h m s Indomitable association
Founders: Shipmates Ron Pearson and Ron Sloan
President
John Pollard
Chairman
Doug Banks
Secretary
Ralph Harvey
78 Broadway East
Redcar
Cleveland
TS10 5DS
01642 490 463
From our Former President
– Surgeon Commander Eric W King-Turner –
Greetings to all Shipmates on our new website, many thanks to Shipmate Jim Baird for having set it up.
It is 62 years since Indomitable was first Commissioned. Almost a lifetime to some of you, but I doubt if any of us serving at the time imagined we would ever be able to communicate through the website as we do today. We have seen some wonderful inventions in those 62 years. Let us look forward to a happy reunion in September. Here’s hoping I press the right button to make this appear on your screens.
THE ASSOCIATION
HMS Indomitable Association was formed by Ron Pearson and Ron Sloan when they met in Manchester one wet and windy day.
It was suggested, after some reminiscing about their time aboard the INDOM that an association would be a viable proposition.
They were absolutely spot on in their judgement. We now have a membership of 100 our oldest member, being 106 years young, was Albert Flint, sadly now 'crossed the bar' while living in Australia, served on the battleship Indomitable at the battle of Jutland.
The Association is considered to be a “Happy Ship” and the annual subscription of £8.00 gives us Newsletters 6 times a year and a “Tot” at the annual Reunion, which is usually in September or October.
Why not join us, just drop a line to:-
Shipmate Ralph Harvey
78 Broadway East
Redcar
Cleveland
TS10 5DS
Or submit the form on this website
§ § § § §
HISTORY
AND
BATTLE HONOURS
HMS Indomitable was built by Vickers Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness, she was launched on the 26th March 1940 by Mrs Clementine Churchill, wife of Winston Churchill then First Lord of the Admiralty. The ship was an “Illustrious Class Aircraft Carrier” with armoured flight deck and the first of the last three to have hangers at two levels.
The Battle Honours of Indomitable (Battleship) – were Dogger Bank 1915; Jutland 1916: (Aircraft Carrier) – Diedo Suarez 1942; Malta Convoys 1942; Sicily 1943; Palembang 1945; Okinawa 1945.
3rd November 1941 she was damaged by grounding when working up in the West Indies and. May 1942 saw service in operation against Madagascar. Badly damaged by German aircraft during service on the Pedestal Convoy (Malta) as seen on the Channel Four programme “CONVOY”. September the ship joined H Force for the assault on Sicily and was badly damaged by a torpedo Joined the Eastern fleet and in January 45 was transferred to British Pacific fleet and on April of that year was damaged by a Kamikaze but remained operational. After a extensive refit saw service in Home waters as Flagship Home Fleet. While working up in the Mediterranean in 1952 an explosion cause by aviation fuel leak in the forward keyboard flat caused a number of fatalities.
Having been Bombed, Torpedoed and hit with Kamikaze suicide planes it is a miracle the ship survived till 1955 when she was mothballed at Faslane and eventually broken up at Cairnrayn near Stranraer.
Our Former President Surgeon Commander Eric W. King-Turner purchased the ships bell which is now in the War museum in Malta
Anyone who was on board as a member of Ships Company, F.A.A. or took passage on board is welcome to become a member of the association.
§ § § § §
OUR NEXT REUNION
ARRANGEMENTS
Our next re-union and A.G.M. will be held within the Stretton Hotel, Princess Parade, Blackpool, www.strettonhotel.co.uk Phone: - 0125306 250 688 - from Friday 11th. September to Monday 14th September 2009.
Friday evening will be the time to meet and greet old and new friends of the Indom and our guests.
10am Saturday morning will be the A G M and election of committee for the ensuing year, after which we receive our Rum Tot when we have the Loyal Toast and remember those who have crossed the bar.
Saturday afternoon you are free to do as you please, shopping, go for a swim , a walk or visit the local features of the area. After dinner we are entertained by ‘In House Entertainment of the Hotel’
The week-end includes a coach trip on Sunday to somewhere only Ron Sloan knows about. I only hope he tells the driver. This will be after the ceremony of laying a wreath at the war Memorial at 10am. Coaches are available to take us to the War Memorial. Again entertainment will be ‘In House Entertainment of the Hotel’
Don’t be disappointed and get your booking in now.
If the standard set By Ron Sloan on previous Years this will be a weekend to remember.
§ § § § §
T S Indomitable The proud name of the ship is still to the fore by the excellent work of First Officer Ann Tyrrell, a welcomed visitor at our reunions, and Commanding Officer of Training Ship Indomitable of The Nautical Training Corps from the headquarters at Leylands Park, Maple Drive, Burgess Hill, Sussex.
The Nautical Training Corps is an uniformed youth organisation for boys and girls between the ages of seven and eighteen. It gives young people the opportunity to participate in Seamanship Training. The high quality leadership provides adventurous, exciting and fun activities in a challenging way
The organisation is centred on local units known as ‘ships’. Water activities including sailing, kayaking and power-boating. Cadets are encouraged through a rank and reward system. Many Cadets move onto become adult Officers in the Corps.