British Aircraft Carrier HMS Formidable

HMS Formidable was an Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered for the Royal Navy before the Second World War. After being completed in late 1940, she was briefly assigned to the Home Fleet before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet as a replacement for her crippled sister ship Illustrious. Formidable’s aircraft played a key role in the Battle of Cape Matapan in early 1941, and they subsequently provided cover for Allied ships and attacked Axis forces until their carrier was badly damaged by German dive bombers in May.

Assigned to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean in early 1942, Formidable covered the invasion of Diego Suarez in Vichy Madagascar in mid-1942 against the possibility of a sortie by the Japanese into the Indian Ocean. Formidable returned home for a brief refit before participating in Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa in November. She remained in the Mediterranean and covered the invasions of Sicily and mainland Italy in 1943 before beginning a lengthy refit.

Formidable made several attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz in Norway in mid-1944 as part of the Home Fleet. She was subsequently assigned to the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) in 1945 where she played a supporting role during the Battle of Okinawa and later attacked targets in the Japanese Home Islands. She was hit twice by kamikaze aircraft on the 4th and 9th of May. In both instances, she was saved by her armoured deck and was able return to flight operations rapidly. The ship was used to repatriate liberated Allied prisoners of war and soldiers after the Japanese surrender and then ferried British personnel across the globe through 1946. She was placed in reserve the following year and sold for scrap in 1953.

Photographs of HMS Formidable

Construction and Launch

The Launch of HMS Formidable 17 August 1939

Photos of HMS Formidable

A Grumman Wildcat on HMS Formidable November 1942

HMS Formidable

HMS Formidable 3 August 1942

HMS Formidable approaching Gibraltar January 1944

HMS Formidable

HMS Formidable, April, 1943

HMS Formidable November 1943

Aircrew on HMS Formidable June 1942

Crewmen seen during daily exercises on the flight deck of HMS Formidable.

Turkish Military Mission With Western Mediterranean Fleet. 9 April 1943, on Board HMS Formidable

HMS Formidable

Aircraft flying off from HMS Formidable November 1943

Bomb Damage From the Pedestal Convoy

A bomb explodes in the water near HMS Formidable 26 May 1941

HMS Formidable hit by bombs 26 May 1941

HMS Formidable listing after the attack 26 May 1941

Damage to HMS Formidable 26 May 1941

HMS Formidable in the Far East

Fairey Albacores of No 820 Squadron Fleet Air Arm from HMS Formidable (R67) in the Indian Ocean.

HMS Formidable at Leyte, Philippines 1945

HMS Victorious is nearest the camera. On the row to the right are HM ships Formidable, Unicorn, Indefatigable and Indomitable San Pedro Bay Leyte 1945 Task Force 57

HMS Formidable and HMS Implacable return to Sydney

HMS Formidable, flight deck filled with Corsair aircraft, seen from HMS Whimbrel U-45 in 1945.

HMS Formidable seen from HMS Whimbrel U-45 in 1945.

HMS Formidable sailing into a monsoon while serving with Force A. Note the wind screens raised at the front of the flight deck.

HMS Formidable (67) in the Indian Ocean 1944-45

HMS Formidable returning to Sydney 24 August 1945

HMS Formidable returning to Sydney 24 August 1945 with 1300 POWs and internees from Japan

HMS Formidable seen in Sydney Harbour.

HMS Formidable seen at Sydney, Australia.

HMS Formidable being towed to her berth in Sydney 24 August 1945

QF 4.5-inch Mk III guns aboard HMS Formidable, Sydney harbor, Australia, 6 Dec 1945

Kamikaze Attack

HMS Formidable in the Captain Cook Dry Dock on Garden Island Sydney for repairs following the Kamikaze attacks

4 May 1945

HMS Formidable under attack

HMS Formidable on fire

Firefighting on the flight deck following the attack

The ‘dent’ at the junction of three armoured plates on HMS Formidable’s flight deck, with debris blocking the small puncture wound to the hangar below.

