HMS ''Glorious'' was the second of the three s built for the
Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the
Baltic Project championed by the
First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord, officially known as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS), is the title of a statutory position in the British Armed Forces, held by an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral or a General (United Kingdom), general of the ...
, Lord
Fisher, they were relatively lightly armed and armoured. ''Glorious'' was completed in late 1916 and spent the war patrolling the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
. She participated in the
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in November 1917 and was present when the German
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...
surrendered a year later.
''Glorious'' was
paid off after the war, but was rebuilt as an
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
during the late 1920s. She could carry 30 per cent more aircraft than her
half-sister
A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child.
While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raise ...
which had a similar tonnage. After
re-commissioning in 1930, she spent most of her career operating in the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. After the start of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in 1939, ''Glorious'' spent the rest of the year hunting for the
commerce-raiding in the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
before returning to the Mediterranean. She was recalled home in April 1940 to support
operations in Norway. While evacuating British aircraft from Norway in June, the ship was sunk by the German
battleship
A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
s and in the North Sea with the loss of over 1,200 lives.
Design and description
During the First World War,
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
Fisher was prevented from ordering an improved version of the preceding s by a wartime restriction that banned construction of ships larger than light cruisers. To obtain ships suitable for traditional battlecruiser roles, such as scouting for fleets and hunting enemy raiders, he settled on a design with the minimal armour of a
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
and the armament of a battlecruiser. He justified their existence by claiming he needed fast, shallow-draught ships for his Baltic Project, a plan to invade Germany via its Baltic coast.
[Burt 1986, p. 303]
''Glorious'' had an
overall length of , a
beam of , and a
draught of at
deep load. She displaced at load and at deep load.
[Roberts, pp. 64–65] ''Glorious'' and her
sisters
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...
were the first large warships in the Royal Navy to have geared
steam turbine
A steam turbine or steam turbine engine is a machine or heat engine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work utilising a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Par ...
s. The
Parsons turbines were powered by eighteen
Yarrow boilers. During the ship's abbreviated
sea trial
A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...
s, she reached . The ship was designed to normally carry of
fuel oil
Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil (bunker fuel), marine f ...
, but could carry a maximum of . At full capacity, she could steam for an estimated at .
[Burt 1986, p. 306]
''Glorious'' carried four
BL 15-inch (381 mm) Mark I guns in two twin-
gun turret
A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanis ...
s, one each fore ('A') and aft ('Y'). Her secondary armament was 18
BL 4-inch (102 mm) Mark IX guns mounted in six triple mounts.
[ These mounts had the three ]breeches
Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's ...
too close together and the 23 loaders tended to interfere with one another. This negated the mount's intended high rate of fire against torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
s and other smaller craft. A pair of QF 3-inch (76 mm) 20 cwt["Cwt" is the abbreviation for ]hundredweight
The hundredweight (abbreviation: cwt), formerly also known as the centum weight or quintal, is a British imperial and United States customary unit of weight or mass. Its value differs between the United States customary and British imperial sy ...
, 30 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...
guns were fitted abreast of the mainmast
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the median line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, giving necessary height to a navigation light ...
on ''Glorious''. She mounted two submerged tubes for 21-inch torpedoes and 10 torpedoes were carried.[
]
First World War
''Glorious keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...
was laid down on 1 May 1915 by Harland and Wolff
Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...
at their Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
shipyard. She was launched on 20 April 1916 and completed on 14 October at a cost of £1,967,223. During her sea trials the following month, her sister ''Courageous'' sustained structural damage while running at full speed in a rough head sea and had the damaged areas stiffened shortly afterwards to prevent a recurrence. ''Glorious'' did not suffer similar damage and did not receive her stiffening until 1918. Upon commissioning, ''Courageous'' served with the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet. After most of the 1st Cruiser Squadron was sunk at the Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland () was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, durin ...
, the squadron was re-formed with ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious''.[Parkes, p. 621] ''Glorious'' received six twin-tube torpedo mounts in mid-1917: one mount on each side of the mainmast on the upper deck and two mounts on each side of 'Y' turret on the quarterdeck
The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...
