A striking shot of a Sea Fury being moved. The chockmen so close to the undercarriage and the very reduced team numbers pushing it off the lift suggests the aircraft had no brake pressure. That, and the close-by Doggy, indicates it may have been a hangar reshuffle after flying was completed for the day and before a high-line or message bag transfer. Sometimes a reduced hangar handling team, like this, might pop up one or two aircraft to enable access to a potentially serviceable craft for the next day’s flying or to put a potentially extended service aircraft out of the way, up against the fire curtain that divided A and B hangars. HMAS Anzac, a Battle Class destroyer, crosses close astern. (RAN image).
The carrier that replaced Triumph, HMS Theseus, had been completed
for service in February 1946 and had initially been allocated to the Far East
Fleet with No.804 NAS and its Seafires plus No.812 NAS and its Fireflies
aboard. After a refit in Rosyth Dockyard during 1947 the air wing was
re-equipped with Sea Furies and Fireflies of Nos 807 and 813 NAS. After
working-up the carrier departed for Sasebo on 8 October 1950 in company with
the cruiser HMS Kenya plus Constance, Sioux and Cayuga. En route to Sasebo
extensive and concentrated flying training was carried out to ensure that the
pilots could land their aircraft safely thus reducing the workload overall on
the maintenance teams, who would be fully stretched keeping the aircraft
rearmed and maintained during operations, without having to repair damaged
airframes. The deck parties also worked hard to ensure that their duties were
performed without mistakes and, in particular, the deck landing officers
studied each approaching aircraft and would wave it off if there was any doubt.
Having arrived in Hong Kong on 29 September the carrier
would depart for Sasebo on 2 October, the air wing arriving back on board after
having been ashore at Kai Tak from 24 September. The journey was slowed
slightly as there was a typhoon warning in force and the aircraft were secured
for this eventuality and the carrier and escorts slowed down to reduce the
possibility of damage to the smaller ships. The delay meant that the ships did
not arrive until 4 October. Once secured in Sasebo Theseus received extra
aircraft from HMS Warrior which had replaced Unicorn as the carrier support
vessel. Unlike Unicorn HMS Warrior had been built as fully functional aircraft
carrier before assuming its new role in June 1950. With its full inventory of
aircraft aboard the ground crews applied black and white striping to all the
aircraft for recognition purposes. With a full complement of vessels available
Admiral Andrewes decided to reorganise the ships so that Task Element TE 95.11
comprised Theseus plus escorts, TE 95.12 was for surface patrol and blockade,
TE 95.13 was the screen element while another handful of small ships and
aircraft covered minesweeping and general tasking. On 9 October Theseus
undertook its first operational patrol off the Korean coast, combat cover was
provided by the Sea Furies while the Firefly squadron carried out
anti-submarine patrols. By this time the Firefly had been fitted with a radar
pod in place of one of the under-wing fuel tanks; it detracted little from the
aircraft’s performance and its addition gave the aircraft better capabilities.
The main patrol area for Theseus was the Yellow Sea close by the Shantung
Peninsula. While the carrier was fitted with a very good air warning radar it
was decided that the standing air patrols would be maintained during daylight
hours for increased security. During these patrols the Sea Fury pilots felt
themselves to be most unlucky not to engage in any air to air combat although
they did manage to intercept various Neptunes, Sunderlands and B-29 Superfortress
bombers heading to bomb the bridges on the Yula River.
