Fred's Tales Continued
HMS Indomitable with the Far East Fleet
Storing continued for another 8 days but we sailed for Okinawa on the 1st of May. The fleet consisted this time of Battle ships: King George V, Howe. Carriers: Indomitable, Victorious, Formidable and Indefatigable. Cruisers: Swiftsure, Uganda, Gambia, Euryalus and Black Prince. Destroyers: Grenville, Ursa, Undine, Urchin, Undaunted, Quillian, Queensborough, Quiberon, Quickmatch, Quality, Kemperfelt, Whirlwind and Wessex, Magpie, Nepal, Niiyan and Norman. Illustrious sailed for Sydney.
At dawn on the day 4th of May strikes were flown off, and battleships and cruisers carried out a bombardment. An hour after the heavy ships had left, the carriers were heavily attacked by kamikazes. One hit the Formidable and destroyed the aircraft in the Deck Park, but had crashed on to the armament part of the flight deck, killing 8 and wounding 47. Shed was landing on again (capable of receiving aircraft) within an hour. One came up astern of Indomitable on the starboard side, obviously aiming for the bridge. 20mm, 40mm, and 4.5 shells heavily hit it (kamikaze) and she was really shot to pieces. All that was left was the propeller and the engine, the pilot sitting almost astride the bomb and two wings. Eventually he must have decided to try for the flight deck but unfortunately for him the ship slew to port and the flight deck was at an angle and he went over in to the water where he exploded, causing no damage to the ship
Daily heavy attacks were made on the Sakishima Gunto group of islands. The airfields were plastered during the daytime, repaired and made serviceable during the nights and refit periods, and shattered yet again by the air bombardment. Attacks by the enemy on the fleet were regular and heavy. On V.E Day being celebrated in England, were mounted the heaviest Kamikaze attacks of the war against us. Although our attacks continued on the Japanese, unfortunately two of the carriers were less than 100% operational and the defective stern gland on the Indomitable making itself very evident. The number of daily air strikes was scaled down and the Indomitable, because of the damage to the centre shaft causing over heating, was reduced to 22 knots.
Unfortunately, so important were the Far East Operations, that the government (Atlee’s Labour) dispatched to us – for bombing the runways on the islands – 1,000 lb. Semi-armour piercing, left over from attacks on the Tirpitz. They were useless for what we were doing. We could have used aircraft rockets, which would have saved the pilots approaching too close to the target and would have saved a lot of casualties. They were plentiful for the RAF at home but it was decided that we, the British Pacific Fleet, didn’t need them. Despite Vian and Company moving heaven and earth to get them and the 250 and 500 lb. bombs needed, neither shipping nor replacement aircraft were available either. Frankly we were left to fight on with whatever we had. Both we, the Far East Fleet, and the poor POW’s out there were just non-existent as far as the government at home were concerned. Anyway, we carried out attacks against the islands until May 28th when Okinawa then being more or less over, the British Pacific Fleet withdrew to Manus.
