A History of HMS ATHELING
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HMS ATHELING at anchor. Photo: Author's collection |
Three US maritime
Commission hulls were earmarked for transfer to the Royal Navy as
escort carriers with the ships' name 'ATHELING':
ATHELING
(1)
On
December 17, 1942, the keel was laid for a type S4-S2-BB5 Maritime
Commission hull, hull no. 1095: to become a Casablanca class
auxiliary aircraft carrier at the Kaiser Shipyard, Vancouver,
Washington, Kaiser hull no. 304. She was launched on May 12, 1943
and was intended to be transferred to the Royal Navy under
Lend-Lease arrangements as the HMS ATHELING
. Her sponsor was
Mrs. J. Hallett. Before delivery, however, the US Navy decided that
she (and other escort carriers building for Britain at that time)
would be required for the US war effort and subsequently the first
ATHELING
was delivered to the U. S. Navy on August 31, 1943 and
became the USS
CORREGIDOR (AVG-58) Captain R. L. Bowman USN in command .She was
initially to be named AUGUILLA BAY but this was changed before her
commissioning date.
ATHELING
(2)
On December 28, 1942,
the keel was laid for a type S4-S2-BB5 Maritime Commission hull,
hull no. 1096: to become a Casablanca class auxiliary aircraft
carrier at the Kaiser Shipyard, Vancouver, Washington, Kaiser hull
no. 305. Her sponsor was Mrs. James McDonald; she was launched on 26
May 1943 and was intended for transfer to the Royal Navy under
Lend-Lease arrangements as the HMS "ATHELING". Before
delivery, however, the US Navy decided that she (and other escort
carriers building for Britain at that time) would be required for
the US war effort and subsequently the second ATHELING was delivered
to the U. S. Navy on 13 September 1943 at Astoria, Oregon and
commissioned as the USS MISSION BAY, CVE-59 Captain William
L. Rees in command.
ATHELING
(3)
Laid
down 9 June 1942, at Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Co. Tacoma,
Washington, as Maritime Commission C3-S-A1 type freighter hull
number 244, Seattle-Tacoma hull number 28. She was purchased by the
US navy to be the USS
GLACIER, ACV-33 (later changed to CVE - 33). She was launched on
September 7th 1942 by her sponsor Mrs. Richard P. Luker. Whilst
still under construction it had been decided that CVE 33 was to be
transferred to the Admiralty on loan on her completion; the hull was
towed to the Bremerton Navy Yard, Portland, Oregon, for completion
and fitting out as an aircraft carrier. CVE 33 was commissioned as
USS GLACIER 12 July 1943, Commander. Ward C. Gilbert USN in command.
CVE 33
was Decommissioned by the USN and transferred to the Royal Navy at
Vancouver, Canada on July 31st 1943 and commissioned as HMS ATHELING (D51) on 28 October 1943, Captain Ronald Ian Agnew RCN
in command. She was originally to have been named 'SETTER' but this
was changed before her handover. While at Vancouver, ATHELING, along with other Lend-Lease carriers, was to be
modified to meet Admiralty requirements, receive her full crew
compliment, and complete sea trials and work up ready for beginning
her active service. This work was undertaken by the Burrard Dry Dock
Co. Ltd., North Vancouver, British Columbia.
Maiden voyage: Vancouver to Greenock
On completion of her
work-up and short crew familiarisation period HMS ATHELING
sailed for the Panama Canal, , arriving at Balboa on December 6th.
After clearing the Panama Canal ATHELING proceeded to Norfolk Naval
Operating Base in Virginia, arriving there on December 18th to
embark stores and aircraft; this including the 18 Corsairs of 1836
squadron, for transit to the UK; these were stowed in the hangar and
a deck cargo of 18 Avengers, 8 Hellcats and 10 Harvards was loaded. ATHELING
continued on to New York, arriving there on the 22nd to await a UK
bound convoy.
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HMS ATHELING underway on 22_December 1943 with her ferry load on route to New York from Norfolk. U.S. Navy photo 80-G-450245 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command. |
ATHELING sailed from
New York on January 1st 1944, arriving at Belfast, Northern Ireland
on January 9th and disembarked aircraft and 1836 squadron to
RNAMY
Belfast. ATHELING proceeded to the Clyde the next day and entered a
shipyard for further modification for use as a fighter carrier.
The Far East: Ferrying four squadrons to India
and Ceylon
On completion of this
work ATHELING embarked four squadrons for transit to India and
Ceylon. On February 26th the 24 Barracudas of 822 squadron (12
Barracuda IIs) from
RNAS Burscough, and 823 squadron (12 Barracuda IIs) from Renfrew were loaded
as cargo; the aircrew and maintenance
personnel making the passage by troopship. Also on the same day
1837 squadron (14 Corsair IIs) embarked from RNAS Stretton and 1838
squadron (10 Corsair IIs) from
RNAS Burscough, accompanied by their
aircrews.
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A Barracuda being attended to after a deck landing
accident onboard HMS ATHELING - note the broken off
propeller bade - the pilot is surveying the damage from
the cockpit (Date unknown . Photo: From the
collection of the late John Vallely, Sub Lt. (A) RNVR. |
HMS ATHELING sailed for
Port Said on the first leg of her voyage on March 3rd 1944. After
passing through the Suez Canal on the 23rd. ATHELING joined convoy
AJ12 from Aden to Colombo, she then sailed with convoy JC34A from
Colombo to Madras on April 9th; here 822 & 823 squadrons disembarked
for RAF Ulunderpet, S, India on April 11th and 12th
respectively; 1837 and 1838 squadrons disembarked to RAF Minneriya, Ceylon on April 13th.