Missions selected for Theseus included the usual selection
of standing air patrols and anti-submarine patrols to which were added armed
reconnaissance and air strikes, the latter being handed down by the Joint
Operations Centre, initially located in Seoul and later in Taegu. Prior to
departure on patrol the carrier was provided with all the intelligence and
target data current at that time, any updates concerning new targets and
bombing missions would be sent by immediate signal. To improve targeting the
aerial operational areas were marked out on special maps that broke the country
up into designated squares which were also marked with roads that were
allocated colours and numbers. As soon as a target was spotted within any area
it could be quickly identified on the armed reconnaissance map and aircraft
assigned to attack. This method of attacking available targets soon drove the
North Koreans to find another way of using the roads. By night it was far
easier while in daylight extremely good camouflage was needed, even so as
aircrews became familiar with their assigned territories any unusual changes
were quickly spotted and these potential targets could be dealt with. In order
to protect the aircraft and crews it was recommended that general area over
flights be carried out at 1,500 ft while over zones with a greater
concentration of defences the recommended height was 5,000 ft. Ground strikes
in support of ground forces was normally managed using the British method of
strike management. This consisted of an aerial controller flying in an NAA T.6
Harvard in contact by radio with spotters on the ground. Using this method of
control allowed fast moving aircraft to come close to their targets as they sprayed
the area with bombs, rockets and cannon fire. Obviously this lack of accuracy
meant that the targets suffered only minor damage so the Americans developed
and deployed napalm bombs while the Fleet Air Arm concentrated upon improving
their accuracy which in turn caused greater casualties amongst the enemy. The
crews of both Fireflies and Sea Furies also had to contend with the fact that
their area of operations was highly mountainous, to their credit not a single
aircraft was lost to terrain collision accidents. As the flights from the
aircraft carriers were over nearly 80 miles of sea it was common practice to
have a destroyer placed approximately at the mid-flight point between the
carrier operating point and Inchon this being known as ‘Bird Dog’.
When Theseus arrived in theatre its air wing complement
consisted of 23 Sea Furies of No.807 NAS commanded by Lt Cdr A J Thomson DSC
and No.813 NAS commanded by Lt Cdr L W A Barrington with 12 Fireflies plus a
Sea/Air Rescue (SAR) component consisting of either a Sea Otter amphibian or a
helicopter. The vessel’s captain was Captain A S Bolt DSO, DSC. When the air
wing was tasked with sorties the single-seater fighters were fitted with 45
gallon external fuel tanks while the two-seaters had 55 gallon tanks installed.
These were needed because the sortie lengths were timed at two and a half
hours. Added to the extra fuel load was the internal and external weapons loads
which required that either the catapult be used for launching or, if that was
out of action, each aircraft had to be boosted by RATOG packs. Initially the
Sea Furies were launched with a weapons load of two 500 lb bombs, although this
was later changed to the lighter 60 lb rockets as the required over-deck speed
of 28 knots was not achievable by Theseus as the carriers hull required
scraping and was therefore only capable of 22 knots. Changing the bomb loads to
the Fireflies meant that the carrier needed only to achieve a top speed of 21
knots. As the handling crews became more experienced the launch and recovery
rates improved; when operating with the US 7th Fleet carriers they were well
able to match the launch rate of the Americans even though Theseus only had the
one catapult. During the carrier’s deployment it was found that the best launch
rate was 50 sorties per day however this could be pushed to 66 per day should
the need arise. The first strike launched by Theseus on 9 October consisted of
six Sea Furies carrying eight 60 lb warhead rockets and four Fireflies armed
with a pair of 500 lb bombs each, the strike leader being Lt Cdr
Stovin-Bradford DSC, the air wing commander. The assigned targets were
Paengyong-do and the Fireflies concentrated upon the more hardened targets
while the fighters strafed and rocketed everything that moved and much that did
not. All aircraft returned to Theseus without damage after two hours airborne.
The afternoon saw the next strike launched this time only five Sea Furies were
sent although the Firefly complement remained the same. The target was the
harbour area at Chinnampo. As before the Fireflies attacked the more hardened
targets with better success than the morning raid while yet again the fighters
attacked the slightly softer targets. During both sorties very little
anti-aircraft fire was encountered and was restricted to some rifle fire.
The following day the air wing resumed the more mundane
duties of anti-submarine patrols which were coupled with searching for mines.
During one of these flights an 810 NAS Firefly crew reported the possible
existence of a minefield to the north of the carrier group. Although not an
immediate threat efforts were promptly made to remove it. While the rolling
patrols were being undertaken Theseus launched four Fireflies escorted by a
pair of Sea Furies tasked with attacking the railway bridge at Chang-you and
two spans were successfully downed. Once the Fireflies had finished, one being
slightly damaged by blast from its own bombs, the Sea Furies attacked rail and
road vehicles in the vicinity of the railway station. While one strike force
was demolishing a bridge and giving the locals a hard time a further four Sea
Furies led by the air wing commander attacked other buildings and positions
around the area. During these attacks a Sea Fury, VW628, flown by Lieutenant
Leonard was damaged causing the engine to fail. The pilot managed to retain
control long enough to crash land in a local paddy field. In an effort to
protect the pilot who had remained trapped in his wrecked aircraft a pair of
his companions in Sea Furies circled the area until fuel ran short at which
point another Sea Fury took over. While providing support for their downed
compatriot a request had been made for a rescue helicopter from Kimpo. Within
the hour the helicopter touched down to be met by gunfire from a nearby building.
