The korean colossus full#
The korean colossus series#

Our carriers were usually stationed about 60 miles SW of Haeju and operated with a screen of six destroyers and similar ships that alternated with other duties. The pattern was to be operational for two weeks and then return to Sasebo, Kure or Kobe for re-supply, rest and maintenance over another fortnight. The British and Australian carriers operated in the Yellow Sea off Korea’s west coast alternating with US Marine carriers the American 7 th Fleet aircraft carriers kept to the east coast in the Sea of Japan. The next map in larger scale shows our operational area in more detail. The map below shows the Korean peninsula you might note how close Korea is to Japan part of SW Japan is shown at bottom right. The flock of Sea Furies on the deck of Ocean in the image above gives some idea of the number of aircraft aboard there's a gaggle of Fireflies in there somewhere too. On one occasion in the Red Sea all the flyable aircraft were launched from Ocean, with the remainder in the hangar below and fire hoses were used to wash down the deck to cool the ship down. The lack of air conditioning in our ships was a real problem. A few years later when in Theseus I had graduated to “the Casbah”! Much later again, in Ark Royal I had a “proper” aft cabin. The most junior officers such as myself, I was a Sub-Lieutenant RN at that time, lived in what was called “the Dormitory” just forward of the Wardroom while slightly more senior officers had cabins in “the Casbah” right forward on the starboard side. To compound this the ship was not air conditioned and don't forget, we were operating in the Far East in summer! Compare this with the American carriers we met up with in Sasebo, Japan where everyone on board had a bunk and their own personal space. Sleeping space was at a premium, even for hammocks, so mess deck tables, and also the weather decks were in frequent use.

The korean colossus full#

This full complement of aircraft created a major problem in accommodation, as the ship didn’t have sufficient berths for the numbers aboard.

Carmichael then assumed command until Lt.

who had been our Senior Pilot he took over half way through but was sadly shot down and killed soon after. We had three C.O.s in our time off Korea Lt. Two Fleet Air Arm squadrons were aboard, 825 with a dozen Fairy Fireflies and 802 with twenty Hawker Sea Furies.

The korean colossus series#

Hand over from Glory was completed with a series of RPCs (literally, an excuse for a party) in Hong Kong and operations commenced off the coast of Korea in May of that year.

Five of these carriers operated in the Korean War Glory, Triumph, Theseus, HMAS Sydney, and my ship Ocean. We sailed in Ocean from Grand Harbour, Valetta, Malta in April 1952 being ceremoniously piped out by the Pipes and Drums of the Highland Light Infantry we were to take over from Glory on the Far East station and the Korean War in particular. Ocean was a Colossus class Light Fleet Carrier completed at Govan, Scotland in June 1945. Russ Mallace served as a fighter pilot in HMS Ocean and was in Korean waters from May to November 1952 here's his story of those times. In the image below Ocean can be seen steaming in the Yellow Sea with a Hawker Sea Fury on her catapult ready for take-off, maybe even with Russ at the controls - unless he took the photo? Russ? Byfield & District Branch in rural SW Northants.