HMS Ark Royal (II) - hydro - air transport , took an active part in the First World War . In 1934, after a new conversion, it became known as HMS Pegasus , participated in the Second World War (in 1939, during the attack on the Royal Oak , it was next to the latter and took on board about 400 people rescued from the sunken battleship [1] ).
| Ark Royal | |
|---|---|
| HMS Ark Royal | |
 | |
| Service | |
 Great Britain | |
| Class and type of vessel | Hydraulic carrier |
| Organization | Royal fleet |
| Manufacturer | |
| Construction started | November 7, 1913 |
| Launched | September 5, 1914 |
| Commissioned | December 10, 1914 |
| Withdrawn from the fleet | October 18, 1946 |
| Status | in 1949 disassembled for metal |
| Main characteristics | |
| Displacement | 7450 tons standard |
| Length | 111.5 m |
| Width | 15.5 m |
| Draft | 5,4 m |
| Engines | 1 PM triple expansion, 2 pcs 500 tons of oil |
| Power | 3000 l. with. (2.2 MW ) |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km / h ) |
| Crew | 180 people |
| Armament | |
| Flak | 4 × 1 - 76 mm anti-aircraft guns ; 2 × 1 - 7.7 mm Vickers machine gun |
| Aviation group | 1 catapult 5 seaplanes , 2 wheeled aircraft |
Content
History
Laid down as a merchant ship, purchased by the Admiralty in May 1914 . Completed as an Ark Royal hydro-air transport .
During the First World War he served in the Mediterranean Sea, supported the Entente troops.
During the Civil War, he supported the White Guard , participated in its evacuation from Crimea in 1920 .
It underwent repairs from November 1920 to April 1921, and upon completion it was withdrawn to the reserve. Re-commissioned in September 1922 as an air transport . In April 1923, it undergoes re-equipment in Malta and remains in operation as a floating base . In December 1934 it was renamed HMS Pegasus to free up the name for the new ship. In 1938 he received a new catapult.
He participated in the second world war , in 1939 he got a torpedo on board. In 1940, it was equipped to launch Fairey Fulmar fighters from a catapult and escorted convoys from 1940 to 1941. Accompanied by convoys, the ship carried 3 fighter jets intended to protect against German naval aviation and counter submarines. When fuel was consumed, it was assumed that the aircraft would land “on the belly”, right at sea, and their crews would be rescued by convoy ships [2] . Thus, the ship repeated the concept of Catapult Aircraft Merchantman - merchant aircraft carriers . From December 1940 to July 1941 spent 9 convoys. Since the end of 1941, he served as a transport and training ship. In February 1944, he was withdrawn from the combat fleet and is used as a blockchain . In October 1946 it was sold to a private owner for subsequent restructuring into a merchant ship, but the work was not completed and the ship was sold for scrap in 1949 .
Design
Significant changes in the design of the vessel were made to convert it into airliner . The power plant moved to the stern, and the take-off deck occupied the front of the vessel. Initially, the deck was intended for repair and maintenance of seaplanes, but after installing the catapult, wheeled aircraft began to be launched from it, which needed to use ground airfields for landing. Two 3-ton steam cranes for lifting aircraft through the hatch from / to the take-off deck or launching / raising seaplanes from / to the water.
Ships of the same type
Ariguani, Maplin, Patia, Pegasus, Springbank.
See also
- UK Navy Carrier List
Sources
- Aircraft carriers of the Second World War. The new rulers of the oceans. - M.: Collection, Yauza, EKSMO, 2006. - 256 p.: Ill.
- HMS Ark Royal on the Royal Navy website
Notes
- ↑ [1] , HMS Royal Oak (1908)
- ↑ Layman, RD (1976). "HMS Ark Royal - Pegasus 1914-1950.", P. 98, 100