World War II in the Pacific |
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East Indies Fleet
- Royal Sovereign (BB)
Resolution (BB)
Ramillies (BB)
Revenge (BB)
Warspite (BB)
Formidable (CV)
Indomintble (CV)
Hermes (CV) - sunk
6 cruisers
heavy cruisers - Dorsetshire, Cornwall - sunk
12 DD - one or more sunk
Virtually no British presence in the East -- ships withdrawn to Home and Mediterranean fleets.
Victorious loaned to US Pacific Fleet, March--July, for the invasion of New Britain.
1944. Far East Fleet
Monthly raids on Sumatra from April onwards.
| Early in the Year | Second Quarter added |
| Queen Elizabeth (BB) | Saratoga (CV-3) |
| Valiant (BB) | Richelieu (BB) |
| Renown (CB) | Tromp (CL) |
| Illustrious (CV) | destroyers |
| Unicorn (CVL) | |
| Shah (CVE) | |
| Bagun (CVE) |
March 18 -- April 23, 1945
The British Pacific Fleet was the fleet assembled by the Royal Navy in time for the invasion of Okinawa in 1945. Ships in the British Pacific Fleet at the beginning of the year included:
- HMS King George V - BB
HMS Howe BB
HMS Indomitable CV
HMS Victorious CV
HMS Indefatigable CV
HMS Illustrous CV - detached April 14 to Leyte for repair, then to England.
HMS Formidable CV, joined April 14.
CL : Swiftsure, Gambia, Black Prince, Euryalus
DD : Grenville, Ulster, Undine, Urania, Undaunted, Quickmatch, Quiberon, Queenborough, Quality, Whelp, Wager
- After resupply at Leyte, the same groups sortied : Illustrious, Wager, Whelp to Sydney ; and Argonaut to Lae, New Guinea ; and Ulster under repair Leyte.
Plus Ursa, Urchin, Quilliam, Kempfelt, Whirlwind, Wessex. Destroyers frequently swapped between the task force and the supply train.
Order of Battle.
- Implacable CV
Ruler CVE
Swiftsure CL
Uganda CL
Achilles CL
Newfoundland CL
Termagant DD
Troubridge DD
Tenaciious DD
Terpsichore DD
Teazer DD
Order of Battle
- Formidable CV
Implacable CV
Victorious CV
Indefatigable CV
King George V - BB
Howe BB
Newfoundland CL
Black Prince CL
Argonaut CL
HMNZS Achilles CL
HMNZS Gambia CL
HMCS Uganda CL
Destroyers :
Gladstone, Quality, HMAS Quiberon, Barfleur, Wranger, Wakeful, Undine, Ulysses, Urania, Terpsichore, Termagant, Tenacious, HMAS Napier, HMAS Nizam, Troubridge, Teazer
Aug 1 . Clear the area as Hiroshima is bombed
* - escort carriers shuttled replacement aircraft and crews to fleet carriers.
- Glory CV
Colossus CVL
Venerable CVL
Vengeance CVL
Indomitable CV
Duke of York BB
Anson BB
cruisers and destroyers
| CARRIERS | Comm | Displacement | A/C | ||
| Indefatigable | 1942 | 23,000 tons | 60 | ||
| Indomitable | 1940 | 23,000 | 60 | ||
| Illustrous | 1939 | 23,000 | 60 | ||
| Victorious | 1939 | 23,000 | 60 | ||
| Formidable | 1939 | 23,000 | 60 | ||
| CARRIERS - Light and Escort | |||||
| Ruler class | 1942 | 8,300 | 28 | USN Casablanca | |
| Archer class | 1942 | 7,800 | 21 | USN Bogue | |
| BATTLESHIPS | |||||
| Howe | 1940 | 35,000 tons | 10- 14" | ||
| King George V | 1939 | 35,000 | 10- 14" | ||
| HEAVY CRUISERS: | |||||
| There were no heavy cruisers | |||||
| LIGHT CRUISERS: | |||||
| Swiftsure | Jun1944 | 8,000 tons | 9- 6" guns | ||
| Black Prince | Nov1943 | 5,700 | 8- 5.25" | ||
| Newfoundland | Dec1942 | 8,000 | 9- 6" | ||
| HMNZS Gambia | Feb1942 | 8,000 | 9- 6" | ||
| HMCS Uganda | Mar'43 | 8,000 | 9- 6" | ||
| Argonaut | 1942 | 5,450 | 10- 5.25" | ||
| HMNZS Achilles | Oct'33 | 7,030 | 6- 6" | ||
| DESTROYERS: | |||||
| Ulster class | 1943 | 1,710 | 4- 4.7" | ||
| Wager class | 1943 | 1,710 | 4- 4.7" | ||
| Troubridge class | 1943 | 1,710 | 4- 4.7" | ||
| Javelin class | 1941 | 1,760 | 6- 4.7" | ||
HMS Formidable CV . Built by Harland & Wolff. Laid down 17 June 1937, launched 17 Aug 1939, commissioned 24 Nov 1940. Mediterranean service early in the war. Seriously damaged by bombs 26 May 1941; repairs at Norfolk required 6 months. Returned to Mediterreanan following repairs, then to the Pacific in 1944. Hit by Kamikaze 4 May 1945 and 9 May 1945 but not seriously damaged.
