Michael Heath-Caldwell M.Arch
Brisbane, Queensland
ph: 0412-78-70-74
alt: m_heath_caldwell@hotmail.com
Sunday 1st August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – I spent all the afternoon rigging the whaler for sailing. After tea we set sail, unfortunately the wire on the main halyard was too long and before the sail was hoisted right up the halyard tackle was two blocks. After securing to a buoy we managed to get the rigging straight and in the end we had a good sail.
Monday 2nd August 1948 – Bank Holiday
H.M.S. Opportune – I went out sailing in the afternoon with a boy and a seaman. We made the harbour entrance with a fair wind, but it dropped when we were almost out. Luckily the tide was with us and we came back very quickly, of course the wind started blowing hard by the time we had gone too far to turn back.
Tuesday 3rd August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – At 0900 we caste off and left harbour with over 100 sea and army cadets onboard. We went as far as Owers Light Ship where we turned back towards Sandown, Isle of Wight, where we anchored at 1230 for lunch. The weather is much colder today than it has been for the last two weeks and nobody bathed over the side.
We arrived back alongside H.M.S. Zodiac at 1530, and I then went down to the Ship’s Office to receive some instruction from Lt Merry, the Ship’s Officer.
Wednesday 4th August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – The ship was dressed overall today in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s 48th birthday. At 3 minutes before midday a signal was received that we were to fire a salute. Gun’s crews were closed up in time, but unfortunately nobody had time to bring up the blank ammunition from the magazine.
Thursday 5th August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – I went ashore at 1000 with Lt Merry to the cashier’s office, in the dockyard to exchange all the francs which we brought back from France into Sterling. After that we went to Victory II buildings, in Portsmouth, to collect the pay ledgers, because some of the boys onboard had requested for casuals and it was necessary to see how their pay stood.
After tea I went out for a sail in the whaler. We went out of the harbour and sailed along westwards, turning back when we were off Fort Gillhicker. Unfortunately the wind dropped just after we had entered harbour and it took us about an hour to reach the North West Wall.
Thursday 5th August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – H.M.S. Illustrious came out of floating dock today at 1230 and was towed round to Middleslip jetty, where the dockyard mateys will finish off their work on her.
We left harbour at 0900 with boy seamen from St.Vincent and army cadets onboard. As usual we turned back when we reached Owers Light Vessel and anchored at St.Helen’s sea mark at 1230. At 1430 anchor was weighted and we came alongside H.M.S. Zodiac at 1530.
Friday 6th August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – As we were leaving harbour, the largest floating crane in the dockyard was lowering H.M.S. Illustrious’ Port forward director into position. Later the donkey boiler was hoisted off the flight deck, its place taken by another one on the jetty.
We went as far as Owers then turned back to anchor at 1230 off St.Helens. The weather was very wet and I was soaked to the skin in five minutes while I was on the foc’s’le with the cable party. We weighed anchor at 1430 and came alongside H.M.S. Zodiac at 1530 as usual.
At 1600 I decided to go on a long week end, so I asked permission and caught the 1735 train from the town station for Southampton.
Saturday 7th August 1948 (or Sunday)
Bridport – I went to the seaside to the west of Bridport with friends. The weather was fairly warm, but the wind was strong and the seas too rough for bathing. We had a very pleasant walk along the cliffs and started for home just before the rain came down.
Monday 9th August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – The newspapers today report that many people were drowned and yachts were washed ashore in yesterday’s stormy weather. H.M.S. Wave, a minesweeper and duty destroyer, was out at sea yesterday standing by a vessel in distress off Weymouth.
I caught the 1837 train from Maiden Newton for Dorchester and eventually arrived on board at 1130. H.M.S. Fleetwood came out of dry dock today and was secured outboard of us. She has not yet completed her refit for I saw some steel plates up by Middleship jetty, earmarked for her deck plating.
Near Fleetwood’s plate were many frames marked for Admiralty Floating Dock No.8, at present sunk in Grand Harbour, Malta, so I suppose that it will be salvaged and raised shortly.
Tuesday 10th August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – We slipped from H.M.S. Zodiac at 0900 and, after leaving harbour and reaching the Owers Light vessel, we turned back to rendez-vous in the Submarine Exercise area with H.M.Submarine Spearhead.
Today we had onboard about 25 sea cadets and 70 soldiers of the King’s Rifle Regiment.
At 1315 the Spearhead, having dive, fired 6 torpedoes towards 325, with their running ranges set to 3,000 yards. Five of the torpedoes ended their run and their noses bobbed to the surface within 10 yards of each other, but one had a gyro error and was some distance away. When we started recovering the torpedoes we were about two miles to the south of Nab Tower and the line of radar reflector buoys to the East. When all were recovered we had drifted about a mile nearer under the influence of wind and tide.