During Operation Iceberg the fleet had been at sea continually for 62 days, broken only by the eight days at Leyte. Nobody from Indomitable had been ashore or on dry land since leaving Sydney in February. It was then decided to return to Sydney for overhaul of ships, reaching Sydney beginning of June 1945. It was found that the Indomitable was in need of a larger refit, and it was considered doubtful whether she would be ready for the forthcoming operation. She was, accordingly, docked down in the only available dry dock for repairs to the centre shaft and gland. This took rather longer than originally thought, mainly due to the speed at which the Australian dock yard people worked, and their propensity to strike for any reason. One example: Indomitable was discharging Aviation fuel into a small tanker alongside. Although warned on the jetty before coming aboard about No Smoking regulations in force on board, and the reasons why and the dire results if somebody decided to smoke. (In fact AVGA – aviation fuel, being so volatile, no naked lights were allowed anywhere. The galleys could not be lit – no warm/hot food or drinks – until the discharging operation was all over and the tanker had departed and the ship ventilated. There was a very real and imminent danger that the ship could have been blown up. ) An Australian dockyard worker was sat on the port edge of he flight deck and was about to light up a cigarette. One of the seamen spotted him and told him not to light up or strike a match. The Aussie then told all and sundry that he would ******* well do as he liked. Despite all that was said and asked of him he flatly refused, and was still going to smoke. He was asked to leave the ship. He did so but then only after being told he would be escorted off if he hesitated. His experience resulted in the dockyard workers striking and walking out of the docks, despite the fact that one man was endangering the lives of everyone on board, everyone in the dockyard and a good part of Sydney as well! Anyway the refit eventually carried on, and on,,,
In early August, Indomitable had left to go north again and be in at strikes on Japan. It was not realised until the actual strikes and bombardments against shore targets in Japan itself how short of oil and aviation fuel the Japs were – a highly contributory factor of this had been the British Pacific Fleets attack on Palembang. Indomitable remained carrying out strikes against the Japanese mainland – softening up before landings. Although everybody realised that would be a very bloody fight. The Japanese would contest every inch fanatically. However, the two atomic bombs were dropped. It brought the war to an end much earlier than expected, and probably saved many thousands of lives. The actual allied landing in Japan was scheduled for November 1st at the latest, even then everyone knew casualties would be extremely heavy.
Indomitable’s last duty in the war was flying the flag of Admiral Harcourt to take the surrender of the Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong and the New Territories area and to look after the POW’s there. When we saw the state of the POW’s everybody was extremely angry and distressed. Then we began to hear of the atrocities and tempers were at boiling point and it was very difficult to keep men away from reaping vengeance upon the Japs. Most especially when we saw the state of the nurses who had become imprisoned at the fall of Hong Kong to the Japs. They were in a terrible state, just skin and bones through starvation and ill treatment.
Most ships were converted to mercy ships, to take the ex-POWs home to England. Indomitable took on board all the nurses and ex-POW’s, leaving Hong Kong in August and arriving in Portsmouth on the 23rd December. We actually took a course steaming at slow speed to Sydney where we stopped for a few days. Then to the Cocos Islands, Colombo, and then towards England. The slow trip was undertaken in order to build up physically and mentally before reaching the UK and home. (A four month cruise) The Ships Company even gave up their own food to make sure that the nurses had plenty. Integrated games on the flight deck with all taking part. At the end when the nurses went ashore they were as near as we could possibly ensure back to normal. I do know they did enjoy and appreciate the efforts made by the Ships Company of the Indomitable.
My own arrival home was not a so happy one. My wife had been living with another chap for sometime and was expecting his child.
I cannot understand why so much was made of, and decorations and plaudits handed out to the ENSA people. Vera Lynn – sweet heart of the forces. In six years of war I did not see one of them or their shows. They never once to my knowledge went near sea going ships, even when they were in harbour for a brief spell. They did I believe go to India and put on a show or two for the 14th Army, but did not venture down to Ceylon. Gracie Fields did turn up at Sydney but was ‘Too ill’ (drink) so the show was cancelled. As you probably know the Labour Party in their manifesto for election was the promise that all men who had been away for more than two years would be immediately brought home. After they were elected they decreed that all men who had been away for more than two years would be taken out of the fighting line and held in the rear ! Incidentally this did not apply to the navy, only the air force and the army.
Unfortunately there were no ships available to bring them home or to take relief’s out. Thus the offensive that was planned against Malaya and Singapore had to be put in abeyance. This meant that the poor POWs had to suffer much longer than they need have done and the Japanese were able to carry on the atrocities in Singapore. What is not understandable is why the atrocities committed against our people by the Japanese, even after the signing of the peace treaty, before we could get to them, were swept under the carpet and in no way followed up or investigated.
I am for one, very bitter about that aspect. It was typically the attitude of – not in our backyard-, or so it seems. I am not being political but I am afraid I cannot ever forgive the political party that did that.
Oh well, as they say, forgive and forget. Perhaps I am wrong, but I can do neither. I saw atrocities committed by both Germans and Japanese, and I find it impossible to forgive either nation.
Fred L Duxbury, R.N.
(Sadly, Fred passed away in 1998)