Operation Collie was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

naval operation in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, from 5–11 July 1945. Its objectives were, firstly,

naval bombardment Naval gunfire support (NGFS) (also known as shore bombardment) is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of a number of disciplines encompassed by the ...

and aerial strikes on Japanese positions in the Nicobar Islands,David Wragg, ''The Escort Carrier in the Second World War: Combustible, Vulnerable, Expendable!'', pages 157–169, 2005. particularly on

Nancowry Island Nancowry (Nancowry language: ''Mūöt'', Hindi: नन्कोव्री ''Nankovrī'') is an island in the central part of the Nicobar Islands chain, located in the northeast Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. History ...

;Jürgen Rohwer, ''Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two'', page 423, 2005. secondly, providing cover for minesweeping operations in advance of a possible invasion; and thirdly, making carrier raids on Japanese airfields in northern Sumatra. These measures were a prelude for an invasion, Operation Zipper, which was never carried out due to the Surrender of Japan.Malcolm H. Murfett, ''Naval Warfare 1919–45: An Operational History of the Volatile War at Sea'', page 446, 2008.

Operational detail

Operation Collie was carried out under the direction of Rear Admiral

Wilfrid Patterson Admiral Sir Wilfrid Rupert Patterson (20 November 1893 – 15 December 1954) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy. He was the Commodore Commanding His Majesty's Australian Squadron from September to November 1939. He participated in the naval ...

, by Ruler-class aircraft carriers and , light cruiser , destroyers , , and , and escort carriers and , and the 6th Minesweeping Flotilla. The carriers transported

Grumman F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second ha ...

s of the

884 Naval Air Squadron 884 Naval Air Squadron (884 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land ...

, which flew 82 sorties. Accounts of casualties vary, but one report indicates that two pilots were killed, one during take-off, one in action; and six aircraft were lost, three to enemy action; while another indicated that seven aircraft were lost from the ''Ameer'', with all pilots rescued.HMS Ameer -1945
Overall, the mission was a success, with one report noting that "three flotillas of minesweepers cleared 167 mines off the northwest coast of Malaya and from the waters around the Nicobars."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collie, Operation World War II operations and battles of the Southeast Asia Theatre Naval aviation operations and battles World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom