HMS Bonaventure (F139)
Encyclopedia
HMS Bonaventure was a submarine depot ship
Submarine tender
A submarine tender is a type of ship that supplies and supports submarines.Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and other supplies, nor to carry a full array of maintenance equipment and...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She was initially built for civilian service with the Clan Line
Clan Line
The Clan Line was a passenger and cargo shipping company that operated in one incarnation or another from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century.-Foundation and early years:...
, but on the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she was requisitioned by the Navy and after being launched, was converted for military service.
Construction and commissioning
She was laid down at the yards of the Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Company, of GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
as one of the Cameron class
Cameron class steamer
The Cameron class steamers were a ship class of steamships of the Clan Line.*Clan Macauley, launched 1936, bombed at Malta, scrapped 1963., launched 1937, sailed in convoy from Gibraltar and torpedoed and sunk by in October 1939....
ships of the Clan Line. She was provisionally allocated the name Clan Campbell. With the outbreak of war, the Royal Navy decided to requisition her, and after her launch on 27 October 1942, she was converted at the yards of Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde.- History :...
to become a submarine depot ship for the X class
X class submarine
The X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during 1943–44.Known individually as X-Craft, the vessels were designed to be towed to their intended area of operations by a full-size 'mother' submarine - - with a passage crew on board, the operational crew...
midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s. After the conversion was completed she was commissioned into the Navy on 26 January 1943.
Early wartime service
After completing work-up trials, Bonaventure sailed to Loch StrivenLoch Striven
Loch Striven is a sea loch adjoining the west side of the Firth of Clyde just north of the Isle of Bute, where it forms a narrow inlet about 8 miles long extending north into the Cowal peninsula. During times of recession in shipping the loch has been used as a sheltered anchorage for laid...
on the west bank of the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
to become the main training base and depot ship for the X craft midget submarines. During August and September 1943, training and trials were carried out for the midget submarines X5, X6, X7, X8, X9 and X10. They were to be used to carry out the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
in Altenfjord, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, codenamed Operation Source
Operation Source
Operation Source was a series of attacks to neutralise the heavy German warships – Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Lutzow – based in northern Norway, using X-class midget submarines....
.
During the operation, the submarines HMS Thrasher
HMS Thrasher (N37)
HMS Thrasher was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead, launched in November 1940, and had an active career in the Mediterranean and Pacific Far East.-Mediterranean:...
, Truculent
HMS Truculent (P315)
HMS Truculent was a British submarine of the third group of the T class. She was built as P315 by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, and launched on 12 September 1942.-Service:...
, Stubborn
HMS Stubborn (P238)
HMS Stubborn was an S-class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on 11 November 1942...
, Syrtis
HMS Syrtis (P241)
HMS Syrtis was an S class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on March 23, 1943...
, Sceptre
HMS Sceptre (P215)
HMS Sceptre was a 1940-programme S-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was launched on January 9, 1943, in Greenock, although her keel had been laid down in July 1940.-Career:...
and Sea Nymph
HMS Sea Nymph (P223)
HMS Sea Nymph was an S class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on July 29, 1942....
each towed a midget submarine to Norwegian waters. Despite a number of the X craft being lost, the operation was a success and the Tirpitz was put out of action for the next six months. In October, Bonaventure sailed to Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
to be refitted at the yards of Alexander Stephen and Sons
Alexander Stephen and Sons
Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Govan in Glasgow, on the River Clyde.-History:...
. The refit lasted until 2 January 1944 and involved the fitting of new radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
equipment. Some work was not completed before the Bonaventure was recommissioned on 22 January to serve with the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
. She again deployed at Loch Striven in preparation. She remained deployed there until March, when she returned to Govan to complete the outstanding dockyard work. These refits lasted until August, when after post-refit trials, she returned to Loch Striven in September. October to November was spent training on the loch. During this period, the modified XE class submarine
XE class submarine
Six XE-class midget submarines were built for the Royal Navy during 1944. They were an improved version of the X Class midgets used in the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz....
s, which had been under construction since January 1944, became available. Several were embarked aboard Bonaventure for use against targets in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. In December she was nominated for deployment as the depot ship for the 14th Submarine Flotilla in the south west Pacific.
