History

Chaser was built in the USA at Pascagoula, Mississippi, where she was laid down as mercantile Mormacgulf Ingalls on 28 June 1941, and launched 19 June 1942. She was purchased by the USN on 9 April 1943 as USS Breton ACV-10, and transferred to the Royal Navy.

HMS Chaser, as part of the "Attacker" Class was one of 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. Once the ships were ready for action they soon proved themselves, both as convoy escorts and fighter support ships for amphibious landings.

Chaser's war service included Convoy escort, mainly on Arctic routes. Aircraft from one of her squadrons, 816 squadron, assisted in the sinking of the German submarine U472 on 4 March 1944, and aircraft sank U366 and U973 in the following two days.

Chaser was returned to the USN on 12 May 1946, after which she became mercantile Aagtekerk 1948, and E-Yung 1967. She was scrapped at Kaohsiung in 1972.

Battle Honours
Atlantic 1943, Arctic 1944, Okinawa 1945.

Captains
No information on Captains.

Squadrons and Aircraft

FAA squadrons embarked	Dates	Aircraft type
835	Nov-Dec 1943	Swordfish II
816	Feb-March 1944	Wildcat V
899	Jan-April 1945	Seafire L.III

Associations and Reunions
No information

Carrier name	HMS Chaser Ex Mormacgulf 1941, ex USS Breton ACV-10 (1943) Became mercantile Aagtekerk 1948, and E-Yung 1967.
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 at Kaohsiung 1972
Notes

 
 
 
 

FURTHER INFORMATION   NavSource Photo Archives Escort Carriers: HMS Chaser 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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