As the onboard doctor helped the seriously injured airman from his cockpit the
helicopter pilot laid down covering fire from his aircraft while urging the
doctor to hurry. Eventually Lt Leonard was extracted from his aircraft and both
the patient and doctor returned to the helicopter which took off safely. While
the USAF helicopter was performing its rescue, support was given by an USMC
Grumman F7F Tigercat which destroyed the Sea Fury as the final act of this
drama.
The afternoon sorties went ahead as planned comprising four
Fireflies and six Sea Furies armed with bombs and rockets respectively. While
the Fireflies caused some damage to their target the Sea Furies, operating in
pairs, attacked lesser targets of opportunity. All aircraft would later return
to Theseus safely. Of the strikes planned for 11 October only the morning
sorties were launched in an effort to catch the North Koreans still in the
open. Unfortunately, they quickly disappeared as the fighters came near but
even so some targets were found and attacked with some success. A further
mission was launched later that morning against the islands off the west coast
but this was the last attack possible before the weather deteriorated below
flying minima. As no further flying was possible that day Theseus moved off to
the replenishment area near Inchon to refuel the destroyer escort before
returning to its station the next morning. No sorties were flown on the morning
of 12 October, the plan being to launch a major attack against targets in the
vicinity of Chang-yong. Although the attempt to take out the bridge failed,
strafing and rocket attacks against troop trenches, ammunition dumps and
antiaircraft emplacements were more successful, at least one dump blowing up
most satisfactorily. These continued harassing attacks seemed to be driving
enemy forces out of the Haeju-Ongjin area, however, Admiral Andrewes decided
that Theseus would continue operations in the area as the harbour at Haeju was
a useful port and that the enemy could still have his communications harassed
in the Chinnampo area. The following day was a relatively quiet one for the
Theseus air wing, the Fireflies carried out their assigned patrols while the
Sea Furies strafed some junks suspected of being mine layers. A further sortie
launched that afternoon saw the Sea Furies attacking various small vessels
suspected of being employed by the enemy; during these attacks both rockets and
cannons were utilised garnering some success.
The original mission planned for 14 October was against
targets in the Sariwon area but the alternative at Chinnampo was selected. The
Firefly contingent bombed buildings with some success while the fighters used
their rockets and cannons to attack targets of opportunity. On their way home
from the harbour the Sea Furies attacked some junks and troop trenches. As some
of the junks had escaped from the fighters attention it was decided to refuel
and rearm them quickly so that they could return to finish the job. The attack
was successful and the junks destroyed. Having dealt with the shipping the
fighters went onto harass troops positions in the area surrounding Chinnampo
harbour while the Fireflies concentrated upon the docks. The weather on the
following day played a part in curtailing the aerial operations from Theseus
although one attack was made again on the bridge at Sariwon although it
survived the attentions of the Fireflies. One of the Fireflies would just
manage to return to the carrier as its engine was close to failing. A similar
fate befell the air wing commander whose engine failed just after touchdown.
Once the strike force had landed it was the turn of the combat patrol to make
the attempt, by that time visibility had reduced drastically although both did
manage to touch down safely. Both the damaged aircraft were struck down into
the hanger where engine changes were carried out bringing them both up to a
serviceable status. On 16 October the Sea Furies were launched in late morning
to attack some minelaying junks proceeding up the coast which blew up
dramatically after being hit by fire from all aircraft. Following this
spectacular part of the mission the fighters attacked warehouses at Chinnampo
destroying them with their remaining rockets. Once the fighters were safely
recovered HMS Theseus departed for Inchon for refuelling from the tankers RFA
Green Ranger and Wave Premier. During this phase of the deployment
serviceability amongst the aircraft was at least 99 per cent, a credit to the
ships engineering staff.
