The loss of HMS Ark Royal

13th November 1941

The operation is entitled Halberd; it is nothing more than getting another convoy through to Malta. Group 1 is HMS Nelson, Ark Royal, Hermione, Cossack, Zulu, Foresight, Forester, Laforey and Lighting. Group 1 goes straight down the middle of the Mediterranean, well ahead of Group 2. Group 2 consists of HMS Prince of Wales, Rodney, the convoy, Sheffield, Kenya, Edinburgh, Euryalus and the rest of the destroyers (there was a total of eighteen destroyers on this operation). They followed behind Group 1 taking a more northerly route.

On the second day, all the cruisers in both groups, with nine destroyers, formed into Force X under Rear-Admiral Burrough, who took the convoy on to Malta, while Somerville with the remainder, including three battleships and the carrier HMS Ark Royal, waited for them to return with an empty homeward convoy.

At 12:01pm a big attack by torpedo bombers developed. One machine dropped its torpedo away from HMS Nelson, but a second one came on and the ship was turned towards. When it was about 20 degrees on the starboard bow (right-front) and 800 yards off, it dropped its torpedo. They couldn't see and track on board the ship, it seemed to have run deep. But to the horror of the crew, the track suddenly appeared not more than 200 yards ahead. Heading straight for HMS Nelson, there was nothing they could do. There was a horrid underwater thud, the whole bow rose and quivered. Another plane dropped a torpedo on the starboard bow, and they turned towards it, as the torpedo ran harmlessly down the starboard side. With his accustomed drive, George Blundell stopped the flooding and shored up damaged bulkheads, so that HMS Nelson could still steam and fight.

At dusk all battleships, with nine destroyers and HMS Ark Royal, turned west and left the convoy to go on through the dangerous Sicilian Channel. The convoy made Malta except for Imperial Star. On 28th September, HMS Nelson was detached for Gibraltar, while the remainder of Force H waited for the return of Force X. Inspection of HMS Nelson in Gibraltar dockyard revealed that she had shipped 4,000 tons of water though a forty-foot-long hole in her side.

On 13th November at 3:30pm, almost in sight of Gibraltar, HMS Ark Royal was hit amidships by a torpedo. The torpedo passed beneath HMS Legion, to hit the carrier square on. There was a very loud bang, the explosion blew a great cloud of dust up up various hatchways, including the bomb lift doors. HMS Legion was ordered to close HMS Ark Royal and take off her 1,487 officers and men, leaving only a skeleton staff of engine room and damage control parties, on board with her Captain. HMS Legion was ordered to Gibraltar, with this many passenger on board, every available bit of space was crammed, and no one could hardly move.

The struggle to keep HMS Ark Royal afloat lasted for fourteen hours. Damage repair parties under Captain Maund RN did all that was humanly possible to save their ship. Design faults were the principal cause of her end. She capsized and sank, at 06:13 the next morning. Only one rating was killed, the oldest in the ship, who had been on duty at the electrical switchboard where the torpedo struck.

HMS Ark Royal before she capsized and sunk.

• The Battle of the Atlantic