Model Fleet: Battle Carriers

Battle Carriers

Posted by Matty on November 8, 2008, 16:46:55, in reply to "DECK CAMOUFLAGE"
Message modified by board administrator November 13, 2008, 11:05:00

The heavily armored "battle carrier" or CVB, yet another uniquely British invention of naval aviation, typically had a much lower profile than more "standard" fleet carriers, which generally had a second (stacked) hangar which the CVB's had to forego, on account of the top-weight of so much armor. For example in the Illustrious class, 3" flight- and hangar decks, and up to a whopping 4.5" hangar side- and -ends armor - resulted in this low-slung appearance, which is relevant to a discussion of camouflage.

Of RN carriers to commission during WWII, Illustrious and the next two of her class - Formidable and Victorious - are the only three we will consider here; the subsequent Indomitable, Implacable and Indefatigable all reverting to incorporation of a second (half-) hangar, with attendant incrased freeboard, and thus appearing more like the earlier, fleet carriers.

The only camo diagram for a full RN flight deck I have ever found is the following one for Victorious:

Click to EnlargeThe drawing at left purports to represent Vicky's appearance in May, 1941 including colors: "...507A, MS3 and white" (Ref 1, p.32). This is also the only flight deck "tiger-stripe" pattern, composed primarily of cross-deck shapes, ever described for the RN, AFAIK - and as such, demanded corroboration, duly provided by the pic at right, dated October 28, 1941 (Ref 2), which confirms the cross-deck features generally - and the first one on the bow specifically - although with notable differences as well. This could indicate inaccuracies in the drawing, however it is at least as likely that in the 4 intervening months some camo elements had been repainted piecemeal; just as observed for the fleet carriers, and as was clearly the case by mid-1942:

Click to EnlargeAt left, a pic of Eagle "From Vic on Malta convoy" (Ref 3) provides a closeup of Vicky's deck, whose centerline can be traced left to reveal a total of three camo borders across the deck; per a tiger-stripe pattern. However the long-range pics at right - in which Victorious is identifiable as the lower-slung carrier with the brighter island - depict a different apearance overall; diagonal or bowing forms extending forward from the island to a bright bow swath, and similar bright fantail patch(es).

Yet all these pics - at left as well as all at right - must reconcile, as all are positively dated to the same week in 1942: August 3-10, and Operations Berserk through -Pedestal (Refs 4-9). This seems possible only if at left Victorious were passing on an opposing course; looking to port and aft from next to her island (the most likely area for officers to be standing, anyway), and at right this is indeed the area where dark, tiger-stipe mottling may still be detectable. Clearly, by August, 1942 Vicky's camo had been largely overpainted, apparently retaining some original tiger-striping only aft of the island.

Vicky's new and bright features, meantime, were very much of a character with those on other Illustriouses, possibly from the outset:

Click to EnlargeAt left, the bow of Illustrious "early in her career" (Ref 10; p.104) wears a white tip and diagonal pattern (though the white streak is a wind-indicator steam plume). And at right, Formidable sported a light diagonal fantail swath, apparently (at least) as early as "May, 1941; at the time of being damaged off Crete" (top-left; Ref 1, p.53). The inset photo, while annotated "TORCH" (Ref 11), must date from earlier than that (see below), and confirms this light swath aft - but with forward border notably ahead of the elevator. At extreme right, note a glimpse of light camo, meandering towards the port gun gallery. Its general orientation is shown at bottom (dotted line), alongside the Raven detail.

This long diagonal feature is, in turn, confirmed by the following pics from Operation Torch; November 8-10, 1942:

Click to EnlargeAt left, a pic of a Torch invasion Wildcat (Ref 12, p.105), was doubtless taken within minutes - if not by even the same camera - as the color pic at right; which was similarly identified (Ref 13), and which recognizeably depicts the back of exactly the same crewman in the foreground, standing in almost the same place, as at left In addition to the diagonal camo, visible features include an egg-shaped splotch; at right under the Wildcat's port wing, and at left with a man standing in the center of it. Though giving an impression of being a puddle, it seems highly unlikely a man would deliberately stand in the center of such a slippery patch, especially during flight operations; instead this - and several others like it - are undoubtedly actual camo features. That the earlier, light gray fantail swath no longer exists is definitively proven at right, where dark camo - among the darkest on deck - now completely surrounds the aft elevator.

Together, all the above provide decent bases for (at least, very general, sylized) diagramming of the following flight deck camo patterns:

- Illustrious, circa mid-1940-1941(?)
- Victorious, May 1941 (Bismarck chase)
- Fomidable, aft of island, mid-1941
- Victorious, August 1942 (Pedestal convoy)
- Formidable, aft of island, November 1942 (Torch landing)

In addition to time limitations here, before attempting these drawings it would be of great help to find additional pics - particularly of Formidable's deck from the island forward, any time(s) between 1941-43 - but of course also any other good pics of any of the RN CVBs, if you've got 'em to share!

Cheers,

-Matty

Ref 1: Alan Raven, Warship Perspectives; Camouflage Volume One: Royal Navy 1939-1941

Ref 2: Web("41oct28VICTORIOUS"):An aerial view of HMS Victorious at sea. Steam can be seen venting from the catapult towards the front of the flight deck.
Source: Imperial War Museum Collections, No. A 6152
Date: 28 October 1941
Author: RN official photographer Coote, R G G (Lt)
Ref 3: Web("Victorious_FAAM2"):Eagle - ACQ 1996/065/0008 FAAM
From Vic on Malta convoy
Ref 4(top): Web("Pedestal_6"):Detail of a print from IWM negative No AIII55 - enlarged x4 by laser printer
original caption - "Victorious, Indomitable and Eagle (nearest to camera).
"Eagle was sunk on this convoy on 11th August 1942
"Torpedoed by U-73
Ref 5(top): Web("42augEaglePedestal")

Ref 6(ctr-top): Web("Pedestal_5"):From Jurgen Bohner's "War at Sea 1939-1945" Chatham, 1996
caption "British aircraft carriers Indomitable, Victorious, Eagle escorting convoy "Pedestal"
Ref 7(ctr-rt): Web("Pedestal_1"):...the convoy passes into the Mediterranean. Eagle, Victorious and Indomitable
escorting cruisers Charybdis, Sirius and Phoebe. enlargement from Peter C. Smith's "Pedestal - the convoy that saved Malta", W.M. Kimble 1970, 3rd Ed Crecy 1994
Ref 8(btm-left): Web("Pedestal_3"):x2 enlargement "Operation Pedestal underway - the Malta convoy of August 1942
from John Winton's "Airpower at Sea, 1939-45. Sidgfwick - Jackson 1976.
Ref 9(btm-rt): Web("Pedestal_(Berserker)2"):No8L "A general view of "Pedestal" underway (actually this is of Berserk|
From Paul J Verml's Warships Illustrated No.14 - Malta Convoys 1940 - 43" - Ao A.P. 1988.
Ref 10: Roger Chesneau, Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present; An Illustrated Encyclopedia

Ref 11(top-rt): Web("Formidable"):-From John Winton's "Airpower at Sea, 1939-45. Sidgfwick - Jackson (BCA 1976(7.
caption: - 'A seafire
HMS. Formidable
(TORCH)
Ref 12: Bernard Ireland, The Rise and Fall of the Aircraft Carrier

Ref 13: Web("FORMIDABLEWildcat"):laser copy from George Forty's "The Desert War", Sutton 2009
original is reversed
@ p.149 - G20 or G45?
"Caption- Excellent shot of a Grumman Wildcat on the
flight deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable
IWM TR284