.[Burt 1986, p. 314]
On 16 October 1917 the Admiralty received word of German ship movements, possibly indicating some sort of raid. Admiral Beatty, commander of the Grand Fleet, ordered most of his light cruisers and destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
s to sea in an effort to locate the enemy ships. ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious'' were not initially ordered to sea, but were sent to reinforce the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron patrolling the central part of the North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
later that day. Two German light cruisers slipped through the gaps in the British patrols and destroyed a convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
bound for Norway during the morning of 17 October, but the British warships received no word of the engagement until that afternoon. The 1st Cruiser Squadron was ordered to intercept, but was unsuccessful as the German cruisers were faster than expected.
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
Throughout 1917 the Admiralty was becoming more concerned about German efforts to sweep paths through the British-laid minefields intended to restrict the actions of the High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...
and German submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
s. A preliminary raid on German minesweeping forces on 31 October by light forces destroyed 10 small ships and the Admiralty decided on a larger operation to destroy the minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
s and their light cruiser escorts. Based on intelligence reports, the Admiralty allocated the 1st Cruiser Squadron on 17 November 1917, with cover provided by the reinforced 1st Battlecruiser Squadron and distant cover by the battleships of the 1st Battle Squadron.
The German ships, four light cruisers of II Scouting Force, eight destroyers, three divisions of minesweepers, eight ''sperrbrecher'' (cork-filled trawlers) and two trawlers to mark the swept route, were spotted at 7:30 am,[The times used in this section are in UTC, which is one hour behind CET, which is often used in German works.] silhouetted by the rising sun. ''Courageous'' and the light cruiser opened fire with their forward guns seven minutes later. The Germans responded by laying a smoke screen
A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft, or ships.
Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as ...
and this made spotting targets very difficult. The British continued in pursuit, but lost track of most of the smaller ships in the smoke and concentrated fire on the light cruisers as opportunity permitted. One 15-inch shell hit a gun shield of , but it did not affect her speed. At 8:33 the left-hand gun in ''Glorious''s forward turret was wrecked when a shell detonated inside the gun barrel. At 9:30 the 1st Cruiser Squadron broke off their pursuit to avoid a minefield marked on their maps. The ships turned south, playing no further role in the battle. ''Glorious'' required five days of repairs to fix damage caused by premature detonation and her own muzzle blast. She fired 57 15-inch and 213 four-inch shells during the engagement.
''Glorious'' received flying-off platforms on top of her turrets in 1918. A Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
was carried on the rear turret and a Sopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith Strutter is a British single- or two-seat Multirole combat aircraft, multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War.Lake 2002, p. 40. It was the first British two-seat tractor configuration, tractor fighter and the first Briti ...
on the forward turret. On 5 November 1918, ''Glorious'' was anchored off Burntisland
Burntisland ( , ) is a former Royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland, on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. It was previously known as Wester Kinghorn or Little Kinghorn. The town has a population of 6,269 (2011).
Burntisland is known ...
in the Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers.
Name
''Firth'' is a cognate ...
together with the seaplane tender and the battleship
A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
when a sudden Force 10 squall
A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...
caused ''Campania'' to drag her anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek ().
Anch ...
and collide first with ''Royal Oak'' and then with ''Glorious''. Both ''Royal Oak'' and ''Glorious'' suffered only minor damage, but ''Campania'' was holed by her collision with ''Royal Oak''. ''Campania''′s engine room
On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the Compartment (ship), compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. The engine room is generally the largest physical compartment of the machinery space. It houses the vessel's prime move ...
s flooded, and she settled by the stern and sank five hours later without loss of life.
''Glorious'' was present at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet on 21 November 1918.[ She was placed in reserve at ]Rosyth
Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth.
Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...
, Scotland, on 1 February 1919 and served as a turret drill ship, being also flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
of the rear-admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
commanding the Devonport Reserve between 1921 and 1922.
Conversion
The Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting Navy, naval construction. It was negotiated at ...
of 1922 limited the amount of capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet.
Strategic i ...
tonnage and the Royal Navy was forced to scrap many of its older battleships and battlecruisers. However up to of existing ships could be converted into aircraft carriers, for which the ''Courageous''-class ships' large hulls and high speeds made them ideal candidates. ''Glorious'' began her conversion at Rosyth in 1924, and was towed to Devonport where she was completed on 24 February 1930. During the ship's post-conversion sea trials, she reached . Her 15-inch turrets were placed into storage and later reused during the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
for , the world's last battleship to be built.
Her new design improved on her half-sister which lacked an island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
and a conventional funnel. All superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.
Aboard ships and large boats
On water craft, the superstruct ...
