HMS Bonaventure (F139)

HMS "Bonaventure" was a submarine depot ship of the Royal Navy. She was initially built for civilian service with the Clan Line, but on the outbreak of the Second World War she was requisitioned by the Navy and after being launched, was converted for military service.

Career

Construction and commissioning

She was laid down at the yards of the Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Company, of Greenock, Scotland as one of the Cameron class ships of the Clan Line. She was provisionally allocated the name "Clan Campbell". With the outbreak of war, the Royal Navy decided to requisition her, and after her launch on 27 October 1942, she was converted at the yards of Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company to become a submarine depot ship for the X class midget submarines. After the conversion was completed she was commissioned into the Navy on 26 January 1943.

Early wartime service

After completing work-up trials, "Bonaventure" sailed to Loch Striven on the west bank of the Clyde to become the main training base and depot ship for the X craft midget submarines. During August and September 1943, training and trials were carried out for the midget submarines "X5", "X6", "X7", "X8", "X9" and "X10". They were to be used to carry out the attack on the German battleship "Tirpitz" in Altenfjord, Norway, codenamed Operation Source.

During the operation, the submarines HMS "Thrasher", "Truculent", "Stubborn", "Syrtis", "Sceptre" and "Sea Nymph" each towed a midget submarine to Norwegian waters. Despite a number of the X craft being lost, the operation was a success and the "Tirpitz" was put out of action for the next six months. In October, "Bonaventure" sailed to Govan to be refitted at the yards of Alexander Stephen and Sons. The refit lasted until 2 January 1944 and involved the fitting of new radar equipment. Some work was not completed before the "Bonaventure" was recommissioned on 22 January to serve with the British Pacific Fleet. She again deployed at Loch Striven in preparation. She remained deployed there until March, when she returned to Govan to complete the outstanding dockyard work. These refits lasted until August, when after post-refit trials, she returned to Loch Striven in September. October to November was spent training on the loch. During this period, the modified XE class submarines, which had been under construction since January 1944, became available. Several were embarked aboard "Bonaventure" for use against targets in the Far East. In December she was nominated for deployment as the depot ship for the 14th Submarine Flotilla in the south west Pacific.

Pacific theatre

"Bonaventure"’s departure was initially delayed, and in January she embarked six XE type submarines. She left the United Kingdom on 21 February, sailing for Australia via the Panama Canal. After going through the canal, she crossed the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 7 March. The attitude of the US Navy was discouraging, and the use of midget submarines was not looked on with much enthusiasm. [ [http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-28Depot-Bonaventure2.htm Bonaventure's career] ] "Bonaventure" arrived at Brisbane on 27 April and received approval to move nearer to the operational area and to approach the local US Navy authorities. She subsequently sailed to Townsville, Queensland in May, where a visit was made by a senior officer of the 14th Flotilla to the US Navy Base at Subic Bay. The Americans remained sceptical and suggested that the "Bonaventure" be converted to perform a wider support role. On 31 May the proposal was made to use midget submarines to cut Japanese underwater telegraph cables.

"Bonaventure" was transferred to Hervey Bay, Queensland in June, and then to an area south of Townsville, to prepare for the cable cutting operations. She carried out extensive training and experiments using a disused telegraph cable between Australia and New Guinea. During these exercises, two divers died after suffering oxygen poisoning. After the operational targets had been selected, "Bonaventure" sailed to Labuan, Borneo. Throughout July she prepared for three operations. Operation Struggle aimed to place limpet mines on the Japanese cruisers "Myōkō" and "Takao", based at Singapore with the 10th Fleet. Operation Foil aimed to cut telegraph cables in the Lamma Channel, off Hong Kong, and Operation Sabre was intended to cut telegraph cables at Cap St Jacques, off Saigon. These cables were vital to Japanese signal security as radio signals could be deciphered by US code breakers.

The operations began on 26 July. HMS "Stygian" towed "XE3" and HMS "Spark" towed "HMS XE1" for Operation Struggle. The "Takao" was badly damaged, sinking to the seabed, but the attack on the "Myōkō" failed. For Operation Sabre, HMS "Spearhead" towed the "XE4", which succeeded in cutting two cables and bringing sections back to the "Bonaventure". Operation Foil was carried out using HMS "Maidstone", based at Subic Bay, as the depot ship. HMS "Selene" towed the "XE5", but the tow failed part way through the voyage. "XE5" was able to reach the target under her own power and succeeded in severing the cable. The submarines returned in tow to "Bonaventure" on the 3rd, 4th and 5th. "Bonaventure"’s last activity before the end of the war was to sail to Sydney from Labuan on 20 August.

Postwar

"Bonaventure" returned to the UK, and remained in Royal Navy service for a further three years. She was placed on the disposal list in 1948, and sold back to the Clan Line on 23 March 1948. She was converted back to mercantile use, and re-entered service as "Clan Davidson". She was the first Clan Line vessel to re-enter service after the end of the war. [ [http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=16167 Clydebuilt.net] ] She was sold in 1963 and arrived at Hong Kong for scrapping on 25 December 1963.

References

*Colledge
*Warlow, Ben, "Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy", Liskeard : Maritime, 2000. ISBN 9780907771739
* [http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-28Depot-Bonaventure2.htm HMS Bonaventure's wartime career]
* [http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=16167 HMS Bonaventure at Clydebuilt.net]
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/7281.html HMS Bonaventure at Uboat.net]
* [http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/clanline5rev.html The wartime services of the Cameron class]