Colossus class (1943)
| Colossus class | |
|---|---|
 HMS Triumph in Subic Bay (Philippines), 1950 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Light aircraft carrier |
| units | 10 built, all out of service |
| period of service |
1944 to 2001 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
13,600 tons |
| length |
212 meters |
| width |
24.40 meters |
| Draft |
7.20 meters |
| crew |
1300 |
| drive |
4 steam boilers |
| speed |
25 knots |
| Range |
12,000 nautical miles at 14 knots |
| Armament |
24 × 2 pounder anti-aircraft guns in quadruple mounts |
| Number of aircraft |
37 |
The Colossus-class was a class of light aircraft carriers in the Royal Navy . They were built during World War II.
history
The class was originally supposed to include 16 ships, ten of which were built. The other six were built according to a modified design called the Majestic- class and sold to Commonwealth countries.
The design was based on that of the Illustrious class , but was scaled down and otherwise modified in order to be able to complete the beams as quickly as possible and to save costs. For example, the armored flight deck used in the Illustrious class was dispensed with, the propulsion system was only designed for a maximum speed of 25 knots and reduced defensive armament was carried along. The background to this was the endeavor to increase the number of fleet carriers available for participation in the war in the Pacific as quickly as possible. Of the ten ships built, two ( Perseus and Pioneer ) were designed for aircraft maintenance.
The ships were laid down between November 1942 and early 1943. The first four units were put into service in December 1944, the last in 1946. None of the ships took part in combat operations in the Pacific War, but many of the ships were then used in the Korean War .
Ship list
- HMS Colossus (R15) - loaned to France in 1946, sold in 1951, commissioned there as Arromanches . Served in the Indochina War. Broken down in 1978.
- HMS Triumph (R16) - Participation in the Korean War, then a training ship and conversion to a repair ship. Wrecked in 1981.
- HMS Warrior (R31) - loaned to Canada in 1946, rebuilt in England in 1948, participated in the Korean War, sold to Argentina in 1956, renamed ARA Independencia there , scrapped in 1971.
- HMS Perseus (R51) - broken up in 1958.
- HMS Glory (R62) - Participating in the Korean War, wrecked in 1961.
- HMS Venerable (R63) - sold to the Netherlands in 1948 and renamed HNLMS Karel Doorman . Resold to Argentina, there under the name ARA Veinticinco de Mayo , scrapped in 2000.
- HMS Theseus (R64) - Operations in the Korean War and Suez Crisis, broken up in 1962.
- HMS Ocean (R68) - like Theseus .
- HMS Vengeance (R71) - loaned to Australia in 1952, sold to Brazil in 1956, there from 1960 as NAeL Minas Gerais flagship of the Navy. Retired in 2001, scrapped in 2004.
- HMS Pioneer (R76) - broken up in 1954.
- Mr. Ms. Karel Doorman (R81) - scrapped in 2000.