, guns, torpedo tubes, and fittings down to the main deck were removed. A two-storey hangar
A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
, each level high and long, was built on top of the remaining hull; the upper hangar level opened on to a short flight deck, below and forward of the main flight deck. The lower flying-off deck improved launch and recovery cycle flexibility until heavier fighters requiring longer takeoff rolls made the lower deck obsolete in the 1930s. Two lifts were installed fore and aft in the flight deck. An island with the bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
, flying-control station, and funnel was added on the starboard
Port and starboard are Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z), nautical terms for watercraft and spacecraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the Bow (watercraft), bow (front).
Vessels with bil ...
side as islands had been found not to contribute significantly to turbulence. By 1939 the ship could carry of petrol
Gasoline (North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formul ...
for her aircraft.
''Glorious'' received a dual-purpose armament of sixteen QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark VIII guns in single mounts. One mount was on each side of the lower flight deck and a pair was on the quarterdeck. The remaining twelve mounts were distributed along the sides of the ship. During her 1935 refit, the ship received three octuple QF two-pounder (40 mm) "pom-pom" mounts, one on each side of the flying-off deck, forward of the 4.7-inch guns, and one behind the island on the flight deck. She also received a single quadruple mount for water-cooled Vickers machineguns for anti-aircraft use.
The ship recommissioned on 24 February 1930 for service with the Mediterranean Fleet
The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...
, but was attached to the Home Fleet from March to June 1930. She relieved ''Courageous'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in June 1930 and remained there until October 1939. In a fog on 1 April 1931 ''Glorious'' rammed the French ocean liner
An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...
amidships while steaming at . The impact crumpled of the flying-off deck and killed 1 seaman aboard ''Glorious'' and 24 passengers and crew aboard ''Florida''. The ship was forced to put into Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
to temporary repairs. She had to sail to Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
for permanent repairs which lasted until September 1931. Sometime in the early 1930s, transverse arresting gear was installed. She was refitted at Devonport from July 1934 to July 1935 where she received two hydraulic accelerators ( catapults) on her upper flight deck, which was also extended to the rear, her quarterdeck was raised one deck and she received her multiple ''pom-pom'' mounts. ''Glorious'' participated in the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead
Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...
on 20 May 1937 for King George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...
before returning to the Mediterranean.[Burt 1993, pp. 281, 285]
Air group
The ship could carry up to 48 aircraft; when first recommissioned, she carried Fairey Flycatcher fighters, Blackburn Dart
The Blackburn Dart was a carrier-based torpedo bomber biplane aircraft, designed and manufactured by the British aviation company Blackburn Aircraft. It was the standard single-seat torpedo bomber operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) between 192 ...
and Blackburn Ripon torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the World War I, First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carryin ...
s, and Fairey IIIF reconnaissance planes of the Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
. From 1933 until ''Glorious'' returned to the United Kingdom in April 1940, aside from a period when refitting in the mid-1930s, she carried 802 Squadron which flew a mixture of nine Hawker Nimrod and three Hawker Osprey fighters, until re-equipping with a dozen Gloster Sea Gladiators in May 1939. 812 and 823 Squadrons were embarked for reconnaissance and anti-ship attack missions. They flew the Blackburn Ripon, the Blackburn Baffin and the Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish is a retired biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was a ...
torpedo bombers and as well as Fairey IIIF and Fairey Seal reconnaissance aircraft. When ''Glorious'' recommissioned after her refit in 1935, 825 Squadron was embarked, initially with Fairey IIIFs, but the squadron converted to Fairey Swordfish in May 1936.
Second World War
''Glorious'' served briefly with the Mediterranean Fleet for a time after the Second World War broke out. In October 1939, she moved through the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
to the Indian Ocean where she became part of Force J which was organised to hunt for the in the Indian Ocean. It was not successful and ''Glorious'' remained in the Indian Ocean until December when she returned to the Mediterranean.[Burt 1993, p. 285]
Norwegian Campaign
She was recalled to the Home Fleet in April 1940 to provide air cover for British forces landing in Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
.[ Eighteen Gloster Gladiators of No. 263 Squadron RAF were flown aboard to be transferred to Norwegian airbases. Eleven Blackburn Skuas of 803 Squadron, plus eighteen Sea Gladiators from 802 and 804 Squadrons were also embarked. ''Glorious'' and arrived off central Norway on 24 April where 263 Squadron was flown off and their own aircraft attacked targets in and south of ]Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
before ''Glorious'' had to return to Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an impor ...
late on 27 April to refuel and embark new aircraft. ''Glorious''s Sea Gladiators provided air cover for the two carriers. They damaged one Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany a ...
bomber on a reconnaissance mission. Before departing she transferred four serviceable Skuas to ''Ark Royal''. She returned on 1 May, but had been unable to load many new aircraft because of poor weather. Only a dozen Swordfish of 823 Squadron, three Skuas and one Blackburn Roc managed to be flown aboard. The task force was under heavy air attack by the Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
all day and was withdrawn that evening. One Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the ...
