| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Escort Carrier |
| Class | Ameer |
| Pennant | D 01 |
| Built by | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 18 Jul 1942 |
| Launched | 18 Oct 1942 |
| Commissioned | 20 Jul 1943 |
| End service | 17 Jan 1946 |
| History | Decommissioned and transferred to the R.N. as HMS Ameer on 19 July 1943. |
| Former name | USS Baffins |
Commands listed for HMS Ameer (D 01)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Capt. Gerald Douglas Yates, RN | May 1943 | 9 Jul 1944 |
| 2 | Cdr. John Hext Lewes, OBE, RN | 9 Jul 1944 | May 1945 (1) |
| 3 | Cdr. Peter Douglas Herbert Raymond Pelly, DSO, RN | May 1945 | Oct 1945 ? |
You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.
Notable events involving Ameer include:
26 Jan 1945
Operation Sankey.
Landings on Cheduba Island.
Task Force 65, made up of the light cruisers HMS Newcastle (Capt. J.G. Roper, OBE, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral A.D. Read, CB, RN), HMS Kenya (Capt. C.L. Robertson, RN), HMS Nigeria (Capt. H.A. King, DSO, RN) and the destroyer HMS Paladin (Lt.Cdr. M.C. Morris, RN) departed Trincomalee on 23 January 1945 with 500 Royal Marines embarked in the cruisers.
They were joined on 25 January by ships coming from Akyab, these were the light cruiser HMS Phoebe (Capt. S.M. Raw, CBE, RN), escort carrier HMS Ameer ( Cdr. J.H. Lewes, OBE, RN) destroyers HMS Raider (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Cartwright, DSC, RN), HMAS Norman (Lt.Cdr. J. Plunkett-Cole, RAN) and the frigates HMS Teviot (Lt.Cdr. T. Taylor, DSC, RN) and HMS Spey (T/Lt.Cdr. A. Harrison, RNR).
An 26 January the destroyer HMS Rapid (Lt.Cdr. M.W. Tomkinson, DSC and Bar, RN) joined with the Landing Craft for the operation. Also small craft such as BYMS and an ML's arrived.
The landing of the marines was successful. They were later relieved by the Army and the marines were re-embarked A.M. on 31 January 1945.
During 27-31 January the cruisers supported the Army operations on Ramree Island by bombardments.
Sagu Island was occupied on 30 January after HMAS Norman and HMS Raider had neutralized Japanese field guns which had repulsed an attempted landing the previous day.
Force 65 left the the area P.M. on 31 January having carryied out a final bombardment of Ramree Island. (2)
19 Jul 1945
Operation Livery.
Sweeping of mines off Phuket; bombardment and air strikes directed against appropriate targets.
'Force 63' departed Trincomalee on 19 July 1945. It was made up of the following warships; battleship HMS Nelson (Capt. C. Caslon, CBE, RN, flying the flag of Vice Admiral H.C.T. Walker, CB, RN), heavy cruiser HMS Sussex (Capt. A.F. de Salis, DSO, RN), escort carriers HMS Ameer (Cdr. P.D.H.R. Pelly, DSO, RN), HMS Empress (Capt. J.R.S. Brown, RN), destroyers HMS Rotherham (Capt. H.W. Biggs, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Racehorse (Cdr. J.J. Casement, DSC, RN), HMS Raider (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Cartwright, DSC, RN), HMS Paladin (Lt. H.R. Hewlett, RN) and the minesweepers HMS Pincher (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.B. Blake, RNVR), HMS Plucky (T/A/Lt.Cdr. G. Wallis, RNVR), HMS Squirrel (Lt. M. Buist, RN), HMS Rifleman (Lt. C.L. Carroll, DSC, RNR), HMS Vestal (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Porter, DSC, RN), HMIS Punjab(Lt. A.V. Baker, RIN) and HMS Deccan as attached danlayers.
The force passed through Sombrero Channel during the night of 22/23 July 1945 and arrived off Phuket in the morning of 24 July.
The area which had been given first priority was cleared of mines of as a result of operations carried out of 24th, 25th, and 26th July. A total of 24 mines were swept.
During the minesweeping operations HMS Squirrel was mined and damaged forward. Two and a half hours after hitting the mine she took a heavy list and therefore had to be sunk by our own forces. Seven ratings were lost with the ship.
In strikes against targets on the Kraa Isthumus, our aircraft achieved commendable results. Three small ships were destroyed and eleven others strafed in the Singora area, while fifteen locomotives were put out of action and rolling stock strafed on the railway system between Bandon and Dhungsong. A camp at Huatsei was bombed. One Sungei Patani airfield six grounded aircraft were destroyed, three left burning and two others hit. In all these operations only one Hellcat fighter was lost.
On 26 July 1945 attacks by enemy suicide aircraft were launched against units of 'Force 63'. One of these aircraft was shot down in flames by HMS Ameer and two were shot down by HMS Sussex. HMS Vestal was hit by a suicide aircraft, caught fire and had to be sunk by our own forces. Fifteen ratings were lost with the ship. Another enemy suicide aircraft bounced on the water and hit the side of HMS Sussex which sustained some hull damage above the waterline, but remained fully operational.
'Force 63' left the area of operation p.m. on 26 July and returned to Trincomalee where it arrived on 30 July. (2)
Sources
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.