The Captain stopped the ship a few yards from the torpedoes to windward of them, then we just drifted right onto them. Seamen hooked onto the eyebolt, on the nose of the torpedo, with Paravane Recovery hooks, which are apparently better than the special spring hooks supplied. After that tail lines and torpedo straps were slipped onto the noses of the torpedoes after which the tails of the torpedoes were hauled to the surface. A seaman , in bathing trunks, was then lowered to the waterline in a bosuns chair, where he hooked the torpedo davit’s purchase onto the sling.
We secured alongside H.M.S. Zodiac at 1530 and shortly afterwards a Torpedo Recovery Motorboat came alongside to take the torpedoes back to the depot.
Wednesday 11th August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – Having left harbour at 0920 we anchored off Sandown at 0955. We went to Sandown principally for the annual regatta there, though there were other events going on in the afternoon in which some of the ship’s company took part. The main competitions ashore were swimming races and diving competitions, in the swimming bath near the pier, but there were also some novelty competitions such as best women’s ankles, men’s legs, and beauty contests, etc. the coxswain talked about entering the one before the last mentioned but I doubt rather if he did.
Unfortunately the swell prevented the placing of mark buoys so none of the sailing events took place, and further it rained on and off all day, so that it was decided to weigh anchor at 2000 and return to Portsmouth. Thus we missed the ball, ashore, and the firework display. Even so, in weather like this, nobody minded.
Thursday 12th August 1948
H.M.S. Opportune – An ex-German E-boat, which has been detained at Gosport by the Board of Trade, featured in the Evening News tonight. A month ago the boat was put in the water after undergoing repairs in a boatyard. Its owner was not able to pay all at once, for the work so the boat was detained, however in a short time he reappeared with a suitcase full of £5 notes and all was well from the boat yard’s point of view. At that stage, however, the Board of Trade stepped in and had the boat detained further on the pretext that her life saving equipment was inadequate. Ian Hunter, an ex-R.N.V.R. officer who was in prison a few months ago for smuggling with an ex-M.T.B., apparently, is in charge of the boat, and everybody thinks that he was going to start up a gun running business for the Jews in Palestine. For the last month an armed sentry has been posted on the boat and an M.T.B. has been secured close by, with orders to shoot at the E-boat if it attempted to get away, even in the harbour.
Before tea I went over to Victoria Barracks to collect some C.B.’s for the navigating officer.
[C.O. comment – Very neat.]
Tuesday 31st August 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Arrived back onboard H.M.S. Illustrious after my leave and after being away for 11 (2?) weeks.
[Captain John Hughes-Hallet in command from 14th June 1948]
Wednesday 1st September 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – After breakfast four of us, having rejoined the ship from H.M.S. Opportune and Zest, were introduced to the Commander and the snottie’s nurse.
Two deserters came up before the Commander at defaulters. One, a Royal Marine, overstayed his leave 5 weeks and was arrested by the civil police before being sent onboard; the other, a Leading Steward, overstayed his leave as well, but he also obtained a travel warrant under false pretences. The causes of both these cases were women, although it seemed to me that the Royal Marine was a misfit in the service in any case.
There have been a number of thefts onboard in the past week of stores, which have been coming into the ship off all the week. Dockyard plain clothes police officers traced a quantity of meat, in the form of legs of mutton, to the ship which was found when a dockyard matey’s house was searched. It was apparent that this robbery did not implicate any of the ship’s company, however a few days later, after provisions had been transferred from a lighter alongside to the cold storage rooms, a whole side of bacon was found in the possession of a Royal Marine. [C.O. comment – This is not quite accurate] On the following days an inquisition was held in the W.O.’s mess to discover who had been in league with the culprit. [C.O. comment – The end point is not yet known]
All the midshipmen are busy this week writing, preparing, and looking up facts and figures about the different departments of the ship. All the data gathered will be published later on in a ship’s information book designed to give any officer a fair insight into the workings of the ship when he joins. I have been compiling notes on messing and accommodation which has entailed looking through files in the Commander’s office, the Police office and consulting notices in the steward’s regulatory office. I have found it difficult to give figures about our present complement, which seems to change considerably from day to day as drafts leave and new ratings arrive.
The hull and superstructure of the ship has just received its first coat of paint since we undocked. Unfortunately most of the work seems to me to have been badly done, in fact it looks as if the hands employed did their work carelessly, although the may have done it fast. A great many corners and small rather intricate places of the hull have simply been skipped. This will be put right when the ship receives a second coat.
