Rab,

Some extracts from my book "The History of HMS Queen - A World War II Lend Lease Escort Aircraft carrier".

The Squadron
HMS Queen sailed from Scapa on the 1st May 1945 in company with Norfolk (Flying the flag of CS 1), HMS Diadem, HMS Searcher, and HMS Trumpeter and escorted by HMS Opportune, HMS Scourge, HMS Savage,HMS Zambesi, HMS Carysfort, HMS Obedient and HMS Orwell. The force was accompanied by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Blue Ranger. The objective was the same as for Operation Newmarket, to strike at enemy shipping at Kilbotn. While duty carrier, HMS Queen launched ten Wildcats for section drill and one Avenger patrol was flown.

On the 7th May 1945 HMS Queen set course for the Skaggerak in company with Norfolk, flying the flag of Vice Admiral MacGrigor, HMS Searcher, HMS Trumpeter, HMS Carysfort, HMS Offa, HMS Opportune, HMS Savage, HMS Scourge, HMS Zambesi, HMS Zest, and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fortol.

On the 8th May (VE Day but hostilities did not end until midnight) fighter and anti-submarine cover was given to sweepers of the 40th Minesweeping Flotilla clearing channels to Copenhagen, for HMS Birmingham, HMS Dido, HMS Obedient, HMS Zealous and HMS Zephyr, to accept the surrender of the German Fleet there. The swept channels were marked by danlayers Takay and Tocohay. 853 Squadron flew twelve Avenger sorties during the day, maintaining two aircraft continuously on patrol. One Avenger, piloted by S/Lieutenant Davis, sighted a formation of JU 52’s which were displaying the sign of surrender and another, piloted by S/Lieutenant Barnes, fired a short burst at a Dornier flying boat. The Squadron Wildcats flew eighteen sorties during the day. The carrier force itself stayed outside the minefields of the Skaggerak.

At the end of the day the force set course for Scapa Flow, arriving on the 10th. One Avenger was flown off in the Flow, carrying two Avenger pilots and one Wildcat pilot as passengers, together with the five Wildcats which had come aboard for Operation Cleaver. Two Avengers, JZ 401 and JZ 549, and one Wildcat, JV 666, were later flown aboard in the Flow. The Wildcat was a replacement for one which had made an emergency landing at Surmburgh. An additional Avenger pilot and three telegraphist air gunners joined the squadron. The pilot was Lt W. F. Sykes RNVR.

HMS Queen entered Scapa Flow at 0813 on the 10th May and then flew off five Wildcats and boosted one Avenger at 0835. The ship remained at Slow Ahead within the Flow until 1045 when three Avengers and one Wildcat were flown on. Thereafter she anchored at 1134.