10 HMS Hermes

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

HMS Hermes The World’s First Aircraft Carrier Who’s first? HMS Hermes IJN Hosho Launched: 1919, DOC: 1924 Built: 1920-1922, DOC: 1922 Ship Dimensions Length: 600 $ Beam: 70 $ Draught: 23 $ Speed: 25 knots Range: 6400 miles @ 10 knots Armament: 6 × single 5.5 in (140 mm) guns 4 × single 4 in (102 mm) an<-aircra$ guns Aircra6 carried: 20 Complement: 566 Excluding air-crew How big is this wreck? ATLAS VANDENBURG ORISKANY HERMES 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 Series 3 Series 2 Series 1 Battle History WW2 • Anti-Submarine Patrols in the Atlantic • July 8, 1940: Attacked the French warship “Richeliu” with Torpedo bombers near French Senegal • Supported British operation in Basra • Was sent to support British invasion of Madagascar Indian Ocean Raid (Operation-C) • Series of air-attacks by Japanese carriers to destroy British Naval presence in the Indian Ocean • Easter Sunday Raid (April 5, 1942) tarGeted Colombo. • April 9, raid tarGeted Trincomalee harbor Getting out of the way … • Advanced warning of a Japanese air-raid prompted HMS Hermes and its destroyer escort Vampire to leave Trincomalee harbor and move southwards A"ack and sinking • A Japanese recon plane from battleship Haruna found Hermes and reported its location at 8:55 am • Japanese carriers launched 85 bombers with nine fighter escorts to sink Hermes • In first 10 minutes, Hermes took 40 bombs hits and started to sink • Total loss of lives was 307 including Captain Richard Onslow Hermes VS Hiryu Reasons for sinking • Out of date design • Lack of air-to-air capability on board • Lack of air-to-air support nearby • Caught un-prepared Politics surrounding the wreck • Civil war in Sri-Lanka prevented access to the wreck site • Areas near the wreck were held by Tamil Tigers (LTTE) until May 18, 2009 • Sri-Lankan army finally captured the areas held by LTTE in 2009 • Up to a 100,000 people lost their lives in 27 year old conflict Diving the wreck today • Lies &lted to her port side at 170 feet • Fairly intact with visible bomb damage • Penetra&on possible only for experienced penetra&on divers • Technical diving supported by nearby dive centers.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Book Reviews
BOOK REVIEWS David Childs. Invading America: The cleverly written synthesis. Childs has an English Assault on the New World, 1497- excellent grasp of the material, and an 1630. Barnsley, S. Yorks.: Pen & Sword impressive command of the primary Books Limited, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk, sources. While his focus may be too broad 2012. xi + 306 pp., illustrations, maps, for specialist readers, Childs should be appendices, notes, bibliography, index. UK commended for attempting to blaze a new £25.00, cloth; ISBN 978-1-84832-145-8. trail into this well-trodden territory. Childs’ declared timeframe is the Historians since Hakluyt have remarked on “long sixteenth century,” from John Cabot England’s slowness in establishing New to John Winthrop. The information on World colonies, especially in comparison Cabot is sketchy in the extreme, however, with her rival, Spain. David Childs seeks to and the author focuses almost exclusively explain the widespread failure of early on the period between Frobisher’s first English colonies by viewing them as voyage in 1576 and the Jamestown beachheads in an extended amphibious massacre of 1622. A literature review campaign. Childs identifies the factors identifies the intellectual underpinnings for crucial for successful amphibious New World voyages, ranging from John operations, which, when absent, doomed Donne to the King James Bible. The failure would-be settlers from Baffin Island to the of the Roanoke colony on the windswept Carolinas. These factors included proper reconnaissance and intelligence, sufficient Carolina Outer Banks is used to illustrate forces and supplies, realistic objectives, the importance of proper reconnaissance effective naval forces and joint command, and site selection.
