HMS Battler (D18)

The USS "Altamaha" (CVE-6) (originally AVG-6) was a "Bogue"-class escort aircraft carrier that served during World War II as HMS "Battler" (D18) in the Royal Navy.

Pre-commission

She was laid down on 15 April 1941 as a C3-S-A1, a 2nd replacement freighter, "Mormacmail" for Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.. Under Maritime Commission contract at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Hull 293. She also was purchased and converted prior delivery and on 7 January 1942 she was named "Altamaha" but the name was cancelled on 17 March 1942. She was launched on 4 April 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Phillip Seymour, wife of Captain Seymour. She was redesignated ACV on 20 August 1942. Acquired by the United States Navy on 31 October 1942, she was simultaneously transferred (via the Lend-Lease programme) to the United Kingdom and the same day. She was renamed HMS "Battler" and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 15 November 1942.

ervice

"Battler" served in the Royal Navy from November 1942 until the end of World War II, serving for the most part as convoy escort in the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans. She travelled the globe extensively - USA, UK, Gibraltar, Malta, Salerno, Palermo, Suez, Aden, Cochin (India), Bombay, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Maldives, Sydney and the Panama Canal.

In September 1943, "Battler" supported the allied invasion of Italy at Salerno. In March 1944, as part of force CS4, she helped to disrupt u-boat operations in the Indian Ocean when her aircraft guided destroyers onto the German supply ship "Brake" and two u-boats. The "Brake" was destroyed by gunfire from HMS "Roebuck" and one of the u-boats was damaged by "Battler"'s aircraft [cite book
last = Jackson
first = Ashley
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = The British Empire and the Second World War
publisher = Hambledon Continuum
date = 2006
location = London
pages = p.285
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 1 85285 417 0 ] .

"Battler" was returned to the United States on 12 February 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 28 March 1946. She was sold on 14 May 1946 to the Patapsco Steel Scrap Co., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and was subsequently scrapped.

FAA squadrons

References

*cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = HMS Battler
work = Fleet Air Arm Archive
publisher = Fleet Air Arm Archive
date = 2000-2001
url = http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/Battler.html
format =
doi =
accessdate =

External links

Complete set of photos + 'HMS Battler Diary of Flying Operations' logged at http://www.hmsbattler.com