American Lend-Lease: Aircraft Carriers

[Ednamay]

Does any one know anything about aircraft carriers supplied under the Lend-lease agreement with the U States?

Were aircraft carriers part of the agreement ? (Iwas told they were)

When did they first come into service for UK ?

Where were they used ?

Were any of them lost / destroyed ?

Post war, did they remain in service, were any returned to the States ?

Were they reliable in use ?

Would welcome any help.

Edna

[tjstoneman]

To answer Edna's questions in post #1:


Were aircraft carriers part of the agreement ? Yes - but only Escort Carriers (known by their USN designator of CVE), not Fleet Carriers. After four early ships (AVENGER, ARCHER, BITER and DASHER), there were two classes (Attacker class - 11 ships - and Ruler or Ameer class - 23 ships) supplied to the RN.

When did they first come into service for UK ? AVENGER was completed in March 1942.

Where were they used ? Atlantic Ocean, Norwegian Sea, Western Approaches, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean.

Were any of them lost / destroyed ? Yes - AVENGER and DASHER, (also NABOB, written off after severe damage from U-Boat torpedo).

Post war, did they remain in service, were any returned to the States ? None remained in RN service - survivors were returned to US after the war.

Were they reliable in use ? variable - mostly yes - although the RN modified them to meet RN requirements, after the first few had problems (including the loss of AVENGER and DASHER). However, they were sometimes known as "Combustible, Vulnerable, Expendable" - from the CVE designator!

There are pictures of several of these ships on this website.

Suggest an Internet search for "Escort Carrier", "Bogue class" (the USN class of which Attackers and Rulers formed a part) or any of the ships mentioned above.

Tim

[tonclass]

Also 'ROYAL NAVY ESCORT CARRIERS' by Cdr David Hobbs MBE. A Maritime Books publication

[Ednamay]

Thanks very much; I believe my brother served on one, where, when and which I don't know but I know he was not at all happy on it and I wondered if others felt likewise.

Unfortunately he died in 1969 so I can't pursue it, but his younger son has expressed some interest.

Edna

[jainso31]

Edna-38 escort (WOOLWORTH) carriers were supplied by the US to GB in WW2. 35 were returned to them at the war's end. From what I have read their crews did not rate them highly-they were poor performers in heavy Atlantic gales and subsequent high seas-I believe one of them had it's flight deck almost "rolled back" from the bow section in atrocious weather.



jainso31

[oldsalt]

One of those cheap carriers we had from the USA blew up due to leakage of aircraft fuel (AVGAS) the ship's name escapes me, but I'm sure it began with a D, I'll look it up. Got it, twas the Dasher , she caught fire & blew up sinking in 5 mins. date 27th March 43. Dasher was an escort carrier.

[jainso31]

Dasher blew up causing the deaths of 358 officers and men-158 survived.
Begum had her flightdeck "peeled back" in an Atlantic gale.
Biter had a lightweight wooden flightdeck.
Avenger blew up after single torpedo hit-only 13 out of 500 or so crew
survived the catastrophic aviation fuel explosion.


jainso31

[Dreadnought]

Thread title slightly changed to follow format of these other interesting Lend-Lease threads:


American Lend-Lease: Submarines (http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7110&highlight=lease)
berry

American Lend-Lease: Destroyers (http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=476&highlight=lease)
Dave

American Lend-Lease: Town Class Destroyer Mystery (http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=506&highlight=lease)
tonclass

[doug.birch]

There have been many comments on this post, mainly by people that did not serve on these ships, as to the fitness & reliability, of Escort Carriers, leased to the RN by the USA, although when we commissioned HMS Fencer in San Francisco, there was some concern about all welded ships, as one Kaiser built ship did split its seams, our concerns were later to prove unfounded. We did many convoys in the Atlantic & through the Bay of Biscay & it dose not get much rougher that that, Arctic Waters & finally through the Australian Bite and the Pacific. As to their contribution to the war effort, I like to think that we saved the lives of many gallant Merchant Seamen and Aircraft from Fencer sank 4 U-Boats and shot down 2 enemy Planes, but lost only1ship
from all of our convoys, I think we paid our dues. As to their reliability & endurance, after being returned to the USA many were returned to the merchant navy, Fencer was converted to a Passenger liner called SYDNEY &
conveyed many migrants to Australia, finally scrapped in 1975. Not bad for a makeshift Carrier. Doug. Birch.

[Ednamay]

Thank you for resuscitating this year-old query! And for all the help. I have used some of this as background information on my two threads recording my brother's life and career in the Fleet Air Arm, see

The Life of an FAA Artificer (Royal Navy Ships and Crews) and

Service Record: Albert Edward (Ted) Harwood (Service Records / Naval Relatives and Friends)

I am still getting bits of info pop up from here and there and my two nephews are very interested, because they did not have the opportunity of getting to know their father well and so they (and their mother) knew nothing about his trip to the States to pick up a Woolworth carrier, and adventures on Russian and Gibraltar convoys while serving with 846 Squadron on Ravager, Tracker and Trumpeter, 56 years ago.

Thanks again,

Edna

[doug.birch]

Dear Edna, we did a couple of mine laying ops with the Trumpeter off the coast of Norway, when they were recalled, we took on some of thier aircraft so maybe your brother came aboard Fencer. Regards Doug.Birch.

[Ednamay]

Thanks, Doug.
It was a long time ago; sometimes I could persuade him to talk to me but he would not talk in my mother's presence because she got distressed. He did talk if my father happened to be on a weekend, that was when little pitchers (long ears!) became useful. His dates are on his thread.

Edna

[Bonzo]

Ednamay - My eldest brother served on one of these Lend-Lease carriers through most of the war,I think they were referred to as Woolworth carriers.
I have a photo of it that I got from his collection I'm reasonably certain that it is HMS Attacker.

[Ednamay]

Ednamay - My eldest brother served on one of these Lend-Lease carriers through most of the war,I think they were referred to as Woolworth carriers.
I have a photo of it that I got from his collection I'm reasonably certain that it is HMS Attacker.

Bonzo - Thank you. Your post encouraged me to re-read this thread. Thanks to all the shipmates who contributed.

My brother joined Ravager in 1943, transfered to Tracker after Ravager had a mishap, then Trumpeter after Tracker also had a mishap!

Tracing this became complicated because he was listed under 846 Squadron, not under the baseship. He was an electrical artificer and continued in service till 1954. His comment was "They are so noisy, it is like being in an old tin can !"

There are some photographs on the forum.

Thanks again, Edna