Attacker (US Bogue) Class Escort Carrier | |||||
Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Returned to US | Stricken |
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- | 3 Nov 1941 | 7 Mar 1942 | 31 Jan 1943 | 29 Nov 1945 | 21 Jan 1946 |
Builder: Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., Seattle-Tacoma, Wash. |
Click On Image For Full Size Image |
Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
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![]() Ship's Badge |
97k | BACV-6 was transferred to the United Kingdom on 31 January 1943, under the provisions of the Lend-Lease agreement, and served as HMS Tracker. A "tracker" is a person who follows the tracks or traces of someone or something. The design of the ship's badge was suggested to the ship's officers by her builders, Willamette Iron & Steel Corp., Portland, OR. It possibly depicts a warrior of the Multnomah tribe, Chinookan people, the Native Americans indigenous to the Portland area. (Image courtesy of Tommy Trampp.) |
NavSource | |
HMS Tracker (D24) |
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238k | Three views of soon-to-be HMS Tracker during trials in the Columbia river conducted by her builders, Willamette Iron & Steel Corporation, Portland, Oregon, before being accepted by the Admiralty on January 31, 1943. Tracker was the first of 10 RN CVE's to be completed at Portland — five each at Willamette Iron & Steel Corporation, and Commercial Iron Works. These were (in order of completion): Tracker (WI&SC), Searcher (CIW), Ravager (CIW), Trumpeter (CIW), Slinger (WI&SC), Premier (WI&SC), Speaker (WI&SC), Arbiter (CIW), Rajah (WI&SC), and Trouncer (CIW). |
Courtesy of Tony Drury, Royal Navy Escort Carriers | |
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284k | |||
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29k | |||
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111k | HMS Tracker probably photographed off Orchard Point, Washington, 8 March 1943. Photograph taken by Naval Air Station, Seattle, Washington. Note the ship's British-style pattern camouflage and the British radar antenna in the middle of her island. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command (# NH 97123). Note: This photograph's original World War II-era caption identifies the ship seen as USS Barnes (ACV-20), which is incorrect. A number of visible details prove that the ship is definitely British. (The mistake was noticed in the first place by NavSource.) |
Naval History & Heritage Command, via Robert Hurst | |
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169k | From "All Hands" magazine, May 1943 issue. | Joe Radigan | |
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43k | HMS Tracker (D24). | Haze Gray & Underway | |
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62k | Undated photo of a Fairey Swordfish, its arrester hook trailing, [as it comes to land] on board the escort carrier HMS Tracker. The batsman is giving the "steady" signal; in seconds, this will be changed to "cut," indicating to the pilot that he should switch off his engine, whereupon the pilot will drop the last few feet under forward momentum (and gravity) only. A second aircraft is following, its pilot hoping fervently that his predecessor will have an incident-free touch-down. [L]ocation unknown. Photo Imperial War Museum. Photo and text from Swordfish: From The Cockpit, by Donald Payne. |
Robert Hurst | |
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143k | HMS Tracker underway whilst escorting a convoy, with Avenger torpedo-bombers on the deck, aft. Date and location unknown. |
Robert Hurst | |
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75k | A gun crew cleaning one of the twin 40mm Bofors mounts aboard HMS Tracker after firing whilst she was on patrol in the North Atlantic (IWM). Photo was taken from "U-Boats vs Destroyer Escorts," by Gordon Williamson. |
Robert Hurst | |
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113k | Undated wartime pic of crewmen on the aft flight deck of HMS Tracker watch as the Black Swan-class AA sloop HMS Wren (U28) approaches from astern with rescued airmen onboard. RN photo. Photo and text from Walker, RN: Story of Captain Frederick John Walker, by Terence Robertson. |
Robert Hurst | |
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200k | Undated wartime pic showing mountainous waves surging over the flight deck of HMS Tracker (D24) while on North Atlantic convoy duty. RN photo. Photo and text from Walker, RN: Story of Captain Frederick John Walker, by Terence Robertson. |
Robert Hurst | |
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118k | Official photo of HMS Tracker (D24). Robert Collinson was the NAAFI careen manager (U.S. equivalent is the PX, Post Exchange). |
Peter S. Collinson, son of Robert Collinson. Via Tony Drury, Royal Navy Escort Carriers |
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67k | Undated photo of HMS Tracker (D24) stationary in coastal waters. Source: Imperial War Museums, American Ministry of Defense, Foxhill Collection of Ships Photographs, Photo No. © IWM(FL 22590). |
Mike Green | |
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165k | A Swordfish Mk II of 816 Squadron is being marshalled by flight deck handlers on board the escort carrier HMS Tracker. Photo Ad Hoc Collection. Photo and text from Swordfish: From The Cockpit, by Donald Payne. |
Robert Hurst | |