[Show full text]
Air Raid Colombo, 5 April 1942: the Fully Expected Surprise Attack
THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE JOURNAL VOL. 3 | NO. 4 FALL 2014 Air Raid Colombo, 5 April 1942: The Fully Expected Surprise Attack B Y RO B E R T S TUA R T Introduction n the morning of 5 April 1942, a force of 127 aircraft from the five aircraft carriers of Kido Butai (KdB), the Imperial Japanese Navy’s carrier task force, attacked Colombo, O the capital and principal port of the British colony of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). This was no bolt from the blue, however. The defenders had been preparing for weeks for just such an eventuality. Reconnaissance aircraft had detected KdB’s approach the previous afternoon and tracked it during the night. The defending aircraft and anti-aircraft (AA) guns had come to full readiness before first light and were supported by an operational radar station. The defending fighters were nevertheless still on the ground when the Japanese aircraft arrived and were not scrambled until the pilots themselves saw the attackers overhead. As a result, the defenders lost 20 of the 41 fighters that took off, while the Japanese lost only seven aircraft. So what happened? Was there a problem with the radar, did someone blunder, or was there some other explanation? This article is a first look into why the defenders were caught on the ground. Reinforcements On 7 December 1941, the air defences of Ceylon consisted of four obsolescent three-inch AA guns at Trincomalee. The only Royal Air Force (RAF) unit was 273 Squadron at China Bay, near Trincomalee, with four Vildebeests and four Seals, both of which were obsolete biplane torpedo aircraft.
[Show full text]
The Chinese Navy: Expanding Capabilities, Evolving Roles
The Chinese Navy: Expanding Capabilities, Evolving Roles The Chinese Navy Expanding Capabilities, Evolving Roles Saunders, EDITED BY Yung, Swaine, PhILLIP C. SAUNderS, ChrISToPher YUNG, and Yang MIChAeL Swaine, ANd ANdreW NIeN-dzU YANG CeNTer For The STUdY oF ChINeSe MilitarY AffairS INSTITUTe For NATIoNAL STrATeGIC STUdIeS NatioNAL deFeNSe UNIverSITY COVER 4 SPINE 990-219 NDU CHINESE NAVY COVER.indd 3 COVER 1 11/29/11 12:35 PM The Chinese Navy: Expanding Capabilities, Evolving Roles 990-219 NDU CHINESE NAVY.indb 1 11/29/11 12:37 PM 990-219 NDU CHINESE NAVY.indb 2 11/29/11 12:37 PM The Chinese Navy: Expanding Capabilities, Evolving Roles Edited by Phillip C. Saunders, Christopher D. Yung, Michael Swaine, and Andrew Nien-Dzu Yang Published by National Defense University Press for the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs Institute for National Strategic Studies Washington, D.C. 2011 990-219 NDU CHINESE NAVY.indb 3 11/29/11 12:37 PM Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Defense or any other agency of the Federal Government. Cleared for public release; distribution unlimited. Chapter 5 was originally published as an article of the same title in Asian Security 5, no. 2 (2009), 144–169. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Used by permission. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Chinese Navy : expanding capabilities, evolving roles / edited by Phillip C. Saunders ... [et al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
[Show full text]
FROM CRADLE to GRAVE? the Place of the Aircraft
FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE? The Place of the Aircraft Carrier in Australia's post-war Defence Force Subthesis submitted for the degree of MASTER OF DEFENCE STUDIES at the University College The University of New South Wales Australian Defence Force Academy 1996 by ALLAN DU TOIT ACADEMY LIBRARy UNSW AT ADFA 437104 HMAS Melbourne, 1973. Trackers are parked to port and Skyhawks to starboard Declaration by Candidate I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgment is made in the text of the thesis. Allan du Toit Canberra, October 1996 Ill Abstract This subthesis sets out to study the place of the aircraft carrier in Australia's post-war defence force. Few changes in naval warfare have been as all embracing as the role played by the aircraft carrier, which is, without doubt, the most impressive, and at the same time the most controversial, manifestation of sea power. From 1948 until 1983 the aircraft carrier formed a significant component of the Australian Defence Force and the place of an aircraft carrier in defence strategy and the force structure seemed relatively secure. Although cost, especially in comparison to, and in competition with, other major defence projects, was probably the major issue in the demise of the aircraft carrier and an organic fixed-wing naval air capability in the Australian Defence Force, cost alone can obscure the ftindamental reordering of Australia's defence posture and strategic thinking, which significantly contributed to the decision not to replace HMAS Melbourne.
