HMS Eagle ( 1918 ) HMS " Eagle " was an early aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy . Ordered by Chile during the South American dreadnought race as the " Almirante Cochrane " , she was laid down before World War I . In early 1918 she was purchased by Britain for conversion to an aircraft carrier ; this work was finished in 1924 . Her completion was delayed by labour troubles and the possibility that she might be repurchased by Chile for reconversion into a battleship , as well as the need for comparative trials to determine the optimum layout for aircraft carriers . The ship was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet and then later to the China Station , spending very little time in home waters other than for periodic refits . " Eagle " spent the first nine months of World War II in the Indian Ocean searching for German commerce raiders . During the early part of the war , the Fleet Air Arm was desperately short of fighters and " Eagle " was equipped solely with Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber s until late 1940 . She was transferred to the Mediterranean in May 1940 , where she escorted multiple convoy s to Malta and Greece and attacked Italian shipping , naval units and bases in the Eastern Mediterranean . The ship also participated in the Battle of Calabria in July , but her aircraft failed to score any hits when they attempted to torpedo Italian cruisers during the battle . Whenever " Eagle " was not at sea , her aircraft were disembarked and used ashore . The ship was relieved by a more modern carrier in March 1941 and ordered to hunt for Axis shipping in the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic . Her aircraft sank one German blockade runner and disabled a German oil tanker in mid - 1941 , but did not find any other Axis ships before the ship was ordered home for a refit in October . After completing a major refit in early 1942 , the ship made multiple trips delivering fighter aircraft to Malta to boost its air defences in the first half of 1942 . " Eagle " was torpedoed and sunk by the on 11 August 1942 while escorting a convoy to Malta during Operation Pedestal . Design and description . Construction and conversion . In 1911 , the Chilean Navy ordered one super - dreadnought battleship , with an option for a second ship , each to be armed with ten 14 - inch ( 356 mm ) and sixteen six - inch ( 152 mm ) guns , that were named and " Almirante Cochrane " . " Almirante Latorre " was laid down in December 1911 , followed by " Almirante Cochrane " at the Armstrong yards at Newcastle upon Tyne on 20 February 1913 . On the outbreak of the First World War , construction of the two ships was suspended . As " Almirante Latorre " was almost complete , she was purchased for the Royal Navy , entering service as in 1915 . " Almirante Cochrane " was almost complete up to the forecastle , although her side armour had not yet been installed when war broke out . No work was carried out during the war until the British decided to complete her as an aircraft carrier for the Royal Navy . She was therefore purchased from Chile on 28 February 1918 to be converted into the carrier HMS " Eagle " . She was the fourteenth ship of the Royal Navy to bear that name . The Director of Naval Construction began preliminary design work even before the ship was purchased and submitted an outline design on 8 February 1918 . This design had a full - length flight deck and its most distinctive features were the two islands separated by the flight deck . Each island was to be long , containing two funnels and a tripod mast . Although they were staggered to make it more difficult for an enemy ship to estimate the ship ' s course , they were to be connected to each other with heavy bracing . The bridge was to be mounted on top of this bracing which left a clear height of for the aircraft on the flight deck . There was to be a wide space between the islands where the aircraft were to be assembled before taking off . Aircraft would be transported between the hangar and the flight deck by two aircraft lifts ( elevators ) . A crane was to be located at the aft end of each island to lift aircraft aboard and to recover seaplane s . Bulk petrol storage consisted of in tins stowed on the forecastle deck and protected by plating . Two ready - use tanks near the islands would allow aircraft on the flight deck to refuel . The ship ' s planned armament consisted of nine 6 - inch guns and four anti - aircraft guns mounted on the platform between the islands . " Eagle " retained the battleship ' s mixture of coal and fuel oil , but the quantities were increased to of coal and of oil , as the forward and rear 14 - inch magazine s and shell rooms were converted to be used as oil tanks . Based on trials with , in which pilots were found generally to turn to port when recovering from an aborted landing , the design was revised to eliminate the port