Pacific theatre
Bonaventure’s departure was initially delayed, and in January she embarked six XE type submarines. She left the United Kingdom on 21 February, sailing for AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. After going through the canal, she crossed the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 7 March. The attitude of the US Navy was discouraging, and the use of midget submarines was not looked on with much enthusiasm. Bonaventure arrived at Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
on 27 April and received approval to move nearer to the operational area and to approach the local US Navy authorities. She subsequently sailed to Townsville, Queensland
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
in May, where a visit was made by a senior officer of the 14th Flotilla to the US Navy Base at Subic Bay
U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay
U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. It was the largest U.S...
. The Americans remained sceptical and suggested that the Bonaventure be converted to perform a wider support role. On 31 May the proposal was made to use midget submarines to cut Japanese underwater telegraph cable
Submarine communications cable
A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean....
s.
Bonaventure was transferred to Hervey Bay, Queensland
Hervey Bay, Queensland
Hervey Bay is a city in Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane, and lies on the coast of a natural bay between the Queensland mainland and nearby Fraser Island. The local economy relies on tourism, for which whale watching, Fraser Island and...
in June, and then to an area south of Townsville, to prepare for the cable cutting operations. She carried out extensive training and experiments using a disused telegraph cable between Australia and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. During these exercises, two divers died after suffering oxygen poisoning. After the operational targets had been selected, Bonaventure sailed to Labuan
Labuan
Labuan is a federal territory in East Malaysia. It is an island off the coast of the state of Sabah. Labuan's capital is Victoria and is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as being an offshore support...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. Throughout July she prepared for three operations. Operation Struggle aimed to place limpet mines on the Japanese cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s Myōkō
Japanese cruiser Myoko
was the name-ship of the four-member of heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy — the other ships of the class being the Nachi, Ashigara, and Haguro....
and Takao
Japanese cruiser Takao
was the first of four Takao-class heavy cruisers, designed to be an improvement over the previous Myōkō-class design. The Myōkō had proved to be unstable and required modifications, which were incorporated into the Takao design....
, based at Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
with the 10th Fleet. Operation Foil aimed to cut telegraph cables in the Lamma Channel
Lamma Channel
Lamma Channel may refer to:*East Lamma Channel, a waterway on the east of Lamma Island in Hong Kong*West Lamma Channel, a waterway on the west of Lamma Island in Hong Kong...
, off Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and Operation Sabre was intended to cut telegraph cables at Cap St Jacques, off Saigon. These cables were vital to Japanese signal security as radio signals could be deciphered by US code breakers.
The operations began on 26 July. HMS Stygian towed XE3 and HMS Spark
HMS Spark (P236)
HMS Spark was an S class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Scotts, of Greenock and launched on December 28, 1943...
towed HMS XE1 for Operation Struggle. The Takao was badly damaged, sinking to the seabed, but the attack on the Myōkō failed. For Operation Sabre, HMS Spearhead
HMS Spearhead (P263)
HMS Spearhead was an S class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on July 6, 1944. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Spearhead....
towed the XE4, which succeeded in cutting two cables and bringing sections back to the Bonaventure. Operation Foil was carried out using HMS Maidstone
HMS Maidstone (1937)
HMS Maidstone was a submarine depot ship of the Royal Navy.-Facilities:She was built to support the increasing numbers of submarines, especially on distant stations, such as the Mediterranean and the Pacific Far East...
, based at Subic Bay, as the depot ship. HMS Selene
HMS Selene (P254)
HMS Selene was an S class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead and launched on 24 April 1944...
towed the XE5, but the tow failed part way through the voyage. XE5 was able to reach the target under her own power and succeeded in severing the cable. The submarines returned in tow to Bonaventure on the 3rd, 4th and 5th. Bonaventure’s last activity before the end of the war was to sail to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
from Labuan on 20 August.