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{{short description|1940 Illustrious-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy}}
{{other ships|HMS Illustrious}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = HMS Illustrious (ca. 1954) (20921205028).jpg
| Ship caption = ''Illustrious'' circa 1954
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United Kingdom
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
| Ship name = ''Illustrious''
| Ship ordered = 13 April 1937
| Ship builder = [[Vickers-Armstrongs]]
| Ship laid down = 27 April 1937
| Ship launched = 5 April 1939
| Ship commissioned = 25 May 1940
| Ship decommissioned = February 1955
| Ship struck = 
| Ship honours = *Genoa 1795
*Basque Roads 1809
*Java 1811
*Taranto 1940
*Mediterranean 1940–1942
*Malta Convoys 1940
*Diego Suarez 1942
*Salerno 1943
*Sabang 1944
*Palembang 1945
*Okinawa 1945<ref name="McCart, p. 46">McCart, p. 46</ref>
| Ship identification = [[Pennant number]]: 87<ref>Lenton, p. 713</ref>
| Ship fate = Sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]], November 1956
| Ship motto = *''Vox non Incerta''
* (Latin: "No Uncertain Voice")<ref name=le>Lyon, front [[endpaper]]</ref>
| Ship nickname = 
| Ship badge = In front of a trumpet erect two trumpets in saltire gold<ref name=le/>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics|Hide header
| Header caption = (as built)
| Ship class = {{sclass|Illustrious|aircraft carrier}}
| Ship displacement = {{convert|23000|LT|t|0}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
| Ship length = *{{convert|740|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[Length overall|o/a]])
* {{convert|710|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[waterline]])
| Ship beam = {{convert|95|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|28|ft|10|in|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[deep load]])
| Ship propulsion = *3 shafts
* 3 geared [[steam turbine]]s
| Ship speed = {{convert|30|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship power = *{{convert|111000|shp|kW|abbr=on|lk=in}}
* 6 [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
| Ship range = {{convert|10700|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
| Ship complement = 1,299
| Ship sensors = 1 × [[Type 79 radar|Type 79]] [[early warning radar|early-warning radar]]
| Ship armament = *8 × twin [[QF 4.5 inch naval gun|{{convert|4.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}]] [[dual-purpose gun]]s
* 6 × octuple [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|2-pdr (40&nbsp;mm)]] [[AA gun]]s
| Ship armour = *[[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{convert|4.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Flight deck]]: {{convert|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Hangar]] sides and ends: {{convert|4.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| Ship aircraft = 36
| Ship aircraft facilities = 1 [[aircraft catapult|catapult]]
}}
|}
'''HMS ''Illustrious''''' was the [[lead ship]] of [[Illustrious-class aircraft carrier|her class]] of [[aircraft carrier]]s built for the [[Royal Navy]] before World War II. Her first assignment after completion and [[Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)#working up|working up]] was with the [[Mediterranean Fleet]], in which her aircraft's most notable achievement was sinking one Italian [[battleship]] and badly damaging two others during the [[Battle of Taranto]] in late 1940. Two months later the carrier was crippled by German [[dive bomber]]s and was repaired in the United States. After sustaining damage on the voyage home in late 1941 by a collision with her [[sister ship]] {{HMS|Formidable|67|2}}, ''Illustrious'' was sent to the [[Indian Ocean]] in early 1942 to support the invasion of [[Vichy French]] Madagascar ([[Operation Ironclad]]). After returning home in early 1943, the ship was given a lengthy refit and briefly assigned to the [[Home Fleet]]. She was transferred to [[Force H]] for the [[Allied invasion of Italy|Battle of Salerno]] in mid-1943 and then rejoined the [[Eastern Fleet]] in the Indian Ocean at the beginning of 1944. Her aircraft attacked several targets in the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies over the following year before ''Illustrious'' was transferred to the newly formed [[British Pacific Fleet]] (BPF). The carrier participated in the early stages of the [[Battle of Okinawa]] until mechanical defects arising from accumulated battle damage became so severe she was ordered home early for repairs in May 1945.

The war ended while she was in the dockyard and the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] decided to modify her for use as the Home Fleet's trials and [[training ship|training carrier]]. In this role she conducted the deck-landing trials for most of the British post-war naval aircraft in the early 1950s. She was occasionally used to ferry troops and aircraft to and from foreign deployments as well as participating in exercises. In 1951, she helped to transport troops to quell rioting in [[Cyprus]] after the collapse of the [[Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936]]. She was [[Ship decommissioning|paid off]] in early 1955 and sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]] in late 1956.

==Background and description==
[[File:IllustriousRecognitionDrawing.jpg|thumb|left|US [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] recognition drawing of the ''Illustrious''-class carriers]]
The Royal Navy's 1936 Naval Programme authorised the construction of two aircraft carriers. [[Admiral (United Kingdom)|Admiral]] Sir [[Reginald Henderson]], [[Third Sea Lord|Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy]], was determined not to simply modify the previous unarmoured {{HMS|Ark Royal|91|2}} design. He believed that carriers could not be successfully defended by their own aircraft without some form of early-warning system. Lacking that, there was nothing to prevent land-based aircraft from attacking them, especially in confined waters like the [[North Sea]] and [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]]. This meant that the ship had to be capable of remaining in action after sustaining damage and that her fragile aircraft had to be protected entirely from damage. The only way to do this was to completely armour the [[hangar]] in which the aircraft would shelter, but putting so much weight high in the ship allowed only a single-storey hangar due to stability concerns. This halved the aircraft capacity compared with the older unarmoured carriers, exchanging offensive potential for defensive survivability.<ref>Hobbs 2013, p. 83</ref>

''Illustrious'' was {{convert|740|ft|m|1}} in [[length overall]] and {{convert|710|ft|m|1}} at the [[waterline]]. Her [[beam (nautical)|beam]] was {{convert|95|ft|9|in|m|1}} at the waterline and she had a [[draught (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|28|ft|10|in|m|1}} at [[deep load]]. She displaced {{convert|23000|LT|t|0}} at [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard load]] as completed.<ref name=f6>Friedman, p. 366</ref> Her complement was approximately 1,299 officers and enlisted men upon completion in 1940.<ref name=h9>Hobbs 2013, p. 89</ref> By 1944, she was severely overcrowded with a total crew of 1,997. After post-war modifications to convert her into a [[evaluation|trials]] carrier, her complement was reduced to 1,090 officers and enlisted men.<ref name="Lyon, p.233">Lyon, p. 233</ref>

The ship had three [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, each driving one shaft, using steam supplied by six [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s. The turbines were designed to produce a total of {{convert|111000|shp|kW|abbr=on|lk=in}}, enough to give a maximum speed of {{convert|30|kn}} at deep load.<ref>Friedman, p. 134</ref> On 24 May 1940 ''Illustrious'' ran her sea trials and her engines reached {{convert|113700|shp|abbr=on}}. Her exact speeds were not recorded as she had her [[Paravane (water kite)#Military applications|paravanes]] streamed, but it was estimated that she could have made about {{convert|31|kn}} under full power.<ref name="Lyon, p.235">Lyon, p. 235</ref> She carried a maximum of {{convert|4850|LT|t}} of [[fuel oil]] which gave her a range of {{convert|10700|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}} or {{convert|10400|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|16|kn}}<ref name=f6/> or {{convert|6300|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|25|kn}}.<ref name=h9/>

The {{convert|753|ft|m|1|adj=on}} armoured [[flight deck]] had a usable length of {{convert|620|ft|m|1}}, due to prominent "round-downs"{{refn|"Round downs" were places at the ends of the flight deck that were faired into the hull; they were generally not usable by aircraft or equipment because they were not level.|group=Note}} at each end designed to reduce the effects of air turbulence caused by the carrier's structure on aircraft taking-off and landing, and a maximum width of {{convert|95|ft|m|1}}. A single hydraulic [[aircraft catapult]] was fitted on the forward part of the flight deck. The ship was equipped with two unarmoured [[Elevator#Aircraft elevators|lifts]] on the centreline, each of which measured {{convert|45|by|22|ft|m|1}}. The hangar was {{convert|456|ft|m|1}} long and had a maximum width of {{convert|62|ft|m|1}}. It had a height of {{convert|16|ft|1}} which allowed storage of [[Lend-Lease]] [[Vought F4U Corsair]] fighters once their wingtips were clipped. The hangar was designed to accommodate 36 aircraft, for which {{convert|50650|impgal|l usgal}} of [[Avgas|aviation spirit]] was provided.<ref>Brown 1977, p. 44; Friedman, p. 134; Hobbs 2013, pp. 84–85, 90</ref>

===Armament, electronics and protection===
The main armament of the ''Illustrious'' class consisted of sixteen [[quick-firing gun|quick-firing (QF)]] [[QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun|{{convert|4.5|in|mm|adj=on}}]] [[dual-purpose gun]]s in eight twin-[[gun turret]]s, four in [[sponson]]s on each side of the hull. The roofs of the gun turrets protruded above the level of the flight deck to allow them to fire across the deck at high elevations. Her light antiaircraft defences included six octuple mounts for [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder ("pom-pom")]] [[antiaircraft gun]]s, two each fore and aft of her island, and two in sponsons on the port side of the hull.<ref name=h5>Hobbs 2013, p. 85</ref>

The completion of ''Illustrious'' was delayed two months to fit her with a [[Type 79 radar|Type 79]]Z [[early-warning radar]]; she was the first aircraft carrier in the world to be fitted with radar before completion.<ref name=h5/> This version of the radar had separate transmitting and receiving antennas which required a new [[mainmast]] to be added to the aft end of the island to mount the transmitter.<ref>Lyon, p. 227</ref>

