FLAT TOP Journal of the H.M.S. Victorious Association Per Coelum et Aequorem Victrix Conquer Through Sky & Sea

JUNE 20015 NUMBER 15

Its All Over Lets have a Party 8 May 1945

http:/www.hmsvictoriousassociation.com 2

Contents

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2 ****** Contents 3 ****** Committee Members 4 ****** In memory of Shipmates who have Crossed the Bar 5 ****** Chairman’s Thoughts on 2015 6 ****** Sec, Membership Sec, PRO, Reports 7 ****** Flat Editor 8 ****** National Arboretum St Georges Day 11 ****** A Short History of the Air craft Carrier 15 ****** HMS Trincomalee, Leander Class 17 ****** Those were the Days 18 ****** You have to Smile 19 ****** Victorious Goodbye 21 ****** HMS Victorious Association Constitution 3 Patron Vice Admiral Sir Adrian Johns. KCB. CBE President Mathew Ball Chairman Stanley McLellan 3, Lynnwood Gardens, Pudsey. Leeds ,LS28 8BZ Phone 0113 2555562 E-mail [email protected] ** Vice Chairman Donald Marr The Old School House, Sea View Terrace Johnshaven Montrose. DD10 0HF E-mail [email protected] ** Sect./ Membership Sect. Stuart, “Topsey”, Turner & editor “Vic News” E-mail [email protected] Phone 01785 245226 ** Welfare Officer Peter Barnes 15, Elm Tree Avenue, Upper Poppleton York Y025 6HI Phone 01904 795249 ** Flat Top Editor Bryan Owen 93, Pytchley Rd, Rugby, CV22 5NG E-mail [email protected] Phone 01788570457 ** Slops Officer Edgar Jenkinson 144, Moseley Rd, Coundon. Coventry, CV6 1HT Phone 02476594244 E-mail [email protected] ** Treasurer John Haigh 77, Harold Rd, Stubbington, Fareham, Hants. Phone 01329 665532 ** Padre Reverend John Mills 35, Hendrie Road Holt, Norfolk, NR25 6AR [email protected]

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6 Secretary's Report There is not much to report that doesn't go in the monthly “Vic News” . Can I make a plea to all you members out there that do not have an e-mail account, if there is someone close to you, e.g. son daughter, grand child, or a member has a wife with an e-mail account. Can you ask them if it is alright for me to add them on the list and YOU TOO can be included in the monthly newsletter. It would be much too costly to mail it to everyone, but it is easy to download from an e-mail, print it off and there you have it. Ask them or even close friends if they would do it for you. For the record as secretary I have written several letters to various Royal Naval people inviting them to various gatherings and functions I have had responses from the Royal Naval Association who gave us a most excellent talk on the ,“Naval Service Memorial”, at the Na- tional Arboretum Alrewas on Saint George’s day. But as yet no one else has bothered to reply to me.