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87k | Good overhead showing the location and look of the anti-aircraft gun mounts. Swordfish on deck belong to 816 Squadron. 1943. | IWM | |
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78k | HMS Tracker underway circa 1943 with Seafire and Swordfish aircraft of 816 Sqd, FAA on deck, location unknown. |
Robert Hurst | |
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79k | Starboard quarter view of HMS Tracker underway circa August 1943, location unknown. |
Robert Hurst | |
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179k | A Fairey Swordfish Mk II aircraft of No. 816 Naval Air Squadron carrying rocket-projectiles underwing, about to take-off from the flight deck of HMS Tracker (D24) for an anti-submarine sweep in the North Atlantic, September–October 1943. Photo taken by Lt. D.C. Oulds, Royal Navy official photographer. Photo A19715 from the collections of the Imperial War Museum. |
Robert Hurst | |
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76k | A Fairey Swordfish being readied for anti-submarine patrol on HMS Tracker in the North Atlantic, September–October 1943. Photo taken by Lt. D.C. Oulds, Royal Navy official photographer. Photo ©A19703 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums. |
Mike Green | |
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194k | HMS Tracker (D24) listing in a heavy swell while supporting convoys in the North Atlantic, September–October 1943. (Note that the original photo is reversed.) Photo ©A 19745 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums. |
Mike Green | |
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122k | A No 816 Squadron Swordfish Mk II (HS674) that came to grief after "doing the splits" on board the escort carrier HMS Tracker, in October 1943; the wartime censor is clearly nervous about the underwing stores it is carrying. The details of the unofficial artwork near the pilot's cockpit are unknown. Photo courtesy Philip Jarrett. Photo and text from Swordfish: From The Cockpit, by Donald Payne. |
Robert Hurst | |
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52k | Black smoke rises as the fire is got under control after a Grumman Avenger crashed on the flight deck of HMS Tracker whilst on Russian convoy duty. Photo taken by unknown Royal Navy official photographer. Id A22864 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums. |
Robert Hurst | |
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181k | Fire aboard HMS Tracker (D24), ex-BACV-6, ex-Mormacmail, after one of her Avengers crashed on landing in April 1944. The work of the fire teams has added urgency as they struggle to stop flames reaching the ready-use ammunition locker for the aft AA armament just below the flight deck. Imperial War Museum. Photo No:A22863. Photo and text from "Fleet Air Arm Handbook: 1939–1945" by David Wragg. |
Robert Hurst | |
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113k | Wildcat Mk. VIs of a fighter flight attached to 853 Sqd. aboard HMS Tracker, in May 1944. Note the tail wheel outriggers that allowed the aircraft to be stowed almost fully clear of the main flight deck. Photo and text from 100 Years of British Naval Aviation, by Christopher Shores. |
Robert Hurst | |
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82k | A formation of rocket-armed Fleet Air Arm Fairey Swordfish Mk.IIs with D-Day invasion stripes of No.816 Squadron in 1944. Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum photo. Note: This squadron, normally based aboard HMS Tracker (D24), was attached to No.19 Group RAF Coastal Command at Perranporth and St Merryn for duties in the English Channel leading up to D-Day activities at Normandy, finally disbanding at Perranporth in August 1944. Info taken from "Fleet Air Arm Archive, 1939–1945." |
Robert Hurst | |
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76k | Avenger Mk IIs of 853 Sqd. from HMS Tracker on their way to bomb targets in Aaransund, Norway, 12 September 1944. Photo and text from 100 Years of British Naval Aviation, by Christopher Shores. |
Robert Hurst | |
Models |
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41k | Box of Skywave's 1:700 scale model of HMS Tracker (D24). |
Tommy Trampp | |
Commercial Service |
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358k | Post-war, as mercantile Corrientes. Alberto, then 4 years old, was a passenger aboard Corrientes in June 1952, from Genoa, Italy to Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
Alberto de la Vega, Chile | |
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84k | Postcard showing Argentine mercantile Corrientes, ex-Mormacmail, ex-BACV 6, ex-HMS Tracker (D24), from the Ministerio de Transportes de la Nación, Flota Argentina de Navegación de Ultramar, Compañía Argentina de Navegación. |
Tommy Trampp | |
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97k | Corrientes, ex-Mormacmail, ex-BACV 6, ex-HMS Tracker (D24). Photo by Hans Graf, Hamburg, Germany, 1950s. |
Gerhard Mueller-Debus | |
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68k | Corrientes, ex-Mormacmail, ex-BACV 6, ex-HMS Tracker (D24). Photo by Hans Graf, Hamburg, Germany, 1950s. |
Gerhard Mueller‑Debus |
Crew Contact and Reunion Information | ||||||||||||||||
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Hazegray & Underway World Aircraft Carrier Pages By Andrew Toppan. |
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This page was created by Paul Yarnall and is maintained by Fabio Peña
Last update: 11 September 2019