The so-called triple-12 tankers were named for approximately 12,000 tons deadweight, 12 tons of daily fuel consumption, and 12 knots rather than for a twelve-ship class. Nine served, including Dutch-registry vessels whose Swordfish flights belonged to 860 Naval Air Squadron. A typical complement of 118 included 64 Royal Navy personnel for the four-aircraft air group and 54 Merchant Navy sailors. The defensive battery combined one 4-inch gun, two 40 mm Bofors guns, and six 20 mm Oerlikon cannon. Some ships stopped operating Swordfish in 1944 and used their unobstructed decks to ferry aircraft, mainly from the United States to Britain. Omitting hangars and lifts reduced weight, construction delay, operating complexity, and maintenance, which explains why these less comfortable ships could be produced quickly.
Chapter · 31:35-34:39
The Rapana group and Dutch-operated Swordfish flights
The largest MAC-ship group included Dutch-registry vessels, 860 Naval Air Squadron flights, and ships later used to ferry aircraft across the Atlantic.