The ''Illustrious''-class ships had a flight deck protected by {{convert|3|in|0}} of armour and the internal sides and ends of the hangars were {{convert|4.5|in|0}} thick. The hangar deck itself was {{convert|2.5|in|0}} thick and extended the full width of the ship to meet the top of the 4.5-inch waterline [[Belt armor|armour belt]]. The [[torpedo belt|underwater defence system]] was a layered system of liquid- and air-filled compartments backed by a {{convert|1.5|in|adj=on}} splinter bulkhead.<ref>Friedman, p. 137; Hobbs 2013, p. 83</ref>

===Wartime modifications===
While under repair in 1941, ''Illustrious''{{'}}s rear "round-down" was flattened to increase the usable length of the flight deck to {{convert|670|ft|m|1}}.<ref name=f7>Friedman, p. 147</ref> This increased her aircraft complement to 47 aircraft by use of a permanent deck park of 6 aircraft.<ref>Jones, p. 109</ref> Her light AA armament was also augmented by the addition of 10 [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon 20 mm]] [[autocannon]] in single mounts. In addition the two steel fire curtains in the hangar were replaced by asbestos ones.<ref>Friedman, p. 137; Hobbs 2013, p. 90</ref> After her return to the UK later that year, her Type 79Z radar was replaced by a [[Type 281 radar|Type 281]] system and a [[Type 285 radar|Type 285]] gunnery radar was mounted on one of the main [[Ship gun fire-control systems|fire-control directors]].<ref name=f7/> The additional crewmen, maintenance personnel and facilities needed to support these aircraft, weapons and sensors increased her complement to 1,326.<ref name="Lyon, p.233"/>

During her 1943 refits, the flight deck was modified to extend its usable length to {{convert|740|ft|m|1}}, and "outriggers" were probably added at this time. These were U-shaped beams that extended from the side of the flight deck into which aircraft tailwheels were placed. The aircraft were pushed back until the main wheels were near the edge of the flight deck to allow more aircraft to be stored on the deck. Twin Oerlikon mounts replaced most of the single mounts. Other twin mounts were added so that by May she had a total of eighteen twin and two single mounts. The Type 281 radar was replaced by an upgraded Type 281M, and a single-antenna Type 79M was added. Type 282 gunnery radars were added for each of the [[Pom-Pom Director|"pom-pom" directors]], and the rest of the main directors were fitted with Type 285 radars. A [[List of World War II British naval radar#Type 272|Type 272]] target-indicator radar was mounted above her [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]].<ref name=f7/> These changes increased her aircraft capacity to 57<ref name=h1>Hobbs 2013, p. 91</ref> and caused her crew to grow to 1,831.<ref name="Lyon, p.233"/>

A year later, in preparation for her service against the Japanese in the Pacific, one starboard octuple "pom-pom" mount, directly abaft the island, was replaced by two [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] AA guns.<ref name=f48>Friedman, p. 148</ref> Two more twin Oerlikon mounts were added, and her boilers were retubed.<ref name=f48/> At this time her complement was 1,997 officers and enlisted men.<ref name="Lyon, p.233"/> By 1945, accumulated wear-and-tear as well as undiagnosed shock damage to ''Illustrious''{{'}}s machinery caused severe vibrations in her centre propeller shaft at high speeds. In an effort to cure the problem, the propeller was removed, and the shaft was locked in place in February; these radical measures succeeded in reducing, but not eliminating, the vibrations and reduced the ship's speed to about {{convert|24|kn}}.<ref name=h1/>

===Post-war modifications===
''Illustrious'' had been badly damaged underwater by a bomb in April 1945, and was ordered home for repairs the following month. She began permanent repairs in June that were scheduled to last four months. The RN planned to fit her out as a flagship, remove her aft 4.5-inch guns in exchange for increased accommodation, and replace some of her Oerlikons with single two-pounder AA guns, but the end of the war in August caused the RN to reassess its needs. In September, it decided that the ''Illustrious'' would become the trials and training carrier for the Home Fleet and her repairs were changed into a lengthy refit that lasted until June 1946. Her complement was sharply reduced by her change in role and she retained her aft 4.5-inch guns. Her light AA armament now consisted of six octuple "pom-pom" mountings, eighteen single Oerlikons, and seventeen single and two twin Bofors mounts. The flight deck was extended forward, which increased her overall length to {{convert|748|ft|6|in|m|1}}. The high-angle director atop the island was replaced with an American SM-1 [[Ground-controlled interception|fighter-direction]] radar, a Type 293M target-indication system was added, and the Type 281M was replaced with a prototype Type 960 early-warning radar.<ref name=f48/> The sum total of the changes since her commissioning increased her full-load displacement by {{convert|2520|LT|t}}.<ref name=l21>Lyon, p. 221</ref> In 1947 she carried five 8-barrel pom-poms, 17 Bofors and 16 Oerlikons.<ref name=f48/> A five-bladed propeller was installed on her centre shaft although the increasing wear on her outer shafts later partially negated the reduction in vibration. While running trials in 1948, after another refit, she reached a maximum speed of {{convert|29|kn}} from {{convert|110680|shp|abbr=on}}. Two years later, she made 29.2 knots from {{convert|111450|shp|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Lyon, p.235"/> At some point after 1948, the ship's light AA armament was reduced to two twin and nineteen single 40&nbsp;mm guns and six Oerlikons.<ref name=f48/>

==Construction and service==
[[File:HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, 1940. FL2425.jpg|thumb|left|''Illustrious'' at anchor in 1940]]
''Illustrious'', the fourth ship of her name,<ref>Colledge, p. 170</ref> was ordered as part of the 1936 Naval Programme from [[Vickers-Armstrongs]]<ref>Friedman, p. 139</ref> on 13 April 1937.<ref name=h4>Hobbs 2013, p. 84</ref> Construction was delayed by slow deliveries of her armour plates because the industry had been crippled by a lack of orders over the last 15 years as a result of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]]. As a consequence, her flight-deck armour had to be ordered from [[Vítkovice Mining and Iron Corporation]] in [[Czechoslovakia]].<ref name=h4/> She was [[Keel laying|laid down]] at their [[Barrow-in-Furness]] shipyard two weeks later as [[yard number]] 732 and [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 5 April 1939. She was christened by Lady Henderson, wife of the recently retired Third Sea Lord.<ref name=h0>Hobbs 2013, p. 90</ref> ''Illustrious'' was then towed to [[Buccleuch Dock]] for [[fitting out]] and [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]] [[Denis Boyd]] was appointed to command her on 29 January 1940.<ref>McCart, p. 11</ref> She was commissioned on 16 April 1940 and, excluding her armament, she cost £2,295,000 to build.<ref>Lyon, p. 218</ref>

While ''Illustrious'' was being moved in preparation for her acceptance trials on 24 April, the [[tugboat]] ''Poolgarth'' [[capsized]] with the loss of three crewmen.<ref>Lyon, p. 218; McCart, p. 11</ref> The carrier conducted preliminary flying trials in the [[Firth of Clyde]] with six [[Fairey Swordfish]] [[torpedo bomber]]s that had been [[crane (machine)|craned]] aboard earlier. In early June, she loaded the personnel from [[806 Naval Air Squadron|806]], [[815 Naval Air Squadron|815]], and [[819 Naval Air Squadron|819 Squadrons]] at [[Devonport Royal Dockyard]]; 806 Squadron was equipped with [[Blackburn Skua]] [[dive bomber]]s and [[Fairey Fulmar]] fighters, and the latter two squadrons were equipped with Swordfish. She began [[Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)#working up|working up]] off [[Plymouth]], but the German [[Battle of France|conquest of France]] made this too risky, and ''Illustrious'' sailed for Bermuda later in the month to continue working up. This was complete by 23 July, when she arrived in the Clyde and flew off her aircraft. The ship was docked in [[Clydeside]] for a minor refit the following day; she arrived in [[Scapa Flow]] on 15 August, and became the [[flagship]] of [[Rear Admiral]] [[Lumley Lyster]].<ref>McCart, pp. 11–12</ref> Her squadrons flew back aboard, and she sailed for the Mediterranean on 22 August with 15 Fulmars and 18 Swordfish aboard.<ref>Brown 1971, p. 242</ref>

After refuelling in [[Gibraltar]], ''Illustrious'' and the [[battleship]] {{HMS|Valiant|1914|2}} were escorted into the Mediterranean by Force H as part of [[Operation Hats]], during which her Fulmars shot down five Italian bombers and her AA guns shot down two more. Now escorted by the bulk of the Mediterranean Fleet, eight of her Swordfish, together with some from the carrier {{HMS|Eagle|1918|2}}, attacked the Italian [[seaplane]] base at [[Rhodes]] on the morning of 3 September.<ref name=mc4>McCart, p. 14</ref> A few days after the [[Italian invasion of Egypt]], ''Illustrious'' flew off 15 Swordfish during the moonlit night of 16/17 September to attack the port of [[Benghazi]]. Aircraft from 819 Squadron laid six [[naval mine|mines]] in the harbour entrance while those from 815 Squadron sank the [[destroyer]] {{ship|Italian destroyer|Borea|1927|2}} and two freighters totalling {{GRT|10,192|disp=long}}. The destroyer {{ship|Italian destroyer|Aquilone|1927|2}} later struck one of the mines and sank. During the return voyage to [[Alexandria]], the {{ship|Italian submarine|Corallo}} made an unsuccessful attack on the British ships.<ref>Rohwer, p. 41</ref> While escorting a convoy to Malta on 29 September, the carrier's Fulmars broke up attacks by Italian high-level and torpedo bombers, shooting down one for the loss of one fighter. While returning from another convoy escort mission, the Swordfish of ''Illustrious'' and ''Eagle'' attacked the Italian airfield on the island of Leros on the evening of 13/14 October.<ref name=mc4/>

