Photos Navies Of All Nations
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RN:
Aircraft carrier HMS Hermes with County class heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire, circa 1942
On 5 April 1942, HMS Hermes and HMAS Vampire were sent to Trincomalee to prepare for Operation Ironclad, the British invasion of Madagascar, and 814 Squadron was sent ashore. After advance warning of a Japanese air raid on 9 April 1942, they left Trincomalee and sailed south down the Ceylon coast before it arrived. They were spotted off Batticaloa, however, by a Japanese reconnaissance plane from the battleship Haruna. The British intercepted the spot report and ordered the ships to return to Trincomalee with the utmost dispatch and attempted to provide fighter cover for them. The Japanese launched 85 Aichi D3A dive bombers, escorted by nine Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, at the two ships. At least 32 attacked them and sank them in quick order despite the arrival of six Fairey Fulmar II fighters of No. 273 Squadron RAF. Another six Fulmars from 803 and 806 Squadrons arrived after Hermes had already sunk. The rest of the Japanese aircraft attacked other ships further north, sinking the RFA Athelstone of 5,571 gross register tonnage (GRT), her escort, the corvette Hollyhock, the oil tanker SS British Sergeant and the Norwegian ship SS Norviken of 2,924 GRT.
Hermes sank with the loss of 307 men, including Captain Onslow. Vampire's captain and seven crewmen were also killed. Most of the survivors of the attack were picked up by the hospital ship Vita. Japanese losses to all causes were four D3As lost and five more damaged, while two Fulmars were shot down
Aircraft carrier HMS Hermes with County class heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire, circa 1942
On 5 April 1942, HMS Hermes and HMAS Vampire were sent to Trincomalee to prepare for Operation Ironclad, the British invasion of Madagascar, and 814 Squadron was sent ashore. After advance warning of a Japanese air raid on 9 April 1942, they left Trincomalee and sailed south down the Ceylon coast before it arrived. They were spotted off Batticaloa, however, by a Japanese reconnaissance plane from the battleship Haruna. The British intercepted the spot report and ordered the ships to return to Trincomalee with the utmost dispatch and attempted to provide fighter cover for them. The Japanese launched 85 Aichi D3A dive bombers, escorted by nine Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, at the two ships. At least 32 attacked them and sank them in quick order despite the arrival of six Fairey Fulmar II fighters of No. 273 Squadron RAF. Another six Fulmars from 803 and 806 Squadrons arrived after Hermes had already sunk. The rest of the Japanese aircraft attacked other ships further north, sinking the RFA Athelstone of 5,571 gross register tonnage (GRT), her escort, the corvette Hollyhock, the oil tanker SS British Sergeant and the Norwegian ship SS Norviken of 2,924 GRT.
Hermes sank with the loss of 307 men, including Captain Onslow. Vampire's captain and seven crewmen were also killed. Most of the survivors of the attack were picked up by the hospital ship Vita. Japanese losses to all causes were four D3As lost and five more damaged, while two Fulmars were shot down
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Germany:
Wreck of light cruiser SMS Emden beached on North Keeling Island, Australia, Date unknown (after 1914)
Emden found herself out-ranged and out-gunned by HMAS Sydney, although early in the battle she scored four hits and knocked out Sydney's fire control. By keeping the range to her advantage (her modern 6in guns out-ranged Emden's 4.1in) Sydney slowly shelled Enden into a blazing wreck. She was intentionally run aground on North Keeling Island to keep her from sinking in deep water and thus give her remaining crew a better chance of survival. The Australian Navy later salvaged some of Emden's guns and torpedoes for display and study. Tha wreck remained in place until scrapped by a Japanese salvage company in the 1950s.
What makes this event even more notable is the fate of a part of Emden's crew. 50 men were landed prior to the engagement to take out a radio position, and were thus stranded when Sydney sank Emden.
To avoid getting captured, they confiscated a near unusable schooner and took off to reach the Ottoman Empire. After half a year of facing various difficulties, those that survived managed to reach Constantinople.
The painful twist of this story being that after they were welcomed back home, they were reassigned to new stations and many of them fell in combat shortly after. The leader of the group, The XO Hellmuth von Mücke, adopted a heavily pacifist view partially because of this, and was thus prosecuted by the Third Reich
Wreck of light cruiser SMS Emden beached on North Keeling Island, Australia, Date unknown (after 1914)
Emden found herself out-ranged and out-gunned by HMAS Sydney, although early in the battle she scored four hits and knocked out Sydney's fire control. By keeping the range to her advantage (her modern 6in guns out-ranged Emden's 4.1in) Sydney slowly shelled Enden into a blazing wreck. She was intentionally run aground on North Keeling Island to keep her from sinking in deep water and thus give her remaining crew a better chance of survival. The Australian Navy later salvaged some of Emden's guns and torpedoes for display and study. Tha wreck remained in place until scrapped by a Japanese salvage company in the 1950s.
What makes this event even more notable is the fate of a part of Emden's crew. 50 men were landed prior to the engagement to take out a radio position, and were thus stranded when Sydney sank Emden.
To avoid getting captured, they confiscated a near unusable schooner and took off to reach the Ottoman Empire. After half a year of facing various difficulties, those that survived managed to reach Constantinople.
The painful twist of this story being that after they were welcomed back home, they were reassigned to new stations and many of them fell in combat shortly after. The leader of the group, The XO Hellmuth von Mücke, adopted a heavily pacifist view partially because of this, and was thus prosecuted by the Third Reich
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RN:
Aircraft carrier HMS Indefatigable, March 1946. A significant amount of anti-air weaponry and her side armour is visible.
Battleship HMS Duke of York in August 1947, as flagship of the Home Fleet
Battle class destroyer HMS Cadiz, in April 1949.
Heavy cruiser HMS Sussex returns to Portsmouth pay off, 2 February 1949. Her 'X' turret has been replaced with additional anti-aircraft weapons
Aircraft carrier HMS Indefatigable, March 1946. A significant amount of anti-air weaponry and her side armour is visible.
Battleship HMS Duke of York in August 1947, as flagship of the Home Fleet
Battle class destroyer HMS Cadiz, in April 1949.
Heavy cruiser HMS Sussex returns to Portsmouth pay off, 2 February 1949. Her 'X' turret has been replaced with additional anti-aircraft weapons
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