Membership Secretary’s Report Between John Haigh, our hard working treasurer and myself we have contacted several members who we thought had been lost in the woodwork due to banking errors on standing orders however we have now sorted it out and they are now back in the flock. Can I just (very gently) remind everyone that subs are due in January each year, they have remained at £10 now for several years , the biggest bulk of which goes on the production of Flat Top and it’s postage to you, so, you get a good deal for your money. We do not enjoy chasing shipmates, and I'm just as sure that you don’t want to be chased. PRO’s Report Doubling up a bit really on the Secretary’s report but as PRO I have sent quite a lot of stuff to the “Navy News's”, some bits have been pub- lished, but not a lot, I shall still send off anything I deem interesting. Allan (Buster) Brown, John Haigh and myself are quite actively dropping invitations on the Victorious face Book site, for people to join us, but so far have had no takers From all 3of us. ( Membership Secretary , Sec, & PRO) Can I thank everyone for the kind comments I get, the excellent support I get, and I hope to see you all in Coventry *** 7 Flat Top Editor Well here we are again, thank goodness, summer is at last beginning to make it self ap- parent, and every one becomes a gardening expert, me I prefer a nice comfortable chair and a glass of beer and a good book. As our associations constitution reminds us, “To promote and facilitate the liaison of for- mer shipmates and other personnel that have served aboard H.M.S Victorious”, but ! , what about our experiences in shore side establishments. Recently whilst digging around in various cupboards I came across a photo of my class, and another taken at our passing out parade at H.M.S. Raleigh I cannot remember the number of our class, faces of some men I recognise but names no chance, the only one I do remember Lt Carpenter our class officer standing very smartly sword in hand at the front of this happy band of newly formed matelots, I do have other tales for another day, like my draft to Whale Island the gunnery school, yep a stoker at the naval gunnery school. So please shipmates if you have tales which bring back memories to yourself, lets have them, I bet they will also bring back similar memories to oth- ers, have a couple of tots first though, I find that it much improves the memory ! The run to the National Arboretum went very well, although there were some familiar faces missing. The padre was unable to attend this year, so the prayers and remembrance service were carried out by our versatile chairman “Stoker Stan” and our Secretary Topsey no haloes though, after which the all important issue of the tot, or in some cases, tots! The talk organised by Topsey, and given by Captain Peter Quin General Secretary Of the Royal Naval Association on the thoughts and creation behind the “The Naval Service Memorial” at the Arboretum was very interesting I have been told, that the printers of our magazine “Flat Top” made no charge for the printing of the last publication “Flat Top” as their contribution to the Veterans Appeal may I thank the printers on behalf of the HMS Victorious Association members for this fine ges- ture. Reading Stan’s piece, reminded me of my war time experiences as a 4-5 year old sprog I lived in Folkestone Kent in an tiny old farm cottage with my mother, father was in the navy I used to sleep in the front bedroom with my mother, the Germans used to unload their bombs on Folkestone instead of going all the way to London, any way late one night after a few gerries had unloaded their bombs around us, a rattle on the window looking out Mum said its your Dad he had been on Russian Convoys for about 18 months to cut a long story short I was put into the back bedroom I never stopped moaning why should I have to go into the back room. (Well alright I was only a sprog!) See you all in October. Bryan. 8 National Memorial Arboretum Airewas St Georges Day 2015 HMS Victorious Association Remembers shipmates who Have Crossed the Bar

Here at the Arboretum the weather was very kind to us warm enough for us to sit outside and drink our tea and cakes. I think our numbers were slightly down on previous years, some faces from last year were missing, shall look for- ward to seeing you in October at Coventry though. Our Padre Reverend John Mills due to other commitments was unable to attend, the prayers were said by our Chairman Stoker Stan, and Secretary Topsey between them. Topsey had ar- ranged after the service of remembrance for a talk to been given at the Naval Service Memorial by Captain Paul Quinn OBE the General Secretary of the Royal Naval Association and a most interesting talk it was, on behalf of our association I would like to thank Paul for his time, as he was also busy organising contractors in the repairs to one of the glass panels that had developed a crack

Remembering Shipmates Who have crossed the Bar

Tea is Served & A thumbs up from the treasurer ! Coffers must be OK

Continued ****

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Creation By Stoker Stan Ding Dong

Now Do you all Under stand 10

Arboretum 2015 Arthur Hoult Served on HMS Victorious WWI I

Arboretum 2015 Tot Time Enjoy 11 A Short History of the Modern Day Aircraft Carrier I suspect that many of us as members of the HMS Victorious Association have at some time stood on the Goofing Deck watching various types of aircraft landing on or being cata- pulted of the flight deck. One can understand in this day and age the need for the modern day aircraft carrier , as it allows a strong combat unit to move quite quickly any where in the world. But where did this all begin It was only six and a half years after the first ever powered flight by the American Wright Brothers that the idea of operating an aircraft off of a warship was thought of. The man to do this formidable task was American Eugene. B. Ely who after receiving an engineer- ing degree in1904 from the State University of Iowa began work in the automobile industry as a salesman, racing driver, and a mechanic. In 1910 he taught himself to fly and from there on he never looked back . It was on the 19 November 1910 that Eugene took off flying a Cur- tiss Model Pusher biplane from a temporary 83 feet high platform built on the foredeck of the light cruiser USS Birmingham anchored at Hampton Roads, the momentum plus the height of the aircraft above the water only just prevented the aircraft from crashing into the sea, as it was the wheels did touch the water, before a very brave Eugene landed on a nearby beach. On January 18 1911, Ely also be came the first man to land an aircraft on to a warship when he successfully landed on the stern of the armoured cruiser USS Pennsylvania, and it was also the first time on landing that a aircraft used a hook and arrester gear to bring the Curtiss pusher plane to a safe halt .

