HMS Hunter (D80)

Last updated

HMS Hunter FL10531.jpg
HMS Hunter
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Block Island
Namesake Block Island Sound
Builder Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down15 May 1941, as Mormacpenn
Launched22 May 1942
Commissioned9 January 1943
Out of serviceLoaned to Royal Navy 1943-1945
Stricken17 January 1947
FateSold into merchant service 1947, scrapped in Spain in 1965
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Hunter
Commissioned11 January 1943
Decommissioned29 December 1945
RenamedInitially HMS Trailer, before being named HMS Hunter, As merchant ship:Almdijk
FateReturned to United States 29 December 1945
General characteristics
Class and type Attacker-class escort carrier
Displacement14,400 tons
Length491 ft 6 in (149.81 m)
Beam105 ft (32 m)
Draught26 ft (7.9 m)
Propulsion
  • Steam turbines
  • 1 shaft
  • 8,500  shp (6,300 kW)
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement646
Armament
Aircraft carried20

USS Block Island (CVE-8) (originally AVG and then ACV) was an Attacker-class escort aircraft carrier that served during World War II.

Contents

The ship was laid down on 15 May 1941 as Mormacpenn under Maritime Commission contract at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by Ingalls Shipbuilding, acquired by the United States Navy on 9 January 1943 and simultaneously transferred via the Lend-Lease program to the United Kingdom as Trailer. On 11 January 1943, the ship was renamed HMS Hunter (D80) and commissioned by the Royal Navy. In March 1945 was attached to the 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron. She participated in Operation Jurist and Operation Tiderace in August 1945, the reoccupation of Malaya and Singapore from the Japanese.

The vessel was returned to United States' custody 29 December 1945 and sold into merchant service on 17 January 1947 as Almdijk. In October 1965 the ship was sold for scrapping in Spain.

Design and description

There were eight Attacker-class escort carriers in service with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. They were built between 1941 and 1942 by Ingalls Shipbuilding and Western Pipe & Steel shipyards in the United States, both building four ships each. [1]

The ships had a complement of 646 men and crew accommodation was different from the normal Royal Navy's arrangements. The separate messes no longer had to prepare their own food, as everything was cooked in the galley and served cafeteria style in a central dining area. They were also equipped with a modern laundry and a barber shop. The traditional hammocks were replaced by three tier bunk beds, eighteen to a cabin which were hinged and could be tied up to provide extra space when not in use. [2]

The ships dimensions were; an overall length of 492.25 feet (150.04 m), a beam of 69.5 feet (21.2 m) and a height of 23.25 ft (7.09 m). They had a displacement of 11,420 long tons (11,600 t) at deep load. [3] Propulsion was provided by four diesel engines connected to one shaft giving 8,500 brake horsepower (6,300 kW), which could propel the ship at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph). [4]

Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side and above the 450-by-120-foot (137 by 37 m) flight deck, [5] two aircraft lifts 42 by 34 feet (13 by 10 m), and nine arrestor wires. Aircraft could be housed in the 260-by-62-foot (79 by 19 m) hangar below the flight deck. [3] Armament comprised two 4"/50, 5"/38 or 5"/51 in single mounts, eight 40 mm anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts and twenty-one 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon in single or twin mounts. [3] They had the capacity for up to eighteen aircraft which could be a mixture of Grumman Martlet, Hawker Sea Hurricane, Vought F4U Corsair fighter aircraft and Fairey Swordfish or Grumman Avenger anti-submarine aircraft. [3]

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Battler</i> (D18) Attacker-class escort carrier

HMS Battler (D18) was an American-built escort carrier that served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

HMS <i>Attacker</i> (D02) Royal Navy escort carrier

HMS Attacker (D02) was an American-built escort carrier that served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

HMS <i>Chaser</i> (D32)

HMS Chaser (D32/R306/A727) was an American-built Attacker-class escort carrier that served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

HMS <i>Fencer</i> (D64) Royal Navy escort carrier

HMS Fencer (D64/R308) was an American-built Attacker-class escort carrier that served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

HMS <i>Stalker</i> (D91)

USS Hamlin (CVE-15) was one of a large group of escort aircraft carriers built on Maritime Commission C-3 hulls and transferred to the Royal Navy under Lend Lease during World War II. The ship was launched by Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Francisco, California, on 5 March 1942, as AVG-15, aircraft escort vessel. She was sponsored by Mrs. William H. Shea. Her designation was changed to ACV-15, auxiliary aircraft carrier, 20 August 1942, and she was acquired and simultaneously transferred to the United Kingdom 21 December 1942. Hamlin's designation was changed to CVE-15, escort aircraft carrier, 15 July 1943.

HMS <i>Pursuer</i> (D73) 1943 Attacker-class escort carrier

USS St. George (CVE-17) was laid down on 31 July 1941 as a C3-S-A2 by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Hull 296 of Pascagoula, Mississippi, under Maritime Commission contract as the (second) SS Mormacland for Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.,. She was renamed St. George (AVG-17) by the United States Navy on 7 January 1942; and assigned to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease as HMS Pursuer on 24 February 1942. The vessel was launched on 18 July 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Mary Ann S. Bartman. The escort carrier was reclassified ACV-17 on 20 August 1942, acquired by the US Navy and simultaneously transferred to Britain on 14 June 1943. She was reclassified CVE-17 on 15 July 1943.