===Battle of Taranto===
{{main|Battle of Taranto}}
[[File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A20659.jpg|thumb|Oblique bow view of ''Illustrious'' at anchor]]
Upon his arrival in the Mediterranean, Lyster proposed a carrier airstrike on the Italian fleet at its base in [[Taranto]], as the Royal Navy had been planning since the [[Abyssinia Crisis]] of 1935, and Admiral [[Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope|Andrew Cunningham]], commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, approved the idea by 22 September 1940. The attack, with both available carriers, was originally planned for 21 October, the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, but a hangar fire aboard ''Illustrious'' on 18 October forced its postponement until 11 November when the next favourable phase of the moon occurred.<ref>Cernuschi & O'Hara, pp. 77–78</ref> The fire destroyed three Swordfish and heavily damaged two others, but they were replaced by aircraft from ''Eagle'', whose contaminated fuel tanks prevented her from participating in the attack.<ref name="McCart, p. 15">McCart, p. 15</ref>

Repairs were completed before the end of the month, and she escorted a convoy to Greece, during which her Fulmars shot down one shadowing [[CANT Z.506]]B [[floatplane]].<ref>Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, p. 80</ref> She sailed from Alexandria on 6 November, escorted by the battleships {{HMS|Warspite|03|2}}, {{HMS|Malaya||2}}, and ''Valiant'', two [[light cruiser]]s, and 13 destroyers, to provide air cover for another convoy to Malta.<ref>Cernuschi & O'Hara, p. 79</ref> At this time her air group was reinforced by several of ''Eagle''{{'}}s [[Gloster Gladiator|Gloster Sea Gladiators]] supplementing the fighters of 806 Squadron as well as torpedo bombers from [[813 Naval Air Squadron|813]] and [[824 Naval Air Squadron|824 Squadrons]].<ref name=b45>Brown, J. D., p. 45</ref> The former aircraft were carried "...as a permanent deck park..."<ref name=b44>Brown 1971, p. 244</ref>{{refn|Although ''Illustrious''{{'}}s hangar must have been full, the Sea Gladiator had fixed wings and could not be struck below, as they were too large for the lifts.<ref name=b44/>|group=Note}} and they shot down a [[CANT Z.501]] seaplane two days later. Later that day seven [[Savoia-Marchetti SM.79]] medium bombers were intercepted by three Fulmars, which claimed to have shot down one bomber and damaged another. In reality, they heavily damaged three of the Italian aircraft. A Z.501 searching for the fleet was shot down on 10 November by a Fulmar and another on the 11th. A flight of nine SM.79s was intercepted later that day and the Fulmars claimed to have damaged one of the bombers, although it actually failed to return to base.<ref>Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, pp. 82–83</ref> Three additional Fulmars had been flown aboard from ''Ark Royal'' a few days earlier, when both carriers were near Malta; that brought its strength<ref name=b44/> up to 15 Fulmars, 24 Swordfish, and two to four Sea Gladiators.<ref name=b45/> Three Swordfish crashed shortly after take-off on 10 and 11 November, probably due to fuel contamination, and the maintenance crewmen spent all day laboriously draining all the fuel tanks and refilling them with clean petrol. This left only 21 aircraft available for the attack.<ref name="McCart, p. 15"/>

[[File:Battle of Taranto map-en.svg|thumb|right|220px|Battle of Taranto map]]
Now augmented by reinforcements from the UK, the Mediterranean Fleet detached ''Illustrious'', four cruisers, and four destroyers to a point {{convert|170|mi}} south-east of Taranto. The first wave of a dozen aircraft, all that the ship could launch at one time, flew off by 20:40 and the second wave of nine by 21:34.<ref>Cernuschi & O'Hara, p. 80</ref> Six aircraft in each airstrike were armed with torpedoes and the remainder with bombs or flares or both to supplement the three-quarter moon. The [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) had positioned a [[Short Sunderland]] [[flying boat]] off the harbour to search for any movement to or from the port and this was detected at 17:55 by [[acoustic location|acoustic locators]] and again at 20:40, alerting the defenders. The noise of the on-coming first airstrike was heard at 22:25 and the anti-aircraft guns defending the port opened fire shortly afterwards, as did those on the ships in the harbour. The torpedo-carrying aircraft of the first wave scored one hit on the battleship {{ship|Italian battleship|Conte di Cavour||2}} and two on the recently completed battleship {{ship|Italian battleship|Littorio||2}} while the two flare droppers bombed the oil storage depot with little effect. The four aircraft loaded with bombs set one hangar in the seaplane base on fire and hit the destroyer {{ship|Italian destroyer|Libeccio||2}} with one bomb that failed to detonate. The destroyer {{ship|Italian destroyer|Fulmine|1931|2}},<ref>Stephen, pp. 41–43</ref> or ''Conte di Cavour'',<ref>Cernuschi & O'Hara, p. 81</ref> shot down the aircraft that put a torpedo into the latter ship, but the remaining aircraft returned to ''Illustrious''.<ref>Stephen, p. 42–43</ref>

One torpedo-carrying aircraft of the second wave was forced to return when its long-range external fuel tank fell off, but the others hit the ''Littorio'' once more and the {{ship|Italian battleship|Duilio||2}} was hit once when they attacked beginning at 23:55. The two flare droppers also bombed the oil storage depot with minimal effect, and one bomb penetrated through the hull of the [[heavy cruiser]] {{ship|Italian cruiser|Trento||2}} without detonating. One torpedo bomber was shot down, but the other aircraft returned. A follow on airstrike was planned for the next night based on the pessimistic assessments of the aircrews, but it was cancelled due to bad weather. Reconnaissance photos taken by the [[R.A.F.]] showed three battleships with their decks awash and surrounded by pools of oil. The two airstrikes had changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean by rendering the ''Conte di Cavour'' unavailable for the rest of the war, and badly damaging the ''Littorio'' and the ''Duilio''.<ref>McCart, p. 16; Stephen, pp. 43–44</ref>

===Subsequent operations in the Mediterranean===
While en route to Alexandria the ship's Fulmars engaged four CANT Z.506Bs, claiming three shot down and the fourth damaged, although Italian records indicate the loss of only two aircraft on 12 November.<ref>Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, p. 84</ref> Two weeks later, 15 Swordfish attacked Italian positions on Leros,<ref>Rohwer, p. 50</ref> losing one Swordfish. While off Malta two days later, six of the carrier's fighters engaged an equal number of [[Fiat CR.42 Falco]] [[biplane]] fighters, shooting down one and damaging two others. One Fulmar was lightly damaged during the battle.<ref>Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, p. 95</ref> On the night of 16/17 December, 11 Swordfish bombed Rhodes and the island of [[Stampalia]] with little effect.<ref>Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987a, pp. 130–131</ref> Four days later ''Illustrious''{{'}}s aircraft attacked two convoys near the [[Kerkennah Islands]] and sank two merchant ships totalling {{GRT|7,437|link=off}}.<ref>Rohwer, p. 52</ref> On the morning of 22 December, 13 Swordfish attacked [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] harbour, starting fires and hitting warehouses multiple times.<ref>Gustavsson & Slongo, p. 93</ref> The ship arrived back at Alexandria two days later.<ref>McCart, p. 17</ref>

[[File:HMS Illustrious R87 ships bell.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Her ship's bell that was damaged during the January 1941 attacks]]
On 7 January 1941, ''Illustrious'' set sail to provide air cover for convoys to [[Piraeus]], Greece and Malta as part of [[Operation Excess]]. For this operation, her fighters were reinforced by a detachment of three Fulmars from [[805 Naval Air Squadron|805 Squadron]]. During the morning of 10 January, her Swordfish attacked an Italian convoy without significant effect. Later that morning three of the five Fulmars on [[Combat Air Patrol]] (CAP) engaged three SM.79s at low altitude, claiming one shot down. One Fulmar was damaged and forced to return to the carrier, while the other two exhausted their ammunition and fuel during the combat and landed at [[RAF Hal Far|Hal Far]] airfield on Malta. The remaining pair engaged a pair of torpedo-carrying SM.79s, damaging one badly enough that it crashed upon landing. They were low on ammunition and out of position, as they chased the Italian aircraft over {{convert|50|mi}} from ''Illustrious''. The carrier launched four replacements at 12:35, just when 24–36 [[Junkers Ju 87 Stuka]] dive bombers of the First Group/Dive Bomber Wing 1 (I. [[Glossary of German military terms#G|Gruppe]]/[[Sturzkampfgeschwader 1|Sturzkampfgeschwader (StG) 1]]) and the Second Group/Dive Bomber Wing 2 (II. Gruppe/[[Sturzkampfgeschwader 2|StG 2]]) began their attack, led by [[Paul-Werner Hozzel]].<ref>Smith, p. 218</ref> Another pair were attempting to take off when the first {{convert|250|or|500|kg|adj=on}} bomb struck just forward of the aft lift, destroying the Fulmar whose engine had failed to start and detonating high in the lift well; the other aircraft took off and engaged the Stukas as they pulled out of their dive.<ref>Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, pp. 104–105, 108–110</ref>

