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Dixmude
French Charger class (light)aircraft carrier |
History |
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| HMS Biter (D97) |
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Aircraft Carrier |
| Name: Served first as HMS Biter (D97) |
| Class: Avenger class escort carrier |
| Builder: Sun Shipbuilding, USA |
| Launched: 18 December 1940 |
| Commissioned: 1 May 1942 into Royal Navy |
Recommissioned into French Navy :
9 April 1945 |
| Decommissioned: 24 January 1951 |
Complement:
555 Officers & Ratings including Air Group |
Displacement:
Net displacement 8,200 tons Gross displacement 14,500 tons Load 6,300 tons |
| Length: 492 ft (150 m) |
| Beam: 78 ft (24 m) |
| Draft: 25 ft (7.6 m) full load |
Propulsion:
2 x diesels @ 5200 hp , 1 shaft |
| Speed: 16 knots |
Range:
48,000 km. at 10 kts, 32,000 km. at 15 kts) |
| Armament: Gun 3 x 1 x 4"/50-cal HA/LA 4 x 2 x 20mm 7 x 1 x 20mm |
| Camouflage: See the photo |
| Fate: Sunk as test target 1966 |
| Sources for this site: |
www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b6/biter-i.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_carrier |
| Navy site: |
| http://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine_uk |
| Web site's with more information: |
| www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b6/biter-i.htm |
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She was launched on 18 December 1940, and transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy in 1942.
She carried out some aircraft ferry operations in the Mediterranean then returned to the United Kingdom to start the real task.
In January 1945, HMS Biter was retransferred to the French Navy as Dixmude
(A. 609).
After the war, the French employed Dixmude in their attempt to regain their colony in Indochina.
She departed Toulon on 27 January 1947 with an air group composed of World War II vintage Douglas SBD 5 "Dauntless" dive bombers, as well as 29 French Air Force planes.
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Reaching Saigon on 3 March, Dixmude sailed for the coast of central Annam 10 days later. Before the end of March, her planes supported two landing operations there.
Dixmude launched the first combat sorties ever carried out by a French aircraft carrier
Served in the war in Indochina from 1947-1950 and
between 1949 and 1952 was used as ferry carrier between France and the U.S.A and between France and Indochina.
Re-classified as transport carrier and, later, as supply vessel for the the French fighting fleet.
Subsequently rated as a Transport d'Aviation, Dixmude apparently spent the rest of her active career under the tricolor as a ferry for aircraft. |
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| Aircraft carried 15 |
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Douglas SBD 5
January 1947:
9 SBD Dauntlesses of the 3F squadron
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