HMS Tarantula recaptured Firefly from the Ottoman Empire and supported fighting on the route to Baghdad during the First World War. By the Second World War she had become a repair, support, and office ship at Trincomalee. That unglamorous capacity made her useful to Admiral Bruce Fraser, who used her as his British Pacific Fleet flagship in 1944 before larger headquarters space was available. The conversion released frontline warships from static command and support duties. In May 1946 the Royal Navy sank Tarantula as a gunnery target in the Bay of Bengal.
Notable Point · 37:19-39:08
HMS Tarantula becomes a support ship and fleet flagship
HMS Tarantula's conversion from river combatant to repair and office ship culminated in service as Admiral Bruce Fraser's early British Pacific Fleet flagship.