Hawker Sea Fury in Egyptian Service
The Royal Egyptian Air Force received 12 single seat Sea Furies in 1950-51. This was followed by the F.2/43 prototype NX798 G-AKRY. At least two Iraqi Furies were also presented to Egypt.
Tag: World War Two
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Hawker Sea Fury in Egyptian Service
The Hawker F2-43 prototype, carrying the British civil registration G-AKRY, in England prior to its sales promotion flight to Egypt. 
Hawker Fury F.Mk I G-AKRY at Luqa, Malta, during its sales promotion flight to Egypt. Hawker Fury F.Mk I G-AKRY at Luqa, Malta, during its sales promotion flight to Egypt. Sqn Ldr Abd al-Hamid Abu Zaid with the first Hawker Fury prototype, in REAF markings and desert camouflage al Almaza during the summer of 1948. Royal Egyptian Air Force Hawker Sea Fury Royal Egyptian Air Force Hawker Sea Fury 
Royal Egyptian Air Force Hawker Sea Fury Royal Egyptian Air Force Hawker Sea Fury Royal Egyptian Air Force Hawker Sea Fury -
Italian Heavy Cruiser Fiume
Italian Heavy Cruiser Fiume
Fiume was the second of the Zara-class heavy cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina (along with her sisters Zara, Pola and Gorizia). She was launched on 27 April 1930 and commissioned on 23 November 1931.
During the Second World War, Fiume was engaged with convoy escort and intercepting British convoys. She participated in the Battle of Calabria (July 1940) and the Battle of Cape Spartivento (November 1940). During the Battle of Cape Matapan, Fiume, Zara and four destroyers were ordered to protect Pola which had been disabled by a torpedo. During the night, they were surprised by a force of three British battleships (HMS Warspite, Valiant and Barham). All three heavy cruisers and two of the destroyers were sunk.
Fiume, under construction 
Fiume under construction 
Fiume in drydock 1930s 
Fiume undergoing speed trials 
Fiume shortly after her entry into service in 1931 
Fiume in Taranto 1933 
Fiume launching a seaplane in 1935 
Cierva C.30A autogyro from a flight deck built on the stern of the Italian heavy cruiser RN Fiume (then making 16 knots), 6 January 1935 
Fiume in Venice 1937-39 
Gorizia and Fiume in Venice, 1937 
Fiume 5 May 1938 
Fiume 5 May 1938 
Fiume 5 May 1938 
Fiume, Zara, and Pola moored at Naples, May 1938 
Heavy cruisers Fiume, Gorizia, Zara and Pola in the battle near Punta Stilo, July 9, 1940 
Conte di Cavour, left, and the heavy cruiser Fiume, right, sometime between 1937 and 1940 
Fiume prepares to launch her IMAM Ro.43 floatplane with battleship Conte di Cavour in the background 
Fiume 
Fiume 
Fiume 
Fiume in the gulf of Naples 
Fiume 
Fiume 
Fiume 
Fiume 
Fiume, before her loss at Matapan, and the only one that shows her camouflage scheme -
Italian Heavy Cruiser Gorizia
Italian Heavy Cruiser Gorizia
Gorizia was the third member of the Zara-class heavy cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina. Launched on 28 December 1930, she was commissioned on 31 December 1931. As with her sisters (Zara, Fiume and Pola) she was nominally within the 10,000 ton limit of the Washington Treaty, however she displaced significantly more than this.
On the 19th of August 1936 while steaming from Tangiers to Italy Gorizia suffered an explosion in her forward aviation fuel tank causing significant damage. She altered course for Gibraltar where temporary repairs were made before returning to Italy.
During World War Two, Gorizia took part in the Battles of Calabria on (9 July 1940), Cape Spartivento (27 November 1940). During the British attack on Taranto during the night of 11/12 November 1940, but was not targeted although her anti-aircraft guns shot down a British bomber. She was undergoing regular maintenance during the Battle of Cape Matapan where her three sisters were sunk.
An Allied air attack on the port of Messina on 21 November 1941 caused extensive damage to Gorizia’s superstructure from bomb splinters, though she nevertheless sortied that day to escort a convoy to North Africa. On 16 and 17 December, while on another convoy escort mission, she took part in the First Battle of Sirte against a force of British light cruisers and destroyers.
On 22 March 1942, she took part in the Second Battle of Sirte, where she was heavily engaged with British light cruisers and destroyers although she did not suffer any damage. While at the port of La Maddalena on 10 April 1943, Gorizia was attacked by US and hit three times causing serious damage. Gorizia entered dry dock on 4 May 1943 for repairs and was still there when Italy surrender in September. Although seized by Germany, no further use was made of her due to her condition. She was floated out of the dry dock and anchored in the harbour. On the night of 21–22 June 1944, British and Italian frogmen used Chariot manned torpedoes to infiltrate the harbor to sink Gorizia and Bolzano to prevent the Germans from using them as blockships; while the commandos did sink Bolzano, they were unsuccessful with Gorizia. She remained afloat and heavily listing in April 1945, when Allied forces liberated La Spezia. Judged to be too badly damaged to repair, the postwar navy decided to discard the ship. She was accordingly stricken from the naval register on 27 February 1947 and broken up for scrap
Gorizia on trials 
Gorizia at La Spezia 1932 
Gorizia at Tangiers, in late August 1936, showing damage to her bow due to an explosion in the aviation fuel tank 
Gorizia on May 5, 1938 
Gorizia 1940 
Amidships view of the Italian heavy cruiser Gorizia, September 1940 Heavy cruisers Fiume, Gorizia, Zara and Pola in the battle near Punta Stilo, July 9, 1940 
Gorizia February 1942 
Gorizia steaming at 30 knots just before the second battle of Sirte, on 22 March 1942 
Gorizia anchored in Messina, 23 March 1942 
Gorizia 
Gorizia 100m AA guns 
Gorizia 
Gorizia 
Gorizia 
Gorizia 
The wreck of Gorizia 
The wreck of Gorizia 
Gorizia abandoned at the end of the war