The ship was hit five more times in this attack, one of which penetrated the un-armoured aft lift and detonated beneath it, destroying it and the surrounding structure. One bomb struck and destroyed the starboard forward "pom-pom" mount closest to the island, while another passed through the foremost port "pom-pom" mount and failed to detonate, although it did start a fire. One bomb penetrated the outer edge of the forward port flight deck and detonated about {{convert|10|ft}} above the water, riddling the adjacent hull structure with holes which caused flooding in some compartments and starting a fire. The most damaging hit was a large bomb that penetrated through the deck armour forward of the aft lift and detonated 10 feet above the hangar deck. The explosion started a severe fire, destroyed the rear fire sprinkler system, bent the forward lift like a hoop and shredded the fire curtains into lethal splinters. It also blew a hole in the hangar deck, damaging areas three decks below. The Stukas also near-missed ''Illustrious'' with two bombs, which caused minor damage and flooding. The hits at the aft end of the carrier knocked out her steering gear, although it was soon repaired.<ref name=blong/><ref name=survey/>

Another attack by 13 Ju 87s at 13:20 hit the ship once more in the aft lift well, which again knocked out her steering and reduced her speed to {{convert|15|kn}}. This attack was intercepted by six of the ship's Fulmars which had rearmed and refuelled ashore after they had dropped their bombs, but only two of the dive bombers were damaged before the Fulmars ran out of ammunition. The carrier, steering by engines, was attacked several more times before she entered [[Grand Harbour]] [[breakwater (structure)|breakwater]] at 21:04, still on fire. The attacks killed 126 officers and men and wounded 91. Nine Swordfish and five Fulmars were destroyed during the attack. Another Swordfish, piloted by [[Lieutenant (Royal Navy)|Lieutenant]] [[Charles Lamb (Royal Navy officer)|Charles Lamb]], was attempting to land when the bombs began to strike and was forced to [[Water landing|ditch]] when it ran out of fuel; the crew was rescued by the destroyer {{HMS|Juno|F46|2}}. The British fighters claimed to have shot down five Ju 87s, with the fleet's anti-aircraft fire claiming three others. Germans records show the loss of three Stukas, with another forced to make an emergency landing.<ref name=blong>Brown 1971, p. 246; Brown, J. D., p. 48; Friedman, p. 147; Hobbs 2013, p. 90; McCart, pp. 17, 19; Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, pp. 110–111, 114–115</ref><ref name=survey/>

[[File:IllustriousFlightDeck10Jan41.jpg|thumb|The wreckage of the aft lift is visible through the smoke behind the hole made by the only bomb to penetrate through the ship's flight-deck armour]]
While her steering was being repaired in Malta, the ''Illustrious'' was bombed again on 16 January by 17 [[Junkers Ju 88]] medium bombers and 44 Stukas. The pilots of 806 Squadron claimed to have shot down two of the former and possibly damaged another pair, but a {{cvt|500|kg|order=flip}} bomb penetrated her flight deck aft of the rear lift and detonated in the captain's day cabin; several other bombs nearly hit the ship but only caused minor damage. Two days later, one of three Fulmars that intercepted an Axis air raid on the Maltese airfields was shot down with no survivors. Only one Fulmar was serviceable on 19 January, when the carrier was attacked several times and it was shot down. ''Illustrious'' was not struck during these attacks but was near-missed several times and the resulting shock waves from their detonations dislodged enough hull plating to cause an immediate 5-degree [[list (watercraft)|list]], cracked the cast-iron foundations of her port turbine, and damaged other machinery.<ref name=survey>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/rep/WDR/WAR%20DAMAGE%20TO%20BRITISH%20NAVAL%20VESSELS%20-%20Summary%20of%20Damage%20by%20Bombs%20to%20September%202,%201941.pdf|title=Bomb Damage to British Naval Vessels: Summary of Damage by Bombs to September 2, 1941|last=Preliminary Design Branch, Bureau of Ships|date=22 July 1942|work=ibiblio.org|publisher=United States Navy Department|pages=B6–9|access-date=2 June 2014}}</ref><ref>Friedman, p. 147; Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987b, pp. 122–123, 126</ref> The naval historian J. D. Brown noted that "There is no doubt that the armoured deck saved her from destruction; no other carrier took anything like this level of punishment and survived."<ref>Brown, J. D., p. 48</ref>

Without aircraft aboard, she sailed to Alexandria on 23 January escorted by four destroyers, for temporary repairs that lasted until 10 March. Boyd was promoted to rear admiral on 18 February and relieved Lyster as Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers. He transferred his flag to ''Formidable'' when she arrived at Alexandria on 10 March, just before ''Illustrious'' sailed for [[Port Said]] to begin her transit of the [[Suez Canal]]. The Germans had laid mines in the canal earlier. Clearing the mines and the ships sunk by them was a slow process and ''Illustrious'' did not reach Suez Bay until 20 March. The ship then sailed for [[Durban]], [[South Africa]], to have the extent of her underwater damage assessed in the dry dock there. She reached Durban on 4 April and remained there for two weeks. The ship arrived at the [[Norfolk Navy Yard]] in the United States on 12 May for permanent repairs.<ref>McCart, p. 19</ref>

[[File:IllustrousBowDamageBig.tiff|thumb|''Illustrious''{{'}}s bow after colliding with ''Formidable'', 16 December 1941]]
Some important modifications were made to her flight deck arrangements, including the installation of a new aft lift and modification of the catapult for use by American-built aircraft. Her light anti-aircraft armament was also augmented during the refit.<ref>Hobbs 2013, p. 90; Lyon, p. 224</ref> Captain Lord [[Louis Mountbatten]] relieved her acting captain on 12 August, although he did not arrive aboard her until 28 August. He was almost immediately sent on a speaking tour to influence American public opinion, until he was recalled home in October and relieved by Captain A. G. Talbot on 1 October.<ref>McCart, p. 20</ref> The work was completed in November and ''Illustrious'' departed on 25 October, for trials off [[Jamaica]] and to load the dozen Swordfish of [[810 Naval Air Squadron|810 NAS]] and [[829 Naval Air Squadron|829 NAS]]. She returned to Norfolk on 9 December, to rendezvous with ''Formidable'', which had also been repaired there, and the carriers sailed for home three days later. On the night of 15/16 December, ''Illustrious'' collided with ''Formidable'' in a moderate storm. Neither ship was seriously damaged, but ''Illustrious'' had to reduce speed to shore up sprung bulkheads in the bow and conduct temporary repairs to the forward flight deck. She arrived at [[Greenock]] on 21 December and permanent repairs were made from 30 December to late February 1942 at [[Cammell Laird]]'s shipyard in [[Birkenhead]].<ref>Brown 1971, p. 246; McCart, p. 21</ref> While working up her air group in March, reinforced by the [[Grumman F4F Wildcat|Martlet]] fighters (the British name of the F4F Wildcat) of [[881 Naval Air Squadron|881 NAS]] and [[882 Naval Air Squadron|882 NAS]], she conducted trials of a "hooked" [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]] fighter, the prototype of the [[Supermarine Seafire|Seafire]].<ref>Brown 1971, p. 246; Hobbs 2013, p. 90</ref>

===In the Indian Ocean===
[[File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A15063.jpg|thumb|Martlets, Swordfish, and one Fulmar ranged on the bow after rehearsals for Operation Ironclad, 3 May 1942]]
The [[Japanese invasion of Malaya|conquest of British Malaya]] and the [[Dutch East Indies campaign|Dutch East Indies]] in early 1942 opened the door for Japanese advances into the Indian Ocean. The Vichy French-controlled island of [[Madagascar]] stood astride the line of communication between India and the UK and the British were worried that the French would accede to occupation of the island as they had to the [[Japanese invasion of French Indochina|Japanese occupation of French Indochina]] in 1940. Preventing this required a preemptive invasion of [[Diego-Suarez|Diego Suarez]] scheduled for May 1942. ''Illustrious'' had her work up cut short on 19 March to prepare to join the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean and participate in the attack. She sailed four days later, having embarked twenty-one Swordfish, nine Martlet IIs of 881 Squadron and six Martlet Is of 882 Squadron,<ref name="Jones, p. 108">Jones, p. 108</ref> and two Fulmar fighters<ref>Brown 1971, p. 246</ref> prior to escorting a troop convoy carrying some of the men allocated for the assault. A hangar fire broke out on 2 April that destroyed 11 aircraft and killed one crewman, but failed to cause any serious damage to the ship. Repairs were made in [[Freetown]], [[Sierra Leone]], where her destroyed aircraft were replaced and augmented by twelve additional Martlet II fighters from [[HMS Archer (D78)|HMS ''Archer'']], while two Martlet I aircraft were, in turn, transferred to ''Archer'', bringing ''Illustrious''{{'}}s total aircraft complement to 47.<ref name=j110>Jones, pp. 106–110</ref> After her stay at Freetown, ''Illustrious'' proceeded to Durban; during the voyage her staff also fitted [[ASV radar]] to the replacement Swordfish. One Martlet I was fitted with folding wings.<ref name="Jones, p. 108"/>

