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fighting ships of the world

ROYAL NAVY (UNITED KINGDOM)

AIRCRAFT CARRYING SHIPS

IMPLACABLE fleet aircraft carriers

Implacable 1944

Displacement standard, t	23450
Displacement full, t	32110
Length, m	205.1 pp 233.6 oa
Breadth, m	29.2 wl 34.9 fd
Draught, m	8.81 deep load
No of shafts	4
Machinery	Parsons geared steam turbines, 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	148000
Max speed, kn	32
Fuel, t	Implacable: 4690 oil Indefatigable: 4810 oil
Armour, mm	belt: 114, hangar sides: 51,  bulkheads: 76 - 51, flight deck: 76
Armament	8 x 2 - 114/45 QF Mk III, 5 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 1 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 14 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 9 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 60 aircraft (Seafire, Firefly, Wildcat, Hellcat fighters, Barracuda, Avenger torpedo bombers, Sea Otter recon planes)
Sensors	type 279, 272, 277, 6x 282 radars
Complement	1585, up to 2300 later

Aircraft facilities (fd - 6,716m², ha - 3,837m² / 16,498m³): Flight deck: 231.6 (useful length)  x 29.0m. Upper hangar: 139.6 x 18.9 x 4.3m, lower hangar: 63.4 x 18.9 x 4.3m. There were 3 lifts (9.1t, 13.7 x 10.1m for two fwd and 13.7 x 6.7m aft). There was 1 catapult BH-III (7.3t plane dispersed to 122km/h). Aircraft fuel stowage was 430,000l.

Ship project history: Illustrious by right is considered as significant ship in evolution of aircraft carriers. She had protection of the flight deck for the first time in world practice which considerably have raised her battle immunity.

Six ships of Illustrious class became the biggest class of fleet aircraft carriers of Royal Navy. They were sectioned into 3 groups and had significant differences. Enhanced, 3rd group of Illustrious class (Implacable group) with two-level hangar, increased number of carried planes and 4 shafts.

Designing of Illustrious has begun in 1936. Ship should have protection from 500pdr (227kg) bombs and 152mm shells. Standard displacement was limited 23 000ts as resolved by the London conference of 1936.

Protection was rather powerful, 62% of flight deck area was covered by 76mm armour. Increase of battle resistance was paid by 2 times smaller, than on Ark Royal, air group and reduction of freeboard (11.6 m at Illustrious instead of 17.1m at Ark Royal).

The "aerodynamic" form of island and funnel in the form of a profile of a plane wing, and also the round-downs of the deck became feature of architecture of Illustrious: it was supposed, that it will decrease the turbulence of air and will improve conditions of take-off and boarding of aircrafts. At the same time round-downs shrank deck effective length to 189m, therefore on the subsequent aircraft carriers, since Victorious, round-downs began to fulfil not such big, that has allowed to extend its deck to 204.2m. The AA armament repeated accepted on Ark Royal, but with new 114mm so-called "inter-decks" mountings.

Protection:  Main belt protected about 30% of length by waterline. Main belt was taken to the upper deck abreast island and to the main deck for much of its length. Hangar sides were protected on full hangar length. 62%of flight deck (over hangar) had 76mm armour, another part of flight deck was 38mm. Magazines taken separate horizontal 76 - 51mm protection. Lower hangar deck was 64 - 38mm over machinery. Lifts were not armoured. There were 38mm anti-torpedo bulkheads. 4.1m deep underwater protection can resist exploding of 340kg TNT.

Modernizations: 1945, Implacable: + 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 3 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 281B, 293 radars

1945, Indefatigable: + 10 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 3 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 281B, 293 radars

1946, Implacable: - 17 x 2 - 20/70, 17 x 1 - 20/70

1946, Indefatigable: - 12 x 1 - 20/70

1950, Indefatigable; 1952, Implacable: - 5 x 8 - 40/39

Naval service: Indefatigable was hit once by kamikaze and 250kg bomb without serious damages. Implacable served as training carrier 1952 - 1954, Indefatigable used for training 1950 - 8/1954.

   Implacable 1944

      Implacable 1953

 

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© Ivan Gogin, 2008-09