HMS Indomitable (R92)
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HMS ''Indomitable'' was a modified built for the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
during World War II. Originally planned to be the fourth of the class, she was redesigned to enable her to operate more aircraft, 48 instead of 36. A second
hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
was added above the original, raising the flight deck by , although the hangar-side armour had to be reduced to compensate. The lower hangar was made shorter than the upper hangar due to the need for extra workshops and accommodation to support the added aircraft.


Construction and early history

''Indomitable'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...
by
Vickers-Armstrong Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927. The majority of the company was nationalised in the 1960s and 1970s, w ...
at
Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...
, on 10 November 1937. She was launched on 26 March 1940 and commissioned the following year in October. She was christened by Clementine Churchill. She sailed to the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
in November 1941 for her maiden voyage. While there, ''Indomitable'' ran aground on a coral reef near
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, though she returned to service soon afterwards. This did mean she did not reach
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
in time to provide air cover for
Force Z Force Z was a British naval squadron during the Second World War, consisting of the battleship , the battlecruiser and accompanying destroyers. Assembled in 1941, the purpose of the group was to reinforce the British colonial garrisons in the ...
, a naval force sent to deter the Japanese from attacking
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. This force was sunk by Japanese aircraft when the Japanese landed in
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
in December 1941. The following month, in January 1942, ''Indomitable'' joined the
Eastern Fleet Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air L ...
based at
Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
(now
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
). At the end of January, she ferried 48
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
s to airfields in
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
in the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
, to reinforce the air defenses of Singapore, but a large proportion of the Hurricanes were destroyed on the ground by Japanese air raids. The British commanders in Singapore surrendered to the Japanese on 15 February. After the fall of Britain's remaining Far Eastern colonies
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
and
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, ''Indomitable'' was redeployed. A new Eastern Fleet was established under the command of Admiral Sir James Somerville. ''Indomitable'', and her
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
were the only modern aircraft carriers of the Fleet, and were a vital asset to the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
in the
Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...
; the only other carrier, , was obsolete. In April 1942 Somerville attempted to intercept the Japanese carrier strike force during their Indian Ocean raid. Incomplete intelligence led him to abandon his ambush just hours before the Japanese force arrived. Over the next few days ''Indomitable'' was part of a force that attempted to intercept the Japanese fleet at night, where the slow but radar-equipped, British torpedo planes would have the best chance of a successful strike. Despite several days of searching no decisive action was achieved and Somerville eventually withdrew his fast carriers to
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. ''Hermes'', the Australian destroyer , the corvette and two heavy cruisers, and , were sunk in action during this Japanese raid, as were a score of merchant ships. In May 1942 the British launched Operation Ironclad, the invasion of French
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. It was feared that the Japanese would themselves occupy Madagascar and use it as a
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
base to attack Allied convoy routes in the Indian Ocean.Shores 1996, pp. 276–277. ''Indomitable'' was detached from the Eastern Fleet to take part in the invasion, rendezvousing with the covering force (which included sister ship ) and the invasion force which had been sent from
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, p. 136.Shores 1996, p. 278. The assault began on 5 May at
Courrier Bay Courrier may refer to: *''Courrier International'', a Paris-based French weekly newspaper *''Courrier des États-Unis'', a French language newspaper published by French immigrants in New York *''Courrier d'Ethiopie'', a French language weekly newsp ...
, just west of the actual objective of
Diego Suarez Diego Suarez or ''Diego-Suarez'' may refer to: * Antsiranana, a city in Madagascar formerly known as Diego-Suarez * Diego Suarez (navigator) or Diogo Soares, 16th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer * Diego Suárez (soldier) (1552–1623), Sp ...
. ''Indomitable''s air wing attacked Arrachart airfield on the opening day of the invasion, destroying five
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier (1881–1964) and the Morane brothers, Léon (1885–1918) and Robert (1886–1968). The company was taken over and diversified ...
fighters and damaging two more as well as two
Potez 63.11 The Potez 630 and its derivatives were a family of twin-engined, multirole aircraft developed for the French Air Force in the late 1930s. The design was a contemporary of the British Bristol Blenheim (which was larger and designed purely as a b ...
s.Shores 1996, p. 279 The following day a ground assault began, with ''Indomitable''s Albacores bombing the defences and her Fulmars and Sea Hurricanes flying ground attack sorties. French forces in Diego Suarez surrendered on 7 May.Shores 1996, pp. 280–283. On 8 May, the French submarine attempted to torpedo ''Indomitable'' but was sunk by depth charges from the destroyers and .