island in April 1918 . The starboard island was lengthened to and its width was reduced to to minimise air turbulence . The island contained the bridge , both funnels and the tripod mast that carried the fire - control director s for the armament . At the request of Admiral David Beatty , commander of the Grand Fleet , the main armament was increased to 12 six - inch guns , including one mounted on the island , and eighteen torpedo tubes were added , three triple fixed mounts on each broadside , in case the ship met German light cruiser s at night . The anti - aircraft armament was reduced to a single 4 - inch gun mounted on the island between the funnels as Beatty believed that the ship ' s own fighters would be her best defence against enemy aircraft . This design was approved in June , although work had begun earlier . The armour planned for her upper belt was used to protect the ship ' s waterline . The already - completed superstructure was removed as were the barbette s for the 14 - inch guns . " Eagle " was launched on 8 June 1918 and was towed downriver to the shipbuilder ' s High Walker yard for fitting - out ten days later . The boiler uptakes were re - routed and the existing openings were plated over . The existing upper deck became the floor of the hangar deck and a new superstructure was built above it . The flight deck was thick and served as the uppermost strength deck , or main supporting deck , of the ship . When the war ended in November 1918 , the ship was about nine months from completion . Construction was slowed by industrial action after the war , and was suspended on 21 October 1919 as Chile wanted to repurchase the ship and have it re - converted to a battleship . The £2 . 5 million cost of doing so would have been higher than the £1 . 5 million offered by the Chileans and the Admiralty decided to retain the ship . The Royal Navy needed to carry out flying trials with a carrier fitted with an island , and the Admiralty approved the use of " Eagle " on 11 November . Armstrong Whitworth plated over the openings for the undelivered elevators on the flight deck ( which had been cancelled when they could not meet the specifications ) , finished the rear funnel , removed the torpedo tubes , and plated over the forward funnel uptakes before she sailed to the Royal dockyard at Portsmouth for the modifications necessary for the trials on 20 April 1920 . Only two of her boilers , converted to run on fuel oil only , could be used during the trials . Flight trials . The trials principally tested the longitudinal arresting gear used previously on the small aircraft carrier . They were not intended to stop landing aircraft — the landing speeds of the time were low enough that this was unnecessary given a good headwind — but rather to prevent aircraft from veering off to one side and potentially falling off the flight deck . Initially , the arresting gear was about long and was installed too far forward . Over the course of the trials it was moved further to the rear and lengthened to a total of . The ship was commanded during the trials by Captain Wilmot Nicholson , who had previously commanded the carrier in 1918 , and the Royal Air Force representative was Group Captain Charles Samson . Taxiing trials began on 10 May with Sopwith Camel fighters and Parnall Panther reconnaissance aircraft while the ship was still docked . Flights over and around the ship to evaluate air currents over the flight deck and around the island began shortly afterward and the first on - board landing was made on 1 June . Larger aircraft like the Bristol F2B fighter , the Sopwith Cuckoo torpedo bomber , and the De Havilland DH . 9 bomber were also evaluated during the trials . They were generally successful with only 12 minor accidents in 143 landings in all types of weather conditions , although they did reveal that aircraft landing aboard carriers would need landing gear fitted with shock absorbers to handle the impact of landing on a pitching deck . Group Captain Samson strongly preferred to eliminate the island entirely , but Nicholson recommended that the ship be retained for service although he was not satisfied with the size and shape of the island . He also recommended that " Eagle " be converted to burn fuel oil exclusively and that the elimination of the 6 - inch guns in exchange for anti - aircraft guns would allow the tripod mast in the island to be eliminated . Description . The ship was paid off on 16 November , but did not begin construction to a revised design until 24 March 1921 at Portsmouth . The Admiralty accepted some of Nicholson ' s suggestions , but not all . The shape and size of the island was modified in accordance with the results from wind tunnel testing at the National Physical Laboratory , but the 6 - inch guns were retained . The forward edge of the flight deck was faired into the ship ' s bow to smooth out the air currents over the bow and the 4 - inch anti - aircraft guns were mounted on and around the island . The forward elevator was moved to the forward end of the hangar . After construction began , anti - torpedo bulge s were added , deep , and the petrol tin storage room was replaced by a tank . The ship ' s designed fuel capacity was , but this was increased to when she was bulged . However , of this amount was required to act as ballast to offset the weight of the island and its equipment . " Eagle " had an overall length of , a beam of , and a draught of at deep load . She displaced at standard load . Each of the ship ' s four sets of Brown - Curtis geared steam turbines drove one 3 - bladed propeller . They were powered by 32 Yarrow small - tube boilers . During her sea trials on 9 – 10 September 1923 , the turbines produced and gave " Eagle " a speed of , but this caused leaks in the turbine joints and she was limited to a maximum of in service . She had a range of at . The ship ' s flight deck was long and her hangar was long and no less than wide . Its minimum height was , and it was equipped with four steel shutter fire curtain s to isolate any fires in the hangar . The forward lift ' s dimensions were and the aft lift was . The fore - and - aft arresting gear was long and extended the length of the flight deck between the edges of the lifts . A large crane with a radius was positioned behind the island . The ship ' s aircraft capacity was 25 to 30 and , in 1939 , the ship ' s crew totalled 41 officers and 750 men , exclusive of the air group . For self - defence against enemy warships , " Eagle " kept nine BL Mk XVII 6 - inch guns , three at the stern and the remaining six all along both sides of the ship . The ship carried 200 rounds per gun . Two of her five QF Mk V 4 - inch AA guns were positioned on the flight deck in front of the island while a third was behind the island . The remaining two guns were mounted on top of the island , one between the two funnels , and each gun was provided with 150 rounds . Career . Inter - war . " Eagle " was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet on 7 June 1924 after she commissioned on 26 February and finished working up . She was the largest aircraft carrier in the world at the time and embarked 24 aircraft in four six - aircraft flights of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force . These consisted of No . 402 Flight with Fairey Flycatcher s , No . 422 Flight with Blackburn Blackburn reconnaissance aircraft , No . 440 Flight ( Supermarine Seagull flying boat s ) and No . 460 Flight with Blackburn Dart torpedo bombers . While in the Mediterranean , one flight usually operated ashore at either RAF Hal Far , Malta , or Aboukir , Egypt . The Seagulls proved to be unsatisfactory in service and they were replaced by Fairey III Ds in January 1925 . Avro Bison spotters of No . 421B Flight operated aboard for a time in late 1925 . " Eagle " sailed for Devonport at the end of 1925 for a brief refit where the longitudinal arresting gear was removed as it had been found to be virtually useless in service . Two single QF 2 - pounder " pom - pom " light anti - aircraft guns were added forward of the 4 - inch guns on the flight deck in front of the island and the ship ' s petrol capacity was increased to . When the ship returned to the Mediterranean after the completion of her refit in 1926 , the Bisons of No . 448 Flight replaced No . 422 Flight . In 1928 she was joined by which allowed the fleet to experiment with multi - carrier operations . " Eagle " was refitted again in early 1929 and a salt - water spray system was fitted to fight hangar fires . When the ship returned to the Mediterranean later in the year , both 440 and 448 Flights had re - equipped with Fairey IIIF reconnaissance aircraft . " Eagle " departed Malta on 8 January 1931 , en route to Portsmouth to load the latest carrier aircraft for a demonstration at the British Industries Exhibition at Buenos Aires , Argentina . She returned to the Mediterranean to participate in the summer fleet exercises before sailing for Devonport where she began a lengthy refit in August . The ship ' s boilers were replaced during the refit and the 4 - inch gun between the funnels was replaced by an eight - barrel QF 2 - pounder Mark V " pom - pom " mount . A single quadruple Vickers . 50 machine gun mount was added on the starboard aft side of the flight deck . Four fire - fighting foam generators were also fitted on the flight deck . A single High Angle Control System ( HACS ) director was fitted on the aft end of the control top on the tripod mast . The crew , now numbering 753 sailors and 253 airmen , benefited from improved accommodation . The refit was completed on 28 November 1932 , but personnel shortages prevented her from working up until April 1933 . Following the refit , " Eagle " was sent to the Far East , serving on the China Station throughout 1934 , with her aircraft being deployed against pirate ships and their bases . The tropical heat caused problems in cooling the bomb magazines , and the food storage rooms and the ventilation proved to be barely satisfactory . Another quadruple . 