Stanley Orr Stanley Gordon Orr DSC & Two Bars , AFC ( 28 September 1916 – 11 August 2003 ) was the highest scoring fighter ace of the Royal Navy during the Second World War . Flying with the Fleet Air Arm he was credited with the destruction of 17 aircraft . His success was recognised by the awards of the Distinguished Service Cross and Two Bars , an Air Force Cross and a Mention in Despatches . He took part in campaigns over Norway and Dunkirk in 1940 and then moved to the Mediterranean aboard . During this time he was involved in the Battle of Taranto , the defence of Malta , the Battle of Cape Matapan , and land based operations in Egypt . Later in the war in 1944 , he was involved in the attack on the German battleship " Tirpitz " . At the end of the Second World War he remained in the Navy , becoming a test pilot at the Empire Test Pilots ' School . He saw further action during the Korean War , when he served aboard as Commander ( flying ) . His last job in the Navy was in command of the Hovercraft trials unit . Upon leaving the Royal Navy in 1966 , he became a marine superintendent at Vospers . Early life . Stanley Gordon Orr was born on 28 September 1916 , in London , England . The son of a stockbroker , he was educated at Paxton Park boarding school until the Wall Street crash left his father in financial difficulties ; he then attended the Regent Street Polytechnic and started an apprenticeship at Humber . Leaving Humber after two years he joined Vale Engineering , which produced sports cars . His interest in flying started in 1936 when he was employed by Handley Page working on the prototypes for the Hampden and Halifax bomber s . In 1939 he applied to join the Royal Air Force but was turned down after failing a medical eyesight test . Soon after , he successfully passed the same test in the same room but with a different doctor and joined the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy . Second World War . Having been accepted by the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and holding the rank of sub - lieutenant , Orr gained his naval skills and learnt how to fly while serving on the old First World War vintage carrier . As a qualified pilot , he attended the air gunnery school before being posted to 759 Naval Air Squadron at Eastleigh , Hampshire , in February 1940 . At Eastleigh , he was trained on the Navy ' s fighter aircraft : the two seater Blackburn Skua dual fighter – dive bomber and the single seat Sea Gladiator biplane . Stanley Gordon Orr married Myra Page in 1940 . His first operational posting came in May 1940 when he joined 806 Naval Air Squadron , which was based at Hatson in the Orkney Islands . The squadron was equipped with the Blackburn Skua and Blackburn Roc , another two seater fighter , and at the time was tasked with attacking German shipping and oil storage facilities in Norway . Later , the squadron was moved to Detling , in Kent , to provide air cover for Operation Dynamo , the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk . In June , 806 Squadron was converted to fly the Fairey Fulmar , another two seater fighter , and was posted to the air group on the newly commissioned aircraft carrier . Mediterranean . " Illustrious " left Scapa Flow in August and arrived in the Mediterranean by September . Orr became an ace in the following months , claiming seven aircraft shot down out of 30 claimed by his squadron . Orr ' s victories included a CANT Z . 501 flying boat on 2 September and on 4 September off the Dodecanese he shared in the shooting down of a Savoia - Marchetti SM . 81 bomber . One of the first larger missions Orr took part in was providing the fighter cover for the Fairey Swordfish attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto . Other missions included attacks on German army positions at Bardia , bombing Tripoli in Libya , and attacks on the Rhodes airfields . Orr was also awarded his first Distinguished Service Cross ( DSC ) for his service during these missions . On 10 January 1941 , Orr and Sub - Lieutenant Graham Hogg observed two Savoia - Marchetti SM . 79 s making a torpedo bombing run on " Illustrious " ; after a long chase they managed to shoot one of them down . The Italian planes , however , had just been a diversion , because at the same time three squadrons of Junkers Ju 87 from Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 and Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 arrived over the carrier . The Ju 87s were circling the fleet at , out of the range of the navy ' s anti - aircraft guns . They then targeted the carrier , diving down and hitting her six times . Orr , down at sea level and out of ammunition , climbed up through the carrier ' s anti - aircraft barrage in an attempt to disrupt the dive - bombers ' attack . With " Illustrious " damaged and unable to land her remaining seven Fairey Fulmar fighters , the aircraft were ordered to land at RAF Hal Far in Malta . From RAF Hal Far , 806 Naval Air Squadron provided air cover for Malta and " Illustrious " which was berthed in the Grand Harbour at Valleta , under repair . On 5 February Orr shot down a Junkers Ju 88 that was bombing the city . In total , flying in the defence of Malta , Orr added five more victories to his record and was awarded a second DSC . The damage to " Illustrious " could not be repaired at Malta so she was sent to the United States for repairs . Meanwhile , 806 Naval Air Squadron remained in the Mediterranean , joining another Illustrious class aircraft carrier . On board " Formidable " , Orr ' s squadron provided the fighter cover for her Fairey Albacore s and Fairey Swordfish during the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941 and the bombing of Tripoli . Orr shot down a Ju 88 during this time . Another victory followed on 21 April . Flying over Tripoli , Orr and Sub - Lieutenant Graham Hogg forced a Dornier Do 24 n flying boat down with its engine on fire . Each time it tried to take off again the pair carried out another attack until it eventually sank . When " Formidable " was put out of action by German Ju 87 dive bombers , 806 Naval Air Squadron was again sent to operate from land . This time they were based at the naval Dekheila Airfield near Alexandria in Egypt and , at the same time , were re - formed with Hawker Hurricane fighters . In June , the squadron took part in operations against the Vichy French in Palestine . United States . In August 1941 Orr , having spent 18 months on operations , returned home and became a flying instructor at RNAS Yeovilton . A year later in August 1942 , he was sent along with 80 officers and men to the United States to form 896 Naval Air Squadron . The squadron was equipped with Grumman Martlet s at Norfolk , Virginia and then joined . A shortage in American aircraft carriers resulted in the lending of " Victorious " to the United States Pacific Fleet where she was known by the alias USS " Robin " and her aircraft were repainted with American markings . Orr was prevented from joining them in the Pacific when he contracted poliomyelitis in March 1943 . He spent 10 weeks at Pearl Harbor in an iron lung before making a complete recovery and was later sent home to Britain . 804 Squadron . On his return , Orr feared he would be grounded but in August 1943 he was given a new command — 804 Naval Air Squadron , which at the time was land based at Eglinton in Northern Ireland and equipped with the Grumman Hellcat . With his new squadron Orr joined , a Ruler class escort carrier , in December . The " Emperor " was involved in convoy escort duties and in the spring of 1944 , the squadron started attacking German shipping off the Norwegian coast . The presence of the German battleship " Tirpitz " in Altafjord in Norway was a constant threat to the Arctic convoys and required the Royal Navy to retain a large aircraft carrier force with the Home Fleet to conduct operations along the Norwegian coast and to provide cover for these convoys . In March 1944 the fleet formed a large strike force in an attempt to destroy the " Tirpitz " in Operation Tungsten . The force included the fleet carrier s and , which were tasked with carrying the main strike force of Fairey Barracuda s and Vought F4U Corsair s , while the main fighter force was provided by the escort carrier s " Emperor " , which was equipped with Grumman Hellcats , together with and , carrying Grumman Wildcats . Orr , who was in command of the second strike group , remembered : " Upon arrival over " Tirpitz " it was found that the smoke screen generated by the Germans had ridden half way up the mountains on either side of the Kaafjord . Each flight attacked their pre - briefed gun sites once it was clear that no enemy fighters were in the area . The Hellcat proved itself to be an excellent gun platform on this mission . " For his part with this operation , Orr was awarded the second Bar to his DSC . Flying in a mixed formation of 18 aircraft from 804 and 800 Naval Air Squadron on 14 May , Orr led the formation , attacking shipping near Vikten Island and along with Lieutenant Blyth Ritchie , he shot down a Heinkel He 115 float plane . At the same time he also shared in the destruction of two Blohm & Voss BV 138 flying boats and two more Heinkel float planes , for which he was mentioned in dispatches . Later career . In September 1944 , Orr was posted to RNAS Henstridge as the chief flying instructor . Later he was transferred to Boscombe Down where he joined the Empire Test Pilot School . While undertaking this role , he gained experience flying jet fighters and four engined bombers . He then served as a Royal Navy test pilot for two years and a half years . During this time he was heavily involved with experiments landing tricycle - undercarriage jet aircraft on aircraft carriers , for which he was awarded the Air Force Cross . In 1953 , Orr was posted to and onboard her he saw operational service in the Korean War , attacking targets on the west coast of Korea . After this he returned to Boscombe Down as the commanding officer of the Naval Test Squadron , a role he undertook for three years . He was promoted to commander and his squadron was awarded the Boyd Trophy after being judged the most efficient squadron in the entire Fleet Air Arm . Orr ’ s final appointment was in command the Inter service Hovercraft Trials Unit based at Lee - on - Solent . During his service Orr flew over 100 different aircraft and retired from the Royal Navy in 1966 . Upon leaving the service , Orr joined Vospers as their marine superintendent and became involved in their development of fast patrol boats . Five years later he left Vospers and became a commercial agent for a number of engineering firms . In 1999 , Orr ' s wife , Myra , died . Orr died four years later on 11 August 2003 . He was survived by two sons .