The Mediterranean

In July, ''Indomitable'' returned to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. She was soon back in action, participating in
Operation Pedestal Operation Pedestal ( it, Battaglia di Mezzo Agosto, Battle of mid-August), known in Malta as (), was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was a base from which British ...
, the largest convoy to supply the besieged island of
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. This convoy comprised 14 cargo ships and an unprecedentedly large escort of warships: , , , ''Indomitable'', , , , , , , , and 32 destroyers. One objective was for to launch her
Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...
to land at Malta, where they would remain; this was done on 11 August, and ''Furious'' returned to
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
. During the operation ''Indomitable'' was hit by two 500 kg bombs (by Ju 87s belonging to
StG 3 ''Sturzkampfgeschwader 3'' (StG 3—Dive Bomber Wing 3) was a Dive bomber wing in the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II and operated the Junkers Ju 87 ''Stuka''. The wing was activated on 9 July 1940 using personnel from German medium bo ...
) and suffered three near misses. One 500 kg bomb penetrated the unarmoured portion of the flight deck, causing damage that required her to withdraw for repairs, although she was able to steam at fewer than two hours after the hits. Casualties were 6 officers and 40 ratings killed, and 70 ratings wounded. (The attack may be viewed at the seventeen-minute mark of the documentary ''Malta Convoy'' listed in the external links section). She sailed to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, where repairs were completed in February 1943, after which she immediately returned to the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
. She was torpedoed by a
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 ''Sparviero'' (Italian for sparrowhawk) was a three-engined Italian medium bomber developed and manufactured by aviation company Savoia-Marchetti. It may be the best-known Italian aeroplane of the Second World War. Th ...
of 204a ''Squadriglia'' of the 41° Torpedo Bomber Group on 16 July while supporting the buildup for the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) and returned again to the United States, where repairs were completed. She commenced sea trials 10 April 1944.


The Far East

''Indomitable'' returned to the Eastern Fleet in early 1944. She and ''Victorious'' launched bombers against Sumatra in August and September. They later bombed the
Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...
, after which ''Indomitable'' joined up with ''Illustrious'' to attack
Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...
and Sumatra again on 20 December. The following year, ''Indomitable'' joined the British Pacific Fleet. On 4 January 1945 she, her sister ship ''Victorious'' and another fleet carrier attacked Medan. Subsequent actions were taken against
Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...
and Sumatra, later in January. On 4 May 1945 she was hit by a ''
kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
'', but her
armoured flight deck An armoured flight deck is an aircraft carrier flight deck that incorporates substantial armour in its design. Comparison is often made between the carrier designs of the Royal Navy (RN) and the United States Navy (USN). The two navies followed ...
saved her from serious damage. In August, with the war ending, ''Indomitable'' supported the liberation of
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, arriving after a landing party from had taken the Japanese surrender. Her aircraft flew the carrier's last combat missions of the war and of her career on 31 August and 1 September against Japanese suicide boats which were attacking British forces.


Post-war

''Indomitable'' returned to the UK in November 1945. The following year she carried the Great Britain national rugby league team to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
on their first post-war tour, earning the team the nickname, 'The Indomitables'. In 1947, she was placed in reserve, and then given a refit that took three years, from 1947 to 1950. Late in her refit her boilers were discovered to have only 10 years of life, and the engine spaces had to be torn apart and rebuilt to replace the boilers. Upon the completion of her refit she returned to operational duty with the
Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...
in far cooler climates than her wartime operations. She was unique in carrying the day-and-night de Havilland Hornet fighter, and the navalised Sea Hornet NF.12 radar-equipped night fighter also carried by in 1951–53, which was faster, long-ranged with good payload compared to the carrier's
Blackburn Firebrand The Blackburn Firebrand was a British single-engine strike fighter for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy designed during World War II by Blackburn Aircraft. Originally intended to serve as a pure fighter, its unimpressive performance and t ...
torpedo strike aircraft. In 1951, ''Indomitable'' replaced the Royal Navy's last battleship, , as the
Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...
flagship. On 3 February 1953, she was badly damaged by an internal fire and explosion; the damage was later covered in concrete and never repaired. In the same year, she sailed to take part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.Souvenir Programme, ''Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953'', HMSO, Gale and Polden She then did deck landings in the
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
, with experimental landing lights replacing the batsman. ''Indomitable'' was not modernized for several reasons, chief of which was that to make her capable of handling jet aircraft, her hangar height would have to be increased from to . This would require tearing the ship down to the hangar deck itself. Given the escalating costs of the modernization of her half-sister ''Victorious'', the Admiralty decided against a complete modernization for a ship of her age.


Decommissioning and disposal

''Indomitable'' returned to the reserve fleet, and in October 1953 she was placed in unmaintained reserve. She was sold for scrap and arrived at Faslane for breaking up on 30 September 1955.


Notes


Bibliography

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External links


Armoured aircraft carrier action and damage reports, 1940-1945








* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20120920031315/http://navalistica.com/index.php/royal-navy-united-kingdom/19-ukcv/153-2106-indomitable-fleet-aircraft-carrier-1941 INDOMITABLE fleet aircraft carrier (1941)
DAMAGE CONTROL FOR REAL!

PEDESTAL: HMS Indomitable bombed - Malta Convoy 1942 at YouTube

HMS Indomitable, Damage Control, Operation Pedestal convoy bomb damage, August 12, 1942
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indomitable Illustrious-class aircraft carriers Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness 1940 ships World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom Cold War aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom