7-8 September 1943

HMS Unicorn arrived as part of Force ‘V’ which included HM Escort Aircraft Carriers Attacker, Battler, Hunter, Stalker, the cruisers Euryalus, Scylla and Charybdis, the destroyers Cleveland, Holcombe, Atherstone, Liddesdale, Farndale, Calpe, and Polish destroyers Orp Slazak and Orp Krakowiak.

Force ‘V’ was meant to cover the landings on Italy and prevent interference from Italian forces, but as Italy had surrendered on the 8th, the threat had passed but there were still strong German forces in the area.

The carriers had the following squadrons on board, consisting only of Seafires. Between them, the five carriers had 11 squadrons, for a total of 109 aircraft.

Unicorn had embarked three squadrons on board, these being 809, 887 and 897, for a total of thirty aircraft. I have no aircraft details except for those listed below, ironically because they were lost/damaged in accidents.

October 1949

HMS Unicorn arrived with 4 Fireflies and 6 Sea Furies for delivery to AHU (Aircraft Holding Unit) Hal-Far. For this reason, she probably anchored at Marsaxlokk bay.

She had departed the UK on the 1st, and passed through the Suez Canal on the 6th, so her visit to Malta would have been around the 4th.

It would appear that Unicorn, after offloading the above ten aircraft took on at least one Seafire, VR972 being list as going to the Far East in HMS Unicorn on 28.09.49.