Eugene Ely at the

Eugene Ely taking off from USS Birmingham 14-11-1910 , Hampton Eugene Ely at the controls of a Curtiss Model Roads Virginia D Pusher biplane.

Looking over the stern of the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay. This head-on view shows pilot Eugene Ely guiding his Curtiss Model D biplane for a landing onto a platform constructed on the stern of the ship, January 18 1911, This was the very first time that an aircraft had landed on a warship note the sandbags on port and starboard side of the platform.

Con ….. 12 Eugene Ely led a very exciting life if not a short one. On October 19th, 1911 whilst flying in an exhibition at Macon Georgia his plane was late in pulling out of a dive and crashed, Eugene did jump out of the plane but he suffered a broken neck and died some time later. In “1933 Congress awarded Eugene Ely The Distinguished Flying Cross posthumously for his extraordi- nary achievements as a civilian pioneer, and his contribution to the development of aviation . In the USA II

Wreckage of Eugene Burton Ely’s plane after his fatal crash at Macon Georgia on the 19th Octo- ber 1911

Britain during about the same time as Eugene Ely began landing and taking off aircraft from ships in the U.S.A. in Britain the Royal Navy embraced these relatively new flying ma- chines more so than our army, mainly because during this period of time the admiralty could see the great advantage that aircraft had in so much that they had the ability to watch over a fleet during operations. The Royal Navy began the development of the modern day aircraft carrier. in 1911 a period when RN officers begun flying training. One such officer was Charles Rumney Samson who after only 71 minuets of flying training gained the Royal Aero Club cer- tificate. Commander Samson was the officer commanding the naval air station at Eastchurch and so became involved in many of the early experiments with aircraft. Commander Samson was the first British pilot to fly a Short S 27 launched from a ramp mounted on the fore deck of H.M.S . Africa anchored in the River Medway, then on May 19th 1912 he was launched from a battleship H.M.S. Hibernia that was underway during that years Naval Review in Wey- mouth Bay although it is thought that the Admiral’s did not fully appreciate that this brave flying experiment was the birth of the operational air craft carriers that we see today. As the aeroplane developed during 1911 there appeared on the scene an aeroplane that was capable of landing on water the seaplane con ……. 13 The French were the first to see the advantage that an aeroplane with the ability to land on water and with the assistance of a sup- port ship a seaplane carrier would greatly increase the range of the aircraft. In July 1912 trials were successfully carried out during exercises in the Medi- terranean ,that also led also to the development of the Nie- Commander Charles Rumney lifting off in a Short S.27 from H.M.S. Hibernia uport aircraft that had the ability when the ship was steaming at 15 knots on May 9th 1912and by doing so made history by being the first man to take off from a ship underway. to fold their wings .

