Yangtze River to visit Nanjing in May. She then spent four months stationed at Weihaiwei and made subsequent visits to both Qingdao and locations within Japan, returning to Hong Kong by late October where she remained through year's end.[22]

1930s

On 28 January 1930, Hermes carried the British Minister to China, Sir Miles Lampson, to Nanjing for negotiations with the Chinese Government concerning the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. She remained stationed there until 2 March, when she sailed downriver to Shanghai. By month's end, the carrier had returned to Hong Kong, staying there until June before heading back to Weihaiwei for her customary summer deployment. After a brief stop in Hong Kong, Hermes departed for Great Britain on 7 August, arriving at Portsmouth on 23 September. She stayed there for only six days before moving to Sheerness. On 2 October, Captain E. J. G. MacKinnon took over command from Captain Campbell. The vessel underwent a short refit at Chatham Dockyard prior to setting sail again for the China Station. This mission included carrying only 403 and 440 Flights and transporting six Blackburn Ripon aircraft destined for Malta and HMS Eagle. Leaving Portsmouth on 12 November, Hermes reached Hong Kong by 2 January 1931. While en route to her summer base at Weihaiwei, she received news on 9 June that the submarine Poseidon had sunk during exercises nearby. Captain MacKinnon led the rescue operation upon arrival an hour later. Eight crew members escaped through the forward torpedo hatch; six surfaced and were rescued and treated in Hermes's sickbay, although two of these later died.

File:HMS Hermes 1938.jpg
Hermes in 1938

Hermes stayed at Weihaiwei until late August before proceeding upriver along the Yangtze to Hankou, arriving on 5 September. There, armed personnel were dispatched to suppress disturbances aboard several British-owned merchant vessels. The ship’s main task was assisting the Chinese government in surveying extensive flood damage in the region. During this period, aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, were also present in Hankou conducting flood assessments with their Lockheed Sirius floatplane. They were invited to use Hermes as a base; however, on the morning of 2 October, their aircraft was overturned by a strong current while being lowered back into the water by the carrier’s crane. The couple was promptly rescued by a boat from Hermes, but their plane sustained damage. Captain MacKinnon offered transportation for them and their aircraft to Shanghai for repairs, and the ship departed accordingly the following day. Remaining in Shanghai until 2 November, she then sailed for Hong Kong. On 3 November, Hermes received a distress call from the Japanese merchant vessel SS Ryinjin Maru, which had run aground on Tan Rocks near the Chinese coast at the Taiwan Strait’s entrance. The carrier successfully rescued nine crew members before being relieved by the Japanese destroyer Nashi and continuing on to Hong Kong by 7 November, where she stayed until April 1932.

In February of that year, Captain MacKinnon fell ill and was succeeded by Captain W. B. Mackenzie on 25 February. Following a brief refit, Hermes, escorted by the destroyer Whitehall, made a short visit to Amoy in late April before returning to Weihaiwei until 17 September. She then sailed for Nagasaki in Japan and subsequently spent four weeks in Shanghai. Returning to Hong Kong on 28 October, she remained there for several months. In January 1933, the carrier conducted an extended visit to the Philippines before returning to Hong Kong for a brief refit. After short stops at Qingdao and Weihaiwei, Hermes departed mid-June bound for Great Britain, arriving at Sheerness on 22 July. Soon after, she was moved to Chatham Dockyard and opened for public viewing during Navy Week in early August before sailing to Devonport Dockyard in September for an extensive overhaul. During this refit, transverse arresting gear was installed and her machinery underwent comprehensive maintenance. Around 1932, her two single 2-pounder guns were replaced with two quadruple .50-calibre Mark III machine gun mounts.

On 15 August 1934, Captain the Honourable G. Fraser assumed command as new commanding officer. Early November saw trials of newly fitted equipment commence aboard Hermes. Concurrently, nine Fairey Seal torpedo bombers from 824 Squadron joined her complement. Departing Portsmouth on 18 November for China Station duties, she arrived at Hong Kong on 4 January 1935. The ship also received the Hawker Osprey reconnaissance biplanes from 803 Squadron, transferred from HMS Eagle prior to that vessel’s departure from Hong Kong. On 29 January, pirates seized a British-owned merchant vessel SS Tungchow, carrying ninety British and American children; when it failed to reach Yantai as scheduled, Hermes was dispatched to locate it. Three Fairey Seals spotted the ship in Bias Bay on 1 February; upon discovery, pirates abandoned it without harming passengers. The carrier remained near Hong Kong until mid-May before steaming back to Weihaiwei where she stayed until 12 September.

At that point, Admiralty orders directed her transfer to Singapore so she could be positioned closer to East Africa should military intervention be required due to the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.[Note 1] Arriving on 19 September, she remained stationed in Singapore for five months.

During this period, aircraft from Hermes conducted searches for Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s missing plane Lady Southern Cross, which failed to reach Singapore on 8 November while attempting a speed record flight between Britain and Australia. Despite an extensive month-long search involving carrier-based aircraft, neither wreckage nor crew were found.