[Show full text]
This Remarkable Collection of Eight Coins Highlights Some of the Signature Moments in the Pacific Theater During the Second Wo Rld War
This remarkable collection of eight coins highlights some of the signature moments in the Pacific Theater during the Second Wo rld War. As Nazi Germany wreaked havoc in Europe, the Japanese Empire, already at war with China, sought to expand its vast territorial reach. Japan hoped that by attacking the United States, it could convince the Americans to quickly come to terms and allow them free reign in the Pacific. This proved a fatal error, as the U.S. entered the war on both fronts, turning the tide toward the Allies. I. September 22, 1940: Invasion of French Indo-China The French colony of Indo-China, by now controlled by the Nazi puppet regime in Vichy, was attacked by Japan in order to shore up its position against its mainland foe, China; the two Asian nations had been at war since 1937. By seizing Tonkin, Japan was able to effectively tighten its naval blockade of China—and thus use its forces elsewhere in the region. II. December 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor On this “date that will live in infamy,” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt phrased it, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor. The Japanese surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor compelled the United States to enter the war. III. December 8, 1941: Invasion of Malaya Within 24 hours of its attack on the United States, Japan invaded Southeast Asia. After two years of existential war with Germany, European forces could offer only token resistance. British Malaya, in what is now Malaysia, fell to the Japanese, who sunk two British warships on December 10.
[Show full text]
Download the Full Article As Pdf ⬇︎
wreck rap Text and photos by Vic Verlinden The armored cruiser Friedrich Carl was constructed in the year 1902 at the well-known shipyard of Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany. The armored cruis- er had a length of 126m and was equipped with an impres- sive array of guns and torpedo launchers. She was the second ship of the Prinz Adalbert class when she was commissioned by the Imperial German Navy on the 12 December 1903. SMS Friedrich Carl — Diving the Flagship of Admiral Ehler Behring In the early years, she served as a tor- ship of Rear Admiral Ehler Behring. At this At the start of the war, Behring was eral light cruisers and four destroyers. The pedo training ship. Because of her three time, she was converted to carry two ordered to actively monitor the activities squadron was operating from the port engines, she could reach a top speed seaplanes. She was the first ship of the and movements of the Russian fleet in of Danzig but was not able to sail due to of 20 knots. During the outbreak of the Imperial Navy able to carry and launch the Baltic Sea. To execute this mission, the the bad weather. First World War, she served as the flag- seaplanes. Friedrich Carl was accompanied by sev- Historical photo of SMS Friedrich Carl 15 X-RAY MAG : 90 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Canon (left and bottom right) on the wreck of the Friedrich wreck Carl; Discaarded fishing nets rap cover parts of the wreck (below) What are you waiting for? Visit Grand Cayman for it’s spectacular drop offs An unexpected explosion the beautiful warship was a heavy Despite the bad weather, the blow to the German navy, as Russian minelayers had not been the vessel could not be replaced idle and had laid various mine- immediately.