ATHELING next sailed from Madras
for Colombo with convoy CJ23B on the 16th. Upon her arrival back at
Colombo ATHELING joined the 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron (21 ACS),
part of the East Indies Fleet.
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HMS ATHELING leaving her berth in Colombo - date
unknown. Photo: From the collection of the late John Vallely, Sub Lt. (A) RNVR. |
The East Indies Fleet: Operations with 21 ACS
ATHELING began working up as a fighter carrier from mid May then
operated on trade protection duties in the Bay of Bengal. She
embarked 889 squadron (10 Seafire F.III) from
RNAS Colombo and 890
squadron (10 Wildcat V) from
RNAS
Puttalam, both on May 13th.
ATHELING operated as a spare deck and CAP carrier for the Fleet
carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS from June 10th as part of operation
"COUNCILLOR". This was a diversionary sweep into the Indian Ocean
intended to distract Japanese attention from American operations in
the Marianas Islands. After only three days ATHELING was found to be
too slow for this task, there being a speed difference of 12 Knots
between the two ships and ILLUSTRIOUS completed her role in the
operation alone from the 14th. On completion of her operations both
squadrons were disembarked to
RNAS
Puttalam; 890 on July 11th, and
889 on July 30th - where both squadrons were disbanded.
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Wildcat JV508 of 890 squadron goes into the barrier, May
15 1944 while ATHELING worked up as a fighter carrier
with the East Indies Fleet. Photo: From the collection
of the late John Vallely, Sub Lt. (A) RNVR. |
ATHELING next embarked the
Swordfish of 818 squadron on August 23rd for trade protection duties
while the ship acted as a ferry carrier between Ceylon and South
Africa. On the 25th ATHELING left Trincomalee and re-embarked 1838
squadron from
RNAS Colombo, for passage to
RNAS Wingfield at Cape
Town. On arrival there on September 12th; both squadron disembarked
to Wingfield, 1838 was to disband after disembarking. ATHELING
loaded Hellcat and Avenger aircraft at Cape Town for ferrying to
Ceylon, loading on 17th - 18th September and re-embarked 818 later
on the 18th.
HMS ATHELING proceeded
from Cape Town to Southern India where she disembarked 818 squadron
to
RNAS Cochin on October 6th.
ATHELING arrived back at Trincomalee
on October 10th and was allocated to the role of East Indies Fleet
ferry carrier. Shortly after she was loaned to the US Navy for duty
as a ferry carrier. On December 9th 1944 ATHELING sailed in company
with the CVE BATTLER, the cruiser HMNZS ACHILLES, Destroyers WAGER
and WHELP for Australia, the following day they were joined by HMS
SWIFTSURE (flagship of Rear-Admiral E. J. P. Brind, CB, CBE,
commanding Fourth Cruiser Squadron) and their escort, the destroyers
KEMPENFELT (Captain D, 4th Destroyer Flotilla, WESSEX, and WAKEFUL,
to proceed in convoy to Australia. Most of the destroyers returned
to Trincomalee on the 11th and on the 16th the cruisers SWIFTSURE
and ACHILLES parted company with the carriers and went on ahead to
Fremantle.
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HMS ATHELING
wearing her later colour scheme and her and
deck identification letter. Photo: Author's
collection. |
On loan to the USN
as a ferry carrier
On her arrival in
Sydney ATHELING unloaded her ferry load and sailed from Sydney bound for Pearl Harbour
via Manus in the Admiralty Islands, calling there on February 4th
1945, and arriving at Pearl Harbour on the 14th.
ATHELINGs duties with
the US Navy involved ferrying aircraft and personal from San Diego
California to Guam in the Mariana Islands, via Pearl Harbour. On her
return passage to San Diego she carried passengers and evacuated
injured US personnel. She was to
operate in this role until August 1945. Her RN designation changed
from D51 - R304 for service in the Pacific but this may not have
been worn.
HMS ATHELING was returned
to RN operations in September 1945; she called at Norfolk Naval
Operating Base, Virginia on August 23rd 1945 before sailing for
Plymouth, via Trinidad, calling there on September 3rd to collect
passengers and stores for passage to the UK. She arrived at
Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, on September 16th to undergo
conversion for trooping duties.
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Loading US
Navy aircraft for return to the US Photos: Courtesy
of Charles Kelly |
Operation as a troop ship
During this conversion
period almost all of the ship's company changed. The work consisted
of converting the hangar deck into accommodation spaces; about 600
bunks were installed along with additional mess decks and heads. The
work was completed by mid November, and ATHELING sailed for Colombo
on November 15th 1945, arriving there on December 3rd. After
embarking passengers she sailed for Wellington, New Zealand on the
5th. ATHELING arrived in Wellington on December 23rd, where she
celebrated Christmas before sailing for Sydney on the 27th and then
began the return leg to the UK via Fremantle and Aden. ATHELING
arrived back at Plymouth on February 10th 1946. HMS ATHELING
continued to operate on trooping duties until November 1946 when she
was de-stored for return to the US Navy.
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HMS ATHELING
at Portsmouth in 1946 completing a trooping
voyage; she is carrying Seafire and Firefly aircraft on
her flight deck.. Photo: Author's collection |
CVE 33 was returned to
US Navy charge at Norfolk Virginia, on December 6th 1946. Her name
was stricken from the US Navy List February 7th 1947 and she was out
up for disposal. Sold to National Bulk Carriers, Inc., November 26th
1947, and at some point named 'ROMA'. She was scrapped in Italy
starting November 2nd 1967.
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The S.S. ROMA |
Content revised:
17 April 2017
Sources used in compiling this account:
Click here for a list of
Primary sources
Additional sources:
Fold3.com various documents including;
Admiralty War Diaries
Norfolk Navy Yard War Diaries
Mew York Navy Yard War Diaries
Miscellaneous documents
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