Returning to Hong Kong in early March 1936, Hermes commenced a tour of Japan starting on 21 April with escort from destroyers Duncan and Delight. After spending summer months at Weihaiwei, she did not return to Hong Kong until late October.

In January 1937, accompanied by heavy cruiser Dorsetshire and destroyers Duncan and Diana, she undertook a tour of the Dutch East Indies. During February, her torpedo bombers practiced attack runs against cruisers Cumberland and Dorsetshire, collaborating with Royal Air Force torpedo units based at RAF Seletar, Singapore.

Departing Singapore on 17 March (leaving behind 803 Squadron), Hermes arrived at Plymouth on 3 May 1937. Following participation in King George VI’s Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead on 20 May, she was assigned to the Reserve Fleet. On 16 July 1938 she was removed from reserve status and repurposed as a training ship based at Devonport.

In 1937 plans were formulated to replace Hermes's three single-mounted four-inch guns with two twin four-inch anti-aircraft mounts—one positioned forward and one aft of her island—as well as two octuple two-pounder mounts controlled by a single High-Angle Control System (HACS). However, due to dockyard workload constraints design work did not begin until July 1938; installation was planned between September and December 1939 but was postponed indefinitely following outbreak of war. Additionally, an increase of fuel storage capacity to 13,000 imperial gallons (59,000 L; 16,000 US gal) was scheduled for April 1940 but appears not to have been implemented.[23]

World War II

In early August 1939, the vessel underwent a brief overhaul, with Captain F. E. P. Hutton taking command on 23 August. The following day, she was recommissioned, and on 1 September, 12 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers from 814 Squadron embarked. Throughout mid-September, Hermes carried out anti-submarine patrols targeting U-boats in the Western Approaches. On 18 September, just one day after the fleet carrier Courageous was lost during a similar mission, Hermes detected a submarine; however, attacks by her escorting destroyers, Isis and Imogen, failed to neutralize it. Subsequently, the carrier was directed to return to Devonport for installation of degaussing equipment during another short refit. On 7 October, she met up with the French battleship Strasbourg and together they arrived at Dakar in French West Africa on 16 October. Operating as Force X, they initiated searches for German vessels in the Atlantic starting 25 October. Hermes continued these patrols without success until late December when she escorted a convoy back to Britain for refitting between 9 January and 10 February 1940; afterwards, she returned to Dakar to resume patrols aimed at intercepting German commerce raiders and blockade runners.[24]

File:HMS Hermes June 1940.jpg
Hermes and HMS Dorsetshire escorting a convoy in June 1940

Captain Richard F. J. Onslow replaced Captain Hutton on 25 May as Hermes persisted with her unsuccessful patrols. Upon returning from one such mission on 29 June, she received orders to depart port within nine hours and commence a blockade of Dakar, following the French Senegal Governor’s declaration of loyalty to the Vichy French government. During the night of 7/8 July, a boat launched from Hermes attempted to deploy four depth charges beneath the stern of the French battleship Richelieu in coordination with a torpedo assault by Swordfish aircraft from 814 Squadron. Although the boat reached its target successfully, the depth charges failed to explode. Conversely, the torpedo strike damaged one of Richelieus propellers. French air units retaliated with several attacks on British forces but were unsuccessful. While returning to Freetown post-attack on 10 July amid heavy rain and darkness, Hermes accidentally collided with the armed merchant cruiser HMS Corfu. The collision resulted in injuries to three crew members aboard Hermes, one of whom later died; none aboard Corfu were harmed. The two vessels became entangled such that Corfus crew could cross over to Hermes. Captain Onslow then ordered most of Corfus crew evacuated onto the carrier. Separation was achieved by running Hermes turbines full astern while simultaneously blowing ballast tanks on Corfu to lighten her bow. The collision caused approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) of damage above waterline at the bow of Hermes, yet she managed to sail at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) to Freetown. Meanwhile, Corfu required towing stern-first to Freetown, arriving three days later. On 5 August, the carrier joined a convoy bound for South Africa and commenced repairs at Simonstown twelve days afterward. Repairs concluded on 2 November and she returned to Freetown on 29 November after completing trials.[25]

On 2 December, the light cruiser Dragon joined Hermes in searching for German commerce raiders across the South Atlantic. Their operations were primarily based out of Saint Helena during December and later included support from armed merchant cruiser Pretoria Castle in pursuit of the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer, though without success. The group sailed toward Simonstown on 31 December as Hermes was tasked with patrolling off South Africa’s coast for Vichy French blockade runners; one vessel was sighted on 26 January but retreated to Madagascar. On 4 February, she proceeded northward to link up with heavy cruisers Shropshire and Hawkins aiming to enforce a blockade on Kismayo port amid its siege by Commonwealth forces during the campaign in Italian Somaliland. By 12 February, Hawkins had seized three Italian merchant ships while Hermes captured one.[26]

