Admiral Sir Arthur John Power autograph in 1939 as Commissioning Capt Ark Royal for Sale

On eBay Now...

Admiral Sir Arthur John Power autograph in 1939 as Commissioning Capt Ark Royal For Sale

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Admiral Sir Arthur John Power autograph in 1939 as Commissioning Capt Ark Royal:
$168.30

STORAGE m22.Sir Arthur PowerRear Admiral Arthur J Power on board HMS Cleopatra, 5 Nov 1942 IWM A 13495 (cropped).jpgPower in 1942Birth nameArthur John PowerBorn12 April 1889London, EnglandDied28 January 1960 (aged 70)
Service/branch Royal NavyYears of service1904–1953RankAdmiral of the FleetCommands heldAllied Commander in Chief, Channel and Southern North Sea Command (1952)Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth (1950–52)Mediterranean Fleet (1948–50)Second Sea Lord (1946–48)East Indies Fleet (1944–45)1st Battle Squadron (1943–44)Flag Officer, Malta (1943)15th Cruiser Squadron (1942–43)HMS Ark Royal (1938)Battles/warsFirst World WarSecond World WarAwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the BathKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the British EmpireCommander of the Royal Victorian OrderMentioned in Despatches (4)[1][2]Commander\'s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Poland)[3]Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)[4]Grand Cross of the Order of Orange Nassau (Netherlands)[5]Other workFirst and Principal Naval Aide-de-camp to George VI (1951–52) and Elizabeth II (1952)Deputy Lieutenant, SouthamptonAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur John Power, GCB, GBE, CVO (12 April 1889 – 28 January 1960) was a Royal Navy officer. He took part in the First World War as a gunnery officer and saw action in the Dardanelles campaign. During the inter-war years he commanded the gunnery school at HMS Excellent and then the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. During the Second World War he played a leading role in the planning for the Allied invasion of Sicily and for the Allied invasion of Italy and then commanded the naval forces for the actual landing of V Corps at Taranto in Italy in September 1943. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Fleet in the closing stages of the war and conducted naval strikes on the Imperial Japanese Army in Borneo and Malaya. After the War he became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and then Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.
The ARK UNDER HIS COMMAND16 November 1938: Commissioned under Captain (later Rear-Admiral) A. J. Power.
16 December 1938: Construction work completed.
December 1938 - January 1939: Conducts sea trials on the Clyde.
12 January 1939: Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers of the 820 Squadron (Lieutenant-Commander A.C.G. Ermen) land on Ark Royal\'s flight deck for the first time.
January-March: 1939: Mayden cruise to the Mediterranean. Ark Royal enters Valetta Harbour at Malta and then continues to Alexandria where she runs exercises with carrier Glorious.
End of March 1939: Sails for home waters.
Summer 1939: In home waters.
31 August 1939: In view of the possible outbreak of hostilities, the Ark Royal puts to sea with the Home Fleet to patrol the waters between the Shetlands and Norway.
01 September 1939: One of Ark Royal\'s reconnaissance Swordfish makes a forced landing due to bad visibility on a Norwegian fiord and sinks. The crew was later able to ship to England before the declaration of war on 3 September.
14 September 1939: At about 0240, Ark Royal launches three Blackburn Skuas of 803 squadron to search for the recently torpedoed SS Fanad Head. Just about the same time, the Ark Royal is attacked by the U39 (Kapitänleutnant Glattes). The attack fails since the German torpedoes armed with magnetic pistols do not work properly. Thereafter, Ark Royal\'s escorting destroyers Faulknor, Firedrake und Foxhound force the German submarine to surface and later sinks. The entire crew are saved and taken on board destroyer Faulknor. U39 becomes the first German U-boat lost in the war. Meanwhile, the Skuas sight the Fanad Head laying stopped and being shelled by U30 with her deck gun. Two Skuas crash into the sea while attacking the U30 that dives.
26 September 1939: Skuas from Ark Royal shot down the first German plane of the war over the North Sea, a Dornier 18 flying boat. At about 0220, the Ark Royal is attacked by a Heinkel 111 (Leutnant Adolf Francke). A 2,000 lbs bomb lands close to the ship some 30 yards from the port bow. German propaganda claims to have sunk the carrier but this is not the case.
27 September 1939: Returns to Scapa Flow.
02 October 1939: Ark Royal puts to sea together with the battle cruiser Renown and a screen of four destroyers forming Force K.
12 October 1939: Force K reaches Freetown and refuels. She then sails to the South Atlantic to assist in the search for the German Panzerschiff Admiral Graf Spee.
03 December 1939: Enters into Capetown harbour and remains there for 24 hours.
17 December 1939: Ark Royal and Renown arrive at Rio, Brazil. Both ships refuel and then sail on the same day for the Plate. On their way to R. Plate, news arrive that the Germans had scuttled their ship, and therefore Ark Royal heads to Freetown.
27 December 1939: Reaches Freetown.
15 February 1940: Ark Royal returns to England to refit. Her crew goes on leave for the first time since the outbreak of the war.
22 March 1940: Sails for the Mediterranean and later arrives at Alexandria in company with Glorious.
10 April 1940: Ark Royal and Glorious are recalled to Gibraltar following the German invasion of Norway. After that they move to Scapa Flow.
23 April 1940: Ark Royal and Glorious leave Scapa Flow for the Norwegian coast.
01 May 1940: Captain C. S. Holland takes over command of the Ark Royal from Captain Power.