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NavSource Online: Escort Carrier Photo Archive

PRINCE (CVE-45)  /  HMS RAJAH


Contributed by Tommy Trampp



Battle Honours

Atlantic 1944
CLASS - BOGUE
Displacement 7,800 Tons, Dimensions, 495' 8" (oa) x 69' 6" x 26' (Max)
Armament 2 x 5"/51 4 x 40mm, 10 x 20mm, 28 Aircraft.
Machinery, 8,500 SHP; Allis-Chambers, Geared Turbines, 1 screw
Speed, 17.5 Knots, Crew 890.
Fate: 1948: Converted to a cargo ship, renamed Drente (Dutch flag). 1966: Lambros. 1969: Ulisse. July 1975: Scrapped at Savona, Italy.

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Size Image Description Contributed
By And/Or Copyright
Name
McClure
NS0304513
104k

AVG-45 (later ACV-45 and CVE-45) was initially assigned the name McClure for a bay in Alaska, on the East coast of the Kenai Peninsula (NS0304513, image courtesy of Google Maps). The bay was named in 1910 by U.S. Grant, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

However, the ship was renamed Prince on 13 November 1942, prior to the start of construction. A Prince is a monarch, king, or the ruler of a principality or state, or a male member of a royal family, especially a son of the sovereign.

Prince was transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 17 October 1943, and served in the Royal Navy as HMS Rajah. A Rajah (also spelled Raja) is an Indian or Malay prince or chief, or the bearer of a title of nobility among the Hindus. (ship's blazon courtesy of Tommy Trampp.)

NavSource
Rajah
NS0304511
5k
HMS Rajah (D10 / R310)
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304501
162k

On sea trials in the Straits of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and the mainland, April 1944.

Courtesy of Tony Drury, Royal Navy Escort Carriers
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304507
93k

On sea trials in the Straits of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and the mainland, April 1944.

The gunnery practice shows the starboard aft twin Bofors mount being fired. The small sponson near to it (looking towards the bow) is the gun director's position.

Courtesy of Tony Drury, Royal Navy Escort Carriers
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304506
121k

Three photos of the crash of a Barracuda aircraft, August 1944, when HMS Rajah was taking her turn as the west coast deck landing training carrier.

Courtesy of Tony Drury, Royal Navy Escort Carriers
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304506a
208k
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304506b
150k
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304510
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HMS Rajah (D10), ex-Prince (CVE-45), underway at sea, circa 1944, location unknown. Photo by unknown Royal Navy official photographer. Imperial War Museum, Photo No: FL 7059.

Robert Hurst
Larger copy submitted by Mike Green
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304504
111k

Late in her career, 1946, not long before her return to the US.

Courtesy of Tony Drury, Royal Navy Escort Carriers
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304508
25k

James Stead served aboard HMS Rajah, ex-Prince, during World War II.

Amanda Stead, daughter of James Stead
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304509
63k
Commercial Service
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah / Drente
NS0304514
317k

The Dutch-flagged SS Drente, ex-Prince (CVE-45), ex-HMS Rajah (D10/R310), in a photo apparently taken in the late 1940s. Author and location unknown.

Submitted by Gerhard Mueller‑Debus
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304512
128k The Dutch-flagged SS Drente, ex-HMS Rajah, in a photo believed to have been taken in the early 1950s. Author and location unknown. Submitted by Gerhard Mueller‑Debus
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304505
107k A distant view of the Dutch cargo liner Drente (left), ex-Prince (CVE-45), ex-HMS Rajah (D10), anchoring in the River Weser estuary, awaiting a berth in the port of Bremen, Germany circa late 1950s. From an old, out-of-print River Weser area promotion brochure.
Submitted by Gerhard Mueller‑Debus
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah / Drente
NS0304515
135k

The Dutch-flagged SS Drente, ex-Prince (CVE-45), ex-HMS Rajah (D10/R310), in a photo apparently taken in the early 1960s. Author and location unknown.

Submitted by Gerhard Mueller‑Debus
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304503
72k Ex-Prince, ex-HMS Rajah, as Drente (Dutch flag), leaving Bremen, Germany, August 1960. Photo by Gerhard Mueller-Debus
Prince (CVE-45) / HMS Rajah
NS0304502
73k Ex-Prince, ex-HMS Rajah, as Drente (Dutch flag). Bremen, Germany, February 1961. Photo by Gerhard Mueller-Debus

For more photos and information about this ship, see:

Read the PRINCE (CVE-45) / HMS RAJAH (D10/R310) DANFS History entry

Crew Contact And Reunion Information

Not Applicable To This Ship
Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway World Aircraft Carrier Pages By Andrew Toppan.
HMS Rajah, Royal Navy Escort Carriers, by Tony Drury.

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Last update: 13 April 2020