[C.O. comment – Largely due to inexperience and lack of supervision]
In Malaya Communist terrorists, operating in armed bands have been attacking plantations. This guerrilla offensive, although it may not assume very large proportions, is taxing our available scanty forces to such an extent that two battalions of the Guards have had to be sent out as reinforcements. At the same time a battalion is being transferred from Hong Kong to Singapore. This is an unusual mission for the Guardsmen who have seldom served in peacetime further afield than Egypt. A disturbing implication of the present situation is that Australia has insufficient forces at her disposal to fulfil her commitments for her own defence. These troops, whom we are sending half way round the world, are being sent to defend Australia at a time when we are unable adequately to defend ourselves.
[C.O. comment - ? Singapore and Malaya are not Australian commitments]
Air Exercises.
At home full scale air exercises have been taking place to test our most modern defences against air attack, and of course mainly to try out long range enemy aircraft detection and plotting. This side of defence is more important than ever today when bombers can fly as fast as fighters did in the last war. We are told by the newspapers that the defences were proved and not found wanting, though it seems a little premature yet, before all reports and plotting have been sifted, to pass judgement.
7th September 1948
Basin Trial
The wires securing the ship to the jetty were doubled up this forenoon in preparation for testing the main engines. Midshipmen provided with whistles were detailed to watch the wires to give warning if any showed signs of parting.
In the afternoon the outer propeller shafts were revolved at 40rpm in opposition to the centre line shaft which was rotated at 60 rpm. The tests showed that everything was in working order and proved satisfactory.
Commander’s Office.
A great deal of avoidable extra work has been made in the Commander’s Office since the drafts from H.M.S. Implacable arrived. This was because we were not accurately informed of the Part II qualifications of many of the seamen, consequently when these men arrived onboard, many Anti-Aircraft Rates found themselves in 4.5” turret crews and a few Q.R. ratings were put on Bofors guns. The lists of ratings who are to be drafted to H.M.S.Implacable in October and November contain all the necessary information which should make the work in the Commander’s Office, H.M.S. Implacable, much easier than that which has been going on onboard here for the past week.
During our period in the floating dock the ship’s company was reduced and the work which was carried on in the ship was much reduced. It was because of that state of affairs that the Commander’s office took on one extra small commitment after another and was able to cope with everything efficiently. When the ship sailed, on 14th September, the office still had all the commitments it took on before and trouble arose because the various jobs grew as the ship started on an active programme once more. Now some of the responsibilities are being transferred back to their original bearers.
Tuesday 14th September 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious –
Full Power Trial
The ship left harbour today and proceeded westwards towards Plymouth. In the afternoon we went up and down the measured mile off Polperro for the full power trial and for calibrating the new ‘Sal’ log. Number 5 cabin flat was flooded to a depth of several inches with seawater. The nuts, holding a scupper outlet on the waterline, worked loose through the vibration and a leak developed. This defect was put straight the next day by the dockyard foremen, who were in charge of the ship’s refit at Portsmouth, and who were onboard in case anything cropped up when the ship went to sea for the first time.
Exercising Oil Abeam
H.M.S. Rapid came up on our Starboard quarter at 1700 and after coston gun lines had been fired across onto her forecastle a telephone line was passed over, followed by ropes all ready for the ratings on H.M.S. Rapid’s forecastle to haul over the oiling hose. Two troughs, suspended under the starboard seaplane crane, were used to support the hose over the 50ft separating the two ships. The operation was held up because a bight(?) of hose was caught up in a loudspeaker at the side of the flightdeck and the crane had to be trained inboard before this could be freed.
Once the oil hose was secured on H.M.S. Rapid a jackstay was secured to a slip on her ‘B’ gundeck and along this a clump block, as traveller, was pulled with a provision net beneath filled with two sacks of bread.
After sunset the ship was darkened and H.M.S. Rapid steamed round and round reporting all lights that were showing. Galleys and lockers seemed to be the compartments which were most frequently left undarkened and which caused the most trouble.
The next night when we tested darken ship once again we had to use the seaboat with a portable R/T set. After a quarter of an hour, however, the wireless communication broke down and communication by flashing had to be used instead. This meant that it took at least an hour to make sure that the whole ship was darkened.
On the run back to Spithead ‘action stations’ were exercised and all the 4.5” guns were fired for functioning trials. In ‘A’ T.S. there was some difficulty at first in establishing communication with all the guns, and it was also found that the direct telephone to the Gun Direction Platform (Visual) did not work. When the guns opened up heaps of dust in the fan shafts were disturbed and clouds of choking dust were wafted into the T.S., luckily muslin bags had been fastened over all the punkalouvres otherwise the atmosphere might have become much worse.
Until the 285 gunnery radar sets are in working order the H.A. directors and ‘A’ T.S. (the only T.S. which is at present in anything like working order) will be useless, as it is the policy of the Admiralty, now, to dispense with range finders and range takers in directors and to use radar only.
