HMS Speaker (D90)

HMS ''Speaker'' (D90), a , based on a "C3" hull, was originally the USS ''Delgada'' (AVG/ACV/CVE-40), which was transferred to the United Kingdom under the Lend-Lease program.

Design and description

These ships were all larger and had a greater aircraft capacity than all the preceding American built escort carriers. They were also all laid down as escort carriers and not converted merchant ships. All the ships had a complement of 646 men and an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of .Cocker (2008), p.82. Propulsion was provided by one shaft, two boilers and a steam turbine giving 9,350 shaft horsepower (SHP), which could propel the ship at .Cocker (2008), p.79.

Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side, two aircraft lifts by , one aircraft catapult and nine arrestor wires.Cocker (2008), p.82. Aircraft could be housed in the by hangar below the flight deck. Armament comprised: two 4"/50, 5"/38 or 5"/51 Dual Purpose guns in single mounts, sixteen 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts and twenty 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons in single mounts. They had a maximum aircraft capacity of twenty-four aircraft which could be a mixture of Grumman Martlet, Vought F4U Corsair or Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft and Fairey Swordfish or Grumman Avenger anti-submarine aircraft.

Preparations

''Delgada'' was launched 20 February 1943 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, Seattle, Washington; sponsored by Mrs. James B. Sykes and reclassified CVE-40 on 15 July 1943. She was transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 20 November 1943, and served as HMS ''Speaker'' (D90).

After the loading of equipment, familiarisation by the Royal Navy sailing crew and a day's steaming trials, ''Speaker'' was accepted. She was formally commissioned on 20 November 1943, when the White Ensign was hoisted at a ceremony attended by the builders and the U.S. Naval authorities, and by 6 December she was ready to sail.

As delivered, these carriers required modifications to conform to British standards and the initial works were done at Burrards at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. These included extending the flight deck, fitting redesigned Rying controls and fighter direction layout, modifications to hangar, accommodation and store rooms, extra safety measures, oiling at sea arrangements, gunnery and other internal communications, extra wireless and radio facilities, ship black-out arrangements and other necessary items.

After working up off Vancouver, a passage through the Panama Canal on 8 March 1944 (which required temporary adaptations to conform to the width restrictions), further works at Norfolk, Virginia and loading crated aircraft, stores and passengers at Staten Island, New York, ''Speaker'' sailed for Liverpool on 8 March. She sailed with an eastbound convoy and arrived on 8 April. She returned to the U.S. to perform a second aircraft ferry run.

On 17 May, she was at Greenock awaiting orders. Now required to be an assault aircraft carrier, supporting army operations, she underwent further modifications at the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Dundee.

While waiting for her squadron of Hellcats (1840 Naval Air Squadron) to complete their training, ''Speaker'' filled in as a training carrier from 16 October to 14 December. Nearly 1,500 landings were made by Fairey Barracuda, Fairey Swordfish and Curtiss Helldiver aircraft.

En route to the Far East

In late December, Squadron 1840 embarked with new rocket-fitted, Mk. III Hellcats. ''Speaker'' sailed from the Clyde for Gibraltar and the Mediterranean on 11 January 1945, in company with , and three destroyers. While passing through the Mediterranean, the flotilla flew an anti-submarine search off North Africa after a reported sighting by a merchantman, but without success. The flotilla continued on to join the Eastern Fleet at Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). They paused briefly at Alexandria and refuelled at Aden. Flying practice continued en route, one aircraft and pilot being lost in an accident in the Red Sea.

At Colombo, where they arrived on 4 February, ''Speaker'' and ''Slinger'' were ordered onward to join the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) at Sydney, Australia. While off Western Australia, the two carriers assisted in a search for survivors of a troopship sinking. They arrived at Sydney on 23 February. Eight of ''Speakers aircraft and pilots were transferred to . While in port, repairs and maintenance were completed and crew enjoyed shore leave in local homes.

British Pacific Fleet

''Speaker'' left Sydney on 9 March for the BPF forward base at Manus Island, via the Jomard Passage. After a short and bleak stay, and now part of 30th Aircraft Carrier Squadron, they sailed on 18 March with ''Striker'' and an escort led by . Their role was to provide air cover ( Combat Air Patrol) for the British fuelling area during Operation Iceberg (the invasion of Okinawa). The escort for the "logistic" force were British and Australian destroyers, sloops, frigates and corvettes (such as ''Pheasant'', ''Crane'', ''Woodcock'', ''Whimbul'', ''Avon'', ''Derg'', ''Findhorn'', ''Parrett'', ''Bathhurst'', ''Cessnock'', ''Pirie'' and ''Whyalla'').

Despite the routine nature of the duty and the lack of combat action, the morale of the logistic force and its escorts remained high.

On 23 May, the BPF retired to Leyte, for replenishment and ''Speaker''s remaining pilots and aircraft, and some maintenance personnel, were transferred to ''Indomitable'' to boost front-line strength. ''Speaker'' was transferred to be a replenishment carrier, with a supply of replacement aircraft for the fleet's operational losses and receiving "flyable duds" for repair and injured crew for treatment on the hospital ship ''Oxfordshire''.

Operation Iceberg completed in mid-May and the BPF returned to Sydney for repairs, storing and shore leave for the crews. En route, ''Speaker'' took a sick Australian soldier off an American troopship (''Pontius H. Ross'') for emergency surgery.

Post-war

HMS ''Speaker'' was returned to the United States on 27 July 1946 having stopped at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda on 18 July where she disembarked Captain S.V. Jethson, RN, to take over duties as Captain Superintendent from Commodore-in-Charge Rear Admiral CH Knox-Little and as Captain-in-Charge of HM Naval Establishments in Bermuda and Commanding Officer of HMS Malabar, and Bermudian soldiers returning from overseas service in the Second World War,''Personal and Social''. Page 2. ''The Royal Gazette'', City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 16 July 1946 then having arrived at Norfolk Navy Yard on 20 July. The flight deck was removed and was sold into merchant service 22 April 1947 as ''Lancero'' (later renamed ''President Osmena'' in 1965 and ''Lucky One'' in 1971). The ship was sold for scrap in Taiwan in 1972.

Notes

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Speaker (D90)
Ships built in Seattle
1943 ships

Ruler-class escort carriers