18.
Dec. 27, 2008

I hope that I have the right address and have just tracked down information regarding HMS Implacable. My father - Dennis William Watts served on HMS Implacable as an Ordinary Seaman as part of the Fleet Air Arm (I
think !) from the time that she was commissioned until she berthed in Sydney at the end of the war when dad transferred to the Royal Australian Navy until 1947, met my mother and stayed in Australia.

Dad died in 1977 of complications that we were able to trace to his service with the RN and as a result my mother was able to apply for a British War Widows Pension up to her death last year. Dad often spoke about the Convoy north from Scotland and the damage done to the Carrier. He also talked about the campaigns in the Pacific as well.

My brother and I remember looking at the few photos that he had taken during the war but these are long gone now. Like many others on your website I would be interested to view a crew list of HMS Implacable particularly now that both my parents have died. My brother and I  have all of dad's Service Medals but this is just one more of those things that my brother and I would like to view. Hoping that you can help in some way.

Sincerely,
Phillip Watts

17.
Dec. 26, 2008

I am trying to trace anyone who may have served on HMS Implacable in the far east who may have known my father in law. His name was Harold Gordon Thain and I believe he was some kind of aero mechanic. His son thinks he was only on board for a short time as the Implacable managed to wrap an anchor chain round a propeller which caused major damage, he thinks the aircraft were flown ashore to Ceylon and the carrier departed for repairs possibly to Sydney. Any news would be welcome.

J. D. MacDonald

16.
Dec. 2, 2008

My Father, Arnold Bullough, flew barracuda and avenger aircraft 44-45. He flew off in Ceylon and then went on to fly catalina anti submarine duties. I would be delighted to make contact with anyone who knew him (good or bad!) or who knows anything about his service record.

Jim Bullough

15.
Nov. 10, 2008

My father George Bromley also served on HMS Implacable during the 2nd World War. He was born in the east end of London, he is still alive and very well. I will talk to him about the various people on the message board to
see if he remembers anybody there. He is now very deaf which he blames on the anti aircraft guns on the ship He served as an aero mechanic and in the crash party, he was Admiral's driver for a time.

Mike Bromley (son)

14.
Oct. 13, 2008

Hi would like to get in touch with other people who might have served on board this ship with my granddad William Edward Marshall known to friends as Eddie he will be 90 next week.

Michelle Lawson

13.
July 20, 2008

I am tracing in more detail the history of my Late Father - Derek Laughrin Baker. He served aboard HMS Implacable during the second world war and was onboard during the Pacific campaign - from what I understand - as a fleet air arm mechanic on the flight deck. I would like to see if anyone still alive from that period would remember him or if there is a surviving crew member list from that period that I could contact.

Regards
Nigel Baker

12.
May 12, 2008

My father Charles Swift, from Stoke-on-Trent served onboard the vessel, 1943 - 1945, I would like to hear from anyone who may remember him. He is 83 and still well.

Kind Regards,
Mike Swift

11.
Mar. 29, 2008

My father-in- law Ronald (Ron) Taylor served as a young seaman on Implacable, he will be 80 this year. I would like to hear from anyone who may have served with Ron and to find out where I can get a listing of the ships company. Can anyone out there help?

Dennis Dunn

9.
Jan. 15, 2008

In Oct. 27, 1944 as a small boy I watched the fighter bomber attacks on the U-1060 - launched from HMS Implacable - to the SW of Bronnoysund, Mid-Norway. First flight of 4 aircrafts shot up and bombed an accompanying mine sweeper in the Vegafjord. The bomb(s) exploded inside the mine sweeper, causing fire and it started sinking. The sub took the mine sweeper in tow but then a new attack started - this time by 18 aircrafts. The tow line was cut and the u-boat tried to escape moving inshore.

Diving was not feasible due to shallow waters. However, a bomb hit the ack-ack gun crews and also destroyed the voice pipe to the sub's interior steering platform. Hence, a strong evasive turn to babord could not be corrected and the U-1060 grounded well above sea level at subsequent low tides. The fighters machine gunned the escaping crew so some were killed (12) and wounded (number unknown). Two days later (Sunday) heavy bombers from Shetland (Halifax and Liberators) tried to bomb the wreck but were not successful. The Germans themselves destroyed the sub themselves with explosives (it had many torpedoes on board) on Monday & Tuesday and succeeded in sinking the sub. The wreck was later in 1945/46 sold to a salvage company which removed it.

Questions
1: The Germans downed a Fire Fly fighter and one pilot bailed out and he survived the war as prisoner. However, the Fire Fly is a 2-seater so what happened to no 2 man - the navigator.? No known location where this fighter grounded, except that it was in the sea.

2: It was 3 German fortresses in the area which all of them opened fire but not without any success presumably. The downing of the Fire Fly was probably by the accompanying mine sweeper - no details on its size nor defense weapons.