2nd September 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – The air department has just finished testing the arrester wires and the catapult. To start with it was found that the arrester wires were too slack, and while this was being attended to an Avenger was circling the ship waiting to land. The only other incident was when a Seafire, having landed, was taxying up forward along the flight deck and caught its hook in the barrier on the deck.
Thursday 23rd September 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – The first exercises of the operation was a night battle with 10 Motor Torpedo Boats which were attempting to break through the destroyer screen and torpedo H.M.S. Duke of York, H.M.S. Illustrious , H.M.S. Vengeance and H.M.S. Theseus without being detected. From the G.D.P. I was able to see only a fraction of the exercise but I imagined that down below in the Radar Display Room everything was clear. Such was not the case. Due to bad reporting of echoes, detected by 277Q, the B.P.R. and bridge had as little idea of the situation as we had up top.
Monday 27th September 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – At 9 o’clock just as the last crate of air stores was being hoisted inboard from a drifter, we weighed anchor in Plymouth Sound. When we were well out to sea, all ready to land an aircraft from St.Merryn aerodrome, Cornwall, a signal was raised that visibility was too poor for the aircraft to take off. Besides the visibility being bad there was quite a swell off Lands End which might have made the first landings rather hazardous. The Commander made an announcement to the ship’s company over the broadcasters about the correct procedure for being seasick and the best cure for the malady. He addressed his speech to the Naval Air Trainees, who were causing most mishaps but who were by no means the only ones in the ship to be affected.
The dispute between the Occupation Powers in Berlin has been referred to the United Nations Security Council. This Council, already divided between the Eastern Bloc and Western one will now have another matter to wrangle about, only this time the fate of 3 million Germans in Berlin is at stake. To abstract the discussion of the problem from the very outset the Russians argue that there is no Berlin problem because Berlin is not under siege by Russian forces and besides, they argue, the matter cannot be brought up before the council as it relates to an ex-enemy state.
Tuesday 28th September 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Today the swell affected the ship more than yesterday, in spite of that, however, 6 Fireflies and 6 Seafires and 1 Barracuda were landed on during the day. 17 landings were made during the day for D.I.C.O.’s training, then the aircraft were struck down into the hangar, as the sea was considered to be too rough for flying.
In the evening the ship hove to off Fishguard and preparations were made to lower the Admiral’s barge to take Admiral Frew and his working party ashore. Unfortunately the boat swung inboard when the ship rolled, and two holes were made in the boat’s bottom when it hit the ship’s side. In the end Engineer Rear Admiral Frew and his party went ashore in the seaboat, which took bread to H.M.S. Rapid before it returned to the ship.
Admiral Frew’s working party came onboard on Sunday and have been looking into the organisation of the Air Engineering Branch here. His visit here was not the only one he has made to a carrier, for he has been to H.M.S. Implacable as well, and Royal Naval Air Stations have also been visited by him, for he has the difficult job of reorganising the whole of the Air Engineering Organisation of the Royal Navy.
Wednesday 29th September 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – 165 deck landings were accomplished today by pilots in Seafires and Fireflies learning to land on by the American deck landing signs, which are now coming into standard use in all our carriers. One Firefly finished its landing in the barrier and had one of its wings badly damaged and the bottom of its engine ripped out on the barrier wires. The cause of the accident was the housing of the aircraft’s hook when the aircraft’s tail hit the round-down, as the pilot landed too far aft. Thus the aircraft missed all the arrester wires and was stopped finally by the barrier.
Thursday 30th September 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – today 253 deck landings were completed. The record number of deck landings to have been made on an aircraft carrier in one day is 358. The days flying was a success for the fight deck handling parties considering how long they have had to work up so far; the short length of daylight; and a delay caused by the after lift, which could not be raised up flush with the flight deck because only one of the two lift motors was working.
As soon as flying was over, at 1915, H.M.S. Rapid came up on the starboard side and the oiling hose and light jackstay were rigged between the ships. Midshipman Taylor was transferred to and brought back from H.M.S. Rapid by breeches buoy. At 2000, before half the oil which we wanted to transfer had been pumped across. H.M.S. Rapil steered out too far from our ship’s side with the result that the outer strops on the water oiling trough parted and pumping had to be stopped and the hose slipped from Rapid.
The Royal Marine Band was playing ‘music while you work’ on the flight deck while all this work was being carried out on the flight deck. A request for “Daisy, Daisy, Gimme your Answer Do” was received by R/T from H.M.S. Rapid as well a request for “Bladen Races,” however the band was only able to play the first one which was much appreciated by those on H.M.S. Rapid’s bridge.
