Here are some photos from the album of my friend Ernie Simpson who served on HMS Victorious in the Pacific towards the end of the war (he served on Monkshood on the Altantic convoys prior to that). I think I have some more on another hard drive which I'll dig out sometime.
Thanks for that. A few cases of "Opps!" I can spot a Walrus but I'm rubbish at other planes. What are they?
That 'suicide bomber' is a singularly remarkable photograph. On VE day too, perfect illustration that the war still had some way to go. Cheers, Adam
From: "The British Pacific and East Indies Fleets: 'The Forgotten Fleets'" 8 May 1945: VE-Day Mainbrace spliced on ships not in action 9 May 1945: Operation Iceberg (continues) - carrier strikes on Sakishima airfields; further Kamikazi attacks. VICTORIOUS hit twice and set on fire, FORMIDABLE hit once and battleship HOWE near-missed by suicide aircraft. Both carriers operating aircraft within an hour of the attacks, but lacking 34 Corsairs.
I'm pretty sure that the carrier in the photo that's on fire after a kamikaze strike is Formidable. I have some shots taken from Victorious of the kamikazes falling on Formidable.
I think you're right MD, looking at where the plane hit: From: Kamikaze Damage to US and British Carriers HMS Victorious 1 April 1945: Atttacked by a Kamikaze Zero which struck its starboard wing against the port side of the flight deck, causing the plane to cartwheel into the sea where its 250 kg bomb exploded underwater about 80 feet from the ship's side. Tons of water, fuel and fragments of both plane and pilot were thrown on the deck, but the ship escaped damage. 9 May 1945: Struck by two kamikazes. The first was a Zero making a shallow dive which hit the flight deck at Frame 30 near the forward lift (elevator), slid across the deck and into "B" 4.5-in mount. This hit created a 25 sq. ft. hole and depressed the deck over an area of 144 sq. ft. In addition, a bulkhead was buckled, "B" 4.5-in mount was put out of action, an accelerator [a type of aircraft catapult] broken and small fires were started.** The second kamikaze hit a glancing blow against the port side aft, destroying four Corsairs and a 40 mm gun director. This hit also put an arrestor unit out of action. The two attacks killed three and wounded nineteen. Victorious was able to fly off planes one hour later and could land planes twelve hours later. Fully back in action after two days. Repairs took one month. HMS Formidable 1) 4 May 1945: Struck by a Zero carrying one 250 kg bomb which caused a 2 foot square hole and a 24 x 20 foot depression in the armored flight deck. Some structural damage was inflicted and three fragments penetrated the hanger deck with one going through a center boiler and into the double bottom. Speed was reduced to 18 knots and she was out of action for five hours. This attack killed eight men, wounded 51 and destroyed eleven aircraft.* 2) 9 May 1945: Kamikaze strike into the after deck park killed one and wounded eight. Deck depressed 4.5 inches with a supporting beam distorted by 3 inches. Six Corsairs and one Avenger were destroyed on deck, and a blown out rivet allowed burning fuel to penetrate into the hanger, which together with the sprinkler system damaged a further eight Corsairs and three Avengers. Out of action for 25 minutes.*
It's amazing how quickly they got back into action. Ernie used to drive the crane at the side of the deck that was used to hoik the wreckage overboard. He remembers hoiking over perfectly serviceable Corsairs, Avengers and Hellcats for something as minor as a burst tyre because they couldn't afford to block the deck when there were planes waiting to come in.
Apparently,the American carriers were more vunerable to the Kamikaze on account of their wooden decking. Royal Navy carriers had steel decking and were able to survive a Kamikaze attack much better.
And don't forget the Wildcats The one in fourth picture, just ahead of a Swordfish, is a Wildcat not a Hellcat - Wildcats (also known by the RN as Martlets) had mid-mounted wings; Hellcat's wings were about two thirds of the way down the fuselage. The crashed one is a Corsair - inverted-gull wings. The Walrus appears to have just effected a rescue - one guy is being helped out of the cockpit. Unless he had gone up for a joyride and got airsick. "hoiking" overboard during operations may be forgivable but not after the war! Dozens of aircraft were hoiked overboard after the war when they became surplus, especially US aircraft in RN service when lend-lease ended. Thanks Monty, for posting these
I've not put the photos in a temporal sequence but the Walrus has just rescued the crew of the Avenger that you can see going over the side. The sequence is ES08, ES09, ES16, ES10. Note how the Walrus wings are folded even before the crew are taken off because there are still aircraft coming in to land at this point. Ernie mentioned several trips out from Australia with full loads of aircraft just after the end of the war with the express purpose of dumping surplus aircraft. They had to be either ditched or paid for.