Stuka dive bomber was shot down after it dropped its bomb by the Sea Gladiators on patrol.
''Glorious'' returned on 18 May with six Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus is a British single-engine Amphibious aircraft, amphibious biplane designed by Supermarine's R. J. Mitchell. Primarily used as a maritime patrol aircraft, it was the first British Squadron (aviation), squadron-service ai ...
flying boat
A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy.
Though ...
s of 701 Squadron and 18 Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
s of No. 46 Squadron RAF. The latter aircraft had been loaded aboard by crane. The Walruses were quickly flown off to Harstad Harstad may refer to:
Places
*Harstad (town)
Harstad (; ) is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is also the administrative centre of Harstad Municipality. The city has a populati ...
, but the airfield in Skånland was not yet ready for the Hurricanes and they were still aboard when ''Glorious'' returned to Scapa on 21 May. ''Glorious'' came back to the Narvik
() is the third-largest List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Narvik (town), town of Narvik. Some of the notable villag ...
area on 26 May and the Hurricanes were quickly flown off.
Even this success proved ephemeral and British forces were ordered to withdraw a few days later. The evacuation ( Operation Alphabet) began in the north on the night of 3/4 June and ''Glorious'' arrived off the coast on 2 June to provide support, although she only carried nine Sea Gladiators of 802 and six Swordfish from 823 Squadrons for self-defence as it was hoped to evacuate the RAF fighters if at all possible. Ten Gladiators of 263 Squadron were flown aboard from their base at Bardufoss during the afternoon of 7 June and the Hurricanes of 46 Squadron were landed without significant problems in the early evening despite having a much higher landing speed than the biplanes. These had been flown off from land bases to keep them from being destroyed in the evacuation after the pilots discovered that a sandbag carried in the rear of the Hurricane allowed full brakes to be applied immediately on landing. This was the first time that high-performance monoplanes without tailhooks had landed on an aircraft carrier.[Howland, p. 61]
The commanding officer of ''Glorious'', Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
Guy D'Oyly-Hughes, was a former submariner who had been executive officer
An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.
In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...
of ''Courageous'' for 10 months. He was granted permission to proceed independently to Scapa Flow in the early hours of 8 June. Howland maintains the reason was to hold a court-martial
A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...
of his Commander (Air), J. B. Heath, who had refused an order to carry out an attack on shore targets on the grounds that the targets were at best ill-defined and his aircraft were unsuited to the task. Heath had been left behind in Scapa to await trial.[ Another rationale was that ''Glorious'' was running short of fuel. One possibility was that ''Glorious'', with her Swordfish detachment equipped with long-range fuel tanks, had been selected for Operation Paul, the mining of ]Luleå
Luleå ( , , locally ; ; ) is a Cities in Sweden, city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the County Administrative Boards of Sweden, capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban ...
harbor, which had to happen before Narvik was evacuated.
Sinking
Unknown to the British, the German Navy had launched Operation Juno: the German battleships and , the heavy cruiser and four destroyers were ordered to attack the British base at Harstad and support the German advance towards Narvik. Whilst preparing to attack on 7 June, the German commander realized the British were evacuating Norway and instead of attacking Harstad, he choose to intercept the evacuation convoys on 8 June. During the morning of 8 June some ships were intercepted but no convoy was found. The German force then split up. ''Admiral Hipper'' and the four destroyers were sent to Trondheim to refuel and then provide artillery support for the German force ( ''Gruppe'' Feuerstein) advancing to Narvik.
''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' continued to search for convoys in the Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea (; ; ) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separate ...
. At 15:45 a lookout at the highest platform on ''Scharnhorst'' sighted a dust cloud, and then the mast of ''Glorious'' at a distance of . The German battleships gave chase immediately and at 16:10 the two escorting destroyers, and were detected as well.[All times used in this section are ]Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the local mean time at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being ...