''Illustrious''{{'}}s aircraft were tasked to attack French naval units and shipping and to defend the invasion fleet, while her half-sister {{HMS|Indomitable|R92|2}} provided air support for the ground forces. For the operation the carrier's air group numbered 25 Martlets, 1 [[night fighter|night-fighting]] Fulmar and 21 Swordfish, and was consequently forced to have a permanent deck park of 5 Martlets and one Swordfish.<ref name=j110/> Before dawn on 5 May, she launched 18 Swordfish together with 8 Martlets. The first flight of 6 Swordfish, carrying torpedoes, unsuccessfully attacked the [[aviso]] {{ship|French aviso|D'Entrecasteaux|1931|2}}, but sank the [[armed merchant cruiser]] {{MS|Bougainville|1938|6}}. The second flight, carrying [[depth charge]]s, sank the submarine {{ship|French submarine|Bévéziers|1935|2}} while the third flight dropped leaflets over the defenders before attacking an [[artillery battery]] and ''D'Entrecasteaux''. One aircraft of the third flight was forced to make an emergency landing and its crew was captured by the French. Later in the day, ''D'Entrecasteaux'' attempted to put to sea, but she was successfully bombed by an 829 Squadron Swordfish and deliberately [[Ship grounding|run aground]] to avoid sinking. Three other Swordfish completed her destruction. The next morning, Martlets from 881 Squadron intercepted three [[Potez 63.11]] reconnaissance bombers, shooting down two and forcing the other to retreat, while Swordfish dropped dummy parachutists as a diversion. One patrolling Swordfish sank the submarine {{ship|French submarine|Le Héros|Q170|2}} and another spotted for ships bombarding French defences. On the morning of 7 May, Martlets from 881 Squadron intercepted three [[Morane-Saulnier M.S.406]] fighters on a reconnaissance mission. All three were shot down for the loss of one Martlet. In addition to the other losses enumerated, 882 Squadron's Fulmar was shot down while providing ground support.<ref>Brown 1971; Brown, J. D., p. 76; Shores, pp. 279–283</ref><ref>{{csr|register=MSI|id=5615035 |shipname=Bougainville |access-date=4 August 2014}}</ref> ''Illustrious''' aircraft flew 209 sorties and suffered six deck landing crashes, including four by Martlets.<ref>Jones, p. 110</ref>

[[File:HMS Valiant fires guns 1942.jpg|thumb|''Valiant'' conducting gunnery training to the rear of ''Illustrious''. Fulmars of 806 Squadron are preparing to take off while Martlets of 881 Squadron are behind them.]]
She was then formally assigned to the Eastern Fleet and, after a short refit in Durban, sailed to [[Colombo]], [[Ceylon]], and became the flagship of the Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers, Eastern Fleet, Denis Boyd, her former captain.<ref>McCart, p. 22</ref> At the beginning of August, the ship participated in [[Operation Stab]], a decoy invasion of the [[Andaman Islands]] to distract the Japanese when the Americans were beginning the [[Guadalcanal campaign]] in the South Pacific.<ref>Rohwer, p. 184</ref> Captain Robert Cunliffe relieved Talbott on 22 August.<ref name="McCart, p. 46"/> On 10 September the carrier covered the amphibious landing that opened operations Stream, Line and Jane, the occupation of the remainder of Madagascar, and the landing at [[Tamatave]] eight days later, but no significant resistance was encountered and her aircraft were not needed. For this operation she had aboard six Fulmars of 806 Squadron, 23 Martlets of 881 Squadron and 18 Swordfish of 810 and 829 Squadrons.<ref>Brown, J.D., p. 76</ref>

===European waters===
[[File:Fairey Firefly taking off from HMS Illustrious (IWM A 14671).jpg|thumb|left|A prototype Fairey Firefly taking off with a prototype Blackburn Firebrand behind it, during deck-landing trials, February 1943]]
After a farewell visit from the Eastern Fleet commander, Admiral Sir [[James Somerville]] on 12 January 1943, ''Illustrious'' sailed for home the next day. She flew off her aircraft to Gibraltar on 31 January and continued on to the Clyde where she arrived five days later. She conducted deck-landing trials for prototypes of the [[Blackburn Firebrand]] and [[Fairey Firefly]] fighters, as well as the [[Fairey Barracuda]] dive/torpedo bomber from 8 to 10 February. On 26 February she began a refit at Birkenhead that lasted until 7 June during which her flight deck was extended, new [[radar]]s were installed, her light anti-aircraft armament was augmented, and two new [[arrestor wire]]s were fitted aft of the rear lift which increased her effective landing area. While conducting her post-refit trials, she also conducted flying trials for Martlet Vs and Barracudas. Both sets of trials were completed by 18 July, by which time the ''Illustrious'' had joined the Home Fleet.<ref>Brown 1971, pp. 250–251; Jackson, p. 441; McCart, p. 23</ref>

On 26 July, she sortied for the [[Norwegian Sea]] as part of Operation Governor, together with the battleship {{HMS|Anson|79|2}}, the American battleship {{USS|Alabama|BB-60|2}}, and the [[light carrier]] {{HMS|Unicorn|I72|2}}, an attempt to fool the Germans into thinking that [[Sicily]] was not the only objective for an Allied invasion. 810 Squadron was the only unit retained from her previous air group and it had been re-equipped with Barracudas during her refit. Her fighter complement was augmented by [[878 Naval Air Squadron|878]] and [[890 Naval Air Squadron|890 Squadrons]], each with 10 Martlet Vs, and [[894 Naval Air Squadron|894 Squadron]] with 10 Seafire IICs. These latter aircraft lacked folding wings and could not fit on the lifts. The British ships were spotted by [[Blohm & Voss BV 138]] flying boats and 890 Squadron shot down two of them before the fleet returned to Scapa Flow on 29 July. She transferred to Greenock at the end of the month and sailed on 5 August to provide air cover for the [[ocean liner]] {{RMS|Queen Mary}} as she conveyed [[Prime Minister]] [[Winston Churchill]] to the [[Quebec Conference, 1943|Quebec Conference]]. Once the convoy was out of range of German aircraft, the ''Illustrious'' left the convoy and arrived back at Greenock on 8 August.<ref>Brown 1971, pp. 250, 254; McCart, p. 23; Rohwer, p. 260</ref>

[[File:BIG SHIPS AT MALTA. OCTOBER 1943, ON BOARD HMS FORMIDABLE AT GRAND HARBOUR, VALLETTA, MALTA. A19815.jpg|thumb|''Illustrious'' steams into Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, October 1943]]
Together with the ''Unicorn'', she sailed for the Mediterranean on 13 August to prepare for the [[Allied invasion of Italy|landings at Salerno]] (Operation Avalanche), reaching Malta a week later. Her air group was reinforced at this time by four more Martlets each for 878 and 890 Squadrons. She was assigned to [[Force H]] for the operation which was tasked to protect the amphibious force from attack by the Italian Fleet and provide air cover for the carriers supporting the assault force. The Italians made no effort to attack the Allied forces, and the most noteworthy thing that any of her aircraft did was when one of 890 Squadron's Martlets escorted a surrendering Italian aircraft to Sicily. Before the ''Illustrious'' steamed for Malta she transferred six Seafires to the ''Unicorn'' to replace some of the latter's aircraft wrecked in deck-landing accidents. Four of these then flew ashore to conduct operations until they rejoined ''Illustrious'' on 14 September at Malta.<ref>Brown 1971, p. 254; Brown, J. D., 66–67; McCart, pp. 23–24</ref>

She then returned to Britain on 18 October for a quick refit at Birkenhead that included further improvements to the flight deck and the reinforcement of her light anti-aircraft armament. She embarked the Barracudas of 810 and [[847 Naval Air Squadron|847 Squadrons]] of [[No. 21 Naval Torpedo-Bomber Reconnaissance Wing]] on 27 November before beginning her work up three days later. [[No. 15 Naval Fighter Wing]] with the Vought Corsairs of [[1830 Naval Air Squadron|1830]] and [[1833 Naval Air Squadron|1833 Squadrons]] were still training ashore and flew aboard before the work up was finished on 27 December.<ref>Brown 1971, p. 254; McCart, p. 24; Sturtivant, pp. 472–473</ref>

===Return to the Indian Ocean===
[[File:HMS Unicorn (I72) and carrier 1944.jpeg|thumb|''Illustrious'' (right) and ''Unicorn'' (left) anchored in 1944]]
''Illustrious'' departed Britain on 30 December and arrived in [[Trincomalee]], Ceylon, on 28 January 1944. She spent most of the next several months training although she participated in several sorties with the Eastern Fleet searching for Japanese warships in the [[Bay of Bengal]] and near the coast of [[Sumatra]]. The fleet departed Trincomalee on 21 March to rendezvous with the American carrier {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}} in preparation for combined operations against the Japanese facilities in the Dutch East Indies and the Andaman Islands. The first operation carried out by both carriers was an airstrike on the small naval base at [[Sabang, Indonesia|Sabang]] at the northern tip of Sumatra ([[Operation Cockpit]]). The carrier's air group consisted of 21 Barracudas and 28 Corsairs for the operation; ''Illustrious'' launched 17 of the former escorted by 13 of the latter on the morning of 19 April. The American bombers attacked the shipping in the harbour while the British aircraft attacked the shore installations. The oil storage tanks were destroyed and the port facilities badly damaged by the Barracudas. There was no aerial opposition and the fighters claimed to have destroyed 24 aircraft on the ground. All British aircraft returned safely although one American fighter was forced to ditch during the return home.<ref>Brown 1971; pp. 254, 257; Brown, J. D., p. 80; McCart, pp. 25–26</ref>

The ''Saratoga'' was ordered to depart for home for a refit by 19 May and Somerville wanted to mount one more attack as she was leaving the Indian Ocean. He chose the naval base and [[oil refinery]] at [[Surabaya]], [[Java]] ([[Operation Transom]]), and the distance from the newly renamed East Indies Fleet's base at Ceylon required refuelling at [[Exmouth Gulf]] on the western coast of Australia before the attack. The necessity to attack from the south, across the full width of Java, meant that the target was outside the Barracuda's range and 810 and 847 Squadrons were replaced by the 18 [[Grumman TBF Avenger|Grumman Avengers]] of [[832 Naval Air Squadron|832]] and [[845 Naval Air Squadron|845 Squadrons]] for the mission. Early on the morning of 17 May, the ship launched all 18 Avengers, escorted by 16 Corsairs. One Avenger crashed on take-off and an American Avenger was shot down over the target; only one small ship was sunk, and little damage was done to the refinery. The ''Saratoga'' and her escorts separated after refuelling again in Exmouth Gulf and the East Indies Fleet was back in Trincomalee on 27 May where No. 21 Wing reembarked.<ref>Brown 1971, p. 257; Brown, J. D., p. 81, McCart, p. 26</ref>

