The lead ship of her class, Illustrious launched the Swordfish that crippled the Italian fleet at Taranto in November 1940, then was herself nearly sunk by Luftwaffe Stukas off Malta in January 1941, absorbing six bomb hits and limping to Malta and then the United States for repair.
Format: Fotopositiv Dato / Date: ca. 1954 Fotograf / Photographer: Ukjent Sted / Place: Ukjent - til sjøs Wikipedia: HMS Illustrious (87) Eier / Owner Institution: Trondheim byarkiv, The Municipal Archives of Trondheim AMunicipal Archives of Trondheim from Trondheim, Norway · CC BY 2.0 · sourceBombing up a Royal Navy Grumman Avenger Mk.II aircraft of 832 or 845 Naval Air Squadron on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (87) sailing in the Indian Ocean in readiness for the raid on Soerabaya, Lt. C. Trusler, Royal Navy official photographer · Public domain · sourceBIG SHIPS AT MALTA. OCTOBER 1943, ON BOARD HMS FORMIDABLE AT GRAND HARBOUR, VALLETTA, MALTA. The aircraft carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS steams into Grand Harbour, as men line the flight deck of HMS FORMIDABLE to watch her progUnknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source