History

HMS Hunter was built in the USA at Ingalls, Pascagoula on 15 May 1941, laid down as mercantile Mormacpenn 22 May 1942, and purchased by the USN on 9 January 1943 as USS Block Island ACV-8. She was subsequently transferred to the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Trailer, but renamed on commissioning on 11 January 1943 as HMS Hunter.

HMS Hunter, as part of 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. Once the ships were ready for action they soon proved themselves, both as convoy escorts and fighter support ships for amphibious landings.

HMS Hunter's war service included the Atlantic, Mediterranean and East Indies, where she saw action in an "Assault Carrier" role in Salerno landings in 1943, the Aegean in 1944 and subsequently in Burma and Malaya in 1945.

HMS Hunter was returned to the USN on 29 December 1945 and scrapped in 1965.

Battle Honours

Atlantic 1939 - 44, Salerno 1943, South France 1944, Aegean 1944, Burma 1945, Malaya 1945
 

Captains
Captains.

Squadrons and Aircraft

FAA squadrons embarked	Dates	Aircraft type
813 dt	March-April 1943	Swordfish II
834	July-Aug 1943	Swordfish II
899	Aug 1943-Oct 1943	Seafire IIc
808	Oct 1943-Feb 1944	Seafire L.IIc
807	Jan 1944-Dec 1944	Seafire L.IIc
1700 dt	April-Sept 1945	Walrus I
807	March-Oct 1945	Seafire LIII

Associations and Reunions
No information

Carrier name	HMS Hunter laid down as mercantile Mormacpenn 1942 1943 as USS Block Island ACV-8 renamed HMS Trailer 1943 Became mercantile Almdijk 1948
Class	Attacker
Type	Assault 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 Valencia Oct 1965
Notes

 
 
 
 

FURTHER INFORMATION    NavSource Photo Archives Escort Carriers: HMS Hunter Navsource archives/photos of HMS HUNTER The aircraft profiles by Scott Fraser, owner of Tally Ho! decals eg Seafire L.III The following profiles are offered by Scott Fraser, owner of Tally Ho! decals, Seafire L.III, NN212, 887 Squadron, HMS Indefatigable, Seafire L.III, PR171, 807 Squadron, HMS Hunter Burmese Coast, May 1945 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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