[Show full text]
Shokaku Class, Zuikaku, Soryu, Hiryu
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF KOJINSHA No.6 ‘WARSHIPS OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY’ SHOKAKU CLASS SORYU HIRYU UNRYU CLASS TAIHO Translators: - Sander Kingsepp Hiroyuki Yamanouchi Yutaka Iwasaki Katsuhiro Uchida Quinn Bracken Translation produced by Allan Parry CONTACT: - [email protected] Special thanks to my good friend Sander Kingsepp for his commitment, support and invaluable translation and editing skills. Thanks also to Jon Parshall for his work on the drafting of this translation. CONTENTS Pages 2 – 68. Translation of Kojinsha publication. Page 69. APPENDIX 1. IJN TAIHO: Tabular Record of Movement" reprinted by permission of the Author, Colonel Robert D. Hackett, USAF (Ret). Copyright 1997-2001. Page 73. APPENDIX 2. IJN aircraft mentioned in the text. By Sander Kingsepp. Page 2. SHOKAKU CLASS The origin of the ships names. Sho-kaku translates as 'Flying Crane'. During the Pacific War, this powerful aircraft carrier and her name became famous throughout the conflict. However, SHOKAKU was actually the third ship given this name which literally means "the crane which floats in the sky" - an appropriate name for an aircraft perhaps, but hardly for the carrier herself! Zui-kaku. In Japan, the crane ('kaku') has been regarded as a lucky bird since ancient times. 'Zui' actually means 'very lucky' or 'auspicious'. ZUIKAKU participated in all major battles except for Midway, being the most active of all IJN carriers. Page 3. 23 August 1941. A near beam photo of SHOKAKU taken at Yokosuka, two weeks after her completion on 8 August. This is one of the few pictures showing her entire length from this side, which was almost 260m.
[Show full text]
CHAPTER 1 5 ABDA and ANZA CN the Second World
CHAPTER 1 5 ABDA AND ANZA C N the second world war the democracies fought at an initial disadvan- Itage, though possessing much greater resources than their enemies . Britain and the United States had embarked on accelerated rearmamen t programs in 1938, the naval projects including battleships and aircraf t carriers ; but this was a delayed start compared with that of Germany an d Japan. Preparing for munitions production for total war, finding out wha t weapons to make, and their perfection into prototypes for mass produc- tion, takes in time upwards of two decades . After this preparation period, a mass production on a nation-wide scale is at least a four-years' task in which "the first year yields nothing ; the second very little ; the third a lot and the fourth a flood" .' When Japan struck in December 1941, Britai n and the British Commonwealth had been at war for more than two years . During that time they had to a large extent changed over to a war economy and increasingly brought reserve strength into play . Indeed, in 1940, 1941 and 1942, British production of aircraft, tanks, trucks, self-propelled gun s and other materials of war, exceeded Germany 's. This was partly due to Britain's wartime economic mobilisation, and partly to the fact that Ger- many had not planned for a long war. Having achieved easy victories b y overwhelming unmobilised enemies with well-organised forces and accumu- lated stocks of munitions and materials, the Germans allowed over- confidence to prevent them from broadening the base of their econom y to match the mounting economic mobilisation of Britain .
[Show full text]
Submarine Article (Mitchell)
!1 DEAL OF THE CENTURY ! BY DR. PAUL T. MITCHELL, CF COLLEGE, TORONTO! " Submarines are perhaps the most misunderstood weapon system in the Canadian Forces. Few Canadians, even those well versed in military matters, understand their role in Canada’s defence. Worse, the technical issues that have afflicted the Victoria class submarines have dominated the media narrative for a decade, convincing many that they really are a set of lemons put upon us by the crafty British. In actuality, the navy had relatively few options to replace its aging Oberons in the 1990s. It was the decisions made then, rather than any inherent technical shortcomings, which created many of the problems since experienced in the activation of these vessels. Yet, the choices for the navy were stark. Faced with a government that was essentially hostile to the idea of submarines, and limited in what it could spend, the used, but highly modern Upholders were the only option open to the RCN: it was either that or the end of the Submarine Service.! Submarines have long been controversial in Canada. The navy has spent most of its existence without having any. Two were acquired during World War One, but the service divested itself of them following the end of the war. Although many Canadians served in British submarines during World War Two, none were procured for the conflict and the government resisted the navy’s demands until the early 1960s. The navy was able then to convince the government at that time that its growing role in the field of anti-submarine warfare for NATO’s maritime defences required the acquisition of submarines in order to provide training targets.
