Aéronavale Supermarine Seafire Mk III fighters perform rocket assisted takeoffs from the deck of Arromanches

[hw97karbine]

 

[EwenS]

Unusual. Film taken while the ship was at anchor. Aircraft taking off over the stern.

Lack of wind over the deck accounts for the "wobbly" take offs

 

[hw97karbine]

Lack of wind over the deck accounts for the "wobbly" take offs

... and the need for RATO, I couldn't pin down the exact date but it's possible this was part of a ceremony for the carrier's handover to the French from the British, hence the unusual operation.

 

[Gnomey]

Good one!

 

[EwenS]

... and the need for RATO, I couldn't pin down the exact date but it's possible this was part of a ceremony for the carrier's handover to the French from the British, hence the unusual operation.

Your proposition simply doesn't hold water I'm afraid.

Seafire III
Deliveries of the first 48 Seafire III began on 15 March 1946. Most were collected by French Aeronavale pilots from Lee-on-Solent. They were then flown at 5 day intervals, and usually in batches of 6 depending on servicability, to Les Mureaux near Paris to be brought up to French Navy standards. After that they were moved to Aeronavale bases in the South of France for pilots to begin their training on the type. They initially went to:-

Flotille 1.F
Escadrille de Servitudes 4.S (a training squadron)
Escadrille de Servitude 54.S (school of aircraft embarkation)
All the above at Hyeres

Escadrille de Servitude 10.S test centre at St Raphael
Naval school at Rochefort.

Another 65 Seafire III were obtained later as attrition replacements and for spare parts. They cost £80 each apparently. The exact number varies across a number of sources as do comments about their fitness or otherwise for service.

One source I have says that they didn't go aboard Arromanches until 1948 except probably for deck landing practice while based at Hyeres, and that the French quickly abandoned the use of RATOG as they found it unreliable & hazardous.

The Seafire III were replaced by Griffon engined Seafire XV in 1949 and then by F6F-5 Hellcats from 1950.

Ship
HMS Colossus was formally handed over to the French Navy at noon on 6 August 1946 while in Portsmouth harbour, in a ceremony on her flight deck in front of dignitaries fo both nations. Her French crew only arrrived at Portsmouth on 2 Aug on board the battleship Richelieu. So they had no time to work her up before the handover, let alone exercise an airgroup. Two months later she was Toulon hosting a dinner for the British Ambassador.

At this point she was on a 5 year loan to the French Navy. It was Feb 1947 that King George VI approved a French proposal to rename her the FS Arromanches. The French then purchased her in 1951 at the end of the loan period.

Her first tour in Indochina began on 30 Oct 1948 when she left Toulon carrying 24 Seafire III of 1.F and 12 SBD of 4.F. AIUI these represented the entire stock of naval aircraft available for deployment, with no replacements or available spares beyond what she carried. She arrived at Saigon on on 29 Nov 1948. By mid-Jan 1949 both squadrons were running out of servicable aircraft.

Conclusion
So taking everything into account, my best guess would be that the film dated to 1947/48 off the South of France before she sailed for Indochina.

 

[hw97karbine]

It was Feb 1947 that King George VI approved a French proposal to rename her the FS Arromanches

Looking back at my notes I do actually have a date, it appears this was filmed in March 1947 so this is likely connected to the official renaming of the vessel, apparently the mayor of Arromanches was one of the dignitaries on board when it was filmed.