Help identifying old carrier please

[Cold]

I could do with some help here please. A friend of mine is doing some genealogy stuff for her Aunt Millie and has rustled up some previously unseen black and white photos of Millie's late husband and a few pics of his service life.

Millie says hubby was in the FAA and uniformed photos show HMS Seahawk (Culdrose) on his cap tally, which ties in with a brief mention of living in Cornwall. However, we do know he went to sea for a short period and the only photos in the collection to link to that are of this carrier.

Believed to be taken in the 1960s, can you name the carrier and perhaps the location (Cyprus?)?
I'm banking on Eric naming the aircraft within a few nanoseconds.









Any help is much appreciated.

[hidetheelephants]

The planes are Hawker Seahawks.

[Super Sonic]

HMS Albion?
HMS Centaur?

Edited by Super Sonic on Sunday 31st August 21:37

[Skyrocket21]

Aircraft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Sea_Hawk

[hidetheelephants]

The aircraft has a B on it and the flightdeck does appear to also; probably HMS Bulwark but don't quote me on that.

[essayer]

Good spot. Yes Bulwark

[V8FGO]

The SeaHawk XE395 was with 804 RNAS at Lossiemouth.
XE395 had the original side number 161 and fin code B when deployed to the med ifrom Feb 56 on HMS Bulwalk and took part I the Suez crisis.

Broken for spares in 1962.

[V8FGO]

Super Sonic said:

I would call that definitive except the plane in the picture has side number 171 and fin code A.

True but was afterward when transferred to RNAS Ford.

[Super Sonic]

V8FGO said:

Super Sonic said:

I would call that definitive except the plane in the picture has side number 171 and fin code A.

True but was afterward when transferred to RNAS Ford.

Ok that makes sense, I'm not an expert in this field so I withdraw my objection and delete my post

[hidetheelephants]

Cold said:

Having a bombed up aircraft on deck while you're replenishing at sea would raise an eyebrow these days.

[ecsrobin]

Having previously found some similar phots from a family member, on chatting to some RN friends they suggested you could go down and purchase photos from the ships photographer to send home. These could span a few years/deployments so the locations may not relate to where they went.

[Eric Mc]

The stripes on the Seahawks indicate that the aircraft were involved in Operation Musketeer, the Royal Navy’s participation in the Suez Crisis of 1956. The stripes were actually yellow and black.
As has already been mentioned, that does not mean your uncle was involved in the operation.

[768]

Cold said:

My guess is Grand Harbour in Malta, with Fort St Angelo (before some rennovation work) just on the right, facing due east from near, perhaps above, the Lascaris War Rooms.

The other one I thought perhaps Mari Naval Base, Cyprus, but I can't really make it work.

[hidetheelephants]

768 said:

The other one I thought perhaps Mari Naval Base, Cyprus, but I can't really make it work.

There's not a lot of identifiable features and it appears pretty flat, could it be in the canal zone? The flat area immediately next to the ship looks almost like a runway.

Edited by hidetheelephants on Monday 1st September 10:58

[Cold]

Thank you everyone. That's an impressive amount of information from just a handful of grainy black and white photos. I shall pass on all your conclusions and musings.

Perhaps rather sadly, though, the subject matter will be used as a conversation starter/memory jogger for Millie as she's reached "that" particular age where she has retreated from everyday life yet still has a sparkle when talking about her younger years, especially anything involving her late hubby.
This newfound info will rekindle some joy for her, temporarily at least.

[Blib]

Thinking that my friend, who used to captain these things back in the day, would immediately know the answers to your questions I sent them to him.

Here's his answer.

Retired Royal Navy Admiral said:

No I can't - and unusually there is no pennant number, or none that I can see where I would expect it. It looks, from the aircraft, like 1950's or early 1960's. I wondered if it could have been Centaur, Alison or Bulwark though they were smallish carriers by today's standards. Or even Hermes pre modernisation. It looks as though it might have too many aircraft for those three. I don't think that it is Eagle or Ark Royal IV.


And no, I don't recognise the port at all, I'm afraid.  Could it be an American base somewhere?

Flippin' useless Admiral!

[Simpo Two]

Retired Royal Navy Admiral said:

unusually there is no pennant number, or none that I can see where I would expect it.

Unless they're privately taken photos, perhaps such info was censored out.

[hidetheelephants]

I doubt the seaman photographers would have bothered given they were selling prints to sailors on the ship in the photograph; more likely the pennant number was painted out in preparation for Operation Musketeer.