On 22 February, following an aerial sighting by an aircraft from light cruiser Glasgow, Hermes was among vessels tasked with locating Admiral Scheer, but the German pocket battleship evaded detection.[27] Arriving at Colombo, Ceylon, on 4 March, she continued searching for Axis shipping before deploying in April to support British operations in Basra, Iraq during the Anglo-Iraqi War; she remained there until mid-June when she resumed Indian Ocean patrols between Ceylon and the Seychelles Islands. These patrols persisted until arriving at Simonstown for refitting on 19 November; this overhaul lasted until 31 January 1942. Assigned thereafter to the Eastern Fleet, she reached Colombo on 14 February and sailed on the 19th to embark Swordfish aircraft from 814 Squadron and rendezvous with destroyer HMAS Vampire for anti-submarine operations. After arriving at Trincomalee Harbour on 25 February, the squadron disembarked. Both ships were ordered mid-March towards Fremantle, Australia, intending to join Allied naval forces there but were recalled within three days and reassigned as Force B within the Eastern Fleet.[28]

File:HermesSinking.jpg
Close-up image of Hermes sinking

Following Japanese carrier air raids on Colombo on 5 April, both Hermes and Vampire were dispatched back to Trincomalee in preparation for Operation Ironclad, Britain’s invasion of Madagascar; meanwhile, 814 Squadron was landed ashore. Upon receiving advance notice of an impending Japanese air assault on 9 April 1942, they departed Trincomalee sailing south along Ceylon’s coast prior to its arrival.[29] However, a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft from battleship Haruna spotted them near Batticaloa.[30] The British intercepted this report and urgently ordered their rapid return to Trincomalee while attempting to provide fighter cover.[31] The Japanese launched an attack force comprising eighty-five Aichi D3A dive bombers escorted by nine Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters against these two ships; at least thirty-two dive bombers engaged them directly and quickly sank both despite intervention by six Fairey Fulmar II fighters of No. 273 Squadron RAF. Additional Fulmars from squadrons 803 and 806 arrived after Hermes had already gone down. Other Japanese aircraft targeted vessels further north sinking RFA supply ship Athelstone (5,571 GRT), her escort corvette Hollyhock, oil tanker SS British Sergeant, and Norwegian ship SS Norviken (2,924 GRT).[32]

The sinking occurred at coordinates Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value)., resulting in the loss of Captain Onslow along with 306 other crew members aboard Hermes. The captain of Vampire and seven crewmen also perished during this attack. Most survivors were rescued by hospital ship Vita. [33] Japanese losses included four D3A dive bombers destroyed and five more damaged alongside two Fulmar fighters shot down.[34]

Decoy Hermes

File:DecoyHermes.jpg
Aerial perspective of SS Mamari III disguised as Hermes, featuring a fabricated flight deck and island structure

The merchant vessel SS Mamari III was modified to imitate Hermes and served as a decoy ship intended to mislead Axis forces, receiving the new designation of Fleet Tender C. On 4 June 1941, while navigating along England’s east coast en route to Chatham Dockyard in Kent for reconversion into a cargo vessel, this decoy Hermes struck a submerged wreck near Norfolk amid a German air raid. Prior to any salvage efforts, she sustained severe damage inflicted by German E-boats and was subsequently abandoned at the location.[35][36]

External links

  1. ↑ Milanovich, pp. 9, 13
  2. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ↑ Friedman, pp. 83–84
  4. ↑ Friedman, pp. 365–366
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named m1
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Preston, p. 71
  7. ↑ Friedman, pp. 85, 366
  8. ↑ Friedman, p. 84, 366
  9. ↑ Friedman, p. 366
  10. ↑ Brown, p. 120
  11. ↑ Friedman, pp. 84–85
  12. ↑ Milanovich, p. 13
  13. ↑ McCart, pp. 11, 13–16
  14. ↑ Sturtivant, pp. 466, 468
  15. ↑ McCart, pp. 16–17
  16. ↑ McCart, pp. 18, 20
  17. ↑ Sturtivant, pp. 467–468
  18. ↑ McCart, pp. 20–22
  19. ↑ Friedman, p. 89
  20. ↑ McCart, p. 22
  21. ↑ Sturtivant, pp. 466–468
  22. ↑ McCart, pp. 22–24
  23. ↑ Friedman, pp. 89, 368
  24. ↑ McCart, pp. 39–40
  25. ↑ McCart, pp. 41, 43–44
  26. ↑ McCart, pp. 44–45
  27. ↑ Rohwer, p. 59
  28. ↑ McCart, pp. 46–48
  29. ↑ McCart, pp. 48–49
  30. ↑ Shores, et al., p. 422
  31. ↑ McCart, p. 49
  32. ↑ Shores, et al., pp. 422–428
  33. ↑ McCart, p. 50
  34. ↑ Shores, et al., p. 428
  35. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  36. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).


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