General Discussion

[Leading Observer]

Hi folks - anyone able to confirm what the Letter Codes for aircraft flying off HMS Indefatigable were in late 1945?

I think the tail codes were "S"

 

[DeeBob]

You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.
Interesting info from the devil's website!

[sandiego89]

What a great decoy!  Had never seen this before.  Thanks for sharing

[Andrew Gorman]

Indeed!  I had not seen any decoy ships before, just land based inflatables, etc.  Definitely appropriate for this topic.

[PR19_Kit]

So build a 1/700 scale Bogue Class carrier, then SAY that it's actually 1/350 and the job's done. 

[Rheged]

Indeed!  I had not seen any decoy ships before, just land based inflatables, etc.  Definitely appropriate for this topic.

I understand that the old Dreadnought  HMS Centurion was fitted to act as a decoy King George V class battleship for use in   Indian waters . She caused a degree of confusion when her false, wooden quadruple 14 inch gun turret (A turret) was swept off during a monsoon storm, and seen floating  through the lines of the convoy she was escorting. Three merchant ships were also refitted as decoys , as explained below:-
Lifted from the website "Traces of War"
 In 1939 a new force of dummy ships, known as Fleet Tenders for purposes of security, was constructed on the instruction of Mr. Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty. Three 7,900-ton merchant ships were used: the S.S. Pakeha and S.S. Waimana being turned into the 33,500-ton battleships Revenge and Resolution, and the S.S. Mamari becoming the aircraft carrier Hermes. They were manned by naval "runner" crews, and their holds were filled with thousands of empty barrels to give them greater buoyancy in the event of their being hit by bombs or torpedoes. Many rumours, which are known to have reached the enemy, were started by the appearance of one of these mystery ships in ports in Scotland and on the Tyne. By 1941 the dummy warships had served their purpose. S.S. Mamari (alias Hermes) had been wrecked off the Wash; the other two were handed back to their owners

[Rick Lowe]

Cool photos!

And I read in the book 'The War Magician' that similar measures were employed in the Middle East; both in one ship masquerading as another, and a 'double-bluff' of one being inexpertly 'hidden' as a decoy version of itself. 

[jcf]

It's amusing and probably would have worked except for one major issue: the IJA and IJN
special attack groups weren't going to be targeting warships. They were going to be used
against transports and landing ships because there was no point wasting them trying to take
out warships.

[PR19_Kit]

But there are numerous instances of kamikaze attacks on carriers.

[NARSES2]

But there are numerous instances of kamikaze attacks on carriers.

And my dad experienced a couple

[jcf]

But there are numerous instances of kamikaze attacks on carriers.

Yes, that's because originally the kamikazes were used as an "offensive" weapon, but for Operation Ketsugō they were to be used as a "defensive" weapon to directly target the troops rather than the support vessels.

[kitbasher]

That doesn't rule out targets of opportunity though, or tactical exigencies.

[Old Wombat]

Or personal honour.

[zenrat]

Or a change of plan.

[Rick Lowe]

Or running out of targets...