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A History of HMS AVENGER
Laid down 28 November 1939 at Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Chester PA as Maritime Commission hull number 59, Sun number 86, as a 9,100 ton C3 type passenger-cargo vessel the Rio Hudson for the US operator Moore-McCormack Lines. She was launched on 27 November 1940 and was completed 7 July 1941. The Rio Hudson was purchased by the US Navy 31 July 1941 for conversion into a modified ‘Long Island’ class Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier BAVG 2 by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Staten Island, New York.. [US Navy classification ‘BAVG’ designates her as ‘British Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier’]
Her conversion consisted of installing a lightweight
wooden flight deck on a truss work superstructure which covered 70% of
the ships' length, fitting a small enclosed hangar beneath the aft of
the flight deck to be serviced by a single lift. Avenger, like her
sister ship Archer, had no island superstructure; a small navigation
bridge was built under the forward edge of the flight deck while the
original bridge was retained under the flight deck with enlarged wings
on either side to give adequate visibility Her conversion into a carrier
was completed on March 1st 1942 and she was transferred to the Admiralty
and commissioned into the Royal Navy at Staten Island as HMS AVENGER
(D14) on 2 March 1942, Cdr. A.P. Colthurst RN in command.
Avenger began sea trials of New York in March, breaking sown on the 18th and returning to Staten Island for repairs. On completion of her sea trials Avenger sailed from New York on April 30th with tanker convoy AT15. Upon her arrival in the Clyde in May 1942 further modifications took place, these included lengthening the flight-deck by 42 feet to allow Swordfish aircraft to take off with a full weapons and fuel load, changes to defensive armament and communications equipment. Work commenced on May 11th, and was completed by early July.
Russian Convoys PQ18/QP14 On July 16th 1942 Avenger was allocated to the Home Fleet and began working up in the Irish Sea; 883 squadron (6 Sea Hurricane Ib) embarked from RNAS Machrihanish on the same date to begin working up the ship’s air department. Proceeding to the Orkneys Avenger embarked her second quadroon, 825 (9 Swordfish II) from RNAS Hatston, on July 22nd, 802 squadron (6 Sea Hurricane Ib) made a brief visit to the ship on the 13th – 15th of July for familiarisation and DLTs from RNAS Machrihanish, this unit was to join Avenger on September 2nd for convoy escort duties.
HMS Avenger completed her work up period on August 17th 1942 and began preparations for her first voyage on active duty, providing air cover for convoy PQ18 to Northern Russia. Following the disastrous events of PQ17 which was severely mauled by German forces (11 of 35 merchant ships survived) PQ18 had an increased escorting force strength, including Avenger for air cover. Close escort was provided by 20 warships including Avenger andher two escorting destroyers. Close cover was given by the Anti Aircraft cruiser HMS Scylla (Flag, Rear-Admiral R L Burnett) and 16 fleet destroyers. In addition distant cover was available in the form oft the Battleships H.M.S. Duke of York and Anson, the Cruiser H.M.S. Jamaica, and Destroyers H.M.S. Bramham, Keppel, Mackay and Montrose
Avenger participated in operation ‘EV’ from September 2nd joining the escort group for PQ18, a convoy comprising of 39 merchant ships which departed from Loch Ewe on September 2nd , reaching Hvalfjord, Iceland on the 8th before heading for Murmansk. Avenger and her escorts left PQ18 on the 13th to pick up the UK bound OP14.
Convoy QP14 sailed on September 13th to gain the protection of Avenger and Admiral Burnett's AA cruiser and destroyer force. The force covered the fifteen ships of the convoy to Sedisfjord, Iceland; several of these vessels were survivors of PQ17, also two rescue ships, Zamalek, and Rathlin, and a fleet oil tanker the Gray Ranger. During this period Avenger's aircraft shot down 5 enemy aircraft for the loss of 5 Sea Hurricanes and a single Swordfish with the loss of 1 pilot. A Swordfish from 825 Squadron shared in the sinking of U-589 with surface escort HMS Onslow on the 14th, surface escorts sank a further 2 U-boats in the course of several running battles; September 12th south of Spitzbergen, the destroyer HMS Faulknor sank U-88, and on the 16th HMS Impulsive sank U-457 in the Barents Sea north-east of Murmansk. Of the 15 vessels in the convoy 12 reached Iceland, the convoy arrived at Loch Ewe on the 26th.
Operation ‘TORCH’
Reaching Gibraltar in November Avenger disembarked her ASW element, 833 being put ashore to RN Air Section North Front. Avenger now prepared fro her role as a Fighter carrier as a part of operation "Torch", the North African landings. There were three RN Task force elements taking part, Force ‘H’ comprising of Fleet carriers Formidable and Victorious; Centre Naval Task group (covering Oran) comprising of the Fleet carrier Furious and CVEs Biter and Dasher; Eastern Naval Task group (covering Algiers) Fleet carrier HMS Argus with CVE Avenger. The landings took place on the night of 7th/8th November 1942.
The Sea Hurricanes of Argus and Avenger made strikes against coastal defences and the airfields of Blida and Maison Blanche; operations went faster than anticipated and the Vichy French forces were subdued within days. On November 10th Avenger transferred her remaining serviceable Sea Hurricanes (4) to Argus (which had 7 remaining serviceable) before entering the newly occupied Port of Algiers for engine repairs; her speed had been reduced to 14 Knots due to engine defects.
Avenger was ready for sea again by the 12th, leaving Algiers early in the morning to form yup with the UK with convoy MKF 1(Y). This convoy comprised of vessels that had taken part in operation ‘TORCH’, including the empty troop transports Dempo, Ettrick, Letitia, Orbita, Macharda, Ulster Monarch, and Warwick Castle along with heavy equipment transports USS Almaack and the USS Samuel Chase (convoy commodore) The escort group had Avenger and Argus for air cover.
This convoy reached Gibraltar Harbour on the
morning of November 14th before sailing for the UK at 1800 hours.
The convoy came under attack 45 nautical miles south of Cape Santa
Maria, Portugal. Shortly after 0305 on the morning of the 15th, the
convoy escort commander ordering an immediate turn to starboard,
detecting a U-Boat in the area,. U-155 was at that moment preparing
to fire torpedoes, and was forced to fire from a considerably longer
distance that originally planned. The submarines commander fired two
torpedoes at this longer range, and a third shortly after as the
range closed. The first ship hit was the USS Almaack, she was hit as
she steadied on the new heading, and moments later a second ship,
the HMTS Ettrick the third torpedo struck HMS Avenger port side
amidships at 0320 (GMT). This was a catastrophic hit for Avenger,
the resulting explosion ripped through her Bomb Room and ignited the
munitions stored there; the ship literally had her guts torn out by
the resulting secondary explosions. The centre section of the ship
gone her bow and stern sections rose in the air as her back broke;
HMS Avenger sunk in under 5 minutes with only 12 survivors.
Avenger's Commanding Officer, 67 Officers and 446 ratings were lost. Writing to the Admiralty Lieutenant Commander N. F. Kingscote, Commanding Officer of the HMS Ulster Monarch, wrote;
Petty Officer J. F. Davis, FX80202;
Content revised: July 2008
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