HMS ARK ROYAL (R09)

The fourth ship to have held the name of Ark Royal.One of the four Audacious class carriers laid down during WW2 and a sister ship to HMS EAGLE. Laid down 3rd May 1943 and launched 3rd May 1950 after many delays. A complete redesign to include an angled flight deck of 5.5° and uprated catapults delayed her commissioning until 25th February 1955.

She had 4.5" guns and a deck edge lift port side.

In 1956 the port 4.5" guns were removed and in 1960 the deck edge lift was removed.

In June 1960 she was operating Sea Vixens of 892 Sqn off the North African Coast.

A major refit 1967/1970 transformed her with an 8.5° angled deck, new catapults and arrester gear and new Island. A new electronics package was fitted. The remaining 4.5" guns were removed. Fitted for but not with Seacat missiles for defence she left refit with no defensive armament.

She operated Sea Vixens until the 1967 refit and then operated the Phantom F4K until 1978 when she was decommisioned in December of that year. Her sister ship HMS Eagle provided spares during this period.

HMS ARK ROYAL was towed to the breakers yard in Scotland in 1980.

This was the end of conventional catapult and arrester gear fixed wing aircraft operation aboard Royal Naval aircraft carriers.

HMS HERMES (R12)

The second ship to have the name HMS HERMES, she was a Centaur class aircraft carrier. Laid down in the Vickers-Armstrong yard at Barrow in Furness during WW2 originally with the name HMS ELEPHANT.

Completed in 1957 she was Commissioned on 18 November 1959 as HMS HERMES.

A most distinguishing mark was the massive Type 984 "Searchlight" radar, a very advanced 3D radar for the period.

She served mainly in the Indian Ocean until 1970 operating Sea Vixens.

In 1970 she refitted aa a Commando Carrier in 1973 where she went on to serve until 1982 in that role. Having recently been decommisioned she was immediately refitted on outbreak of the Falklands War.

HMS HERMES served as the Flag Ship for the war until April 1984, when she was taken out of service. In 1986 she underwent further refit and was sold to the Indian Navy as Indian Navy Ship (INS) Viraat in1989.

She was a small Aircraft Carrier to operate large jets. Many Sea Vixen Pilots testify to the the difficulty, especially at night.

Archive: Lt.(P) Nev Lockett. RN.

HMS EAGLE (R05)

The fifteenth ship in the Royal Navy to carry on the name, she was the largest British Aircraft Carrier ever built.

Laid down at the Harland and Wolff yard at Belfast in 1942 she was one of four Audacious Class ships to be constucted as part of the WW2 requirement.

At the end of hostilities two ships were cancelled and she was launched as HMS EAGLE 19th March 1946. Her original name being HMS AUDACIOUS. She had a straight deck and remained so until her first refit in 1956/57.

Commissioned 5th October 1951 she served until 1972 operating the very last Sea Vixen Squadron in Service 899 Sqn.

Future major refits gave her a larger angled deck and the mirror landing sight in the period1959/1964. The accommodation was extensively modernised.

Recommissioned in 1964 she was the largest ship in the Royal Navy. Unfortunately one of her propellors grounded on entering Plymouth Sound. (circa Autumn 1970/Spring 1971). It remained unbalanced for her future life and was the cause of her to be decommisioned in 1972 in favour of her sister ship. HMS ARK ROYAL to take the Phantom F4K.

She was a far superior ship to the Ark Royal with regard to crew accommodation.

Paid off in 1972 she was towed to Plymouth to be put in reserve lying in the Hamoaze. There she stood until 1978 acting as spares for Ark Royal.

In 1978 she was towed to Scotland and the breakers yard.

HMS VICTORIOUS (R38)

The aircraft carrier HMS VICTORIOUS was the fourth Royal Navy vessel to have the name. She was the second of six Illustrious class carriers designed and ordered during the late 1930s and the third ship completed.

The other Illustrious carriers were HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, HMS FORMIDABLE, HMS INDOMITABLE, HMS IMPLACABLE and HMS INDEFATIGABLE. After serving in the Second World War, five of the Illustrious carriers were scrapped during the 1950s. Victorious continued in service until 1969.

HMS VICTORIOUS was laid down on 4 May 1937 at Walker-upon-Tyne. The ship was launched on 14 September 1939 and commissioned on 29 March 1941.

Following action in a number of theatres during the war, Victorious was used for training and to transport troops, civilian passengers and equipment to and from Australia, the Far East and the UK.

From 1950 Victorious was removed from service for a major refit, including a new flight deck. Whereas when entering service in 1941 Victorious was capable of carrying 36 propeller aircraft, after refit it would be able to carry up to 55 aircraft including heavier jets and helicopters.

Victorious was paid off on 30 June 1950, with modernisation work beginning in October of that year. The ship was recommissioned on 14 January 1958. She operated Sea Vixens until 1967.

From 1958/67, HMS VICTORIOUS spent time in the Mediterranean, Middle East, Far East, Australia and off the coast of West Africa. The ship was damaged by fire in the CPO's mess during refit of 1967. The refit was terminated. In 1968 she was decommissioned.

In June 1969 HMS VICTORIOUS was sent to Faslane on the Clyde and scrapped.