Friday 1st October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Signals were received by TBS from H.M.S. Rapid, our attendant destroyer, that a rating onboard her had developed acute tonsillitis. For most of the day we were standing by in case it became necessary to transfer our doctor to Rapid or the patient to us. Finally however, the patient recovered and the doctor was not required. Nevertheless it was decided to exercise transferring a case by stretcher from H.M.S. Illustrious to H.M.S. Rapid. So after Rapid had come up on our Starboard side and a light jackstay had been secured to the wheel house of Rapid, an officer was sent across on a naval cot. Unfortunately those on Rapid’s bridge were not quick enough on the uptake to have some stiff medicines ready to dose the ‘patient’ on arrival.
Saturday 2nd October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – As soon as it was light enough, about 0700, 4 Seafires and 3 Fireflies were ranged, flown off and ranged again for practice. At 0730 they were all flown off for St.Merryn aerodrome, Cornwall. We couldn’t alter course for Devonport straight away because it was believed that one aircraft had flown off into the Atlantic on the reciprocal of the correct homing course, consequently we had to keep on steaming into the wind in readiness for landing on the offending aircraft. What was worse was the knowledge that the pilot of the particular plane was an engineer officer who had only learned to fly 6 months beforehand and who had never landed on an aircraft carrier before. For this reason everybody was told to stand clear of the after end of the flight deck. Actually the plane flew into clouds, and was not seen by the rest of the homing aircraft, but landed last quite safely.
At 1445 we anchored outside the breakwater in Cowsand Bay. We did this because there was not room at low water in Plymouth Sound for us to swing at anchor without going aground, during the spring tides. During the war the sound was not dredged enough and consequently the anchorage has silted up a little, but quite enough to matter. A dredger is at present engaged in dodging there so that H.M.S. Vanguard can anchor inside the breakwater whatever the height of the tide.
Sunday 3rd October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Church this morning in ‘C’ Hanger was attended by the greater part of the ship’s company. Every week now the congregation gets larger as the Ship’s Company realises that Divisions last a little longer than the church service and that at church they are not subjected to such a critical inspection as they are at divisions. As soon as the service ends there is a stampede from the rear towards the forward hangar access doors, while the padre waits for the fire curtain to rise before he can retire.
The Russian representative in the United Nations Committee on Atomic Power had made a compromise. He now says that the atomic weapons of the great powers should be open to inspection by United Nations observers and banned at the same time, and later destroyed. The rest of the Committee realise that the only way to ban atomic weapons efficiently is to start a system of international atomic inspection before the weapons are destroyed. Otherwise it would be probable that one country would destroy their weapons, which would play right into the hands of the unscrupulous powers.
Tuesday 5th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – the ship weighed anchor in Cawsand Bay at 1600 and course was set for Spithead.
At 0525 we anchored in the Solent off Spithead. During the day 4 wrecked aircraft, 3 Fireflies and 2 Seafire, were transferred to a lighter alongside. The day was spent in preparation for ‘Shopwindow’ which comes off on Friday and tomorrow.
[C.O. Comment – You are badly adrift. Put in my cabin up to date by 1600 Saturday and include a Journal sketch] McCutin Ltd 14 Oct 48
Thursday 7th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – At 0815 the ship was ready to proceed to sea to carry out ‘Operation Shop Window.’ At that time a paddle tug came alongside and started to disembark 150 R.A.F. officers from the Royal Air Force Staff College, Bracknall.
As we passed Nab Tower the guests below were finishing breakfast and were about to start on a tour of the ship, including the messdecks where a great deal of work had been going on in preparation for this visit.
At 1015 all the visitors were assembled on the flight deck to watch H.M. Submarine Tactician dive on the Starboard bow and pass close to the ship showing Snort. This apparatus is an improvement of the German apparatus called Schnorkel, which was fitted in U-boats to enable batteries to be charge while the submarine is underwater or enables the submarine to proceed at Snort depth with the diesels instead of on batteries. With the advent of radar submarines were just as likely to be detected at night as, when they were charging their batteries under cover of darkness, as in daytime, so the Schnorkel device was invented to make detection by radar more unlikely. Basically the device consisted of two pipes; through one exhaust gases from the engine could be vented clear of the surface of the sea and through the other air was sucked to provide oxygen for the diesel engines and for the crew.
H.M.Submarine Totem demonstrated how a submarine could surface and man its 4” gun within 25 seconds to start firing at a target. She surface on the Starboard beam and fired blank rounds at the Island.
Serial 118 was a demonstration of the latest and the old standard anti-submarine weapons. H.M.S. Flint Castle fired her Squid mounting, on ‘B’ gundeck, and then H.M.S. Finisterre and Ming dropped depth charges on either side of the ship.
Before the last depth charges had detonated Both Watches of the Hands came up onto the flight deck, by both lifts, and doubled to the after end of the deck. There ropes were manned and the last preparations for oiling H.M.S. Rapid on the Starboard side and H.M.S. Ming on the Port side were completed. Unfortunately at that minute H.M.S. Ming hoisted N.V.C. balls and signalled that all power onboard had fallen over, which meant that we could only replenish one destroyer.
