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Allied Warships

HMS Implacable (86)

Aircraft Carrier of the Implacable class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeAircraft Carrier
ClassImplacable 
Pennant86 
Built byFairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Govan, Scotland) 
Ordered11 Oct, 1938 
Laid down21 Feb, 1939 
Launched10 Dec, 1942 
Commissioned28 Aug, 1944 
End service1 Sep, 1954 
Loss position
 
HistoryHMS Implacable's service history commenced in September 1944 as part of the Home Fleet. She took part in anti-shipping operations off Norway in 26-29 October, and on 27 November 1944.

Following being drydocked to repair weather damage in December 1944, she departed for the British Pacific Fleet on 10 March 1945, where her large air groups, along with those of her sister ship, were responsible for the majority of sorties flown by the carriers of the British Pacific Fleet. She arrived at Sydney in mid-May; and took part in "training strikes" on Truk between 14-15 June 1945, and strikes against Japanese home islands between July-August 1945. She finally returned to the UK from the Pacific on 3 June 1946.

HMS Implacable acted as a deck-landing training ship in the Home Fleet between 1946-49, and was again an operational carrier in Home Fleet 1949-52. She became a training ship between January 1952-August 1954 and was paid off on 1 September 1954. Implacable was broken up at Inverkeithing from 3 November 1955.

Commanding Officers:
Capt. Lachlan Donald Mackintosh, DSO, DSC, RN
October 1943 – 31 October 1944

Capt. Cecil Charles Hughes-Hallett, RN
31 October 1944 – still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List 


Noteable events involving Implacable include:

27 Oct, 1944
The German submarine U-1060 was grounded south of Bronnoysund, Norway in position 65º24'N, 11º59'E after damages by rockets and depth charges from Firefly and 2 Barracuda aircraft of the British carrier HMS Implacable, 2 British Handley Page Halifax aircraft (Sqdn 502/D/T) and from 2 Czechoslovakian Liberator aircraft (Sqdn 311/H/Y). (see map)

27 Nov, 1944
The Norwegian merchant Rigel (offsite link) was sunk by aircraft from HMS Implacable near Tjøtta, Helgeland, Norway while southbound from Norway to Germany carrying Russian and Yugoslavian prisoners of war in her holds. More then 2000 people died in this attack.


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