Data sent by CHARLES A. THOMPSON (519-1988) tells of the battle damage to and the loss of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS HERMES on 9 April, 1942.
Basic Ship Data
HMS HERMES was an old ship; laid down in 1918, launched in 1919 and commissioned in 1924.
Displacement
- (normal) 10,850 tons
(full load) 12,900 tons
Beam at bulwarks 21.3 meters
Flight deck width 27.4 meters
Average draft 5.71 meters
Turbine power 40,000 hp
Speed 25 knots
Aircraft 20 aircraft
Guns six 140mm guns and three 102mm Dual-Purpose mounts
AA Guns 18 light caliber AA guns
Armor: (sides) 76mm and 25mm, (deck) 25mm
Crew 665 men
Circumstances of the Loss of the Ship
In the vicinity of the port of Trincomales on 9 April, 1942 HMS HERMES was attacked by 50 Japanese bombers that launched large bombs. The ship received several direct bomb hits, some in the vicinity of the forward aircraft elevator and at the stern of the ship. The damage suffered was so severe that the carrier sank in less than 15 minutes.
Conclusion
HMS HERMES was seriously damaged by the direct hits of several heavy aerial bombs and sank in an extremely short time.
Back to KTB #114 Table of Contents
Back to KTB List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1999 by Harry Cooper, Sharkhunters International, Inc.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com
Sharkhunters International, Inc., PO Box 1539, Hernando, FL 34442, ph: 352-637-2917, fax: 352-637-6289, e-m: sharkhunters@hitter.net