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HMS Ravager was an Attacker class escort carrier that was used for deck landing training for most of its service career. She was built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp, launched in July 1942 and completed in April 1943.
On 2 July 1943 No.846 Squadron and its Avengers embarked on the Ravager in the US, then escorted an eastbound convoy across the Atlantic, arriving in late July. Ravager then spent some time in a British port being modified to Royal Navy standards.
The Ravager began its career as a deck landing training carrier in the third quarter of 1943, operating alongside HMS Argus in the Clyde. The quarterly reports on Naval Aviation produced for the War Cabinet recorded the numbers of pilots who had qualified in deck landing or who had undergone refresher courses from then until the end of the war, although don't distinguish between the various carriers used for the role.
Period |
Newly Qualified |
Refresher Courses |
Carriers Involved |
August-October 1943 |
226 |
60 |
Argus, Ravager |
November 1943-January 1944 |
217 |
65 |
Argus, Ravager |
February-April 1944 |
224 |
85 |
Argus, Ravager |
May-July 1944 |
275 |
20 |
Argus, Ravager, relieved for short periods by Trumpeter, Khedive, Rajah |
August-October 1944 |
290 |
17 |
Argus, Ravager to mid September, then Speaker, Ravager |
November 1944-January 1945 |
281 |
88 |
|
February-April 1945 |
375 |
72 |
|
May-July 1945 |
452 |
26 |
A number of squadrons were officially based on the Ravager to carry out their training, including No.835 (Sea Hurricane) between September and November 1943, No.1833 Squadron (Corsair II) in November-December 1943, No.1834 Squadron (Corsair) in the first half of February 1944 and No.1771 Squadron (Fairey Firefly) during the summer of 1944. Other pilots trained with No.761 Squadron, the advanced training squadron of the Fleet Fighter School.
The Ravager was returned to the US Navy on 27 February 1946 and sold off as a merchantman.
Squadrons
The Sea Hurricane IIcs of No.835 Squadron's fighter flight were detached to Ravager from Battler at the end of September 1943, but were gone by mid-November.
No.846 NAS
No.846 Squadron and its Avenger Is embarked on Ravager on 2 July 1943, disembarking on 28 July in the UK.
Displacement (loaded) |
10,200t standard |
Top Speed |
18.5kts |
Range |
|
Length |
491ft 7in to 496ft 1in oa |
Armaments |
18-24 aircraft |
Crew complement |
646 |
Launched |
16 July 1942 |
Completed |
26 April 1943 |
Returned to US |
1946 |