In 1913, Britain began trials related to the seaplane carrier when H.H.S. Hermes was se- lected for conversion and became the “Highflyer” class. The conversion consisted of canvas shelters on the forecastle and quarterdeck these provided cover for one Cauldron G.3 am- phibian aircraft foreword and a single Short Folder hydroplane aircraft aft, the operation of HMS Hermes enabled a more purpose ship to be built this ship was HMS Ark Royal. Com- pleted late in1913 and so was not ready by the outcome of the first world war, properly her greatest fault was her lack of speed just 11 knots at this speed she was unable to keep up with the battle fleet where her aircraft would be most needed, this resulted after the out- break of the first world war the Admiralty to requisition a number of merchant ships and con- vert them to seaplane carriers HMS Empress, Engadin, and Riviera. The trio then took part in the first sea and air attack on the German airship sheds at Norholz H.M.S. Vindictive The last ship to be commissioned by the Royal Navy during the first world war as an aircraft carrier was HMS Vindictive, originally built by Harland & Wolf in July 1916 as an heavy cruiser of the Hawkins -class the short forward flying-off deck can just be seen here a Fairy IIID is being hoisted off taken some time in1919, however even though the ship had a good turn of speed and was armed the concept of the aircraft carrier was to develop further As an air- craft carrier Vindictive did see action in the Baltic but ran aground, at a cost of some £200,000 to repair it was converted back to a cruiser 14 December 1919 Vindictive and entered service being converted for the right role but in the wrong configuration back in service as a cruiser she remained with the Royal Navy in a vari- ety of roles until she was scrapped in 1946. Today we hear and read about the past history of the Royal Navies two largest carriers HMS Ark Royal, HMS Eagle and very little about other naval carriers. So I close my little piece by referring to the Colossus Class, Light Fleet carriers HMS Glory, Ocean, and Theseus all of which saw action in the Korean conflict. Between 1951 and 1953 HMS Glory carried out more war patrols off the Korean Peninsula than any other British carrier, on the 5th of May 1953 she equalled a total of 123 sorties in one day that had been previously achieved by HMS Ocean, this was a record for a light fleet carrier that involved all the squadron pilots fly- ing four sorties each day, even Commander Air, and the flight Deck Officer flew two sorties . The targets included bridges gun in placements and ox carts.

Typhoon Weather, On route to the Island of Okinawa the Island

All ready to Fly November2nd 1952 HMS Glory 15

Hartlepool & HMS Trincomalee a Leda Class Frigate

Hartlepool, an old North Sea port with a long maritime history and is now helping to bring to the town a share of the tourist pound. One of it’s major attractions is

HMS Trincomalee a old sailing warship that is actually still afloat and is not in a dry dock as is the Cutty Sark and HMS Victory. HMS Trincomalee was laid down in 1816 and launched in Bombay 1817 having been designed by Jamsetjee Bomanjee, arriving in Britain at the end of the Napoleonic war, she was immediately placed in reserve, as we know it, “up the cut”! Having been refitted and commissioned she went back into service in 1847, serving on the North American and West Indian Station where she assisted in quelling riots in Haiti, and a threatened invasion of Cuba although her main duties were on the anti– slavery patrol , she was then despatched to Newfoundland & Labrador Her active service in the fleet ceased in October 1856 when she was ordered home and her active service ceased . After being towed to Sunderland the HMS Trincomalee became the tender to the train- ing ship HMS Castor then in 1877 she was moved to Southampton as a drill ship and in 1897 she was sold for breaking up. Continued ***** 16 However she was bought by Mr Wheatley Cobb as a replacement for HMS Foundroyant and Trincomalee was renamed HMS Foudroyant and became a youth training ship at Falmouth. On the death of Mr Cobb the ship was presented to the Society for Nautical Research towed to Portsmouth where she became the accommodation ship for HMS Implacable . During World War two she was used as a store ship after which she was demobilised and continued as a youth training ship under the control of the Froudroyant Trust . In 1986 she was closed as a training ship and the trust decided to return her to her original condition and to give her back the original name HMS Trincomalee with that title and completion of the restoration she was placed on show in the Jackson Dock Hartlepool, as HMS Trincomalee, she is the oldest floating British frigate, and the second oldest floating ship in the world. This fine dare we say old ship certainly has had a wonderful world wide career.

Dead Ahead HMS Trincomalee A point made by Admiral Lord Nelson. “Were I to die at this moment, want of frigates would be stamped on my heart” . This was said him in 1798 when he thought he was mortally wounded at the Battle of the Nile.

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HMS Trincomalee in all her Glory Hartlepool Historic Dock

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Those were the Days !

