HMS Ark Royal

ref:Flix000001 2009 01 008

Related Types	Activities Involve \| Assignments Cover
Related Pages	Standard View \| Technical Details
Ship	HMS Ark Royal


Operated By Country	Great Britain
Unit Type	Ship
Ship Class	HMS Ark Royal
Ship Type	Aircraft Carrier

Sunk In Activity	1941 11 13 0000 Torpedoing HMS Ark Royal By U 81 Gibraltar
Flag
Postings	0

Units
	Operated By Country
	Great Britain

Ships
	Built By Shipbuilder	Laid Down YMD	Launch YMD	Commissioned YMD	Final YMD	On Slip	Fitting Out	Total Building	Life Year
	Cammell Laird And Co Ltd	1935 Sep 16	1937 Apr 13	1938 Nov 17	1941 Nov 14	575day	583day	1 158day	2.99yr

Activities
1) Involved In Activity	2) 1: as	3) 2: Commanded By	4) 3:Rank	5) 2: Command Unit Involvement	6) 5:Unit	7) 2:Engagement Result	8) 2: Damaged By Armament Type	9) 1: Details
1941 11 13 0000 Torpedoing HMS Ark Royal By U 81 Gibraltar	N					Sunk	Torpedo	140 miles east of Gibraltar.
1940 07 03 0100 Surface Action Battle Of Mers El Kebir, Algeria	N	Holland C S	Captain	BR 800 Squadron	BR 800 Squadron			Email Contribution: My grand father Louis Collinet was not the Captain of the Dunkerque in battle of Mers el Kebir (1940 07 03), but Captain of the Strasbourg. The Strasbourg was the only ship, which escaped to Toulon harbor. The grand Mother of Louis Collinet was english and he had british education. When the English naval forces came on the morning of 1940 07 03, he discretly prepared the machine of the ship and gave the order to cut the main anchor chains of Strasbourg and to fix small cable to prepare the escape. When the ship gone away my grand father refused to make fire on the Hood besause he considered that English navy was still 'allies' ! Email Contribution: From: Jean Marie Piquet Subject: French cruiser Strasbourg in the battle of Mers-El Kebir The story told by the grandson of the Strasbourg's commandant was reported to me differently by the then officer in charge of Gun-control of the battleship that day, while she was cruising at full speed towards Toulon, hunted by a force of destroyers and the HOOD.: This officer reported to the commandant that due to sunset, the British ships would be in unfavourable conditions to signt the ship and that an opportunity existed to steer 90 degrees unseen and hit the HOOD by the flank, over the heads of the destroyers. Answer from the commandant was "There has been enough casualties for today!" Years later, after retirements, they both met for a dinner in my father's home and he confessed that he was one of the few French officers to know that British battleships were equipped with the first generation of radars which allowed them to track enemy units even in the dark. He thus could not explain his decision to forge ahead instead of taking a brave but foolish stand.
				BR 803 Squadron	BR 803 Squadron
				BR 810 Squadron	BR 810 Squadron
				BR 818 Squadron	BR 818 Squadron
				BR 820 Squadron	BR 820 Squadron
1940 11 27 0100 Surface Action Battle Of Cape Spartivento, Sardinia	N			BR 800 Squadron	BR 800 Squadron
				BR 803 Squadron	BR 803 Squadron
				BR 810 Squadron	BR 810 Squadron
				BR 818 Squadron	BR 818 Squadron
				BR 820 Squadron	BR 820 Squadron

Assignments
Covered By Assignment	Assign To Unit	Summary
1939_Dec_01 - RN Force H	RN Force H	Or much earlier

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