HMS Implacable CV . Built by Fairfield. Laid down 21 Feb 1939, launched 10 Dec 1942, commissioned 22 May 1944, completed 28 Aug 1944. Participated in operations off Norway, then served in the Pacific.
HMS Illustrious CV Built by Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow. Laid down 27 April 1937, launched 5 April 1939, completed 25 May 1940.Struck Italian Fleet at Taranto 11/1940. Hit/near missed by 7 bombs 10 Jan 1941, resulting in serious damage. Emergency repairs at Malta 25 Jan 1941 to 10 March 1941; was hit by additional bombs while at Malta. Fully repaired at Norfolk Navy Yard Norfolk 12 May-28 Nov 1941. Operated in the Pacific starting 1/1944. Suffered minor Kamikaze damage 6 April 1945.
HMS Indefatigable CV . Built by John Brown. Laid down 3 Nov 1939, launched 8 Dec 1942, completed 3 May 1944. Participated in strike on Tirpitz before transferring to the Pacific. Kamikaze hit with insignificant damage 1 April 1945.
HMS Indomitable CV . Built by Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow. Laid down 10 Nov 1937, launched 26 March 1940, commissioned 10 October 1941. Operated in the Mediterranean, including the relief of Malta. Seriously damaged 12 Aug 1942 by 2 bomb hits and 3 near misses, repairs at Norfolk took 6 months. Torpedoed 16 July 1943 with serious damage; ship was nearly lost and repairs in the USA took 8.5 months. Transferred to the Pacific following repairs. Kamikaze 4 May 1945 with no damage.
HMS Victorious CV . Built by Vickers-Armstrong, Tyne. Laid down 4 May 1937, launched 14 Sept 1939, commissioned 29 May 1941. Served on Malta relief runs in 1942. Loaned to the US fleet 20 November 1942 and refitted at Norfolk, served with the US Pacific Fleet 2/1943 to 8/1943. After operations against Tirpitz transferred to the Pacific 6/1944. Kamikaze hit with minor damage 9 May 1945.
* HMS King George V (BB)
* HMS Howe (BB)
* Newfoundland CL
* Black Prince CL
* Argonaut CL
* HMNZS Achilles CL
* HMNZS Gambia CL
HMCS Uganda - Light Cruiser, Laid down June 1939, completed Jan'43. Was presented to the RCN on Oct 21, 1944. and sailed round Cape Horn. Joined Task Force 57 and in Mar/Apr 45 was employed screening RN carriers during air strikes on the Ryukyu Islands & Formosa. Participated in bombardment of Truk. In June she took part in the naval bombardment of Truk and Dublon Islands. In July Uganda was in TF 37 and screened RN carriers during the final British air strikes on the Japanese mainland.
Australian cruisers fought admirably as part of the US fleet through the war.
Heavy Cruisers
HMAS Australia CA . 8- 8" ; 8 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
HMAS Canberra CA . Sunk in Battle of Savo Island off Guadalcanal on 9Aug42.
HMAS Shropshire CA .
Light Cruisers
Adelaide CL . 1922. Convoy escort 9- 6" ; 2 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
Sydney CL . Sunk Indian Ocean 19Nov41 after sinking German raider Kormoran
Hobart CL . 8- 6" ; 8 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
Perth CL . Sunk in Sunda Strait 1942
Destroyers
Stuart from RN 11/10/33 . 1,530 tons ; 5- 4.7" , 6 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
Fast troop transport from 1944
V & W Class 1,100 Tons ; 4- 4" ; 6 x 21-inch torpedo tubes,
Vampire from RN 11/10/33 Sunk in Indian Ocean 8/4/1942 by Japanese Naval Aircraft
Vendetta from RN 11/10/33 Paid off 27/11/45.Sold 20/3/46.
Voyager from RN 11/10/33 Total loss after running aground on Timor 23/9/42
Waterhen from RN 11/10/33 Sunk in Mediterranean Sea 30/6/41 by German aircraft
Tribal Class 6 x 4.7-inch, 4 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
Arunta 30/4/42
Warramunga 23/11/42
Bataan 26/6/45
N Class On loan from RN . 6 x 4.7-inch ; 10 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
Napier 28/11/40 returned to RN Oct45.
Nepal 1/5/42 returned to RN Oct45.
Nestor 3/2/41 Scuttled after damage by German aircraft in Mediterranean on 16/6/42.
Nizam 8/1/41 returned to RN Oct45.
Norman 15/9/41 returned to RN Oct45
Q CLASS DESTROYERS
Quiberon 6July42
Quickmatch 14Sep42
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Links:
- British Eastern TFs Early -- outline
British Task Forces -- discussion
British Ships of Eastern Fleets -- by date
British Task Force 57 -- British Pacific Fleet, 1945
British Battleships
British Fleet Carriers
British CVEs
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