HMS Indefatigable

Type:
Aircraft Carrier
Class:
Builder:
John Brown & Company
Clydebank, Scotland
Pennant Number:
10
Ordered:
June 19, 1939
Launched:
December 8, 1942
Keel Laid:
November 3, 1939
Commissioned:
May 3, 1944
Fate:
Sold in 1956 to Arnott Young, stripped in Dalmuir, Scotland,
hull scrapped at Troon, Scotland 1957.


Dimensions, machinery and performance

Length:
766' 6"
Engines:
4 Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines
Beam:
95' 9"
Boilers:
8 Admiralty 3-drum type
Flight Deck:
761'
Shafts:
4
Draft:
105'
HP:
148,000
Displacement:
27,700 std. / 32,800 full
Speed:
31.5 knots (30.5 full)
Crew:
845 (wartime 970+)
547 air wing
Range:
N/A
Aircraft:
60


Armament As Built
Number Carried
Type
Arrangement
Maximum Range / Ceiling
16
4.5"/45 (114mm)
Mk III
8 twin mounts
20,750 yards @ 45° (11.7 miles)
AA ceiling 41,000' @ 80°
87 lb. HE shell
44
1.5"/39 (40mm)
Pom-Poms
5 octuple mounts
1 quad mount
5,000 yards (2.8 miles)
AA ceiling 13,300'
1.81 lb. HE shell
40
.79"/70 (20mm)
Oerlikon
15 twin mounts
10 single mounts
4,800 yards @ 45° (2.5 miles)
AA ceiling 10,000'
.272 lb. HE shell

Commanders
From
To
Name
Sept. 1943
Nov. 1, 1945:
Capt. Quintin Dick Graham, CBE, DSO, RN


Battle Honours
1944
Norway
1945
Palembang
1945
Okinawa
1945
Japan


History:
July 1944:
Operated with the Home Fleet
July 17, 1944:
Operation Mascot, conducted an air strike with HMS Formidable and HMS Furious
against the German battleship Tirpitz in the Altenfjord, Norway.
The Tirpitz received no hits.
Aug. 22, 1944:
Operation Goodwood, conducted an air strike with HMS Formidable, HMS Furious,
HMS Nabob and HMS Trumpeter against the German battleship Tirpitz in the
Altenfjord, Norway. The Tirpitz received no hits.
Aug. 24, 1944:
Operation Goodwood III, conducted an air strike with HMS Furious and HMS Formidable
against the German battleship Tirpitz in the Altenfjord, Norway. The Tirpitz received two direct hits from the attack.
Aug. 29, 1944:

Operation Goodwood IV, conducted an air strike with HMS Formidable against the
German battleship Tirpitz in the Altenfjord, Norway. The Tirpitz received no hits.

Oct.-Nov. 1944:
Modified for Pacific duty.
Nov. 1944:
Assigned to the Eastern Fleet.
Jan. 4, 1945:
Operation Lentil, conducted air strikes with HMS Indomitable and HMS Victorious
against Pangkalan Brandon Oil Refinery at Medan, Sumatra.

Jan. 24, 1945:
Operation Meridian, conducted air strikes against the Pladjoe & Soengei Gerong Refineries
at Palembang, Sumatra.

Jan. 29, 1945:
Operation Meridian continues with further air strikes against the Pladjoe & Soengei Gerong Refineries at Palembang, Sumatra.
Feb. 1945:
At Sydney, Australia for repairs.
Mar.-Apr. 1945:
Iceberg I, conducted air strikes against Sakishima Gunto and Formosa.
Apr. 1, 1945:
Damaged by a Kamikaze.
May 1945:
Iceberg II, conducted air strikes against Sakishima Gunto.
June 1945:
At Sydney, Australia for repairs.
July 24, 1945:
Conducted air strikes against the Japanese home islands which continued until Aug. 10.
Aug. 10, 1945:
Operated with the US Third Fleet until Sept. 2, 1945.
Sept. 3, 1945:
Arrived at Tokyo Bay following the Japanese surrender.
Sept. 17, 1945:
Arrived at Sydney, Australia.
Oct.-Nov. 1945:
Repatriated POWs from Japan to Sydney, Australia.
Dec. 1945:
Departed Sydney for New Zealand, returning to Sydney. Departed Sydney in late
Jan. 1945 for England.

Mar. 15, 1946:
Arrived in England.
Dec. 1946:
Placed in reserve.
1950:
Recommissioned as a boys training ship.
Aug. 1954:
Removed from service.
1956:
Sold for scrap.


Notes:
Christened by Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven.


Builder's Data
Page published Apr. 13, 2008