On 10 June, the ''Illustrious'' and the [[escort carrier]] {{HMS|Atheling|D51|2}} put to sea to simulate another airstrike on Sabang as a means of distracting the Japanese while the Americans were attacking airfields in the [[Mariana Islands]] and preparing to [[Battle of Saipan|invade the island of Saipan]]. For the planned attack on [[Port Blair]] in the Andaman Islands in mid-June her air group was reinforced by the 14 Corsairs of [[1837 Naval Air Squadron|1837 Squadron]]; six Barracudas from No. 21 TBR Wing were landed to make room for the additional fighters. On 21 June, the ship launched 15 Barracudas and 23 Corsairs against the airfield and harbour of Port Blair. Two of the Barracudas were forced to return with engine trouble before the attack began and another was shot down over the target. In addition, one Corsair was forced to ditch; the pilot was rescued by a destroyer. Bad weather degraded the accuracy of the Barracudas and little damage was inflicted aside from a few aircraft destroyed on the ground and a few small craft sunk in the harbour. With over 50 aircraft airborne at one point, the British realised that a single deck accident might result in the loss of every aircraft in the air because there was no other carrier available to land aboard. The carrier and her escorts arrived back at Trincomalee on 23 June where 847 Squadron was merged into 810 Squadron a week later.<ref>Brown 1971, p. 257; Brown, J. D., p. 81; Hobbs 2013, p. 91; McCart, pp. 26–27; Sturtivant, p. 327</ref>

Her sister ships, the ''Indomitable'' and the {{HMS|Victorious|R38|2}} arrived at the end of June although only the latter's pilots were combat-ready. Captain [[Charles Lambe]] was appointed as the new captain of the ''Illustrious'' on 21 May, but he could not join his new ship until 9 July. Somerville decided to attack Sabang again ([[Operation Crimson]]), although the ships of the East Indies Fleet would bombard the port while the fighters from the ''Illustrious'' and the ''Victorious'' spotted for them and protected the fleet. As the Barracudas were needed only for anti-submarine patrols, the former embarked only nine while the latter ship flew off all her Barracudas. On the early morning of 25 July, ''Illustrious'' launched 22 Corsairs for CAP and to observe the naval gunfire and take photos for post-attack damage assessments. The bombardment was very effective, sinking two small freighters, and severely damaging the oil storage and port facilities. One Corsair was shot down by Japanese flak although the pilot was rescued after ditching. As the fleet was withdrawing, ''Illustrious''{{'}}s CAP intercepted and shot down a [[Nakajima Ki-43]] ([[World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft|codenamed "Oscar"]]) fighter and a [[Mitsubishi Ki-21]] "Sally" medium bomber on reconnaissance missions. Later in the day her Corsairs intercepted 10 Ki-43s and shot down two of them while driving off the remainder. After arriving in Trincomalee, 1837 Squadron was transferred to the ''Victorious''.<ref>Brown 1971, p. 257; Brown, J. D., pp. 81–83; McCart, p. 27; Sturtivant, p. 417</ref>

On 30 July, she sailed for Durban to begin a refit that lasted from 15 August to 10 October and arrived back at Trincomalee on 1 November. 810 Squadron and its Barracudas were transferred off the ship the next day and were later replaced by the Avengers of [[854 Naval Air Squadron|854 Squadron]]. For the next six weeks she carried out an intensive flying regime in preparation for the next operations against the Japanese together with the other carriers of the fleet. On 22 November she was assigned to the newly formed [[British Pacific Fleet]] (BPF), commanded by Admiral Sir [[Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape|Bruce Fraser]].<ref>McCart, p. 28; Sturtivant, p. 201</ref> She was assigned to the [[1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron (Royal Navy)|1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron]] (1st ACS), commanded by Rear Admiral Sir [[Philip Vian]] when he arrived at Colombo aboard the carrier {{HMS|Indefatigable|R10|2}}. A week later, ''Illustrious'' and ''Indomitable'' sortied to attack an oil refinery at [[Pangkalan Brandan]], Sumatra ([[Operation Outflank]]); the former's airgroup now consisted of 36 Corsairs of 1830 and 1833 Squadrons and 21 Avengers of 857 Squadron. When the aircraft approached the target on the morning of 20 December, it was obscured by clouds so they diverted to the secondary target of the port at [[Belawan]] Deli. It was partially obscured by clouds and heavy [[squall]]s so the attacking aircraft had only moderate success, setting some structures on fire and destroying several aircraft on the ground.<ref>Brown 1971, pp. 257–58; Brown, J. D., pp. 83–84; McCart, p. 29</ref>

On 16 January 1945 the BPF sailed for its primary base in the Pacific Ocean, [[Sydney]], Australia. En route, the carriers of the 1st ACS attacked [[Palembang]] on 24 January and 29 January ([[Operation Meridian]]). ''Illustrious''{{'}}s air group consisted of 32 Corsairs and 21 Avengers by now and she contributed 12 of her Avengers and 16 Corsairs to the first attack, which destroyed most of the oil storage tanks and cut the refinery's output by half for three months. Five days later, the BPF attacked a different refinery and the ship launched 12 Avengers and 12 Corsairs. The attack was very successful at heavy cost; between the two air operations, her squadrons lost five Corsairs to enemy flak or fighters and one due to a mechanical problem on take-off as well as three Avengers to enemy action. Her Corsairs claimed four enemy aircraft shot down as did one Avenger pilot who claimed victory over a [[Nakajima Ki-44]] "Tojo" fighter. The fleet's fire discipline was poor when it was attacked by seven Japanese bombers shortly after the strike aircraft began landing. The attackers were all shot down, but two shells fired by either ''Indomitable'' or the battleship {{HMS|King George V|41|2}} struck ''Illustrious'', killing 12 and wounding 21 men.<ref>Brown 1971, p. 258; Brown, J. D., pp. 92–93; McCart, pp. 29–30</ref>

===Service in the Pacific Ocean===
[[File:British aircraft carriers at anchor c1945.jpg|thumb|The main strength of the BPF in anchored in San Pedro Bay, April 1945. ''Illustrious'' is the second-closest ship to the photographer in the background left column.]]
She arrived on 10 February and repairs began when she entered the Captain Cook Dock in the [[Garden Island, New South Wales|Garden Island Dockyard]] the next day, well before it was officially opened by the [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|Duke of Gloucester]], the [[Governor-General of Australia]] on 24 March.<ref>Hobbs 2011, pp. 108–109; McCart, p. 30</ref> By this time the vibration problems with her centre propeller shaft, which had never been properly repaired after she was bombed at Malta, were so bad that the propeller was removed and the shaft locked in place, reducing her maximum speed to 24 knots.<ref name="Lyon, p.235"/> On 6 March she sailed to the BPF's advance base at [[Manus Island]] and, after her arrival a week later, ''Illustrious'' and her sisters ''Indomitable'' and ''Victorious'', as well as the carrier ''Indefatigable'', exercised together before sailing for [[Ulithi]] on 18 March. The BPF joined the American [[United States Fifth Fleet|Fifth Fleet]] there two days later, under the designation [[Task Force 57]] (TF 57), to participate in the preliminary operations for the [[Battle of Okinawa|invasion of Okinawa]] (Operation Iceberg). The British role during the operation was to neutralise airfields on the [[Sakishima Islands]], between Okinawa and [[Formosa]], beginning on 26 March. Her air group now consisted of 36 Corsairs, 16 Avengers and two [[Supermarine Walrus]] flying boats for rescue work.<ref>Hobbs 2011, pp. 127, 130–131; McCart, pp. 30, 32</ref>

[[File:P00614.005.JPG|thumb|Kamikaze attack on ''Illustrious'' on 6 April]]
[[File:Kamikaze A29571.jpg|thumb|The only visible damage from the kamikaze hit]]
From 26 March to 9 April, the BPF attacked the airfields with each two-day period of flying operations followed by two or three days required to replenish fuel, ammunition and other supplies. While the precise details on activities of the carrier's squadrons are not readily available, it is known that the commanding officer of 854 Squadron was forced to ditch his Avenger on the morning of 27 March with the loss of both his crewmen; he was ultimately rescued that evening by an American submarine. On the afternoon of 6 April, four [[kamikaze]] aircraft evaded detection and interception by the CAP, and one, a [[Yokosuka D4Y]]3 "Judy" dive bomber, attacked ''Illustrious'' in a steep dive. The light AA guns managed to sever its port wing so that it missed the ship, although its starboard wingtip shattered the Type 272's [[radome]] mounted on the front of the bridge. When the {{convert|1000|kg|adj=on}} bomb that it was carrying detonated in the water only {{convert|50|ft|m|1}} from the side of the ship, the resulting shock wave badly damaged two Corsairs parked on the deck and severely shook the ship. The initial damage assessment was that little harm had been done, although vibrations had worsened, but this was incorrect as the damage to the hull structure and plating proved to be extensive. Vice Admiral Sir [[Bernard Rawlings (Royal Navy officer)|Bernard Rawlings]], commander of Task Force 57, ordered the recently arrived ''Formidable'' to join the task force to replace ''Illustrious'' on 8 April. In the meantime, she continued to conduct operations with the rest of the fleet. On 12 and 13 April, the BPF switched targets to airfields in northern Formosa and her sister joined the task force on 14 April. Since the beginning of the operation, her aircraft had flown 234 offensive and 209 defensive sorties, claiming at least two aircraft shot down. Her own losses were two Avengers and three Corsairs lost in action and one Avenger and six Corsairs due to non-combat causes.<ref>Brown 1971, pp. 258–259, 261; Hobbs 2011, pp. 134, 136, 142–143, 145, 147; McCart, p. 32</ref>