While the demonstration of oiling abeam at sea was in progress H.M.S. Finisterre came up close on our Port beam and fired off a 4.5” A.A. barrage from ‘A’ and ‘B’ turrets. As the wind was from Port we received all the cordite fumes on the Island.
Our Starboard close range armament, Bofors and Pom-Poms, opened fire next on a drogue towed by an aircraft. The noise the guns made was terrific and impressed the R.A.F. fliers. No less impressive was the accuracy of the tracers.
At 1200 we altered course into the wind and landed on a Sea Hornet, Sea Fury, Firefly and a Firebrand. The Sea Fury was put on the catapult ready for being accelerated after lunch while the other three aircraft were ranged aft, the Sea Hornet on an outrigger.
After lunch the destroyers made a dummy torpedo attack on the ship, then made smoke and hid behind it. Then out of the blue 6 Sea Hornets swept down on the ship and beated it up, one of the attacked being made at sea level, practically, to simulate an aircraft torpedo attack. When they were very low it was extremely difficult to spot them until they were in quite close, about 20 seconds before they were above our heads. The necessity of having good air look outs, since radar cannot be relied on to pick up aircraft flying at very low altitudes, was brought home to us very clearly. Again the necessity of having radar sets, working all the time, which can pick up aircraft 200 miles away – that it to say 20 minutes before they are overhead – became readily apparent. After beating the ship up the aircraft gave us a demonstration of accurate machine gun and rocket firing attacks on a fog buoy (splash target) 3 ¾ cables astern of us.
The four aircraft were flown off, after the Sea Hornet returned to base, and the Firebrand dropped a torpedo, with which it had been loaded while onboard, close to our port side. This was recovered by H.M.S. Rapid at the end of its run. Unfortunately we couldn’t see how this was done because H.M.S.Rapid hoisted it in on the Port side, away from us. The aircrafts method of indicating where the Torpedo’s position was, was to fly along straight for the torpedo and then climb steeply when overhead of the object. This is a standard method used by all aircraft when indicating the presence of objects in the water such as periscopes, survivors etc.
When we were approaching Nab Tower, on the way back to Spithead, M.T.B.’s from H.M.S. Hornet made a dummy torpedo attack on both the bows. This was the last serial of the operation and when it was over the spectators went below to have tea and prepare themselves for leaving the ship.
Friday 8th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Today we staged another operation “Shop Window” for the edification of the Imperial Defence Staff College, Camberwell. [C.O. comment – No!] The programme was exactly the same as yesterday so everything was much easier to organise as we had the experience of the day before to guide us.
The after lift could not be used to bring up hands, ready for replenishment of the destroyers, because only one lift motor was working. H.M.S. Ming was under control today, but she didn’t come close enough into our Port side to make the rigging of the light jackstay an easy operation. Furthermore there were not enough hands on her forecastle to pull on ropes so it took longer than usual to pass the light jackstay. Because of the inexperience of those on the destroyer it as decided not to transfer a Midshipman across in a breeches buoy, in case something should have gone wrong and the unfortunate passenger dipped in the sea.
Saturday 9th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – This forenoon the flight deck was the scene of great activity. Both cranes were in use, the Port one brining in fresh vegetables and spuds and the other was lifting air stores, Pepsicola, Barclays Tinned Beer and Steel Wire Rope for the Bosun, not to mention trays of cream buns for the ship’s canteen. I noticed that a plain clothes policeman of the dockyard constabulary was keeping a watchful eye on the activities on the jetty. At least this time there have been no cases of stores getting into the wrong hands so I suppose the dockyard authorities are taking more drastic precautionary measures then they have done in the past.
After lunch I left the ship to spend a short weekend in London with friends.
Monday 11th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Today I am to start my course with the air department. The main duties will be to understudy the various officers on the Flight Deck and to make recordings of all aircraft take offs and landings. At 1315 we slipped from South Railway Jetty and left harbour. As soon as we were past Fort Blockhouse the hands fell in on the flight deck for Divisions. Divisions fell out when we were nearly or past Nab Tower when it started to drizzle.
At 1600 we flew off the Sea Hornet which was not flow off during the second ‘Shop Window’ because it developed a leak in its petrol pipes in the gunbay. After that a Firefly and a Seafury(?) were landed on for Deck Landing Training, that is the pilots were learning to land on with a batsman using the American Deck Landing Control Signals. A Sub-Lieutenant air course was onboard today to watch flight deck procedure and in general to get an aircraft carrier background to their air course which is, of course, ashore at Lee-on-Solent.
At dusk we anchored in Weymouth Bay.
