History

HMS Battler was built in the USA at Ingalls, Pascagoula, Mississippi on 15 April 1941, being laid down as mercantile Mormactern, launched 4 April 1942, converted as USS Altamaha AVG-6, and transferred to the RN on completion 31 October 1942. She was commissioned as HMS Battler on 15 November 1942.

The "Attacker" Class were the second batch of escort carriers built in the USA for the Royal Navy, the lead ship - Attacker - having originally been intended to be one of the "Avenger" Class. They were also the first escort carriers to be ordered after the USA entered the war; the USN kept the other 10 vessels ordered at the same time, as these became the "Bogue" Class. Speed was increased to18 knots, although overall size and displacement were much the same as the earlier classes. Although the first of the class arrived in the UK in January 1943, none actually commenced active service until August of that year. Once the ships were ready for action they soon proved themselves, both as convoy escorts and fighter support ships for amphibious landings.

HMS Battler served in WWII providing convoy escort in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. She returned to the USN on 12 February 1946. She was scrapped at Baltimore.

Battle Honours
Attacker - class Escort Carrier 1942 - 5: Atlantic 1942-1945, Salerno 1943, Indian Ocean.

Captains
No information on Captains.

Squadrons and Aircraft
15 aircraft: 12 Swordfish, 3 Martlet fighters

FAA squadrons embarked	Dates	Aircraft type
840	Dec 1942	Swordfish I/II
835	April-July 1943	Swordfish II
808	April-Sept 1943	Seafire L.IIc
807	Aug-Oct 1943	Seafire L.IIc
834	Sept 1943-Oct 1944	Seafire L.IIc/Wildcat V

Associations and Reunions
No information

Carrier name	HMS Battler Ex Mormactern,ex USS Altamaha (USA)
Class	Attacker
Type	Escort Carrier (US built)
Ships in Class	Attacker, Battler, Chaser, Fencer, Hunter, Pursuer, Ravager, Searcher, Stalker, Striker, Tracker
Launched
Tonnage	Net displacement 9,800 tons, Gross displacement, Load 6,900 tons
Engines	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft at 8500 shp
Speed in Knots	18.5 knots
Armament	Gun 1 x 2 x 4" L/50 AA, 4x 2 x 40mm Bofors AA 10-35 x 20mm Oerlikon AA
Crew Complement	646 Officers & Ratings excluding Air Group
Range
Length (ft/inches)	496
Beam (ft/inches)	69'6''
Draught (ft/inches)	26
Flight Deck length (ft/inches)	480
Flight Deck width (ft/inches)	70
Armour
Number of aircraft carried	up to 24
Fate of carrier	Scrapped 1946
Notes

 

FURTHER INFORMATION   NavSource Photo Archives Escort Carriers: HMS Battler  Photographs in US archives of HMS BATTLER Ships website and HMS AVENGER Escort carrier   Details and history of HMS AVENGER Escort carrier  World Aircraft Carrier Lists and Photo Gallery - from 1913 to 2000. Naval History Information Center, Haze Gray & Underway Sturtivant, R & Ballance, T  (1994). 'The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm' Published by Air Britain (Historians) Ltd, 1994 ISBN: 0 85130 223 8 The World’s Warships 1941 by Francis E. McMurtrie (1944). Jane's London 1941 1st ed.  Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II by Francis E. McMurtrie (Editor)(1984). 320 pages. Crescent Books; ISBN: 0517679639

        Last Modified: 23-2-2001

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