- Contributed by听
- regularIMPRESS
- People in story:听
- Anon
- Location of story:听
- Ceylon/Sri Lanka
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A3435851
- Contributed on:听
- 22 December 2004
HMS Rajah is seen here off the stern, starboard quarter of the Battleship HMS King George V. The photograph was taken by one of the Rajah's aircraft while anchored in Colombo Harbour. (Photograph, Crown copyright).
This is the wartime history of the Escort Carrier HMS Rajah, which took my father, together with thousands of other Fleet Air Arm personnel out to the Far East.
HMS Rajah (D-10) was a Ruler class escort carrier built in the USA at Seattle-Tacoma as USS Mclure AVG 45 - ACV 45 - CVE 45. Designation changed from AVG to ACV 20 August 1942, changed from ACV to CVE on 15 July 1943. She was laid down on 17 December 1942, and launched 18 May 1943, completed by Wiliamette, and was later renamed USS Prince on 13 December 1943. She was transferred to the Royal Navy on 17 January 1944 and commissioned the same day as HMS Rajah.
The Ruler class ships were the third group of escort carriers built in the USA for the Royal Navy, and were generally similar to the preceding "Attacker" Class. The modifications carried out to the earlier class after their arrival in the UK were incorporated in the "Ruler" Class during construction. Many of the class were used as amphibious support carriers, taking part in the invasion of Southern France. Others supported Eastern Fleet operations against Burma and Malaya, and some served with the British Pacific Fleet as escorts for the Fleet Train.
HMS Rajah's main wartime duties included ferry and transport activities in which she acted as a general purpose carrier, serving in the far east in the British Pacific Fleet for most of the war, arriving at Cochin 9 October 1944.
Rajah was returned to the USN on 13 December 1946, became mercantile Drente 1948, Lambros 1966, and Ulisse/Ulysses 1969. Sold and scrapped Spain 1975.
A more detailed picture of the Rajah is attached to my story 'Elephants in the Fleet Air Arm'
Battle Honours
Pacific 1944-1945
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