Introuduction to Refits/Taking Care of Buisness Allied Style

British ships' experiences in Allied yards explain why each refit went to a particular place.

A British yard enlarges Victorious's aircraft direction room before American work adapts the carrier for Pacific service.

Norfolk and Pearl Harbor fit Victorious for heavier American aircraft, with Pearl Harbor appearing more firmly geared to wartime urgency.

Admiral DeWitt Ramsey concentrates strike aircraft on Saratoga and fighters on Victorious to combine American striking power with British fighter control.

The colors of India make a strong impression on sailors arriving from rationed Britain during Victorious's Bombay refit.

A three-year reconstruction cuts the fuel required to hold 24 knots and extends Warspite's effective range without larger tanks.

Replacement guns, stronger anti-aircraft defenses, and radar precede a Pacific crossing to Somerville's Eastern Fleet.

A short 1943 refit at Durban shows how South African capacity supported major Royal Navy ships far from Britain.

Temporary work at Alexandria and Durban gets the bomb-damaged carrier to Norfolk for a new aft lift and American-aircraft modifications.

Lord Louis Mountbatten's appointment turns the carrier's yard period into a political and propaganda opportunity before Captain Talbot takes command.

Bomb-related steering problems persist through later British, South African, and Australian yard visits.

American refits cannot overcome the R-class's lack of the interwar machinery work given to the Queen Elizabeths. Royal Sovereign later serves the Soviet Navy.

A French submarine torpedo sends Resolution through Freetown and Portsmouth before American work increases her main-battery elevation and range.

Damage off Crete leads to temporary repairs at Alexandria before full repairs at Norfolk, probably with additional work at Durban en route.

Australian yards substitute high-quality steel for scarce armor plate while enlarging the carrier's island for an admiral and staff.

Queen Elizabeth's 1937-41 reconstruction is delayed as Britain gives priority to ships that can enter service sooner, though her pause is shorter than those of new capital ships.

British deception masks damage from the Italian human-torpedo raid until temporary repairs permit a voyage to comprehensive American work.

Bomb and torpedo damage send Indomitable back to American yards, which build experience working on unfamiliar British ships.

A 1939 magnetic-mine detonation keeps Nelson at Portsmouth until August 1940, near the limit of what the threatened yard can safely support.

A Mediterranean torpedo attack leads to emergency and British repairs before Normandy service is followed by an American overhaul and Eastern Fleet deployment.

The nominally identical Nelson-class battleships developed sharply different reliability records.

Crew welding and temporary repairs keep Rodney available through the Bismarck action until a scheduled Boston refit.

Extensive 1944 plans are abandoned because Vanguard and more tractable Queen Elizabeth-class ships promise a better return on scarce resources.

Some late-war visits to Durban serve economic policy as well as genuine repair needs, with HMS Eskimo offered as an example.

Australian yards are repeatedly used for forward repairs even though shortages such as armor plate limit the work they can perform.

Electrical and terminology differences complicate British work in American yards, but spare capacity and willingness make the partnership valuable.

A capital ship immobilized in a British yard becomes a large target within range of enemy bombers, encouraging overseas repair routes.