.
The British spotted the German ships shortly after 16:00 and ''Ardent'' was dispatched to investigate. ''Glorious'' did not alter course or increase speed. Five Swordfish were ordered to the flight deck and Action Stations were ordered 16:20. No combat air patrol
Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...
was being flown, no aircraft were ready on the deck for quick take-off and there was no lookout in ''Glorious''s crow's nest
A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land b ...
. ''Scharnhorst'' opened fire on ''Ardent'' at 16:27 at a range of , causing the destroyer to withdraw, firing torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
es and making a smoke screen. ''Ardent'' scored one hit with her 4.7-inch guns on ''Scharnhorst'' but was hit several times by the German ships' secondary armament and sank at 17:25.[Howland, p. 52]
''Scharnhorst'' switched her fire to ''Glorious'' at 16:32 and scored her first hit six minutes later on her third salvo
A salvo is the simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms including the firing of guns either to hit a target or to perform a salute. As a tactic in warfare, the intent is to cripple an enemy in many blows at once and prevent them from f ...
, at a range of , (or 15 miles), when one hit the forward flight deck and burst in the upper hangar, starting a large fire. This hit destroyed two Swordfish being prepared for flight and the hole in the flight deck prevented any other aircraft from taking off. Splinters penetrated a boiler casing and caused a temporary drop in steam pressure. At 16:58 a second shell hit the homing beacon above the bridge and killed or wounded the captain and most of the personnel stationed there. ''Ardent''s smokescreen became effective enough to impair the visibility of the Germans from about 16:58 to 17:20 so they ceased fire on ''Glorious''.[
]
''Glorious'' was hit again in the centre engine room at 17:20 and this caused her to lose speed and commence a slow circle to port. She also developed a list
A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...
to starboard. The German ships closed to within 16,000 yards and continued to fire at her until 17:40. ''Glorious'' sank at 18:10,[ approximately at , with 43 survivors.
As the German ships approached ''Glorious'', ''Acasta'', which had been trying to maintain the smokescreen, broke through her own smoke and fired two volleys of torpedoes at ''Scharnhorst''. One of these hit the battleship at 17:34 abreast her rear turret and badly damaged her. ''Acasta'' also managed one hit from her 4.7-inch guns on ''Scharnhorst'', but was riddled by German gunfire and sank at around 18:20.][
Survivors estimated that about 900 men abandoned ''Glorious''. With ''Scharnhorst'' damaged by the torpedo hit and unaware that Allied ships were not in contact with ''Glorious'' the German force withdrew and did not try to pick up survivors. The Royal Navy meanwhile, knew nothing of the sinking until it was announced on German radio.] The Norwegian ship ''Borgund'', on passage to the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
, arrived late on 10 June and picked up survivors, eventually delivering 37 alive to Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; ; Danish language, Danish: ''Thorshavn''), usually locally referred to as simply Havn, is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of th ...
of whom two later died. Another Norwegian ship, ''Svalbard II'', also making for the Faeroes, picked up five survivors but was sighted by a German aircraft and forced to return to Norway, where the four still alive became prisoners of war for the next five years. Another survivor from ''Glorious'' was rescued by a German seaplane. Therefore, the total of survivors was 40, including one each from ''Acasta'' and ''Ardent''. The total killed or missing was 1,207 from ''Glorious'', 160 from ''Acasta'' and 152 from ''Ardent'', a total of 1,519.
The sinkings and the failure to mount a rescue were embarrassing for the Royal Navy. All ships encountering enemies had been ordered to broadcast a sighting report, and the lack of such a report from ''Glorious'' was questioned in the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
. It emerged that the heavy cruiser
A heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in calibre, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Treat ...
had passed within of the battle, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...
John Cunningham, who was carrying out orders to evacuate the Norwegian royal family
Members of the Norwegian royal family are people related to King Harald V of Norway or former Norwegian monarchs who are royals and who hold royal titles. The term does not include non-royal relatives. The current family who holds the throne a ...
to the UK and maintain radio silence. Some survivors from ''Glorious'' and ''Devonshire'' testified that a sighting report had been correctly sent, and received by ''Devonshire'', but that it had been suppressed by Cunningham, who departed at high speed in accordance with his orders. It was also alleged that there was confusion over the use of wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is the transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using electrical cable, cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimenta ...
frequencies on board ''Glorious'' which could have contributed to the failure of any other ship or shore-station to receive a sighting report. The absence of normal airborne patrols over ''Glorious'' and its destroyers, in conditions of maximum visibility, was named as a contributor to the sinkings.
