British Escort Carriers
 
Activity, Campania, Nairana, Vindex, Pretoria Castle
 
This page written by Bruce T. Swain
 
Name Pennant Builder Laid Down Launched Commisioned
Pretoria Castle F-61 Harland & Wolff 12 October 1938 ? 9 April 1943
Vindex D-15 Swan Hunter 1 July 1942 4 May 1943 3 December 1943
Nairana D-05 John Brown 20 May 1943 ? 12 December 1943
Activity D-94 Caledonia S.B. 1 February 1940 30 May 1942 early 1944
Campania D-48 Harland & Wolff 12 August 1941 17 June 1943 7 March 1944

In February 1941 the Ministry of War Transport agreed to reserve ships then under construction for possible conversion to escort carriers, although they refused to release existing ships. The one exception was Activity, who was completed in August 1942 as the refrigerated cargo carrier Telemachus (ex-Empire Activity), and operated by the Alfred Holt Line.
Campania, Nairana and Vindex were all converted from refrigerated cargo ships, while Pretoria Castle was converted from a passenger liner.
These were "naval" escort carriers as opposed to the "merchant" escort carriers of the "Empire" and "Rapana" Classes.
Unlike the American conversions, which had short wooden flight decks, and many of which had open-sided hangars and a single screw, these British conversions were all twin-screw vessels with enclosed hangars and relatively long steel flight decks. However, they still had only one lift.
The five were to have had identical conversions, but Campania, who was not launched until 17 June 1943, received several improvements not fitted in the other four ships. She received the first Action Information Organization (AIO) suite to be fitted in a British carrier, and also had Type 277 radar which gave height indication and good coverage at low level. Her modern air direction room (ADR) and radar outfit proved invaluable for directing both her own and other carriers' aircraft.

Name Standard Displacement Full Displacement Length Beam Draught
Activity 11,800 tons 14,250 tons 512'9" 66'6" 26'
Campania 12,450 tons 15,970 tons 540' 70' 23'
Nairana 14,046 tons 17,485 tons 528'6" 68'3" 25'
Pretoria Castle 17,400 tons 23,450 tons 594' 76'6" 28'9"
Vindex 13,455 tons 16,830 tons 524' 68' 25'9"

 

Performance & Propulsion
Range ? Speed 16-18 kts
Propulsion Diesels @ 11,00-12,000 bhp, 2 shafts

 

  Armament Air Groups
Pretoria Castle
  • 2 x 2 x 4"/50-cal HA/LA
  • 4 x 4 x 2pdr pom-pom AA
  • 10 x 2 x 20mm AA
  • n/a
Vindex
  • 1 x 2 x 4"/50-cal HA/LA
  • 4 x 4 x 2pdr pom-pom AA
  • 8 x 2 x 20mm AA
  • 20 planes, 825 NAS
  • 16 x Swordfish ASW aircraft
  • 4 x Martlet fighters
Nairana
  • 1 x 2 x 4"/50-cal HA/LA
  • 8 x 2 x 40mm AA
  • 8 x 2 x 20mm AA
  • 20 planes
  • 16 x Swordfish ASW
  • 4 x Martlet fighters
Activity
  • 2 x 1 x 4"/50-cal HA/LA
  • 24 x 1 x 20mm
  • 18 planes, 813 NAS
  • 14 x Swordfish ASW
  • 4 x Martlet fighters
Campania
  • 1 x 2 x 4"/50-cal HA/LA
  • 4 x 4 x 2pdr pom-pom AA
  • 8 x 2 x 20mm AA
  • 12 planes, 819 NAS
  • 9 x Swordfish ASW
  • 3 x Martlet fighters

 

Service Histories
Activity
  • Escorted convoys to Gibraltar and Russia 1944-45
  • aircraft assisted in sinking U.288 on 3 Apr. 1944
  • sold in mercantile service March 1946
Campania
  • Escort for UK-Gibraltar convoys
  • Sep. 1944, Russian convoys
  • aircraft sank U.921 on 30 Sep. 1944 and U.365 on 13 Dec. 1944
  • laid up in Gareloch 1946
  • loaned to Festival of Britain Organization 1950 for use as a mobile exhibition ship
  • reserve 1951 then carried the "equipment" for the atom-bomb trials on Monte Bello Island 3 Oct. 1952
  • paid off at Portsmouth 15 Dec. 1952; arrived at Blyth to be broken up 11 Nov. 1955
Nairana
  • Convoy escort 1944-45
  • transferred to Netherlands 20 March 1946 and renamed Karel Doorman
Pretoria Castle
  • Used solely as training carrier; sold 26 Jan. 1946
Vindex
  • Convoy escort 1944-45
  • aircraft sank U.344 on 22 Aug. 1944 and assisted in sinkings of;
    • U.653 on 15 Mar. 1944
    • U.765 on 6 May 1944
    • U.354 on 24 Aug. 1944
    • U.394 on 2 Sep. 1944
  • sold 1947
 
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