MAY 19, 2026, UPDATES:
Added the initial US Navy Bureau of Ships assessment of battle damage to HMS Formidable from 1941. This precedes the full analysis and final report later submitted to the Admiralty.
Added the Captain’s report for the kamikaze attack on HMS Victorious on May 9,1945.
MAY 1, 2026, UPDATE: I am transcribing and adding to my relevant British Pacific Fleet pages a selection of original reports submitted to the USN by Vice Admiral British Pacific Fleet, as found at the US National Archives. Check the “+” links under the BPF pages below over the next few weeks as I add more.
It’s not at all often you get an RN armoured carrier in the same frame as a USS Essex class. Here HMS Implacable crosses the stern of USS Randolph off the coast of Japan. Many, many thanks to Researcher at Large for finding the original negative of this image and sharing a fresh digital print with me.