ww2

[sad old git]

Aircraft carrier HMS Indefatigable. Can anyone tell me if this name was shortened to indefatible at any time? This is the subject of a rageing arguement which could start a mini war. All help much appreciated

[vulcan]

According to the navel history books I have the following aircraft carriers served in the ww2.
Illustrious class.[4]

Victorious
Formidable
Indomitable & Illustrious

Implacable class[2]
Indefatigable & Implacable.
there is no mention of indefatible

it may be that indefatible was easier to say than indefatigable and was a term used by the sailors.
two other theories,which would require some research are sailors are a superstitious lot and indefatigable has thirteen letters! and possibly the name was too big for the hat tally and shortened accordingly,though this I would doubt.

[dundurn]

The name Indefatigable in the Royal Navy goes back to the 18th century and there is no way it would have been changed. On the grounds of superstition alone, 13 letters or not, changing a ship's name is usually considered bad luck.

Mispronunciation is much more likely. The Bellerophon was always called the Billy Ruffian and I remember asking a matelot in Dartmouth what his submarine was called and being somewhat surprised to receive the reply "Anus".

Further along the quay I was relieved to find myself looking over the Aeneas!

[Famous5]

My dad served in HMS Indefatigable in WW2, and he always referred to it as the INDEFAT.

Presumably that's what the crew called it affectionately.

He was out in the Pacific, and visited Australia and New Zealand, picking up Japanese PoWs on the way home.

[sad old git]

Thank you all for your answeres; Indefatigable it is. Hopefully my Indefatible " friend" will accept defeat. Cheers S.O.G.

[terambulan]

not quite over.....here both names are mentioned

https://www.forcesreunited.org.uk/myregimentsdetails_army.asp?id=405924

[kempie]

Perhaps you mean Infatigable.

Much like 'flammable' and 'inflammable' being two similar words with the same meaning in English, so are 'indefatigable' and 'infatigable'; the latter although now obsolete in English also being the French term for tireless or weariless.

Of the seven RN ships to bear the name 'Indefatigable' the second was the French frigate 'Infatigable' captured in 1806 by HMS Mars off Rochefort and which briefly retained its name before being renamed HMS Immortalit� when the vessel bearing that name was broken up.