HMS Implacable in Melbourne 1946 - below are more photos of HMS Implacable

 

HMS Implacable was the name ship of her class of two aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Upon completion in 1944, she was initially assigned to the Home Fleet and attacked targets in Norway for the rest of the year. She was subsequently assigned to the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) where she attacked the Japanese naval base at Truk and targets in the Japanese Home Islands in 1945. The ship was used to repatriate liberated Allied prisoners of war (PoWs) and soldiers after the Japanese surrender, for the rest of the year. Implacable returned home in 1946 and became the Home Fleet's deck-landing training carrier, a role that lasted until 1950. She briefly served as flagship of the Home Fleet in 1950. During this time she participated in many exercises and made a number of port visits in Western Europe. She was placed in reserve in 1950 and converted into a training ship in 1952, and served as flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron. The ship was considered for a major modernisation in 1951–1952, but this was rejected as too expensive and time-consuming. Implacable was decommissioned in 1954 and sold for scrap the following year.

Fireflies on 26 November 1944, warming up for an attack on Norwegian targets

Implacable at anchor at Greenock in camouflage, 14 June 1944

Implacable at sea in 1946

Fleet Air Arm Avengers, Seafires and Fireflies on board Implacable warm up their engines before taking off, 1945

Implacable being towed down the Clyde, 1944

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Aerial photograph of HMS IMPLACABLE of the Pacific Fleet dressing ship as she returned to Sydney, Australia from combat duty off Japan after the surrender in the Far East. The ship's aircraft (twenty two Supermarine Seafires) line the deck whilst the ships company are stretching along it. Forward is the Ship's Scottish pipe band, the only one of its kind in the Royal Navy.