Concrete patch on HMS Formidable’ flight deck

9 May 1945

HMS Formidable under attack on 9 May 1945

HMS Formidable on fire 9 May 1945

Aircraft on fire on HMS Formidable 9 May 1945

Damage control following the 9 May attack on HMS Formidable

Vought Corsair destroyed in the 9 May attack on HMS Formidable

Aircraft Operations

Fairey Albacore

Fairey Albacore crews of No. 820 NAS on board HMS Formidable September 1942

Fairey Albacore of No. 820 NAS on board HMS Formidable

Fairey Albacore on board HMS Formidable June 1943

Fairey Albacore with full bomb-racks being wheeled into position on the flight deck of HMS Formidable 6-9 November 1942

Fairey Albacore taking off from HMS Formidable September 1942

Loading 250lb bombs onto a Fairey Albacore for the raid on Algiers Nov 1942

Bombing up a Fairey Albacore on the flight deck of HMS Formidable

Albacore ∅L BF653 from 820 Squadron, HMS Formidable, during Operation Torch

Fairey Albacores on the flight deck of HMS Formidable

Fairey Albacore coming up in the after lift of HMS Formidable Sep 1942

Fairey Albacores of 820 NAS being ranged on the flight deck of HMS Formidable

Fairey Albacore with full bomb-racks being wheeled into position on the flight deck of HMS Formidable Nov 1942

Fairey Albacore taking off from HMS Formidable Sep 42

A Fairey Albacore I BF759 4L of 820 Squadron in flight, during the North African landings Nov 1942

Fairey Albacores on a training flight off Mombasa 25 May 1942

Fairey Albacores of 820 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm from HMS Formidable

Fairey Albacores on a training flight off Mombasa 25 May 1942

Fairey Albacores of 820 Naval Air Squadron starting out on an exercise

A formation of three Fairey Albacores of 820 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm from HMS Formidable

Fairey Albacore planes of 820 Naval Air Squadron starting out on an exercise carrying torpedoes

Eight Fairey Albacore planes of 820 Naval Air Squadron in echelon

Fairey Albacore shot down near Marotsipoy during the Battle of Madagascar in 1942

Fairey Barracuda

A Fairey Barracuda makes a bad landing on HMS Formidable and hits the crash barrier at speed. Bits of the propellor can be seen flying in the air.

A Fairey Barracuda on fire from enemy flak lands on HMS Formidable and the fire is put out by the crash party Aug 1944

A Fairey Barracuda on HMS Formidable Aug 1944

A Fairey Barracuda maintenance crew on HMS Formidable Aug 1944

Bombing up a Fairey Barracuda with a 1600 lb bomb on board HMS Formidable

A Fairey Barracuda with its undercarriage damaged makes a landing on the extreme edge of HMS Formidable’s deck. It was rescued by a crane.

Barracudas landing on HMS Formidable after attacking the Tirpitz and other enemy ships off Norway

Fairey Barracuda torpedo bombers and Vought Corsair fighters on HMS Formidable

Fairey Barracuda bombers on HMS Formidable August 1944

Fairey Fulmar

Fairey Fulmar Mark Is of No. 803 Squadron from HMS Formidable, photographed from a third while flying to HMS Eagle during February 1941

Fairey Fulmar Mark Is of No. 803 Squadron on the flight deck of HMS Formidable, after the Battle of Matapan, March 1941

Fairey Fulmar on HMS Formidable during the Madagascar Operation 24 April – 10 May 1942

Fairey Fulmars on the flight deck of HMS Formidable part of the naval covering force for the Madagascar Apr-May 1942

803 Sqn FAA Fairey Fulmar on HMS Formidable during the Madagascar Operation 24 April – 10 May 1942

Grumman Wildcat

The flight deck party folding the wings of a Martlet (Wildcat) which has just landed on HMS Formidable Sep 1942

Martlet fighters on the flight deck of HMS Formidable Sep 1942

Martlet fighters on the flight deck of HMS Formidable

Martlet fighter warming up on the flight deck of HMS Formidable

Martlet (Wildcat) fighter on HMS Formidable Sep 1942

Martlet (Wildcat) fighter on HMS Formidable Sep 1942. The crew are watching HMS Rodney firing.

Martlet (Wildcat) fighter on HMS Formidable Sep 1942

A Grumman Martlet of No 888 Squadron taking off from HMS Formidable in the Mediterranean. A 14217 Part of ADMIRALTY OFFICIAL COLLECTION Roper, F G (Lt) Royal Navy official photographer