Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:50:21-1:51:48

The air-group dispute belonged to Glorious, not Courageous

The controversies around the two carriers are distinct, with Glorious identified as the ship that suffered the severe captain-air-group conflict.

CommandFleet Air ArmHMS CourageousHMS GloriousNorwegian Campaign
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Question

Was the dispute between a carrier captain and air-group commander aboard Courageous?

Short answer

No; that dispute was aboard Glorious, while Courageous was lost on anti-submarine patrol with a combat air patrol operating.

Notes

The air-group commander aboard Glorious faced court-martial proceedings after a profound disagreement with the captain, one of several troubling elements surrounding her loss. Courageous instead had a combat air patrol while conducting anti-submarine operations when a U-boat sank her, so combining the stories obscures distinct command and operational failures.