November 13, 1941 - Near Gibraltar The British aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal, a veteran of many actions in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean, is struck by a torpedo from the German submarine, U-81, and eventually sinks. The torpedo struck amidships, directly below he bridge island, between the fuel bunkers and bomb storage magazine, blowing a 130 x 30 hole in the hull. It also caused flooding in the starboard engine room, knocking out power to the rear half of the 800 foot long ship. All communications were also disabled. Despite the crews best efforts, the ship developed a severe list that could not be corrected. Only one seaman had been killed in the explosion, so the 1,487 officers and crew abandoned ship and were transported to nearby Gibraltar. Later investigations found the Ark Royals captain had been guilty of negligence in his damage control efforts, and that, combined with the ships design flaws, combined to cause the loss of the 27,000 ton vessel from a single torpedo.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 12:13:31 +0000
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