Vindex HMS

[john sefton]

Builder: Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson
Laid down: 1 July 1942
Launched: 4 May 1943
Commissioned: 15 November 1943
Decommissioned: 2 October 1947
Fate: Sold into merchant service as Port Vindex. Scrapped 1971.
General characteristics
Class and type: Nairana class escort carrier
Displacement: 17,000 tons fully-loaded
Length: 524 feet (160 m)
Beam: 68 feet (21 m)
Draught: 25 feet (7.6 m)
Propulsion: Diesel, 10,700 bhp
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement: 700
Armament: 2 × 4 inch guns
16 × 2 pdr guns (4×4)
16 × 20 mm guns (8×2)
Aircraft carried: 15-20
HMS Vindex was an escort aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. She was built at Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson shipyards in Tyneside. When construction started in 1942 she was intended as a merchant ship, but was completed and launched as an escort carrier, entering service at the end of 1943.

Vindex operated escorting convoys and doing anti-submarine work in the Atlantic and Arctic theatres. Her Swordfish aircraft were involved in the sinking of four U-boats during her service. She survived the war, and immediately afterwards served in the Far East transporting men and material to and from Japan. In 1947 she was decommissioned and sold to Port Line for commercial use, who operated the ship as the Port Vindex. In 1971 she was scrapped in Taiwan.

# "uboat.net". http://uboat.net/allies/warships/class.html?ID=379.
# "World Aircraft Carrier Lists". http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carrier ... tm#nair-cl.
# "The Red Duster". http://www.red-duster.co.uk/PORT7.htm.

Isle of Man SG108

[AndyS]

Hi John

I think this one is wrong as the stamp, pictured, matches the other "Vindex" entry. Intrigued to know if their is a stamp that fits the description as I would add it to my collection!

Andy

[aukepalmhof]

The aircraft carrier HMS VINDEX built in 1943 has never been depict on a postage stamp, the stamp depict on this site is of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co ship HMS VINDEX built in 1905 as the VIKING. (see index for her details and history.)
The photo on this site is the HMS VINDEX built in 1943.