3: The HMS Implacable flotilla - which other ships escorting her? Implacable in Aug/Sep attacked Tirpitz near Tromso; 2 days after the U-1060 attack she sunk a freighter near Harstad to the north and on 27 Nov. sunk M/s Rigel with 2,500 Russian prisoners - nearly all of them perished- near Sandnessjoen (north of Bronnoysund). Operational task of Implacable - that of harassing German coastal shipping from Trondheim - Tromso?

The German account of the U-1060 is well known to us but info on the British operations are scarce - can anybody help out here ? Thanks.


Best regards,
Eystein S. Husebye,
Bergen, Norway

8.
Dec. 2, 2007

In the summer of 1954 I briefly stayed in the Netherlands with my parents and my brother, as my late father, a merchant marine sea captain, was supervising a newbuiding, m/s Arica, at the A.Vuyk & Zoonen shipyard in Capelle a/d Ijssel for his Finnish company.

During our stay there was a naval visit by the Royal Navy in Rotterdam, and during an open day for visitors my dad took us to see an aircraft carrier, the HMS Implacable. Walking on the immense deck looking at the aircraft (I cannot remember their types), the ships crest on the side of the island caught my fathers eye. Around this crest was a number of names of battles and engagements the Implacable and its predecessors had taken part in.

One of the first was at "Hango Head" in 1808-9. As we were and I still am a citizen of the seaport town of Hango (Hanko in finnish language), my father told this to an officer asking for more information. I don´t know if he got any, but anyway we were treated with a personal guided tour of the carrier by this very polite officer.

Today, with the help of internet, I have found a lot of information about the Implacable, pictures and text which confirms the original man-of-war had been in the Baltic in the early 1800's. Now I wonder if there are any fotos available of the actual crest on the island with all the surrounding names of battles, as I would like to write an article for the local newspaper and our museum to commemorate what took place in the Baltic Sea 200 years ago with reference to my boyhood experience as outlined above. Can I get permission to use any pictures or images for such an article, of course giving credit and reference of their origin if and where available?

Styrbjorn E. Lindberg,
Hango, Finland

7.
Sept. 11, 2007

I am trying to find the crew listings for this ship as my grandfather was on board in 1944 to 1945. He was chief aircraft mechanic for 880 Squadron fleet air arm. I would be very grateful if anyone can help. thank you.

6.
Apr. 3, 2007

An old friend of mine, Mrs. Mary Longfoot (nee Cooke), is sister to Lt. Cmdr. Norman Cooke who was killed in a flying accident in a Fairey Firefly trying to land on the HMS Implacable in 1951. She believes it was a night time landing. Is there any way that she could find out any relevant details e.g. the findings of a Court of Enquiry.

Many thanks,
Derek Wilson
(derekwilson679@btinternet.com)

5.
Mar. 25, 2007

I would be interested to know anything about this ship. I believe my father was an able seaman aboard this ship during the second world war, His name was Frank Revill, he came from Sheffield, England U.K. My father died
in 1967 and I am trying to get as much information as I can regarding his younger years. If there is a crew list I would be most appreciative if I could see it.

Regards
Carol Aitken (nee Revill)
(aitken@rogers.com)

4.
Mar. 17, 2005

According to family lore my uncle, Vic Buckingham, was on the Implacable at the end of the war. Apparently
he caught leukemia and it was claimed this was due to the ship going into Nagasaki just after the atom bomb. His case made it to the floor of the House of Commons. I think it was a disability claim that had been rejected. Can anyone tell me whether the ship did go into Nagasaki. I remember my grandmother having on her wall a varnished piece of decorated wood made on the ship. Can anyone remember a Victor Buckingham from that Far East deployment.

Captain Colin Smith (MN)
Sidney, BC, Canada
(smudgersmith@shaw.ca)

3.
Feb. 26, 2007

My father George Farmer served on HMS Implacable in the early to mid 1940s . He died in july 1990, does anyone remember him?

Craig Farmer

2.
Feb. 11, 2007

My father, Ivor Powell, did his National Service on HMS Implacable (1946-1948?), and is trying to trace D. Kingston (Service number L/FX 794600). Anyone know his whereabouts?

Chris Powell, Bristol UK
(chris@bs328hj.fsnet.co.uk)

1.
Dec. 30, 2006

I would be interested to know of the Crew List of this ship, during WW2. My Uncle served on her as a Radar Instructor. I would like to know the dates he was on board and where the ship was at that time. I understand that he saw service at Portsmouth & Iceland but I do not know in which capacity this was or even if it was on another vessel. He is still alive but quite old now and living in New Zealand. his Name is E.G. Malden.

Sincerely,
Clive Warneford.

HMS Implacable Photo Gallery