HMS Raleigh Passing Out Parade May 1959

Found this down the back of a cupboard, yep the left hand group is my class I think our class number was 309 have not got a clue who were the other class, our class officer was a Lt Carpenter . I was award the “Silver Wheel Spanner”, made from a steel bar 18 You have to smile ———-

19 The Victorious A Goodbye

Most of us at sometime in our naval service have been in one of our dockyards under going a refit The Vic had entered Portsmouth Harbour to a great welcome home from wives and relatives on June 1967, after which she began her refit yet was commissioned again on August of the same year. Many of the ships company had been living on HMS Centaur but some of us had moved back on to the Vic. It all began to happen during the morning watch, on Saturday 11 November 1967 Vic was still in dry dock, and so began that final episode that was to lead

HMS Victorious in Dry Dock after the fire. Photo Sent in by Jack Dusty Barry Locker

HMS Victorious to her early end. The final chapter began whilst the Quarter master was do- ing his morning watch rounds, looking at his watch 0515, and all was well and he began to return to the Quarter deck when he thought that he could smell burning rubber but after in- vestigating 13 Mess he found nothing, it was 0600 that smoke was seen to be coming from the vent above 13 Mess door the alarm Continued ***** 20

Ships crew & Dockyard Firemen Fight the Fire Ships Crew Hoisting a Fire Pump

Chief Petty Officer who had been asleep in the adjacent mess discovered the fire and set off the alarm, after a few minutes the ships duty fire party were fighting the fire and were backed by the dockyard Fire Brigade be cause the ship was in dry dock her fireman was not available and water had to supplied from shore side hydrants , the fire was finally brought under con- trol at 1115 and extinguished by 1230 but tragically during the action a member of the ships company lost his life. The Board of Inquiry found that the cause of the fire was due to a water heater that had become empty and overheated and caught creating a fire which rapidly spread due to the combustible material used in the decoration of the mess bar. After this episode work contin- ued preparing the ship for sea and moral was at a high pitch, but as usual the press had other news about the future of the Victorious even before the captain who of course could not con- firm or deny it. On the 23rd November 1967 the lower deck was cleared and the captain in- formed the ships company that the Victorious would not re-commission. It was nearly a year later on the 11th of July that the mighty Vic began that sad sad journey to the Shipbreaking 21 Industries Yard at Faslane on the Gare Loch, as the fine lady was towed out of Portsmouth harbour the Flag Officer Naval Air Command Vice Admiral Sir Richard Janvrin. KCB.DSC, paid his own farewell tribute, as he flew in the last flying Swordfish aircraft to salute the Royal Navy’s oldest carrier, the ship that he had commanded in1959 and 1960. I flew out to Singapore to join HMS Victorious half way through her last commission and was on her when she arrived in Portsmouth and was told that I would be doing the next com- mission on her for which I was quite pleased. During the refit when the Vic was in dry dock my job was as watch keeper on the shore side donkey boiler quite a nice little number until we heard there would be no next commission, my next draft was the Ark Royal I say no more.

Scimitar Landing on Sea Vixen missed the wire going round for another go

In conclusion thanks to Dusty Barry Lockyer for the photos , yes the Vic is still a good mem- ory, and the hard bitter lessons gained from fifty years of naval aviation will be lost , I person- ally will believe in the new carriers only when I see planes fly off them. B L Owen

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HMS Victorious Association Constitution To encourage, promote and facilitate the liaison of former shipmates and other personnel who have served aboard H.M.S. Victorious. To provide a central point of contact for members seeking contact with old shipmates. To do things and carry out all acts which shall, at the discretion of the Committee be deemed necessary to benefit and perpetuate the objectives of the Association. Membership Full Membership : of the Association shall be open to persons who have served in H.M.S. Victorious at any time, rank, or branch. On joining the Association every member shall re- ceive a copy of the rules at no charge. Full members have voting rights. Associate Members : will be accepted from relatives of shipmates who would be eligible for full membership. May attend meetings. May sit on the committee at the discretion of the Committee. Life Membership : will be awarded to members who have given a long and honourable ser- vice to the Association at the discretion of the Committee. Life members have voting rights, and do not pay annual dues. Honorary Membership : may be given to any person, who in the opinion of the Committee deserves recognition for services rendered to the Association. Honorary members do not have voting rights, may only attend meetings as observers, and may not sit on the Commit- tee