HMS <i>Striker</i> (D12)

The name Prince William (CVE-19) was assigned to MC hull 198, a converted C3 laid down by the Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Francisco, California, 15 December 1941.

HMS <i>Emperor</i> (D98)

USS Pybus (CVE-34) was initially a United States Navy Bogue-class escort carrier. The ship was transferred to the United Kingdom for service in the Royal Navy as the Ruler-class escort carrier HMS Emperor (D98) as part of the Lend-Lease program of World War II. Entering service in 1943, the ship took part in operations against the German battleship Tirpitz and the invasions of Normandy and southern France. Returned to the United States following the war, the carrier was sold for scrap in 1946.

HMS <i>Queen</i> (D19)

The USS St. Andrews (CVE-49) was assigned to MC hull 260 on 23 August 1942, a ship to be built to modified C3-S-A1 plans. She was laid down on 12 March 1943 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation of Tacoma, Washington; redesignated CVE-49 on 15 July; and launched on 31 July; sponsored by Mrs. Robert W. Morse; transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 7 December; and commissioned the same day as HMS Queen (D19) in the Royal Navy.

HMS <i>Tracker</i> (D24) 1943 Attacker-class escort aircraft carrier

HMS Tracker (BACV-6/D24) was a Attacker-class escort carrier that was built in the United States, but served in the Royal Navy during World War II.

HMS <i>Dasher</i> (D37) 1942 Avenger-class escort aircraft carrier

HMS Dasher (D37) was a British Royal Navy aircraft carrier, of the Avenger class, converted merchant vessels, and one of the shortest-lived escort carriers. She served in the Second World War and sank on 27 March 1943.

HMS <i>Biter</i> (D97) Escort carrier

HMS Biter was a Royal Navy escort carrier during the Second World War. She was laid down as a merchant ship at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard at Chester, Pennsylvania. Laid down on 28 December 1939, she was converted to an escort carrier and commissioned in the Royal Navy on 6 May 1942. She was returned to the United States in 1945 and subsequently lent to France.

<i>Bogue</i>-class escort carrier Aircraft carrier class of the US Navy

The Bogue class were a class of 45 escort carriers built in the United States for service with the US Navy and the Royal Navy, through the Lend-Lease program, during World War II. Following the war, ten Bogue-class ships were kept in service by the US Navy and were reclassified for helicopter and aircraft transport operations.

<i>Avenger</i>-class escort carrier Aircraft carrier class of the US & Royal Navy

The Avenger-class escort carrier was a class of escort carriers comprising three ships in service with the Royal Navy during the Second World War and one ship of the class in the United States Navy called the Charger Type of 1942-class escort carrier. All three were originally American type C3 merchant ships in the process of being built at the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company Chester, Pennsylvania. The ships laid down in 1939 and 1940 were launched and delivered to the Royal Navy by 1942 under the Lend-Lease agreement.

<i>Ruler</i>-class escort carrier Royal Navy escort aircraft carrier class

The Ruler class of escort aircraft carriers served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. All twenty-three ships were built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation in the United States as Bogue-class escort carriers, supplied under Lend-Lease to the United Kingdom. They were the most numerous single class of aircraft carriers in service with the Royal Navy.

<i>Attacker</i>-class escort carrier Class of British escort carriers

The Attacker class were a class of escort aircraft carriers in service with the British Royal Navy during the Second World War.

HMS <i>Avenger</i> (D14)

HMS Avenger was a Royal Navy escort aircraft carrier during the Second World War. In 1939 she was laid down as the merchant ship Rio-Hudson at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard in Chester, Pennsylvania. Launched on 27 November 1940, she was converted to an escort carrier and transferred under the lend lease agreement to the Royal Navy. She was commissioned on 2 March 1942.

HMS <i>Nairana</i> (D05)

HMS Nairana was the lead ship of the Royal Navy's Nairana-class escort carriers that saw service in the Second World War. She was built at John Brown & Company shipyards in Clydebank, Scotland. When construction started in 1941 she was intended as a merchant ship, but was completed and launched as an escort carrier, entering service at the end of 1943.

HMS <i>Vindex</i> (D15)

HMS Vindex (D15) was a Nairana-class escort carrier of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was built at Swan Hunter shipyards in Newcastle upon Tyne. When construction started in 1942 she was intended as a merchant ship, but was completed and launched as an escort carrier, entering service at the end of 1943.

<i>Nairana</i>-class escort carrier British-built class of escort carrier

The Nairana-class escort carrier was a British-built class of three escort carriers. They were constructed one each in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to the same basic design during the Second World War for service with the Royal Navy.

References

  1. Cocker (2008), p.79.
  2. Poolman (1972), pp.74–75.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cocker (2008), p.80.
  4. Cocker (2008), pp.80–81.
  5. Poolman (1972), p.57.

Bibliography