Furious 1917
Furious 1918
| Name | No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Furious | 47 | Armstrong, Elswick | 8/6/1915 | 15/8/1916 | 7/1917 | test ship 5/1945, sold 3/1948 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
19513 |
|
Displacement full, t |
22890 |
|
Length, m |
239.7 |
|
Breadth, m |
26.8 |
|
Draught, m |
6.40 mean |
|
No of shafts |
4 |
|
Machinery |
Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, 18 Yarrow small-tube boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
90000 |
|
Max speed, kn |
31.5 |
|
Fuel, t |
3393 oil |
|
Armour, mm |
belt: 76 - 51, bulkheads: 76 - 51, barbette: 178 - 102, turret: 229 (face) - 178 (sides) - 108 (roof), CT: 254, main deck: 76 - 19 with 25-mm slopes |
|
Armament |
1 x 1 - 457/40 Mk I, 11 x 1 - 140/50 BL Mk I, 6 x 1 - 76/45 QF Mk I HA, 2 - 533 TT (beam), 8 aircraft (Pup fighters, 11/2-strutter recon planes) |
|
Complement |
880 |
Aircraft facilities (fd - 1,512 m², ha - ~ 375 m² / 1,725 m³): fwd flying-off deck 84 x 18 m, under-deck hangar for 8 seaplanes. 2 cranes for seaplanes returning from water. Wheel planes had to land on land bases.
| Year | fighters | bombers | torpedo-bombers | reconnaissance and other |
| 1925 | 6 Flycatcher | --- | 12 Dart | 12 Fairey III, 6 Bison |
| 1935 | 3 Osprey, 9 Nimrod | --- | 12 Baffin | 12 Fairey III |
| 8/1939 | --- | --- | 18 Swordfish | --- |
| 9/1939 | --- | 9 Skua | 18 Swordfish | --- |
| 4/1940 | --- | --- | 18 Swordfish | --- |
| 7/1941 | 9 Fulmar, 4 Sea Hurricane | --- | 9 Swordfish, 9 Albacore | --- |
| 11/1942 | 27 Seafire, 1 Fulmar | --- | 8 Albacore | --- |
| 4/1944 | 14 Seafire | --- | 18 Barracuda | --- |
Ship project history: This ship made huge impact on class evolution. She was ordered as a light battlecruiser, the third ship of Courageous class with two single 457mm turrets, but already during building have converted into "semi-aircraft-carrier", having arranged a hangar in a fore end and a flying-off deck aft. Soon after commission she was returned on shpyard again and fitted with a second, landing deck in an aft part.
Because of the vortexes of air arising at a flow of a superstructure and funnel arranged in a centreline, boarding of aircrafts on Furious stern deck has appeared is interfaced to the big risk. Therefore the ship has passed the next conversion in 1922-1925. She lost all superstructures, a funnel and a mast. Fore and aft hangars have pooled into one over which have raised upper. Planes could start now at once from two levels: with short fore flying-off deck and from upper deck holding ¾ lengths of the ship. Aircrafts lifted on an upper deck by two 5.5t lifts. Catapults and arrestment gears was not. Underwater protection was calculated for an underwater explosion of of 200kgs of TNT. Furious has passed large refit in November 1938 — May, 1939. There was a small island superstructure on a flight deck from starboard. A short lower flying-off deck have ceased to use directly. Capacity of one of lifts was increased to 6.4t. Artillery was completely changed.
Protection: There was internal underwater protection with 25mm longitudinal bulkhead between hangar and "Y" barbette.
Modernizations: (Armstrong, 11/1917 - 3/1918): ship received landing deck (86.6 x 21.3 m) with hangar (fd - 3,357 m², ha - ~ 1,050 m² / 5,285 m³). Lift were fitted on both hangars; - 1 x 1 - 457/40, 1 x 1 - 140/50; + 4 x 3 - 533 TT, can carry up to 16 aircraft (20 since 10/1918)
(Devonport DYd, 6/1922 - 8/1925): Two old hangars connected into one, new upper hangar was fitted (fd - 5,819 m², ha - 4,957 m² / 22,801 m³). There were two flight decks: fwd flying-off deck (49 x 26.8 m), connected with upper hangar, and upper flight deck (175.5 (usable length 161.5) x 27.9 m). Hangars measures: lower - 167.6 x 15.2 x 4.6 m, upper - 158.5 x 15.2 x 4.6 m. There are two lifts on upper deck: fwd (14 x 14.3 m, 5.7 t) and aft (14 x 14.3 m, 6.4 t). There was no island. Petrol stowage was 93.6 t. Original bulges had been increased in height. AA armament was changed.
Furious 1925
Furious 1939
| Name | No | Reconstructed | Yard | Fate |
| Furious | 47 | 6/1922 - 31/8/1925 | Devonport DYd | test ship 5/1945, sold 3/1948 |
|
Displacement standard, t |
22450 |
|
Displacement full, t |
27165 |
|
Length, m |
224.0 pp 239.7 oa |
|
Breadth, m |
27.5 over bulges, 27.9 over flight deck |
|
Draught, m |
8.56 deep load |
|
No of shafts |
4 |
|
Machinery |
Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, 18 Yarrow small-tube boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
90000 |
|
Max speed, kn |
30 |
|
Fuel, t |
3830 oil |
|
Armour, mm |
belt: 76 - 51, bulkheads: 76 - 51, decks summary: 76 - 19 |
|
Armament |
10 x 1 - 140/50 BL Mk I, 2 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 4 x 1 - 47/40 Hotchkiss, 4 x 1 - 40/39 pompom, 36 aircraft (Flycatcher fighters, Dart torpedo-bombers, Bison, Blackburn, Fairey III recon planes) |
|
Complement |
1218 |
1931 - 1932: - 4 x 1 - 40/39; + 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 2 x 8 - 40/39 pompom.
(11/1938-5/1939): New island superstructure was fitted. - 10 x 1 - 140/50, 3 x 1 - 102/45, 4 x 1 - 47/40; + 6 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI, 1 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62
4/1941: + 1 x 8 - 40/39 pompom
1942: bulges were deepened; full Dp: 28495 t; - 2 x 4 - 12.7/62; + 15 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon
1943-1944: + 7 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 4x type 282, 2x 285, 290 radars.
Naval service: Seven Camel fighters started from a deck of Furious 19/7/1918 and made the first successful attack of German Zeppelins base. Furious was laid up before WWII. She was actively used in days of war (including Malta convoys and strikes on German battleship Tirpitz), that has affected its technical condition. In September, 1944 she was laid up again and later converted to test ship for tests of underwater protection systems.
Furious 1918
Furious 1926
Furious 1933
© Ivan Gogin, 2008-09