HMS Searcher ( D40 ) HMS " Searcher was an " Ruler " - class escort carrier escort carrier of the Royal Navy . Built in Seattle in the United States she was transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend - Lease . Launched in 1942 she served until 29 November 1945 . She was sold into merchant service and renamed Captain Theo . In 1966 she was renamed again to Oriental Banker " and was finally scrapped in Taiwan in 1976 . Design and description . These ships were all larger and had a greater aircraft capacity than all the preceding American built escort carriers . They were also all laid down as escort carriers and not converted merchant ships . All the ships had a complement of 646 men and an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . Propulsion was provided by one shaft , two boilers and a steam turbine giving 9 , 350 shaft horsepower , which could propel the ship at . Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge – flight control on the starboard side , two aircraft lifts by , one aircraft catapult and nine arrestor wires . Aircraft could be housed in the by hangar below the flight deck . Armament comprised : two 4 inch Dual Purpose guns in single mounts , sixteen 40 mm Bofors anti - aircraft gun s in twin mounts and twenty 20 mm Oerlikon anti - aircraft cannons in single mounts . They had a maximum aircraft capacity of twenty - four aircraft which could be a mixture of Grumman Martlet , Vought F4U Corsair or Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft and Fairey Swordfish or Grumman Avenger anti - submarine aircraft . Wartime Service . From 1943 " Searcher " operated mainly around the UK as a Fighter Carrier . In late December 1943 she provided Atlantic convoy escort , escorting ships to the USA , and arriving at Norfolk on 2 January 1944 . She participated in the attacks on the German battleship " Tirpitz " as part of the Home Fleet Strike force of Operation " Tungsten " , during which her role was to provide fighter cover . In August 1944 she took part in Operation " Dragoon " , the Allied invasion of Southern France . On 4 May 1945 aircraft from the escort carriers " Searcher " , " Queen " , and " Trumpeter " , taking part in Operation Judgement , sank the German submarine " U - 711 " in Kilbotn harbour in the Arctic near Harstad , Norway . Avenger torpedo bombers escorted by Wildcat fighters attacked the submarine tender " Black Watch " , the supply ship " Senja " and the former Norwegian coastal defence ship HNoMS " Harald Haarfagre " , which had been rebuilt by the Germans as the Flak ship " Thetis " . " U - 711 " was alongside " Black Watch " when she was sunk in position by bombs aimed at " Black Watch " . " Black Watch " and " Senja " were also sunk . This was the last sinking of a U - Boat by the Fleet Air Arm , and the final air - raid of the war in Europe . " Searcher " was sent to the Far East as part of the British Pacific Fleet but arrived in mid - August as the war ended . Return to the US Navy . " Searcher " was returned to the US Navy under the terms of the Lend - Lease arrangement on 29 November 1945 and was listed for disposal on 7 February 1946 . Merchant Service . The decommissioned escort carrier was sold to J & A T Vatis , a Greek shipping company , and renamed " Captain Theo " in 1952 . She was sold again in 1966 to the Chinese shipping magnate Tung Chao Yung , becoming " Oriental Banker " . Fate . " Oriental Banker " was scrapped at Kaohsiung in Taiwan , commencing on 21 April 1976 .