An Ignoble End To A Great Ship (part 1)

Admiralty records about HMS INDOMITABLE end with the word scrapped. What a pity no better word could be found to describe the ending of what had been a very illustrious though short career. Lauched on the 26th March 1940 her story ends in 1955.

There appears to be no record of Indomitable's decommissioning though many sources report her early history. By the time I came to know her, in 1952, she was already feeling her age. I only learned of her distinguied career much later. She was ordered in 1937 as war loomed ever closer. As a modified version of the Illustrious Class Aircraft Carriers already in service she would be able to operate more aircraft than her older sister ships, a benefit that would be a real advantage in future wartime forays Laid down in November at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Armstrong she was finally launched in March 1940. Her first real venture into the maritime world came in November 1941 when her maiden voyage took her to the West Indies. A not very auspicious start in fact, as whilst there she ran aground on a coral reef near Jamaica. Not badly damaged, however, she was able to make a quick return to service. In January 1942 she joined the Eastern Fleet based in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where she ferried 48 RAF Hawker Hurricans for Singapore via Java.

Here started her World War Two career and she became ever more indispensible as the other carriers in the Eastern Fleet went out of service. Hermes was already effectively obsolete. Though still in action at that time she would be sunk in the Indian Ocean before too long, along with the Vampire, an Australian destroyer, and a corvette.

In May 1942 Operation Ironclad was launched against the Vichy-controlled Madagascar which it was believed the Japanese intended to occupy to use as a submarine base from which to attack allied convoy routes in the Indian Ocean.

The Indomitable, along with her sister ship Illustrius and a vast fleet of other ships converged on Durban in South Africa in preparation for an invasion. This commenced on 5th May at Courrier Bay and after bitter fighting lasting almost two days the strategic town was taken.

In July the Indom' returned to the UK, but was soon off again into action, this time for Operation Pedestal as part of the largest convoy ever to head for beseiged Malta: fourteen merchant ships were escorted by, as well as the Indomitable, Cairo, Charybdis, Eagle, Victorious, Kenya, Manchester, Nelson, Nigeria, Phoebe, Rodney, Sirious and 32 destroyers. The plan was for Furious, which had also joined them, to launch Spitfires to land on Malta in order to reinforce their air defence and so go on the offensive. This time the mission was a complete success ending on 11th August.

However during the operation an 1100 pound bomb had pierced Indomitable's armoured flight deck putting her out of action for the remainder of Operation Pedestal. She was hit twice, but thankfully evaded three later attacks.

Limping to the United States she remained there for repairs until February 1943 when she returned to the Mediterranean. Again tragedy. She was torpedoed on 15th June whilst covering the Sicily Landings and again returned to the USA for repairs, this time remaining there until February 1944.

Continued in Part 2