50 machine gun mount was added forward of the 2 - pounder gun on the flight deck and the original mounting was shifted over to the port side . During this time , the ship ' s air group comprised nine Hawker Osprey fighters of 803 Squadron and 12 Fairey IIIFs of 824 Squadron ; the latter unit was re - designated as 825 Squadron in October 1934 . 803 Squadron transferred to when she relieved " Eagle " at the end of 1934 . They were replaced by Blackburn Baffin torpedo bombers of 812 Squadron when " Eagle " arrived in the Mediterranean in February 1935 . Both squadrons remained behind at RAF Hal Far when the ship sailed for Devonport for another refit in June . " Eagle " was paid off until her refit began in early 1936 . Transverse arresting gear was installed and a second octuple " pom - pom " replaced the 2 - pounders in front of the island . Two more quadruple . 50 machine gun mounts were installed in sponsons on either side of the bow . The capacity of her bomb magazines was also increased during this refit , and the ship ' s ventilation and insulation arrangements were improved as well . She was sent back to the Far East in 1937 with only nine Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers ( cloth - covered biplanes ) of 813 Squadron aboard as well as nine more Swordfish to re - equip 824 Squadron when it transferred from " Hermes " in April . Captain Clement Moody commanded " Eagle " from 1 January 1937 until relieved by Captain A . R . M . Bridge on 16 June 1939 . In August 1939 the ship ' s crew was exchanged in Hong Kong and " Eagle " sailed for Singapore to begin a short refit on 12 August . World War II . 1939 – 41 . When World War Two began the following month , the ship had just completed her refit in Singapore . She put to sea a few days later and began searching for German merchant ships in company with the light cruiser and escorted by the destroyer . A Swordfish discovered the freighter south of the port of Padang on Sumatra and " Birmingham " was ordered to intercept it while " Eagle " continued her air patrols . She arrived in Colombo , Ceylon , on 10 September and searched the Indian Ocean between the west coast of India and the Maldive Islands for German ships until 5 October with the light cruiser . At this time " Eagle " was assigned to Force I together with the heavy cruisers and , to search the Indian Ocean for the pocket battleship and other German commerce raiders . In mid - December her boilers and bottom were cleaned during a period of maintenance in Durban , South Africa . " Eagle " continued to patrol the Indian Ocean in 1940 , but escorted a large Australian troop convoy to Suez early in the year . While in the vicinity of the Nicobar Islands on 14 March , a bomb accidentally exploded , killing 14 men . The damage to the ship was mostly confined to the bomb magazines , although two generators were knocked out . The explosion flashed upwards through the port bomb lift and ignited the wing on one Swordfish stowed in the hangar . All but four of the aircraft were damaged by the corrosive salt - water spray system when the fire was doused . She was repaired at Singapore between 15 March and 9 May when the ship sailed for Colombo en route to the Mediterranean , which she reached on 26 May . In June three crated Gloster Sea Gladiator s were found in storage at Dekheila and these aircraft became the only fighters available for the entire fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean . Flying from shore bases on 5 July , 813 Squadron attacked Tobruk harbour in a combined attack with the RAF at dusk , sinking the and the freighter , and blowing the bow off the destroyer . Two other merchantmen had to be beached before they sank . During the Battle of Calabria on 9 July , 813 Squadron was used to search and track the Italian fleet while 824 Squadron made two unsuccessful attacks on Italian cruisers without loss . On the evening of 10 July , " Eagle " s aircraft attacked Augusta harbour in Sicily , sinking the destroyer . While under heavy aerial attack on 13 July , pilots of the Sea Gladiator Flight shot down three Italian bombers . On the night of 20 July , six aircraft from 824 Squadron , flying from Sidi Barrani , sank the destroyers and as well as the freighter . While providing distant cover to a convoy bound for Greece , one Savoia - Marchetti SM . 79 medium bomber was shot down on 29 July by " Eagle " s Sea Gladiators while attacking the fleet . On 22 August three Swordfish from 824 Squadron , flying from Sidi Barrani , attacked and sank the and the depot ship " Monte Gargano " in the Gulf of Bomba . The ships were carrying eight frogmen and four manned torpedo es to attack British shipping in Alexandria harbour . In September , she was joined by the carrier and both ships attacked Italian airbases on Rhodes on 9 September . " Eagle " s 12 Swordfish were late in taking off and attacked the airfield at Maritza after the Italians had been alerted by the earlier attack by " Illustrious " aircraft on the nearby airbase at Collato . Four aircraft were shot down by the defending Fiat CR . 