[[File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A29271.jpg|thumb|A Corsair has bounced over the aft safety barrier and is about to strike the island, 13 April 1945]]
''Formidable''{{'}}s arrival allowed Rawlings to order ''Illustrious'' to the advance base in [[San Pedro Bay (Philippines)|San Pedro Bay]], in the [[Philippines]], for a more thorough inspection. She arrived on 16 April and the examination by divers revealed that some of her outer plating was split and that some transverse frames were cracked. The facilities there could provide only emergency repairs, enough to allow her to reach the bigger dockyard in Sydney. Task Force 57 arrived in San Pedro Bay on 23 April for a more thorough replenishment period and ''Illustrious'' transferred aircraft, spares, stores, and newly arrived pilots to the other carriers before sailing for Sydney on 3 May. She arrived on 14 May and departed 10 days later, bound for [[Rosyth]] for permanent repairs. 854 Squadron was disembarked while at Sydney, but the carrier kept her two Corsair squadrons until after arriving in the UK on 27 June.<ref>Brown 1971, p. 261; Hobbs 2011, pp. 150, 159; Hobbs 2013, p. 91; McCart, pp. 32–33</ref>

===Post-war career===
On 31 July Captain W. D. Stephens relieved Lambe. The end of the war several weeks later meant that there was no longer any urgency in refitting the ''Illustrious'' in time to participate in the invasion of the [[Japanese Home Islands]] and the Admiralty decided that she would become the Home Fleet training and trials carrier. Her catapult was upgraded to handle heavier aircraft, her flight deck was further improved, and her radar suite was modernized. She began her post-refit trials on 24 June 1946 and flying trials the following month. She relieved {{HMS|Triumph|R16|2}} as the trials carrier in August and conducted trials on Firefly FR.4s, Firebrand TF.4s, [[de Havilland Sea Mosquito]]es and [[de Havilland Sea Vampire]]s over the next several months. Captain [[Ralph Edwards (Royal Navy officer)|Ralph Edwards]] relieved Stephens on 7 January 1947.<ref>McCart, p. 34; Taylor, p. 336</ref>

[[File:jetlanding.jpg|thumb|A prototype [[Supermarine Attacker]] aboard ''Illustrious'', October 1947]]
On 1 February, she joined the other ships of the Home Fleet as they rendezvoused with the battleship {{HMS|Vanguard|23|2}}, which was serving as the [[royal yacht]] to escort [[George VI of the United Kingdom|King George VI]] as he set out for the first royal tour of South Africa. Over the next several months she conducted deck-landing practice for Avenger and Seafire pilots before starting a short refit on 2 April. After the tour's conclusion on 12 May, she sailed for Scottish waters for more deck-landing practice with the destroyer {{HMS|Rocket|H92|2}} as her [[planeguard]]. On 18 July she rendezvoused with the Home Fleet to participate in manoeuvres before George VI reviewed the fleet on 22–23 July. The King and Queen inspected ''Illustrious'' and her crew, as did Prime Minister [[Clement Attlee]] and his wife. Afterwards, she was opened for visits by the public before returning to [[Portsmouth]]. En route she served as the centrepiece of a convoy-defence exercise as the RAF successfully "attacked" the convoy. After summer leave for her crew, she resumed deck-landing trials in September and October,<ref>McCart, pp. 35–37</ref> including the initial trials of the prototype [[Supermarine Attacker]] jet-powered fighter in the latter month.<ref>Brown, Eric, p. 240</ref> In November the government accelerated the demobilisation of some [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|National Servicemen]] and almost 2,000 men serving in the Mediterranean became eligible for release. They had to be replaced by men from the UK so ''Illustrious'' ferried the replacements to Malta, sailing on 21 November and returning on 11 December to Portsmouth.<ref>McCart, p. 37</ref>

She was refitted and modernised from January to August 1948. Captain John Hughes-Hallett relieved Edwards on 14 June. The ship was recommissioned in early September. While at anchor in Portland Harbour on 17 October, one of her boats foundered {{convert|50|yd}} short of the ship in heavy weather; 29 men lost their lives.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/17001655.pictures-service-remembers-29-men-who-drowned-in-hms-illustrious-disaster/ | title=Pictures: Remembering the 29 men who drowned in HMS Illustrious liberty boat disaster| date=24 October 2018}}</ref> For his gallantry during a rescue attempt, Boy 1st Class [[Alf Lowe]] was awarded the [[Albert Medal for Lifesaving]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://vcgca.org/our-people/profile/20/alf-lowe | title=VC & GC Association: Alf Lowe GC| date=21 January 2025}}</ref>

''Illustrious'' resumed her duties in early 1949 and conducted trials and training for Avengers, Fireflies, [[Gloster Meteor]]s, [[de Havilland Sea Hornet]]s, Vampires and Seafires. On 10 June Hughes-Hallet was relieved by Captain [[Eric Clifford]]. During a severe gale in late October, the ship aided the small coastal steamer {{SS|Yewpark}} that had lost power. The weather was too bad for ''Illustrious'' to rescue the steamer's crew, but she pumped fuel oil overboard to flatten the seas until a tug arrived to rescue the ship on 27 October. On 2 May 1950, she arrived at Birkenhead to commemorate the launch of the new carrier {{HMS|Ark Royal|R09|2}} the following day with the [[First Lord of the Admiralty]], [[George Hall, 1st Viscount Hall]], aboard. A [[Hawker Sea Fury]] crashed while landing on 15 May, killing the pilot and two members of the deck crew. The prototype of the [[turboprop]]-powered [[Fairey Gannet]] [[antisubmarine warfare|anti-submarine aircraft]] made its first carrier landing aboard on 16 June. This event was also the first landing of any turboprop aircraft aboard an aircraft carrier.<ref>McCart, pp. 37–40; Taylor, p. 361</ref>

[[File:Supermarine 510 landing on HMS Illustrious (R87) 1950.jpg|thumb|A Supermarine 510 landing aboard, November 1950|alt=|left]]
Captain S. H. Carlill assumed command on 24 June and the ''Illustrious'' resumed deck-landing training. On 8 and 9 November the [[Supermarine 510]] research aircraft made the first ever landings by a swept-wing aircraft aboard a carrier. This aircraft was one of the ancestors of the [[Supermarine Swift]] fighter. A month later the ship began a four-month refit and hosted the first carrier landing of the [[de Havilland Sea Venom]] on 9 July 1951. Later in the month she hosted the Sea Furies of [[802 Naval Air Squadron|802]] and the Fireflies of [[814 Naval Air Squadron|814 Squadrons]] for Exercise Winged Fleet. Captain C. T. Jellicoe relieved Carlill on 27 August and the ship ferried 10 Fireflies of 814 Squadron to Malta beginning on 1 October. She exchanged them for Firebrands for the return voyage. On 3 November she began loading the [[39th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|39th Infantry Brigade]] of the [[3rd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|3rd Infantry Division]] in response to the riots in Cyprus that broke out when Egypt abrogated the [[Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936]]. She set sail two days later and arrived at [[Famagusta]] on 11 November. She returned to Portsmouth on 19 November and began loading the 45th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, the 1st Battalion, [[Coldstream Guards]], and the [[Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment]] two days later. ''Illustrious'' set sail on 23 November and reached Famagusta on 29 November. She returned to Portsmouth on 7 December and she did not leave harbour until 30 January 1952 when she resumed her customary role as a training ship.<ref>McCart, pp. 40–42</ref>

After a brief refit in early 1952, she participated in Exercise Castanets off the Scottish coast in June and hosted 22,000 visitors during Navy Days at Devonport Royal Dockyard in August. On 1 September she hosted No. 4 Squadron and No. 860 Squadrons, Royal Netherlands Naval Aviation Service (RNNAS) for training, as well as 824 Squadron. Between the three squadrons they had 20 Fireflies and 8 Sea Furies when they participated in the major NATO exercise Main Brace later in the month. Jellicoe was relieved by Captain R. D. Watson on 26 September and ''Illustrious'' resumed training until 9 December when her crew was granted leave and the ship began a refit. She next put to sea on 24 April 1953 for trials and did not resume training pilots until the following month. She was reunited with the four other carriers that served with the BPF for the first time since the war for the [[Fleet review (Commonwealth realms)#Elizabeth II|Coronation Fleet Review]] of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] on 15 June at [[Spithead]]. The following day, the Fireflies of No. 4 Squadron, RNNAS and 824 Squadron landed aboard for more deck-landing training. During September she participated in Exercise Mariner with three British squadrons of Fireflies and Sea Furies and a Dutch Squadron of Avengers. The ship resumed flying training off the north coast of Scotland in October for two weeks, but she spent most of the rest of the year on trials of the new [[Optical landing system|mirror-landing system]] that automated the process of landing aircraft aboard. ''Illustrious'' began her final maintenance period at Devonport Royal Dockyard on 10 December. Captain K. A. Short relieved Watson on 28 December. The refit was completed by the end of January 1954 and she resumed her normal role. The ship completed 1,051 deck landings and steamed {{convert|4037|nmi}} by April. She made her first foreign port visit in many years at [[Le Havre]], France, on 20–22 March, where 13,000 people came aboard. After another round of flying operations, she visited [[Trondheim]], Norway, on 19 June. During 12 days of training in September, she completed 950 daytime and nighttime arrested landings and 210 helicopter landings. She conducted her last landings on 3 December and arrived at Devonport four days later to begin [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioning]]. ''Illustrious'' was paid off at the end of February 1955 and she was towed to [[Gareloch]] and placed in [[Reserve fleet|reserve]]. She was sold on 3 November 1956 and broken up in early 1957.<ref>Brown 1971, pp. 263–264; McCart, pp. 42–46</ref>