The circumstances of the sinking were the subject of a debate in the House of Commons on 28 January 1999. After the existence of the Bletchley Park intelligence activities was made public in the 1970s, it was revealed that Naval Section personnel at Bletchley Park predicted a breakout into the Baltic by German warships based on traffic analysis
Traffic analysis is the process of intercepting and examining messages in order to deduce information from patterns in communication. It can be performed even when the messages are encrypted. In general, the greater the number of messages observ ...
but the RN Operational Intelligence Centre did not agree on the interpretation, and did not inform the Home Fleet.
Memorials
The most prominent memorial for the lost crew of HMS ''Glorious'', HMS ''Ardent'' and HMS ''Acasta'' is situated in Southsea Common, Portsmouth, overlooking the promenade and is accessible to the public at all times. There are 176 memorials from the 1,531 servicemen lost with HMS ''Glorious'', HMS ''Ardent'' and HMS ''Acasta'' at the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
For many years the only memorial to the seamen lost in the three ships was a stained-glass window in the church of St Peter Martindale in Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
, on the east side of Ullswater
Ullswater is a glacial lake in Cumbria, England and part of the Lake District National Park. It is the second largest lake in the region by both area and volume, after Windermere. The lake is about long, wide, and has a maximum depth of . I ...
. A new memorial plaque dedicated to HMS ''Glorious'', and her escort destroyers ''Ardent'' and ''Acasta'', was unveiled in St. Nicholas's Church, in HMS ''Drake'', Devonport in 2002. On 8 June 2010, 70 years after the loss of ''Glorious'', ''Acasta'' and ''Ardent'', a memorial plaque inscribed in English and Norwegian was unveiled near the Trondenes Historical Centre in Harstad, Norway, the two destroyers' last port of call. A memorial plaque is mounted on a stone plinth next to a memorial tree, in the National Memorial Arboretum
The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. Its objective is to honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the British Armed Forces and ...
in Alrewas, Staffordshire. It can be found in the gardens in location 19-81. On 8 June 2019, a memorial plaque was unveiled in the Belvedere Gardens, Plymouth Hoe, dedicated to all crew members who lost their lives onboard HM Ships ''Glorious, Ardent'' and ''Acasta.''
A model of HMS ''Glorious'' by model maker Norman A. Ough built for the Royal United Services Museum is now on display in the Fleet Air Arm Museum
The Fleet Air Arm Museum is devoted to the history of British naval aviation. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, aero engines, models of aircraft and Royal Navy ships (especially aircraft carriers), and paintings ...
at RNAS Yeovilton
Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, commonly referred to as WAFU central, (HMS ''Heron'') is an airbase of the Royal Navy, sited a few miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. It is one of two active Fleet Air Arm bases, the ...
.
Notes
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External links
Photo gallery of ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious''
"Glarac Association website remembering those lost with HMS ''Glorious''"
– with complete CWGC casualty list.
* ttp://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aircraft_carriers/hms_glorious_77.htm Maritimequest HMS ''Glorious'' photo gallery
"The Tragedy of HMS ''Glorious''"
– index of original materials related to the Channel 4 documentary, no actual documents. Held at Churchill Archives Centre
Papers about HMS Glorious, 1938 - 1998
held at Churchill Archives Centre
Homepage of The Glorious, Ardent & Acasta Association
* ttp://www.navalofficer.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151:glorious-3&catid=47:battles-wwiandii&Itemid=92 Review of ''Carrier Glorious: The life and death of an aircraft carrier''by John Winton
German Film Footage of the Battle from the Nazi Propaganda Ministry
Data on as-fitted design and equipment
IWM Interview with survivor Kenneth Cross
IWM Interview with survivor James O'Neill
IWM Interview with survivor Frederick Cooke
IWM Interview with survivor Vernon Day
IWM Interview with survivor Frederick Thornton
IWM Interview with survivor William Smith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glorious (77)
Courageous-class aircraft carriers
Ships built in Belfast
1916 ships
World War I battlecruisers of the United Kingdom
Maritime incidents in 1918
Maritime incidents in 1931
World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom
World War II shipwrecks in the Norwegian Sea
Maritime incidents in June 1940
Royal Navy ship names
Ships built by Harland and Wolff