32 and Fiat CR . 42 fighters , but two SM . 79s were destroyed on the ground and four other aircraft were damaged . These losses were the ship ' s heaviest in any single mission of the war . While covering another convoy to Malta on 12 October , she was damaged by near misses from SM . 79s based in Sicily . The damage to her aviation fuel system was not immediately apparent and she covered another convoy later that month . While returning to Alexandria , her aircraft attacked Maltezana seaplane base on Rhodes on 27 October . Four of her Swordfish from 824 Squadron had been disembarked earlier and were flown to Fuka Landing Ground for a night attack on Tobruk harbour . The 824 Squadron aircraft distracted the defences with 250 - pound bombs , while the 12 other Swordfish laid mine s . On 28 October , " Eagle " and the rest of the Mediterranean Fleet patrolled off the west coast of Greece for a few days hoping to intercept the Italian Navy if it supported the Italian Army in their invasion of Greece , but no contact was made . When the ship was examined on 5 November , her aviation fuel system was leaking and required repairs . Five of her aircraft were transferred to " Illustrious " for an attack on 11 November on Taranto ( Operation Judgement ) , whilst " Eagle " remained in Alexandria . One of " Eagle " s Swordfish was shot down by the intense Italian anti - aircraft fire . The ship covered multiple convoys to Greece and Malta during the rest of November . Six of her aircraft bombed Tripoli harbour during the night of 24 / 25 November without loss . " Eagle " spent most of December in Alexandria , but her aircraft supported the ground war , most notably when they spotted for the battleship s and when they bombarded Bardia on 2 January 1941 . In mid - January , the ship again covered a convoy to Greece , but bad weather foiled plans to attack Italian bases en route . After her return , her aircraft complement was reorganised to include more fighters as " Eagle " now had sole responsibility for fighter coverage over the fleet after the crippling of " Illustrious " by German dive bomber s on 11 January . In order to make room for the fighters , one of the Swordfish squadrons was disembarked so it could support the ground war . When " Eagle " was covering another convoy to Malta in mid - February , the ship carried nine Fairey Fulmar s of 805 Squadron , five Sea Gladiators and six Swordfish . After the carrier arrived on 9 March to relieve " Illustrious " , orders were cancelled that would have transferred Eagle to the South Atlantic to hunt for German commerce raiders and the ship did not leave Alexandria until 9 April . In the meantime , both Swordfish squadrons were transferred to Port Sudan to operate against Italian shipping in Massawa , in Italian East Africa , on 25 March . They were very successful and returned to the ship on 13 April after she had passed through the Suez Canal . After she reached Mombasa , Kenya , on 26 April , she was ordered to sea on 29 April on an unsuccessful search for a raider in the Indian Ocean . The ship was then ordered on 1 May to proceed to Durban , South Africa , to rendezvous with the battleship and to continue on to Gibraltar . After the two ships arrived in Freetown , Sierra Leone , on 25 May to refuel , " Nelson " was ordered to continue on to Gibraltar , but " Eagle " s orders changed and she was now charged with hunting for German supply ships in the South Atlantic . Captain A . R . M . Bridge was relieved by E . G . H . Rushbrooke at this time . " Eagle " began searching the South Atlantic on 29 May , usually accompanied by " Dorsetshire " or the light cruiser . The carrier ' s Swordfish discovered , bombed and sank the blockade runner " Elbe " on 6 June . The oil tanker " Lothringen " was captured on 15 June by " Dunedin " after it had been bombed and strafed by several Swordfish . The ship continued patrolling without incident except for a hangar fire that killed one aircraft mechanic on 20 September . All but four of the ship ' s Swordfish were damaged by the spray used to put out the fire , but the ship herself was undamaged . In October 1941 , " Eagle " was ordered to return to Britain for a refit at Gladstone Dock , Liverpool . She arrived off Greenock on 26 October and was docked at Liverpool on 1 November . The quadruple . 