HMS Eagle ( 1937 )
The British aircraft carrier HMS Eagle came to Gibraltar in February 1942. Her mission was to collect Spitfires and deliver them to Malta. In August that same year after completing several other successful operations in the Mediterranean she was hit by four torpedoes from a German U-boat off Cape Salinas near Mallorca. (29 officers and men were rescued but 131 lost their lives that day.
The photographs shown below have been copied from the pages referring to Gibraltar of the “Ports of Call Collection” of CPO Cook Sidney Budd, R.N. which were posted by his son David Budd on to the web pages of Maritime Quest. I hope none of them will disapprove of me making them available to those in Gibraltar who might be interested in their historical significance.
Gibraltar - Almost certainly pre-1942 as by that time most of the Victoria Garden trees would have been cleared during preparations for the construction of the new airstrip
Catalan Bay (See LINK) - Also older than 1942 as by that date there would not have been too many - if any - local families putting up their tents on the beach
Alameda Gardens (See LINK)
Moorish Castle (See LINK)
Cannons (See LINK)
The Town -Probably a much older photograph
War Memorial and Boulevard (See LINK) - The small size of the palm trees suggests the early 20th century
Gibraltar - No sign of the airstrip so pre-1942
HMS Warships - Dry dock No. 4 on the left - probably taken from above the Line Wall
HMS Warships - HMS Nelson, HMS Rodney, HMS Hood, and HMS Courageous or HMS Furious are among the vessels in Harbour - On the left the Moorish castle water catchments
La Línea de la Concepción, Gibraltar (See LINK) - Actually the North Front with the Neutral Ground and the Spanish frontier town of La Línea in the distance - An older photograph