The Invincible class is a series of British aircraft carriers from the 1970s. They were created after the abolition of the construction of aircraft carriers of the CVA-01 type and the curtailment of work on aircraft carriers and were originally designed as cruiser-helicopter carriers . After a number of changes, including those already made during the construction of ships, the project was turned into a light aircraft carrier carrying aircraft ( short or vertical take - off and landing) and helicopters .
| Invincible aircraft carriers | |
|---|---|
| Invincible class | |
 Illustries in the early 2000s | |
| Project | |
| A country |
|
| Years in the ranks | 1980 - 2014 |
| In the ranks | withdrawn from the fleet |
| Scrapped | 3 |
| Main characteristics | |
| Displacement | 20 600 t full |
| Length | 209.1 m |
| Width | 36.0 m |
| Draft | 8.0 m |
| Engines | 4 GTE Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B |
| Power | 97,200 h.p. |
| Mover | 2 |
| Speed | 28 knots maximum |
| Sailing range | 7,000 miles at 19 knots |
| Crew | 557 people + 318 people of the air group |
| Armament | |
| Radar weapons | Marconi / Signaal Type 1022 Airborne Radar Radar detection of surface targets Type 909 , Type 1006 Gus Type 184M |
| Electronic weapons | EW Racal Thorn UAT system |
| Flak | 2 × 20 mm Oerlicon / BMARC GAM-BO1 from 1980 - 1982 : 2-3 × 20 mm Phalanx At Invincible and Illustries, from 1989 - 1994 : 3 × 30 mm Goalkeeper |
| Missile weapons | until 1989 - 1994 : 1 × 2 air defense missile launcher Sea Dart |
| Aviation group | 14 aircraft and helicopters initially, in later years to 22 |
In 1973 - 1975 three ships of this type were built. Their main task initially was to provide anti-submarine defense .
Content
Combat use
"Invincible" managed to take part in the Falkland War (1982), actively used in hostilities.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, all ships underwent modernization, consisting in the removal of the Sea Dart air defense system and the expansion of the hangar . Since the 2000s, the aircraft carriers of the Invincible type have been planned to be replaced by the more modern Queen Elizabeth type . In this regard, in 2003 , Invincible was put into reserve and written off in 2005.
In 2010, an auction was announced which was won by a Turkish ship recycling company.
“Arc Royal” was decommissioned on March 11, 2011 [1] , and then, on March 28, put up for auction [2] , as a result of which in May 2013 it was sent for disposal to Turkey [3] .
The last ship of this class, the Illastries, was withdrawn from the fleet in August 2014 .
Series Composition
| Title | room | Shipyard | Pledged | Lowered | In the ranks | Written off | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invincible | R05 | Vickers , Barrow-in Furness | 04/17/1973 | 05/03/1977 | 07/11/1980 | 08/03/2005 | Scrapped to Turkey [4] |
| "Illustries" | R06 | Swan Hunter , Wallsend | 05/14/1976 | 12/01/1978 | 06/20/1982 | 08/28/2014 [5] | Scrapped to Turkey |
| Ark Royal | R07 | Swan Hunter , Wallsend | 12/14/1978 | 06/02/1981 | 11/01/1985 | 03/11/2011 | Scrapped to Turkey [3] |
See also
- Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carriers
- UK Navy Carrier List
Notes
- ↑ BBC News - Final farewell for decommissioned warship HMS Ark Royal
- ↑ BBC News - Carrier HMS Ark Royal put up for auction on MoD website
- ↑ 1 2 Ark Royal sets sail on final journey to scrapyard // BBC News
- ↑ The aircraft carrier "Invincible" went on its last journey
- ↑ Portsmouth-based HMS Illustrious retires from Navy - BBC News
Literature
- Jane's Fighting Ships 2004-2005 / S. Saunders. - Jane's Information Group, 2004 .-- 947 p. - (Jane's Fighting Ships). - ISBN 0-71062-623-1 .
- All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995 / R. Gardiner. - London: Conway Maritime Press / US Naval Institute Press, 1996 .-- 675 p. - ISBN 1-55750-132-7 .