50 machine guns were replaced by 12 manually operated automatic 20 mm Oerlikon light anti - aircraft guns , six in sponsons on each side of the flight deck , and the crews of the four - inch AA guns were given protection from splinters by the addition of zarebas around each weapon . The HACS was moved to the front of the control top and fitted with a Type 285 gunnery radar . A Type 290 air warning radar was also installed . The ship ' s oil fuel capacity was reduced to in exchange for an increase in her petrol storage of . This reduced her range to at a speed of . " Eagle " s refit was completed on 9 January 1942 and she was working up for the next five weeks . She joined the convoy WS16 en route to Gibraltar on 16 February and reached it a week later . 813 and 824 Squadrons had rejoined the ship with their Swordfish and they were supplemented by four Hawker Sea Hurricane 1B fighters from a detachment of 804 Squadron and the Fighter Flight of 813 Squadron . Because their wings could not fold , they could not use either lift and remained on the flight deck at all times . The ship reached Gibraltar on 23 February and was assigned to Force H . Battle of Malta . Upon " Eagle " ' s arrival in Gibraltar , 824 Squadron transferred to RAF North Front and the ship loaded 15 Supermarine Spitfire fighters brought to Gibraltar by the carrier . These aircraft were partly assembled dockside and hoisted aboard for final assembly . They were too big to fit below deck and remained on the flight deck , where they impeded the operations of " Eagle " s aircraft , except for those few also carried on the flight deck , until the ferried aircraft were flown off . On 27 February 1942 , she sailed to deliver the Spitfires to Malta , escorted by the battleship , " Argus " , the cruiser , and nine destroyers , but the operation had to be cancelled when the long - range fuel tanks of the Spitfires proved defective . The problems were not rectified until 7 March , when the 15 Spitfires were successfully flown off to Malta . Upon her return , the ship ' s engines required repairs that lasted until 13 March . Nine more Spitfires were delivered to Malta on 21 March and an additional seven on 29 March . After her return , her steering gear required extensive repairs that lasted until the end of April . As part of Operation Bowery , " Eagle " rendezvoused on the night of 7 / 8 May with the American carrier , carrying 47 Spitfires , while " Eagle " had landed her entire aircraft complement to make room for 17 Spitfires of her own . Sixty of them arrived safely at Malta . For the next operation on 17 May , the Swordfish and Sea Hurricanes of 813 Squadron flew back on board to join the 17 Spitfires and six Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers destined for Malta . The fighters flew off without incident , but engine problems forced all of the Albacores to return . After they had landed , the ship was attacked by a half - dozen SM . 79 torpedo bombers which failed to score any hits . The radar - guided guns of the escorting light cruiser , , were instrumental in driving off the determined Italian aircraft . " Eagle " disembarked all of her aircraft , except for her four Sea Hurricanes , to make room for 31 Spitfires and flew them off on 3 June during Operation Style . Another 32 were flown off on 9 June during Operation Salient . Later in the month , the ship provided air cover for another convoy , Operation Harpoon , which departed for Malta at the same time as the Operation Vigorous convoy did , from the opposite direction . A dozen Sea Hurricanes of 801 Squadron and four Fulmars from 807 Squadron reinforced the four Sea Hurricanes of 813 ' s Fighter Flight to deal with the heavy air attacks anticipated . The convoy was subject to heavy air attacks by both the German and Italian Air Forces ; " Eagle " s Sea Hurricanes managed to disrupt many attacks , claiming nine aircraft destroyed and a further two probably destroyed for the loss of one Sea Hurricane from 813 Squadron and three Fulmars . The escorts reached Gibraltar on 17 June and did not make the next delivery of aircraft until 14 July when 32 Spitfires were flown off to Malta ( Operation Pinpoint ) . During this time , the carrier ' s aircraft complement consisted solely of six Sea Hurricanes of 801 Squadron . Another 29 Spitfires as well as four Swordfish of 824 Squadron were loaded on 20 July and the Spitfires were flown off the following day . Earlier in the day , the ship was unsuccessfully attacked by the . " Eagle " covered Operation Pedestal together with the carriers and . " Eagle " carried 16 Sea Hurricanes of 801 and 813 Squadrons as well as four reserve aircraft for the operation . On the early afternoon of 11 August , " Eagle " was hit by four torpedoes from the , commanded by Helmut Rosenbaum , and sank within four minutes , south of Cape Salinas at position . 131 officers and men , mainly from the ship ' s machinery spaces , were lost in the sinking , Sixteen Sea Hurricanes were lost ; four from 801 were aloft when the ship was torpedoed , and landed on other carriers . The destroyers and and the tug " Jaunty " rescued 67 officers and 862 sailors .