World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseHMS Colossus, the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers, was commissioned into service in 1944. She departed Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom for the Pacific Ocean in Mar 1945 with 24 Corsair IV fighers (No. 1846 Naval Air Squadron) and 18 Barracuda II torpedo bombers (No. 827 Naval Air Squadron) on board, arriving in Australia via the Indian Ocean in Jul 1945. In Aug 1945, she became the flagship of Rear Admiral Cecil Harcourt of British 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron. The Pacific War would end before she was deployed for combat duties. In late 1945, she assisted in post-war occupation of Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. In Dec 1945, she transported liberated Dutch prisoners of war to Colombo, Ceylon.

ww2dbaseIn Aug 1946, the ship was loaned to France. Operating under the new name of Arromanches, she participated in the First Indochina War in 1948. In 1951, France purchased the ship. Between 1953 and 1954, she returned to French Indochina. In 1956, she was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea during the Suez Crisis, during which she would launch air strikes against Egyptian targets. After a flight deck reconstruction between 1957 and 1958, she returned to waters off Southeast Asia. She operated as a training carrier for the most part in the following few years. In 1968, she was converted to a anti-submarine helicopter carrier and was reassigned to the French Troupes de marine. She was decommissioned in 1974 and was sol for scrap at Toulon, France in 1978.

Photographs

Colossus Operational Timeline

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