Author Topic: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9  (Read 8230 times)

Offline VillageDuckpond

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Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« on: Wednesday 01 October 08 20:43 BST (UK) »
I am trying to find out if there any descendants of the crew of this aircraft carrier which was sunk off Ceylon/Sri Lanka on 9th April 1942.
Barnett, Cousins, Flett, Foot, Foote, Fox, Graves, Grunnah, Rackstraw, Shipley, Vinter, Wasko, Wilson

Offline kyt

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Re: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 01 October 08 21:03 BST (UK) »
Try the association

http://www.hmshermes.org.uk/

K

Offline VillageDuckpond

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Re: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 01 October 08 21:22 BST (UK) »
Kyt

I already have and just wondered if there any others 'out there' to be traced.
Barnett, Cousins, Flett, Foot, Foote, Fox, Graves, Grunnah, Rackstraw, Shipley, Vinter, Wasko, Wilson

Offline liverpool annie

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Re: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 02 October 08 13:29 BST (UK) »


This is an old post but maybe you can get in touch with this daughter of a survivor ! you also might try the list of survivors on the Hospital Ship Vita ......

http://www.DiveSriLanka.com/

These guys have been diving the wreck ... some fascinating photos if you haven't seen them !

Accounts of DiveSrilanka.com Expeditions

Expedition IV - August 22-24 2008 - Celebration of life! Marine Life at the Hermes

Expedition III - June 19-21 2008 - The best ever wreck pictures taken so far

Expedition I & II - May & September 2005 - wreck pictures & marine life pictures

HMS HERMES (April 9, 1942)
The 10,850 ton aircraft carrier (Capt. R. Onslow) was the first Royal Navy ship to be specially designed as such. This was the ninth ship to bear this name. The Hermes left the naval base of Trincomalee, Ceylon, escorted by the Australian destroyer Vampire, and while sailing south off Batticaloa on the east shore, the ships were attacked by carrier-borne aircraft from a Japanese force of three battleships and five carriers including the Akaga, Hiryu and Soryu, which had entered the Bay of Bengal a week before and were now attacking the naval base. Around seventy bombers were sent to dispatch the Hermes which sank within ten minutes, followed by the Vampire shortly after. Of the complement on the Hermes, nineteen officers and 283 ratings died. On the Vampire, nine men lost their lives. The hospital ship Vita rescued approximately 600 survivors from the two ships and took them to Colombo and later to Kandy for recuperation. The air attack on the base killed 85 civilians in addition to military losses. Thirty-six Japanese planes were shot down. The wreck of the Hermes was found sixty-three years later, in 2006, about five nautical miles from shore and fifty-seven meters down. Divers attached the White Ensign to the rusting hull.

Annie  :)

Edit ... found this ... maybe you can send a message here !

http://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=160
Cooper : Muels : Howarth : Every : Price : King

http://web.archive.org/web/20130407030702/http://www.freewebs.com/liverpoolannie

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Offline VillageDuckpond

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Re: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 02 October 08 17:16 BST (UK) »
Liverpool Annie

Believe it or not I met her yesterday and that is what got me thinking about other survivor descendants!

Also, I knew about the dives which are quite amazing but thank you so much anyway.

Good idea about the Vita and thank you for suggesting that. I shall now try to follow that up.
Barnett, Cousins, Flett, Foot, Foote, Fox, Graves, Grunnah, Rackstraw, Shipley, Vinter, Wasko, Wilson

Offline stephenbird1974

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Re: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« Reply #5 on: Monday 15 September 14 13:55 BST (UK) »
I am a direct decendant of William"Billy" Wilson who went down with this ship.  Im currently trying to find as much info as I can on Billy for my father who was his maternal nephew.

My dad often recalls Billy and has long wondered what part of the ship he served on and if he survived the initial attack only to die of wounds or due to the Japanese machine gun attacks of the sailors who were trying to swin away from the ship when she went down.

Any information you could supply or point me in any direction where I could find out what happened would be appreciated.

Thanks

Offline stephanie1979

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Re: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 06 December 16 14:43 GMT (UK) »
Hi. My grandad was one of the survivors his name was Percy Russell he was 21 at the time and i believe swan to shore. I have been searching for a list of all crew members onboard the ship and came across this site.

Offline VillageDuckpond

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Re: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 06 December 16 15:33 GMT (UK) »
Have just come across this thread that to be completely honest I had completely forgotten about!
What I don't understand is how these other replies never reached me or perhaps they did and I didn't follow them up!

So....calling liverpool annie, StephenBird1974 and Stephanie1979.....are you still there? Do hope so and please get in touch.

Barnett, Cousins, Flett, Foot, Foote, Fox, Graves, Grunnah, Rackstraw, Shipley, Vinter, Wasko, Wilson

Offline stephanie1979

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Re: Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes 9
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 06 December 16 16:32 GMT (UK) »
Hi yes im here I only messaged today and as your original post was a few years ago I didn't expect a reply.