class aircraft carrier class aircraft carrier class aircraft carriers built royal_navy world war derived design class faster carried aircraft older ships initially assigned home_fleet completed attacked targets norway german battleship subsequently assigned ship pacific attacked japanese controlled oil sumatra route participated operation invasion okinawa march april arrival pacific delayed refit begin operations japanese june sister ships participated attacks japanese july august carrier chosen continue operations withdrew prepare operations early august japanese formal surrender september ferried allied troops prisoners war australia canada rest year sisters returned home rest year transport troops placed reserve training carrier home_fleet converted training ship reactivated service home_fleet relegated reserve year modified training ship sisters scheduled mid-1950s cancelled carrier queue ahead proved expensive lengthy sisters decommissioned sold scrap background description class origin improved version class aircraft carriers naval programme remaining long tons available allowed initial change increase carriers speed knots mph required addition fourth steam turbine associated propeller shaft additional weight machinery meant reductions armour hangar deck bulkheads ends hangar time director naval construction developing different modified design design carry additional dozen aircraft total lower hangar incorporated additional machinery initial design sacrifice armour hangar height initially planned feet inches upper hangar accommodate new torpedo bomber feet lower hangar accommodate taller amphibious aircraft later change policy raised upper hangar height feet design submitted august approved november april lower hangar height reduced feet compensate hangar armour inches idea carrying amphibians hangar abandoned class ships feet inches long overall feet waterline beam feet inches waterline draught feet deep load ships significantly overweight displaced long tons deep load complement approximately officers enlisted men metacentric heights feet light load feet deep load completed ships parsons geared steam turbines driving shaft steam supplied admiralty drum boilers turbines designed produce total shp maximum speed knots mph sea trials ships reached speeds knots mph shp class carried maximum long tons fuel oil gave range nautical miles knots mph foot armoured flight deck maximum width feet cables crash aircraft catapult lifts designed handle aircraft pounds weight carriers fitted cables aft designed stop landing speeds knots mph backed crash prevent landing aircraft crashing aircraft parked ship bow case damage rear flight deck class ships mounted additional forward cables permit aircraft land bow single hydraulic catapult fitted forward flight deck launch pound aircraft knots mph lighter aircraft launched maximum speed knots mph ships equipped lifts forward measured feet served upper hangar aft lift feet served upper hangar feet long lower hangar feet long uniform width feet height feet storage fighters post war aircraft helicopters case fire upper hangar divided fire lower hangar fire curtain designed aircraft use permanent deck park allowed class accommodate aircraft crewmen maintenance personnel facilities needed support additional aircraft housed lower hangar ships provided imperial gallons gal aviation gasoline approximately sorties aircraft armament electronics armour ships main armament consisted sixteen quick firing inch dual purpose guns powered twin gun turrets hull unlike class ships roofs gun turrets flat flush flight deck gun maximum range yards elevation ceiling feet light anti aircraft defences included mounts pounder anti aircraft guns flight deck forward island aft island port hull single quadruple pounder mount fitted port hull pounder gun maximum range yards ships fitted approximately varying numbers single twin gun mounts guns maximum range yards replaced guns ships transferred shell unlikely destroy hit ship gun maximum range yards additional quadruple mounts added joined war exchanged guns april sisters guns inch guns controlled fire control directors mounting type gunnery radar directors positioned flight deck fore aft island island aft funnel fourth director port hull flight deck director sent data keeping clock fire control system gunnery calculations provided director carried range type gunnery radar class ships radar suite readily available fitted type surface search height finding radar bridge type target indicator radar foremast ships probably carried type type early warning radars based radars fitted aboard class carrier victorious late war class ships flight deck protected inches armour sides designed inches thick protect hangar low level attacks pound semi armour piercing bombs supposedly inches late design process cost reducing height lower hangar naval historian wrote ironically appears ships actually built inch armour ends protected inch bulkheads armour hangar deck ranged inches thickness waterline armour belt inches thick covered central portion ship form armoured citadel belt closed inch transverse bulkheads fore aft underwater defence system layered system air filled compartments class estimated able resist pound explosive charge magazines