Tuesday 12th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – We weighed anchor and put to sea today as early as possible after libertynes had been brought offshore so that aircraft trials could start early and be completed in good time. The Sea Fury and Firefly, which were landing on yesterday, came back today when we were ready to receive them and finished off their D.L.T.S.’s. When they flew back to base we expected to land on the Sea Hornet, fitted with a new undercarriage to be tested, for the trials. The plane, however, was unserviceable so most of the forenoon was wasted, except for a short time after stand easy when H.M.S. Rapid was replenished with 80 loaves of fresh bread by light jackstay.
Wednesday 13th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Deck landing trials continued all day today with the Sea Hornet equipped with a new modified undercarriage. There are about 10 trials experts onboard who tend cine cameras placed on the flight deck (to take pictures of the undercarriage as the plane lands); two who rush to the plane on each landing and take measurements of the displacement of the shock absorbers; and one or two more men who watch from the island, who, I suppose, are there in case anything unforeseen happens which the recorders cannot put right.
Thursday 14th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – A standardised routine has been evolved by the Mate of the Upper Deck for entering and leaving harbour and anchoring in an open anchorage. This makes the task of running the routine, when coming to anchor, much easier than it has been in the past. I think it would make the task easier still if the Special Sea Dutyman Midsipman of the Watch was to have the watch immediately before anchoring instead of closing up with Special Sea Dutyman, for obvious reasons.
Friday 15th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Today the ship had a rest from her normal flying programme. We remained at a buoy in Weymouth harbour all day.
In the forenoon 5 frigates of the R.N.Z. Navy left the harbour on their way to New Zealand. The High Commissioner for New Zealand, Mr Jordan, took the salutes of the ships from an M.T.B. as they steamed out through the breakwater. A helicopter, fitted with floats, was hovering overhead all the time, presumably carrying press representatives.
[C.O. comment – remember the 3 fold purpose of the journal. You must improve your English. Sketch.]
Saturday 16th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious –
Visit to Dartmouth
At 1000 the ship slipped from her buoy in Portland Harbour and proceeded to a rendez-vous with a drifter, carrying 200 cadets from R.N.C. Dartmouth, off the River Dart.
All the visitors were embarked safely into the Starboard drifter lobby by jumping ladder, and at 1430 they were all fallen in on the Flight deck, prior to being conducted up onto the Island superstructure to watch flying operations and demonstrations carried out by a Firefly, Avenger and Sea Fury.
Unfortunately visibility was poor due to rain and drizzle however that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the cadets, very few of whom had even been onboard an aircraft carrier before, let alone seen aircraft flying off and landing on. Outwardly the Dartmouth Cadet’s behaviour differed from that of the Benbow (Special Entry) Cadets, because the former wanted to give the impression that they were really rather bored with the whole affair, having been in the Navy for 4 years, in contrast to the Special Entry cadets who had joined only six weeks before.
The high light of the afternoon was to have been the Firefly firing her 8 rockets, a pair at a time, at the splash target towed astern. Just after the plane took off its radio set became unserviceable and instructions had to be passed by flashing from the flag deck while the aircraft orbited the ship. Perhaps the pilot became tired of orbiting or a word was misinterpreted in one of the messages, anyway before anybody know or saw what was happening just at the time when everybody was watching another plane on the Port side of the ship, the Firefly fired off all its rockets when flying parallel to the ship on the Starboard side. The Sea Fury was to have carried out some aerobatics but didn’t do any because of the poor visibility.
By the time all the cadets left the ship they had a much clearer idea of what flying on and off planes from an aircraft carrier means. Although the programme did not go according to plan, it fulfilled its main purpose – of rousing the interest of future officers in naval air warfare, the most important form of naval warfare today, and in the future.
Sunday 17th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – The 3rd pinnace foundered astern of the ship when bringing libertymen on the 2230 boat trip. 29 men were missing, presumed drowned, including the Midshipman of the boat.
I arrived on the jetty at 2245 to catch the drifter on the 2300 trip, however it was engaged in rescue operations so all libertymen left ashore either found beds for themselves or the floor of the N.A.A.F.I. Club or managed to find room elsewhere, while a few went round to Portland by a bus sent by Patrol Headquarters, Portland. We were informed on the jetty that no more than one bus would be sent because Rough weather routine had not been brought into force. That was an hour after the accident.
Tuesday 19th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – After an unavoidable break yesterday in aircraft trials we recommenced D.L.T.’s with a Sea Meteor and a Short Sturgeon undergoing wing folding trials.
Admiral Mackintosh of Mackintosh, Vice Controller Air, paid a visit to the ship in the forenoon to watch the trials, arriving onboard in an Avenger in a spectacular fashion. The pilot brought the plan in slightly too high so that its hook skimmed over all the arrester wires, missing them by inches all the way. The aircraft tipped up on its nose after hitting the barrier and skidded round to Port, its Starboard wing missing the Island by a matter of a few inches and its Starboard tail plane coming to rest against No.14 bofers gun sponson. A guard and band were not provided.