== Squadrons embarked ==
[[File:Avenger being armed on HMS Illustrious (87) 1944.jpg|thumb|An Avenger being prepared to be "bombed up", May 1944, for the attack on Soerabaya, Java]]
[[File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A12872.jpg|thumb|A torpedo being loaded onto a Swordfish]]
[[File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A14866.jpg|thumb|A Seafire being prepared for trials with [[JATO|RATOG]] boosters]]
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
|-
!width="10%"|Squadron
!width="20%"|Aircraft operated
!class="unsortable" width="25%"|Embarked (from – to)
!class="unsortable" width="35%"|Notes
|-
|[[802 Naval Air Squadron|802]] || Hawker Sea Fury ||July – August 1951|| –<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 169–170</ref>
|-
|[[806 Naval Air Squadron|806]] || Blackburn Skua<br />Fairey Fulmar<br />Grumman F4F Wildcat || 11 June 1940 – 11 Jan 1941<br />29 May–19 October 1942 || –<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 185–186</ref>
|-
|[[810 Naval Air Squadron|810]] || Fairey Swordfish<br />Fairey Barracuda || 2–8 December 1941<br />10 March 1942 – <br />2 November 1944||–<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 198, 200–201</ref>
|-
|[[815 Naval Air Squadron|815]] || Fairey Swordfish<br />Grumman TBF Avenger ||11 June 1940 – 10 January 1941<br />17 September – 14 October 1954 || –<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 226–227</ref>
|-
|[[819 Naval Air Squadron|819]] || Fairey Swordfish || 11 June 1940 – 10 January 1941 || Disbanded<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 240–241</ref>
|-
|[[829 Naval Air Squadron|829]] || Fairey Albacore<br /> Fairey Swordfish||2–8 December 1941<br />7 March – 21 September 1942 || Disbanded<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 286–287</ref>
|-
|[[832 Naval Air Squadron|832]] || Grumman TBF Avenger ||3–25 May 1944|| –<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 296–297</ref>
|-
|[[845 Naval Air Squadron|845]] || Grumman TBF Avenger || 3–27 May 1944||–<ref>Sturtivant, p. 316</ref>
|-
|[[847 Naval Air Squadron|847]] || Fairey Barracuda || 28 November 1943 – 18 June 1944 || –<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 326–327</ref>
|-
|[[854 Naval Air Squadron|854]] || Grumman TBF Avenger || 1 December 1944 – 18 May 1945||–<ref>Sturtivant, p. 346</ref>
|-
|[[878 Naval Air Squadron|878]] || Grumman F4F Wildcat || 8 June–18 October 1943||–<ref>Sturtivant, p. 354</ref>
|-
|[[881 Naval Air Squadron|881]] || Grumman F4F Wildcat<br /> Fairey Fulmar || 15 March 1942 – 18 February 1943||–<ref>Sturtivant, p. 362</ref>
|-
|[[882 Naval Air Squadron|882]] ||Grumman F4F Wildcat||22 March–7 September 1942 || Merged into 881 Squadron<ref>Sturtivant, pp. 363–364</ref>
|-
|[[890 Naval Air Squadron|890]] || Grumman F4F Wildcat || 14 June–19 October 1942|| –<ref>Sturtivant, p. 376</ref>
|-
|[[894 Naval Air Squadron|894]] || Supermarine Seafire II || 24 July–24 August 1943<br />20 September–18 October 1943 || –<ref>Sturtivant, p. 386</ref>
|-
|[[1830 Naval Air Squadron|1830]] || Vought F4U Corsair || 9 December 1943 – 28 July 1945 || Disbanded<ref>Sturtivant, p. 406</ref>
|-
|[[1833 Naval Air Squadron|1833]] || Vought F4U Corsair || 22 December 1943 – 28 July 1945 || Disbanded<ref>Sturtivant, p. 413</ref>
|-
|[[1837 Naval Air Squadron|1837]] || Vought F4U Corsair || 10 June 1944 – 27 July 1944|| Transferred to HMS ''Victorious''<ref>Sturtivant, p. 417</ref>
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|last=Brown|first=David|title=HMS Illustrious: Aircraft Carrier 1939–1956: Operational History|publisher=Profile Publications|location=Windsor, UK|year=1971|oclc=33202926|series=Warship Profile|volume=11}}
* {{cite book|last=Brown |first=David |title=WWII Fact Files: Aircraft Carriers|location=New York |publisher=Arco Publishing |year=1977 |isbn=0-668-04164-1}}
* {{cite journal|last=Brown|first=Eric|date=May 1983|title=Attacker – A Belated Beginning|journal=Air International|publisher=The Air International|location=Bromley, Kent, UK|volume=22|issue=5|pages=233–41|issn=0306-5634|author-link=Eric Brown (pilot)}}
* {{cite book|last=Brown|first=J. D.|title=Carrier Operations in World War II|year=2009|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-108-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|title=Naval Weapons of World War II|year=1985|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-459-4}}
* {{cite book|last1=Cernuschi|first1=Ernesto|last2=O'Hara|first2=Vincent P.|chapter=Taranto: The Raid and the Aftermath|pages=77–95|editor=Jordan, John|publisher=Conway|location=London|year=2010|title=Warship 2010|isbn=978-1-84486-110-1|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|author-link=Norman Friedman|title=British Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of the Ships and Their Aircraft|year=1988|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-054-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Gustavsson|first1=Håkan|last2=Slongo|first2=Ludovico|title=Desert Prelude: "Operation Compass"|year=2010|publisher=Stratus|location=Sandomierz, Poland|isbn=978-83-61421-18-4|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Hobbs|first=David|title=British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development and Service Histories|year=2013|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-138-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Hobbs|first=David|title=The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2011|isbn=978-1-59114-044-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Jackson|first=A. J.|title=Blackburn Aircraft Since 1909|year=1968|publisher=Putnam|location=London|isbn=0-370-00053-6}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Jones|editor-first=Ben|title=The Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War|volume= II, 1942–1943, the Fleet Air Arm in Transition: the Mediterranean, Battle of the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean|year=2018|publisher=Routledge|location=London |isbn=978-0-8153-5507-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H. T.|author-link=Henry Trevor Lenton|title=British & Empire Warships of the Second World War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1998|isbn=1-55750-048-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Lyon|first=D. J.|title=HMS Illustrious: Aircraft Carrier 1939–1956: Technical History|publisher=Profile Publications|location=Windsor, UK|year=1971|oclc=42677169|series=Warship Profile|volume=10}}
* {{cite book|last=McCart|first=Neil|title=The Illustrious & Implacable Classes of Aircraft Carrier 1940–1969|publisher=Fan Publications|location=Cheltenham, UK|year=2000|isbn=1-901225-04-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2|author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
* {{cite book|last=Shores|first=Christopher|title=Dust Clouds in the Middle East: The Air War for East Africa, Iraq, Syria and Madagascar, 1940–42|year=1996|publisher=Grub Street|location=London|isbn=1-898697-37-X}}
* {{cite book|last1=Shores|first1=Christopher|last2=Cull|first2=Brian|last3= Malizia |first3=Nicola|title=Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete |publisher=Grub Street|location=London|year=1987a|isbn=0-948817-07-0|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last1=Shores|first1=Christopher|last2=Cull|first2=Brian|last3= Malizia |first3=Nicola|title=Malta: The Hurricane Years: 1940–41|publisher=Grub Street|location=London|year=1987b|isbn=0-948817-06-2|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Smith|first=Peter C.|title=Dive Bomber!: Aircraft, Technology, and Tactics in World War II|year=2008|publisher=Stackpole Books|location=Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania|isbn=978-0-8117-3454-7|author-link=Peter C. Smith}}
* {{cite book|last=Stephen|first=Martin|title=Sea Battles in Close-Up: World War 2|year=1988|volume=1|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-556-6|url=https://archive.org/details/seabattlesinclos00mart}}
* {{cite book|last=Sturtivant|first=Ray|title=The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm|year=1984|publisher=Air-Britain (Historians)|location=Tonbridge, UK |isbn=0-85130-120-7|author-link=Ray Sturtivant}}
* {{cite book|last=Taylor|first=H. A.|title=Fairey Aircraft Since 1915|year=1974|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|edition=1988|isbn=0-87021-208-7}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-8317-0303-2 |chapter=Great Britain |last1=Campbell |first1=N. J. M.|pages=2–85}}
* {{cite book|last=Chesneau|first=Roger|title=Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: An Illustrated Encyclopedia|edition=New, Revised|year=1995|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-902-2|url=https://archive.org/details/aircraftcarriers00ches}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|HMS Illustrious (87)}}
* [http://www.armouredcarriers.com/ Armoured aircraft carrier action and damage reports, 1940–1945]
<!-- breaking the '1 link per site' rule because these are not available anywhere else !-->
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aircraft_carriers/hms_illustrious_87_richard_griffin_rn_story.htm A crewman's story aboard the ''Illustrious'', 1940–1941]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aircraft_carriers/hms_illustrious_87.htm Maritimequest HMS Illustrious photo gallery]

{{Illustrious class aircraft carrier}}
{{January 1941 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Illustrious (R87)}}
[[Category:1939 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness]]
[[Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Illustrious-class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1941]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in December 1941]]