Four photos taken aboard HMS Searcher during her first voyage from Portland, Oregon to Liverpool, April–August 1943. The "burning tanker" (NS0302203b) belonged to convoy HX246, from New York City to Liverpool. John hitched a ride home from Portland, where he had been living.

Starboard view underway.

HMS Searcher with a convoy.

HMS Searcher with Wildcats ranged forward.

HMS Searcher, date and location unknown.

Undated pic of the escort carrier HMS Searcher (D40) tied to a mooring buoy, location unknown. Photo taken by an unknown Royal Navy official photographer. Photo # FL 18881 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.

HMS Searcher (D40) plowing through heavy seas off the Norwegian northern coast in April 1944.

Source: Imperial War Museums, Admiralty Official Collection by Davies, F.A (Lt), Photo No. © IWM(A 23065).

As seen from HMS Pursuer (D73), HMS Striker (D12), HMS Searcher (D40) in heavy seas off the Norwegian northern coast in April 1944.

Source: Imperial War Museums, Admiralty Official Collection by Davies, F.A (Lt), Photo No. © IWM(A 23066).

"Wildcat VI of 882 Squadron on board HMS Searcher, 1945."

Searcher, underway with a deck load of aircraft.

Operation Judgement, May 4, 1945, an attack on the U-boat base at Kilbotn, near Harstad, Norway. This proved to be the last offensive operation by the Home Fleet, as the war in Europe ended just a few days later.

The main targets of the attack are, in fact, hidden behind water columns and smoke in the center of the photo. They were the depot ship Black Watch and the Type VIIC submarine U-711 — they were both sunk. The ship visible in the center of the pic is in all probability the motor vessel Senja, also sunk in this attack but raised and repaired after the war. U-711 was the last U-boat sunk by the Fleet Air Arm in WW2. Note, on the lower left corner, part of the wing of an attacking aircraft; the ship visible just above and forward of the wing tip is the old Norwegian coastal defense ship Harald Hårfrage (commissioned in 1897), then in German hands and converted into a floating anti-aircraft battery — she was not considered a worthy target.

Operation Judgement was a repetition of Operation Newmarket (April 1945), intended to destroy the depot and store ships used to support the U-boat attacks on the convoys to North Russia, but cancelled because weather prevented aircraft from taking off. In May, however, the weather was perfect (as can be deduced from the photo) and the attack was carried out by Avenger torpedo-bombers and Wildcat fighters from Squadrons 846 (HMS Trumpeter, Capt. K. S. Colquhoun), 853 (HMS Queen, Capt. K. J. D'Arcy), and 882 (HMS Searcher, Capt. J. W. Grant).

John Pine explains: "I discovered this picture amongst family papers. It was in a big brown envelope addressed to "C in C H F" (Admiral [Sir Henry R.] Moore). My father was in charge of his staff. On the back of the photograph is typed 'Photographic Section H.M.S. Trumpeter'."

Ex-HMS Searcher as Captain Theo in the port of Cape Town, South Africa. Exact date unknown, but taken before the vessel was lengthened in 1957. Compare to later photo as Oriental Banker, below.

(© Bill Schell. Used with permission.)

Undated photo of ex-HMS Searcher as Captain Theo, then owned by Theophilos J. Vatis of Greece. Location unknown.

Undated photo of ex-HMS Searcher as Captain Theo, then owned by Theophilos J. Vatis of Greece. Location unknown.

Captain Theo—ex-HMS Searcher (D40), ex-American CVE-22—after lengthening. Photo taken by Walter E. Frost, Vancouver, BC.

Ex-HMS Searcher as Captain Theo (Liberian flag) in the port of Bremen, Germany, April 1964.