Around breakfast time on 18 October HMS Theseus departed
from Inchon and the first flights were launched soon afterwards, as normal the
Firefly squadron put up an anti-submarine and mine patrol while the Sea Furies
provided air cover. While Theseus had been in port the ground forces had pushed
the North Koreans hard and the designated bomb line, the movable point on the
tactical map above which weapons could be used without restriction, was moving
northwards rapidly. This meant that targets were few and far between. As there
was little trade for the aircraft the Fireflies over flew the frontlines while
the Sea Furies took a look at the harbours along the coast, while little was to
be seen one Sea Fury experienced anti-aircraft fire which damaged the engine,
fortunately the pilot was able to make an emergency landing on the carrier.
With so little to do in their assigned area the Theseus Task Force moved
further north taking up a position which enabled the air group to fly
comfortably in the Sinanju-Chongju-Sonchon zone, arriving on 19 October. The
first operations were launched the next morning, their targets being in the
vicinity of Chongju. The Fireflies attacked buildings used for storage while
the Sea Furies attacked various warehouses and the infrastructure of the local
railway. As the town had been severely bombed by the USAF B-29 force there was
very little of significance left to attack. While further sorties were launched
in the afternoon and the following morning not enough targets remained in the
area to justify Theseus remaining on station, therefore, the Task Force was
ordered back to port at Sasebo. The return to Sasebo was well timed as the
reeving of the catapult was found to be worn through while the arrester cables
were also in need of an overhaul.
Such was the need for Theseus to resume patrol duties that
the carrier was ordered back to sea earlier than expected. Prior to leaving
Sasebo on 27 October three damaged Sea Furies were returned ashore and six
Fireflies would fly off for Iwakuni as Theseus had no catapult available. In
return a US Navy helicopter would land aboard the carrier for the task acting
in concert with the minesweepers to clear the approaches of Chinnampo harbour.
With a reduced number of Fireflies aboard their task was restricted purely to
anti-submarine and mine spotting. In contrast the Sea Furies undertook armed
reconnaissance duties throughout their assigned patrol area. As there were
weight restrictions due to the lack of a catapult the fighters had to fly
without external fuel tanks, rockets or bombs which left the 20 mm cannon as
their only offensive capability Having taken off under their own power for
their first patrol it was decided for the next day’s flying that due to the
lack of a decent headwind that RATOG would be used to get the patrol airborne.
The first three departed in accordance with the pilots notes however the fourth
suffered a possible misfire and flipped over on its back just after take-off.
Fortunately quick reactions by the pilot saved it from crashing into the sea
and the patrol continued after the RATOG had been jettisoned. As there was
little work for the carrier to do it was decided to return the vessel to
Sasebo. En route to port the six missing Fireflies were flown on, a further
three would be transhipped from HMS Unicorn in port. While en route the ships
engineering department replaced the acceleration and retardation ropes for the
catapult which was a feat in itself as it was normally a task reserved for a
well equipped dockyard. This practice would later become the norm for this
class of aircraft carrier. On 8 November Theseus, in company with HMS Sioux,
departed for Hong Kong. During the passage to Hong Kong the ships were warned
that the remnants of Typhoon Clare was headed their way. While the carrier rode
out the storm quite well the smaller ship suffered some damage but, even so,
both vessels arrived safely on 11 November.
After completing re-storing Theseus put to sea for catapult
trials which were successfully carried out. With the carrier fully serviceable
the air wing was put through its paces and while some incidents occurred, both
squadrons passed muster, the final aircraft arriving from Kai Tak on the
evening of 30 November. On 1 December HMS Theseus departed from Hong Kong
arriving in Sasebo some three days later. The continued presence of a carrier
in the far east was fortuitous as it had been intended to reduce the Royal Navy
contingent in the war zone as the United Nations forces appeared to be winning,
however the tone of the war was soon to change. On 25 October the UN forces had
reached the Yula river and were in the process of consolidating their positions
when they were subject to heavy attacks by units of the Chinese Red Army
Further incursions saw the UN frontline reversing course rapidly finally
reaching the Chongchon river where a new front line was established. In support
of the ground forces the US 7th Fleet launched every aircraft to attack the
advancing Chinese forces with further attacks being mounted by the USAF units
in theatre. In order not to lose too many troops it was decided to lift off an
many as possible by sea. Evacuation was already underway from Wonsan with the
rescued troops being deposited further south where they could be redeployed.