Thursday 21st October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Meteor decklanding and Sturgeon wing folding trials were continued today. The weather held up the programme today when the cloud base came down to 200 ft. the Meteor was secured on the after end of the Flight Deck and the Short Sturgeon was struck down into the hangar.
The ship came to a buoy in the afternoon, instead of anchoring in Weymouth Bay, because Weymouth Pier was closed to all liberty boats. Wing folding trials continued after dark on the flight deck which seemed to point to the fact that all these trials could have been carried out on an aerodrome, although I suppose it was quicker to do them on an aircraft carrier because set windspeeds for the trials could be guaranteed.
[C.O. comment - We have no suitable wind tunnel, which would have to be large and tremendously expensive to cover so large an area]
Monday 25th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Trials commenced today with a Sea Vampire. This aircraft on landing, pulled out a wire to its fullest extent, having come in a little too fast, and was then turned right round till it faced the stern because its hook did not catch the middle of the arrester wire. A few delays were caused by the aircraft’s engine having ‘wet’ starts. This happened when too much kerosene was injected into the combustion chamber of the turbojet and the engine was flooded. The result, as seen from the Flying Control Position, was usually a 6 foot flame from the jet and a pool of burning paraffin on the Flight Deck. Emptying the combustion chamber of surplus fuel was a simple matter : six men pulled down on each boom of the aircraft, thus tilting the plane till the tail-plane was on the deck, when the fuel just ran out of the jet engine onto the flight deck.
The A.D.R. has to be all prepared to direct the Vampire back to base, during these trials, in case anything should happen to prevent the aircraft from landing on again. This is particularly important because the Vampire has a short endurance so no time should be lost in homing one should it be necessary to do so. Consequently the A.D.R. has to be prepared all the time to give the aircraft accurate directions for flying back to base in the least possible time.
Tuesday & Wednesday 26th & 27th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – The ship was at sea late on both nights for night flying trials which consisted on landing on a Sea Hornet and Firefly after dark on two moonless nights.
The first night the Sea Hornet’s hook gear became unserviceable after two successful landings and one overshoot when the aircraft missed all the wires and managed to throttle up and clear the flight deck and Island. After that incident the pilot reported that his hook light was not burning and he returned to Lee-on-Solent. The Firefly, which made some landings after the Sea Hornet came in practically every time from the Starboard end of the Flight Deck and came to a stop on the Port side of the Flight Deck. No doubt had it come in too high and missed all the wires it would have gone over the Port side of the ship.
All the landings by the Sea Hornet on the second night were very successful. The only incident was when one of the Aircraft Handling Party on the flight deck jumped into a boat on the Starboard boat deck instead of into his safety net. At once somebody shouted “Man Overboard!” Three minutes after that the engines were stopped. Before the life buoy buzzers rang the lifebuoy sentry had been told that the man had not actually fallen overboard, so no lifebuoys were dropped. H.M.S. Rapid had a searchlight switched on about one minute after the first report.
Thursday 28th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Having been at sea all night, because there was a South Easterly gale blowing and it was not safe to anchor in Weymouth Bay, the ship went round in the lee of Portland to attempt to transfer Enquiry witnesses to H.M.S. Rapid by seaboat, because they were wanted by the Board of Enquiry sitting at H.M.S. Osprey. However even to the West of Portland the swell was too high for the seaboat to go across to H.M.S. Rapid in safety so the project was called off.
By evening the seas had gone down and the wind had dropped so the ship was anchored in Weymouth Bay, it still being to windy to enter the breakwater, 15 knots of wind was deemed to be the maximum wind at which it was safe to enter Portland Harbour.
Saturday 30th October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – Friday having been wasted at anchor in Weymouth Bay, from the point of view of storing ship, it was necessary to have the Duty Watch of the hands employed all the afternoon and most of the dog watches in storing all the fresh provisions, tinned milk, ground nut oil, potatoes etc.
[C.O. comment – Be accurate]
Most [C.O. comment – about 30%] of the officers and about 300 ratings went ashore by drifter in the forenoon to attend a memorial service in St.Mary’s Church, Weymouth.
Sunday 31st October 1948
H.M.S. Illustrious – The shop proceeded to sea at 0730 today to arrive at Invergordan on Tuesday, making the passage at the ships economical speed, 16 knots.
[C.O. comment – Improved. A neat sketch. Still rather too much a diary – remember to look further afield]
[C.O. comment – I should describe this as little more than a log: particularly lacking in intelligent comment on matters of seamanlike interest. Signed ? 7/11]
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Heath-Caldwell All rights reserved.
Michael Heath-Caldwell M.Arch
Brisbane, Queensland
ph: 0412-78-70-74
alt: m_heath_caldwell@hotmail.com