[Show full text]
Royal Canadian Navy Aircraft Carrier Her Majesty’S Canadian Ship Bonaventure – CVL 22 21 January 1957 – 3 July 1970
Royal Canadian Navy Aircraft Carrier Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Bonaventure – CVL 22 21 January 1957 – 3 July 1970 Introduction In April 1962, the Canadian Government approved the acquisition of an aircraft carrier to replace Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Magnificent (CVL 21), which had been on loan and was to be returned to the Royal Navy (RN). At the same time, a decision was taken to purchase and modernize an unfinished Second World War era aircraft carrier. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) set up a negotiating team to deal with the British Government and the Royal Navy. The RN argued that the contract to purchase the new carrier required that HMCS Magnificent be brought up to the latest “alterations and additions” (A&As) for her class before her return to the RN. These alterations were to include, among other modifications, an angled and strengthened deck. The RCN’s case was that these were modernizations and not A&As. Furthermore, the carrier being offered for purchase was being bought “as is”, therefore the RN must accept the return of HMCS Magnificent in an “as is” state. The Royal Navy was won over to the Canadian’s point of view and the negotiations were soon completed. A new project office for the Principal Royal Canadian Navy Technical Representative was established at Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the partially completed Majestic class, Light Fleet aircraft carrier, the ex-Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Powerful (R 95) was laying. Specifications With a length overall of 215 meters (705 ft) and a beam at the water line of 24 meters (79 ft), HMS Powerful was only slightly larger than HMCS Magnificent.
[Show full text]
Military History Anniversaries 01 Thru 15 April
Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 April Events in History over the next 15 day period that had U.S. military involvement or impacted in some way on U.S military operations or American interests Apr 01 1745: French & Indian War: A fleet consisting of 19 transport ships escorted by 13 armed merchant vessels is carrying a total of 4,220 American colonial militiamen toward Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The goal is the capture of Louisbourg, the largest fort in North America. It was built and garrisoned by the French to protect the entrance to the St. Lawrence River and French Canada. Apr 01 1865 – Civil War: Battle of Five Forks – In Siege of Petersburg Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s supply line into Petersburg, Virginia, is closed when Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant collapse the end of Lee’s lines around Petersburg. The Confederates suffer heavy casualties, and the battle triggered Lee’s retreat from Petersburg as the two armies began a race that would end a week later at Appomattox Court House. Casualties and losses: US 830 - CSA 2,950 Apr 01 1893 – The rank of Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy is established. Apr 01 1924 – Pre WW2: Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years in jail for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch". However, he spends only nine months in jail, during which time he writes Mein Kampf. Apr 01 1942 – WW2: Rationing - Anyone wishing to purchase a new toothpaste tube, then made from metal, had to turn in an empty one.
[Show full text]
Naval Accidents 1945-1988, Neptune Papers No. 3
-- Neptune Papers -- Neptune Paper No. 3: Naval Accidents 1945 - 1988 by William M. Arkin and Joshua Handler Greenpeace/Institute for Policy Studies Washington, D.C. June 1989 Neptune Paper No. 3: Naval Accidents 1945-1988 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Nuclear Weapons Accidents......................................................................................................... 3 Nuclear Reactor Accidents ........................................................................................................... 7 Submarine Accidents .................................................................................................................... 9 Dangers of Routine Naval Operations....................................................................................... 12 Chronology of Naval Accidents: 1945 - 1988........................................................................... 16 Appendix A: Sources and Acknowledgements........................................................................ 73 Appendix B: U.S. Ship Type Abbreviations ............................................................................ 76 Table 1: Number of Ships by Type Involved in Accidents, 1945 - 1988................................ 78 Table 2: Naval Accidents by Type
[Show full text]