inch guns lay outside armoured citadel protected inch roofs inch sides inch ends planned tentatively scheduled following victorious draft staff requirements drawn july included combining single inch hangar strengthening flight deck aircraft handling equipment deal pound aircraft lifts feet adding gallery deck hangar flight deck accommodate additional personnel required addition steam increase aviation fuel imperial gallons gal desired improvements new boilers increase endurance space latest radars replacement anti aircraft armament british version gun mounts guns october estimated completion date victorious year past initial estimate april scheduled begin april completion director pointed existing schedules prevented beginning earlier april cruisers guided missile test ship delayed controller navy asked time cost reconstruction reduced minimum modifications expensive involved structural alterations controller ordered director plan rebuilding june december protested limited require quarters structural work original plan shortage skilled workers insufficient victorious delay work ships order reduce structural work requirement replace boilers cancelled ship receive existing radars instead systems development january ship new armament finalized twin gun mounts mounts months later admiralty decided victorious fleet carrier experience showed process longer cost ships construction service ships originally planned carrier included naval programme delayed year government construction ships forward lift enlarged non folding aircraft like early models flight deck widened abreast forward lift splinter protection added seven diesel generators watertight compartment changes increased ships displacement long tons deep load construction suspended favour escorts needed carriers launched days embarked portions air wing training late august assigned home_fleet october scapa_flow working joined ships searching week later spotted battleship near subsequently successfully attacked targets norway late october carrier arrived participated norwegian coast sinking warships merchant ships damaging german submarine november december provided air cover operations attacked german shipping norwegian coast december began refit preparatory transfer included light armament refit completed march ship embarked enlarged air wing aircraft torpedo bombers largest number aircraft aboard british carrier time arrived sydney australia joined carriers 1st aircraft carrier squadron 1st return invasion okinawa june june carrier attacked japanese naval base working carriers ship sailed 1st july rendezvous american carriers task force japanese home island days later british carriers began flying sorties japanese targets july aircraft departing area august flew sorties arrived sydney august spent rest year allied prisoners war soldiers australia canada january sister ships number port visits australia new_zealand ship refitted sydney preparation return home june deck landing training carrier home_fleet temporarily trials carrier october air group ready refitted october december preparation service home_fleet flagship embarked squadron april flagship admiral sir april squadron flew deck later year air group augmented squadron placed reserve september slowly converted training ship addition extra accommodation classrooms including addition flight deck recommissioned january flagship present elizabeth_ii june months later ferried battalion troops response crisis british decommissioned september sold breaking october conducting builder trials landed aboard march piloted lieutenant landing twin engined carrier working ship assigned home_fleet early july air group july participated operation mascot attack german smoke screens following month aircraft provided air cover operations attacked targets norway assigned series attacks late august failed significantly damage battleship assigned november arrived ceylon december joined 1st carriers attacked oil sumatra january operation operation sailing sydney prepare operations pacific joined march attacked airfields south okinawa beginning march preparations operation operations british carrier hit penetrated combat air patrol cap struck base island april bomb carried detonate limited casualties men killed wounded damage ship minimal flight deck operation thirty minutes later okinawa secured arrived sydney june delayed rejoining operations required repairs machinery departed july reached coast japan days later aircraft began attacking targets july withdrew planned august prepare operation olympic invasion scheduled november ships remained represent britain end operations ship aircraft flew missions august missions shot losing gunner shot japanese aircraft aircraft continued fly cap flew reconnaissance missions looking allied prisoners war arrived sydney september began refit lasted november touring australia new_zealand arrived march modified accommodate passengers ferried troops australia ceylon singapore america rest year placed reserve beginning ship modified use training ship recommissioned service decommissioned october towed june listed disposal sold scrap september subsequently broken list ships second world war list ship classes second world war
Implacable-class aircraft carrier