In 1950 Triumph was on a cruise to Japan as part of the Far East Fleet. She was nearing Hong Kong when news reached Triumph and her accompanying ships of war breaking out in the Korean penisula, forcing Triumph into a state of alert including fully armed aircraft on deck. Triumph, escorted by the WWII veteran Cossack, who would also have an escort role with her sister-ship Theseus, was refueled and provisioned at the Royal Australian Naval Dockyard at Kure, Japan. Consort and Jamaica, who would both have prominent roles during the Korean war, as well as the Australian HMAS Shoalhaven a River-class frigate and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Wave Conqueror joined Triumph as they departed the dockard. The following day, she and her assorted escorts headed for Okinawa and was subsequently refueled at the American base there. Then she and her escorts proceeded to West Korean waters, where other Royal Navy warships were converging. At this time she was the sole RN carrier in the Far East and thus was to have a vital role in the early months of the Korean War. After joining the US Fleet, No 827 Squadron commenced operations with a number of vintage Seafires, which was a naval variant of the iconic Spitfire and which saw much action during the closing years of WWII. She also flew Fireflies during the initial operation of the Korean War which was also of WWII vintage. During the Second World War, Fireflies provided air cover during the sinking of the massive battleship Tirpitz in 1944, sister-ship of the gigantic battleship Bismarck. The Seafires and Fireflies of Triumph and aircraft from the American carrier Valley Forge hit airfields at Pyongyang and Chinnam, the first carrier strikes of the war. The Seafires, though agile and fast, had an appearance that was a liability when operating with UN forces, for the aircraft had a remarkable similarity to the Yak-9, a Soviet fighter of WWII vintage, in service with the North Korean forces. Such similarities would play to an almost tragic incident further into Triumph's deployment during the Korean War.
On 19th July 1950, Lieutenant P. Cane, flying a Sea Otter, an air sea rescue aircraft, performed the types last operational sea rescue when a WWII vintage F4U Corsair had been shot down by flak, forcing the American pilot to ditch into very rough seas. The Sea Otter landed and despite the adverse conditions, the American pilot was rescued, with the Sea Otter returning to Triuph, thanks mainly to the skill of the pilot, Lieutenant P Kane.
On the 28th July, an almost tragic event occured, when a flight of Seafires were deployed to an area to investigate possible enemy air activity. They discovered that the activity was in actuality a flight of WWII vintage B-29s. One of the Seafires was hit by a B-29 as it passed the bomber, hitting it's fuel tank, and forcing the pilot to bail out and land in terrible sea conditions. Rescue by Sea Otter was impossible due to the conditions, and the pilot was forced to wait about an hour, until he was rescued by the American warship, USS Eversole.
Further Combat Air Patrol (CAP) and anti-submarine operations continued until she left Korean waters for Kure in Japan where she spent her eight days there in refit. On the 9th July, Triumph was back back on the west cost of Korea, accompanied by the cruiser HMS Kenya, the destroyer HMS Comus and two Canadian warships, Athabaskan and Sioux. Seafires launched numerous Photographic Reconnaissance (PR) operations around areas such as Mokpo, Kunsan, Chinnam and Inchon. Over the next few days, Seafires destroyed two North Korean gunboats and attacked railway tracks, small coaster vessels and oil tanks.
On 23rd August, Triumph, with just nine operational aicraft left, returned to Sasebo, Japan, where joining two other carriers, USS Valley Forge, in which she had the launched the wars first carrier strike with, and USS Phillipine Sea. While in harbour the North Koreans launched, what was really an unexpected air attack, hitting HMS Comus, causing damage to her hull and killing one sailor. She was escorted to Kure for repair by her sister-ship HMS Consort. This caused carriers to be extra vigilant, with Combat Air Patrol (CAP) operations increased in the aftermath of this surprise attack.
On the 29th August, another tragic incident occured, when a Firefly landed without an arrestor hook and entered the barrier. A large piece of it's propeller blade broke off, hurtled towards the surface of the Flying Control position, breaking the glass of the Operations Room, entering the room with tragic consequences, striking Lieutenant Commander I.M. McLachlan, the Commanding Officer of No. 800 Squadron, who later died from the injuries he sustained in this freak incident. He was buried at sea off the coast of South Korea, with full Naval Honours.
On the 30 August, after a four day patrol, Triumph returned to Sasebo, where she received 14 aircraft from the support carrier Unicorn. On the 3rd September, Triumph departed Sasebo for the West Coast of Korea. When Triumph got there, her aicraft, performed the now routine Combat Air Patrol (CAP) and reconnaisance, as well as bombardment spotting for the Fiji-class cruiser, HMS Jamaica and the destroyer HMS Charity.
After the 6th of September, Triumph, accompanied by HMCS Athabaskan and HMA Ships Warramunga and Bataan proceeded to the East Coast to replace the carriers of the US 7th Fleet. The operations commenced on the 8th, with Fireflies, and Seafires attacking numerous targets, causing much havoc for the North Korean forces.
On the 9th, bad weather forced operations to limit themselves to just eight sorties, with four Fireflies attacking the airfield at Koryo, causing a large amount of damage. No. 800 Squadron's aircraft was decreased yet again, now to just six aircraft, after four others were written off. The following day, Triumph returned once again to Sasebo
On the 12th September, Triumph departed Sasebo, accompanied by HMAS Warramunga and the Royal Navy C-class destroyers - Charity, Cockade and Concord. Their objective, though unknown to the crews of the ships was to cover the landings at Inchon. The group, part of CTF 91, a Commonwealth Task Force, was joined by the cruiser HMS Ceylon and RAN warship, HMAS Bataan and was now known as the Northern Group. There was a much smaller Southern Group, which comprised HMC Ships - Athabaskan, Cayuga and Sioux.
The end of the days operations led to a message to the commander of the Commonwealth, Admiral Andrewes from the UN's overall commander, General Douglas MacArthur, "My heartiest felicitations on the splendid conduct of the Fleet units under your command. They have added another glamorous page to the long and brilliant histories of the Navies of the British Commonwealth."
By the end of D-Day, an astonishing 13,000 troops and all their weapons and equipment had been landed. On the 17th September North Korean aircraft bombed the American warship, USS Rochester, as well as strafing the British cruiser, Jamaica, killing one and wounding two. Shortly afterwards, both warships carried out a brief bombardment of North Korean troops.
On the 21st September, Triumph entered Sasebo for the last time in her deployment during the Korean War. She spent two days there in drydock for temporary repairs, before departing for Hong Kong on the 25th September, with her role in the conflict being replaced by HMS Theseus.
Her role after that was a relatively mundane one, being placed in reserve and becoming a training and trials ship in the mid 50s. And was converted to a heavy repaire ship from 1958-65, being designated A108. Triumph was based in Singapore after her conversion, being involved in a major exercise in 1968 in the Far East, with numerous capital ships from Britain and other nations taking part, as welll as dozens of destroyers and frigates, with Triumph being used as a heavy repair and transport ship. In 1975, she was paid off. In 1981 she was stricken and subsequently scrapped in Spain in 1981.