HMS Theseus with Admiral Andrewes aboard departed from Sasebo
on 4 December as part of Carrier Task Group 95.1 with three escorts. Their role
was to provide air cover for the amphibious rescue effort. To that end a
constant stream of Fireflies and Sea Furies began operations on 5 December
attacking targets in the area on Chinnampo. The railways in that area, so vital
for moving supplies, were heavily hit. Flying throughout that day was hampered
by the first fingers of winter as snow showers were hampering either launches
or recoveries. The following day was similar but, even so, targets along the
coast were attacked with rockets. With all aircraft safely returned the carrier
departed to Inchon as one of the propeller glands was exhibiting signs of
overheating and needed repacking. Fortunately this was quickly carried out and
Theseus was back on station in the early hours of the following day. Over the
following two days the Sea Furies and the Fireflies attacked various enemy
targets along the coast and around the outskirts of Chinnampo. The following
day the weather worsened resulting in the aircraft from Theseus landing at
Kimpo.
Strikes resumed on 11 December and were particularly
successful as a pair of rail bridges were attacked while the Sea Furies totally
wrecked a moving train. Pyongyang was the focus for the air wing the following
day with a dam and two bridges attacked. While in the area the aircraft also
took the opportunity to destroy buildings once occupied by the UN and to
destroy any stores remaining in the area. The following day a similar range of targets
were treated to some destruction as were some truck convoys and small shipping
off the coast. After four days on station Theseus returned to Sasebo. The time
in port was short as Theseus departed the next day complete with its usual
selection of escorts. The carrier’s arrival on station was a bit premature
because the weather deteriorated rapidly which meant that although flying was
possible it was delayed as the aircraft needed de-icing and the flight deck
required clearing of snow. However, the usual range of patrols was launched as
was a small Sea Fury strike group. While the patrols had an uneventful time the
strike mission enjoyed the freedom to attack trucks trapped by the weather near
the Chongchon river. Once the Sea Furies had returned the patrols were quickly
recalled as the weather was worsening. On 19 December the Sea Furies had a
field day in Hangju-Sariwon area where they successfully destroyed a large
amount of trucks and some tanks. The Fireflies also undertook bombing raids
along the roads although they had to do it through gaps in the clouds.
The following day also saw further strikes being launched
with Sea Furies attacking buildings in the area of Chinnampo and Sariwon after
which they strafed a bulldozer, hit two petrol, oil and lubricant (POL) dumps
and some lorries. Over the next two days similar sorties were undertaken
although all were interrupted occasionally by the snow. Even so bridges, trucks
and buildings were given close attention by the roving aircraft. On 22 December
the carrier had a rest day for refuelling with flying resuming the following
day. This time the sorties by the Fireflies were unproductive and some aircraft
jettisoned their rockets before landing. However, the Sea Furies had more joy
attacking a troop concentration near Pyongyang and trucks and buildings with
good results. While most of the world was looking forward to Christmas the
Theseus air wing was again in action on Christmas Eve successfully attacking a
column of troops en route to Sariwon after which Sariwon itself was subject to
attack. On Christmas Day two strike sorties were launched against Sariwon again
where, once more, troops, vehicles and buildings were hit. The follow-up
mission and the standing patrols were halted when fuel checks revealed that the
fuel in some of the aircraft was contaminated by water. Once all available
aircraft had been checked those confirmed as clear were launched to provide the
standing patrols which remained airborne until the strike sortie had returned.
Once all aircraft had landed-on, the carrier plus escorts set course for
Sasebo. When in Sasebo on 26 December the carrier picked up a new group of
pilots before departing for Kure. Arriving in port the carrier moored alongside
Unicorn where damaged aircraft were replaced by serviceable machines. It would
be New Year’s Eve when Theseus finally celebrated Christmas, a good time being
had by all.
While Theseus was enjoying a belated Christmas the UN forces
had established a defensive line from Munsan-ni and partly along the 38th
parallel towards Yangyang on the east coast. Again this line across Korea would
be shattered when large Chinese forces started assaulting the whole front,
massively outnumbered, the UN forces withdrew south in good order. The 8th Army
and the Republic of Korea forces had to pull back further, by 3 January 1951
Seoul had been abandoned again and the President and the government were
resettled in Pusan. Further advances by the Chinese saw the defensive line
stretching from Pyongtack in the west to Wonju in the east. On 5 January
Theseus departed from Kure arriving off the Korean coast on 7 January. Flying
operations started immediately, the task being to carry out armed patrols up
towards Chinnampo and to destroy any enemy shipping and other targets found in
their area. As the harbours and various inlets were frozen there was little
activity at sea therefore Admiral Andrewes contacted the Joint Operations
Centre and offered his fighters for close support work. On 8 January the Sea
Furies from Theseus provided support for the US 25th Division operating under
the control of the USAF forward air controllers flying modified North American
T-6A Texans known as Mosquitoes.
While the air wing was engaged with attacking targets on
behalf of UN commanders they were also undertaking patrols along the coast and
over the airfields at Chinnampo, Haeju and Ongjin which, although abandoned,
were still capable of usage by the North Korean air force. As Theseus was
stationed quite a distance away from its area of operations the decision was
taken to place a rescue ship halfway between each point which greatly reassured
the air crew. An alteration in operations began on 15 January when the
airfields at Suwon and Kimpo were recaptured as was the port at Inchon. During
the run-up to these recaptures many of missions were interrupted by bad weather
as snow showers were frequent and heavy. Even so the air wing was able to give
air support to the US 25th Army Division at a crucial time in its operations.
Over the following few days the Sea Furies were heavily engaged in attacking
ground positions in support of the US Army always under the control of a
Mosquito Forward Air Controller (FAC). Given the accuracy of their supporting
fire the FAC pilots preferred the Sea Fury in support in preference to other
forces. Occasionally when the FAC had to return to base for a refuel he was
able to designate specific areas as weapons free. On 14 January the Sea Furies
were given such an order and operating in severely cloudy conditions they rocketed
and strafed the airfield at Suwon blowing up two supply dumps in the process.
Also attacked were obvious groups of troops plus lorries, bridges and a
haystack that blew up with a large bang.
The weather also played a part in delaying operations on 15
January as the over-deck wind speed was too low to launch aircraft, however,
some juggling of the deck park and the use of RATOG allowed the patrols and
strike sorties to get airborne. As Theseus had moved closer to the area of
operations the sortie lengths were reduced and the air wing was able to
generate 58 sorties that day. By this time the UN forces were pushing back
successfully and the fleeing enemy forces were easier to spot and extensive
casualties resulted amongst these troops. The following day saw the sortie rate
increase to 60 during which vehicles, oil tanks and sampans were destroyed.
Having completed this phase of operations Theseus returned to Sasebo being
replaced by USS Bataan, a light carrier. Bataan’s escorts took over the
responsibility of patrolling the area and became CTE 95.11 in the process. This
addition to his forces allowed Admiral Andrewes to create an 18 days
operational cycle for each vessel which meant that up to nine days were
available for operations, one was allocated to sea replenishment, two were
required for transit and six days were in port for rest, recuperation and
repair.
By 24 January the Chinese had been halted on a line from
Pyongtaek to Wonju. Further advances by UN forces resulted in Seoul being
recaptured again on 14 March. This situation would change on 22 April when the
Communist forces began their Spring Offensive on the left flank. Although the
UN forces were pushed back to the Han river the capital was still held by
Allied forces. It was during this offensive that the Gloucestershire Regiment
suffered grievous losses with only 169 men left out of the original 850 men.
Although these losses were grievous the Allied counter attack was successful
and pushed the enemy back further. It was during this period that General
MacArthur was replaced as Supreme Commander by General Ridgway with General Van
Fleet replacing Ridgway as Commander of the 8th Army. A further Communist
offensive was launched in mid-May against the right flank although this was
quickly countered by the UN forces. The resulting defensive line would remain
virtually unchanged for the remainder of the war although there were some
vicious battles along the way over such real estate as Pork Chop hill and
Heartbreak Ridge.
